Wennes, Erik Larsen 1830-1912
WENNES, VEINES, GROTAN, STORKERSDATTER, LINDAHL, HALSETH, SORENSON, SANDEN, DAHL, HELGESON, THORBJERNSON, QUINELL, RAUK, PEDERSON, REINSVOLD, FISHBAUGHER, HARRIS, HUSSEY, THORNTON, SEEGMILLER, EILERS, YATES, TIMONEN
Posted By: Barry M. Dahl (email)
Date: 12/15/2010 at 17:22:35
The Erik Wennes Story from the "1996 Winneshiek County History" by Lois Harris Hussey.
Erik Wennes was born 28 Jan. 1830 on the Veines farm in Kvam and Stod Parish in Nord-Trondelag, Norway. His parents were Lars Pederson Grotan and Beret Storkersdatter. On 28 Jun. 1858 he married Karen Lindahl of Lofoten, Norway. They came to America in 1859 and farmed in Hesper Twp.
Erik was a half-brother of Peder Wennes who came to America in 1850 and settled on the Wennes farm in Highland in 1854. A granddaughter of Peder remembers Erik as a kind, gentle man who used to have round, white peppermint candies with xxxx's on each one for the children. After he retired, he moved to a small cottage in Hesper. His hobby was repairing clocks and watches. Karen died in 1908, Erik died in 1912.
Children of Erik and Karen were : Laura (b.1860), Eddie (b.1864) Caroline (b. 1866), Petra Elizabeth (b.1868), Julia (b. 1870), and Heddora (b.1877). They had 4 grandchildren: Christina, Josephine, and Emelia, daughters of Laura and Ellert Halseth and Theodora, daughter of Julia Sorenson. Theodora married Ole Sanden and had two sons.
Laura married Ellert Halseth in 1877. When Laura died in 1888, Erik and Karen helped Ellert raise his children. Christina married Jorgen Dahl and lived in Fairview, MT. Children were: Louella (m. Helge Helgeson), Edna (m. Louis Thorbjernson) and Jergen. Josephine married Emil Quinell and lived in Spring Grove where he had a dry goods store. They had one child: Laura (m. Eldred Rauk).
Emelia married Ole Pederson of Goehner, NE. The moved from Nebraska to Lanesboro, MN and then to the Erik Wennes farm east of Hesper, when Erik retired. Emelia had 4 daughters: Lula, Christina, Josephine and Ollie, and a son Emil who died as an infant. They moved to a farm south of Hesper after Erik's death in 1912. Ole died from flu complications in 1919. Emelia and the girls moved to Decorah. Lula and Christina worked at the Adams Seed Co. until their marriages. Lula married Arne Reinsvold on 14 Dec. 1919. They farmed in the area around Mabel, MN and later moved to Rochester. Their children were: Vernon, Marian (m.Bill Fishbaugher) Lyle and Alton. Christina married Irven Harris 23 Feb 1921. They farmed near Mabel land moved to Seattle, WA in 1943. Children were: Earl and Lois (m.Ken Hussey). Josephine married Roy Thornton 1 Jun 1922 and lived in Decorah where Roy had a Fender Body Auto Repair business. Children were: Evelyn (m. Telford Seegmiller), Lucille (m. Larry Eiler), and Lillian (m. Berwyn Yates). Ollie is married to Walt Timonen and lives in Billings, MT.
Hesper Lutheran cemetery gravestone
Winneshiek Biographies maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen