Carl Marcus Dahl

DAHL MCDONALD

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/19/2010 at 21:33:16

Woodbury County History 1984

Carl Marcus Dahl
By Marilyn Dahl Whitney

The story of the Dahl family originates in Norway. A man known to us only as Anders’ son was born in the village of Toten in May 1831. Karine Caroline Woosted was born in the same village on February 14, 1832. We do not know their wedding date: what we do know is they sailed to America with their oldest sons, Christian Martin and Nels, about 1865. Carl Marcus was born in Wisconsin on October 30, 1867. Name changes are common among Scandinavians; when Anders’ son received his naturalization papers he took the name Andrew C Dahl. Part of the group they were traveling with eventually headed for Valley City, North Dakota. The Dahl family came to Monona County, Iowa, in the vicinity of Albaton, and purchased the farm in Fairview Township where their other children were born: August, Bernard, Marie and twins, Marie and Emil, the last three died in infancy. Gus’ grandson, Gordon Dahl, still owns the family farm. Karine died in Valley City, April 18, 1884, and is buried there. Martin and Bernard lived there all their adult lives. Andrew died December 29, 1901, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Ruth Elizabeth McDonald was united in marriage with Carl in her parents’ home at Albaton on September 8, 1890. Lewis and Rosalie Hurst McDonald were born and raised in Indiana and Illinois. IN 1880 they came to Iowa by covered wagon with their two daughters, Elizabeth and Minnie. Their other children, George, William, Chester, Thurman, Ernest and Emma, were born at Sloan. Lewis was the youngest of twelve children; a brother, James, died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn with Custer.

Carl and Elizabeth settled a mile south of Lossing Corner, where their twelve children grew up. The schoolhouse north of them was on their land and was known as the Dahl School. A number of th Dahl cousins attended with them. They had to work a half mile, and one winter they tunneled a half mile through the deep shos. Most days, lunch consisted of ‘lard’ sandwiches and cold boiled potatoes.

Carl farmed and worked at a number of other jobs during his life. He built the station in Whiting that was run by the Matthews family for many years. In 1919 he moved with Elizabeth and the younger chlldren into Sloan where he ran a store and a blacksmith shop. In 1926 he built the station which was operated by his sons and at least one son-in-law for many years. Elizabeth was a member of the Christian Church and was very active there all her life. She passed away October 4, 1945, of cancer. Carl passed away April 3, 1950, at the age of 82.

Their twelve children were:

Thurman August, born in 1891,and married to Dorothy Rowe. Thurman served in World War I; they farmed near Sioux City and finally settled near Lake Okoboji. Two sons, two daughters.

Charles Ernest married Evelyn Bergstrom and they lived and farmed around Whiting all their lives. Charley died in 1978 at the age of 85; Eva still resides in Whiting. One son, one daughter.

Rosela Mae was married to John Sidney Crossley and they lived all their lives at Whiting. He died in 1953 and she died in 1960. Two sons, two daughters.