John & Amanda Hegstrom

HEGSTROM OSTRAND

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 21:56:59

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

John and Amanda (Ostrand) Hegstrom
By Mrs Jay Hegstrom

John Robert Hegstrom was born March 27, 1865, in Sweden. When he was sixteen, he came to America and to Sioux City where he came for a time with his sister and brother-in-law, Nels and Amanda Dahlin. He bought a team of horses and a dray wagon and worked at draying in Sioux City where there was much hauling to be done. In 1890, he bought some land near Climbing Hill where he farmed.

In 1893, he and Amanda Ostrand were married at Augustana Church in Sioux City. They then went to the farm. They built a home there, where later five of their children were born: Arthur in 1894; Mildred, 1895; Evelyn, 1898; Gertrude, 1899; and Jay, 1901.

In 1902, Robert and Amanda with their five children moved to Concord Township in Woodbury County to the Orville Bruckner farm which they had bought in 1901. Later he had purchased an addition eighty acres from Joe Skinner, which joined his 160 acre farm. The Big Whiskey Creek separated these parcels of land. It used to flood till Robert George Wilson and Perle Eberly were instrumental in getting it straightened, which eliminated flooding.

In 1904, Philip was born; and George was born in 1907. When George was seven, Nels Andreen, a carpenter, built a new house for them, which could better accommodate their growing family. Lumber was hauled from Lawton and Sioux City by team and wagon.

They farmed with horses many years. They milked cows; Amanda made butter which was taken to Sioux City and sold to customers. Also cream, eggs and other produce was raised on their farm. Ducks, geese and chickens were dressed for holiday trade. Groceries were bought in quantity. A big garden of fruits and berries supplied food.

In those years there were no food stamps or welfare checks. When reserves were low, you worked hard and recycled a little more. Wood was the main source of heat for homes and for cooking. It had to be cut and brought in for winter fuel.

There was a country school on the Hegstrom farm where the children were educated through the eighth grade. The teacher often boarded at their home. Alice Noffsinger, then Alice Hurd, was one of the teachers there. She is now 97 and lives in Moville.

When the Lawton school consolidated and offered high school, Gertrude was a member of the first graduating class. Arthur attended the Academy in Sioux City in winter and farmed summers. Philip and George graduated from Lawton and Philip attended Business College in Minneapolis. George attended Morningside College.

George was one of the members of the Lawton High School basketball team who won the State Tournament in 1924. All the Hegstrom children were confirmed in Augustana Lutheran Church except George, who was confirmed by Rev Foust into Urisanus Reformed Church at Lawton. This later became the Community Presbyterian Church where the others also transferred their membership.

Arthur married Mary Lighthall in 1917 and farmed near home in a few years. They then moved to a farm in Coddington County, South Dakota, which Robert had bought. Arthur later bought it and there raised a family of seven children. Most of them still live in the area. Arthur died January 30, 1975.

Mildred married Leonard McNaughton in 1919. They farmed in the Lawton area for some years, moved to the McNaughton farm in 1926, and retired in Lawton in 1950. They had three sons and one daughter: David, Dale, Delbert and Doris. David and Dale died in infancy. Delbert married Lois Solberg and farms the home place. They have two sons, Larry and Ronald, one daughter, Linda Carr, and six grandchildren. Doris married Henry Urbanos and lives in Sioux City. They have two children and three grandchildren. Leonard died March 19, 1983.

Evelyn married Fred Grigg in 1920. They lived on his father’s farm till retiring to Lawton in 1964. They had two daughters: Lucile, Mrs Herb Rhine, as two children, Joyce Shumansky and Dan, and two grandchildren: Betty, Mrs Bob Andrus, is the second daughter. Both families live in Lawton. Fred died December 19, 1977.

Gertrude married Ellis Howard in 1918. They lived on his father’s farm till retiring to Lawton in 1975. They had five children. Wayne married Lila Mitchell. They live in Moville. They have three sons and two grandchildren. Phylis, Mrs Roy Beeman, lives in Burkburnett, Texas. They have four children, and five grandchildren. Bennett married Helen Bourett and lives in Downey, California. They have five children and seven grandchildren. Adeline, a teacher, married John Riedessel. They live near Glidden and farm. They have five children and four grandchildren. Robert married Beverly Erlandson. They live in Sioux City. They have two sons and one daughter.

Jay married Anna Bierma, a teacher, in 1925. They lived on the Hegstrom home farm which they bought and later bought 240 acres joining and built a house. They moved into this house when their son, Gene, married and moved on their farm. Later they bought 160 acres joining their farm from Jim Law. The Law building site was later sold to Allen Pry who lives there now. Jay and Anne have three children. Roberta, a teacher, married Wencil Small from Storm Lake. They live near Rembrandt, Iowa, and farm. They have four children and nine grandchildren. Joyce a teacher, married Wallace Corrie and lived on his father’s farm at Anthon till his death in 1972 of leukemia. They have four sons and one daughter and four grandchildren. Joyce taught Kindergarten in Anthon for many years. She married Paul Philips in 1977. They live on his farm near Oto. Gene married Olive Workman in 1952 and lived on the home place which he bought. He sold the farm in 1977 to Marvin Norby whose son lives there. Gene and Olive built a home on land which he purchased from the Perle Eberly Estate. Gene is an M.S.I. Insurance agent. They have two sons and two daughters and eight grandchildren.

Philip married Ruth McConnell in 1930. She died in 1952. He married Lenore White in 1959 and resides in Sioux City where he is a Real Estate Broker. He has an adopted son, Bill, five grandchildren, and two step-daughters (Marjory, Mrs Ellis Wilbur, in Nebraska, and Maralyn, Mrs Ted Kinney, in Montana), and five step-grandchildren.

George married Lucienmae McCabe, a teacher, in 1933. She died of cancer in 1966. They had two sons, George, Jr, a doctor in Hawaii, and Terrance, a dentist in Portland, Oregon, and seven grandchildren. He married Mildred Cook, in 1969. She died in 1975. George died December 17, 1977, in Portland, where he had lived since 1947.

Amanda Ostrand Hegstrom died on May 24, 1950. John Robert Hegstrom died March 8th of the same year.