Severt M. Sorem (1866-1937)

SOREM, OSTREM, HOVLAND

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 8/22/2024 at 20:32:46

From Story City Herald January 28, 1937 (page 8)

SEVERT M. SOREM

(The following data regarding the life of the late Severt M. Sorem has been furnished by Oscar Ostrem, his uncle, now living in Des Moines. Mr. Ostrem regrets greatly that he did not learn of his death or funeral until he read it in the Herald last week.)

Severt M. Sorem was born at Ostrem, Etne, Norway, Sept. 30, 1866, and came to America with his parents the following year, when he was but seven months old. Mr. Ostrem says he knows this to be a fact, as he was in the same building at the time of Sorem's birth, and he was along on the trip to America in 1867, being then 16 years of age.

He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Mons Sorem. The family left Ostrem April 23, 1867, then waited in Bergen to take the boat that left that place on May 6th. They made the ocean journey safely and arrived at Morris, Ill., June 18, 1867. Mr. Ostem states that he made his home with the Sorem family when not working, he being a brother of Severt's mother.

Severt had nine brothers and sisters. A brother, Michael died in infancy at Lisbon, Ill., where also an uncle, Lars Ostrem, who died in 1872, is buried.

In 1894 he made a trip back to Norway, with his uncle Severt Ostrem. They visited the latter's father, Sjur Ostrem, who was then 83 years old, and lived to be 95. It was on this trip he became acquainted with Anna Hovland, a second cousin, and she came to America with him and they were married in the fall of 1896 at the Henry Ostrem home in Jewell. Then they moved to Worthington, Minn., where they made their home on a farm he owned near Bigelow.

Selling the Minnesota farm, he and his wife moved to Story City in 1912, building a fine residence near the schoolhouse in the east end of town. In 1930 Mr. and Mrs. Sorem moved to a small farm near Roland. This they disposed of recently and took up their residence in the Story City Sunset Home. Mr. Sorem had been failing rapidly, being especially restless at night and a constant watch had to be set on him to keep him for wandering around. It was while walking around in a daze that he fell off the porch at the Sunset Home and sustained injuries that hastened, if they did not actually cause, his death. He died Jan. 17, 1937, being thus three months past 70 years of age.

Mr. Ostrem adds: "Severt had always been an exemplary man, a fine Christian character, and he came from a family that had always stood high both morally and spiriatually."