Berge Gunderson

GUNDERSON

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 3/3/2023 at 00:10:43

BERGE GUNDERSON

Alert and energetic, Berge Gunderson ranks with the leading farmers of Worth county, making his home on section 23, Grove township, where he now owns one hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land. While he has advanced far on life's journey, nearing the eightieth milestone, he yet gives supervision to his farming interests. He was born at Bergenstift, Norway, January 14, 1838, a son of Gunder and Ingeborg Gunderson, who were also natives of Norway, where they were reared and married. The father followed the fishing trade, and he and his wife spent their entire lives in their native land.
Berge Gunderson passed the period of his boyhood and youth in Norway, where he pursued his education, after which he engaged in the fishing trade until 1860. He then crossed the Atlantic to the United States, landing at New York, whence he made his way westward to Chicago, and after residing for a time in that city he removed to Madison, Wisconsin, but afterward became a resident of Spring Prairie, Columbia county, Wisconsin. He was there employed at farm work for seven years, after which he came to Iowa, settling in Fertile township, Worth county. Again he worked as a farm hand for a year, and on the expira­tion of that period took up his abode upon a farm east of his present place, oper­ating that tract for some time. Later he purchased his present farm property of one hundred and sixty acres and at first he built thereon a small dwelling, but today it is improved with fine buildings and all of the accessories and equip­ment of the modern farm of the twentieth century. It constitutes one of the attractive features of the landscape and is the visible evidence of the life of well directed energy that Mr. Gunderson has lived.
In 1877 Mr. Gunderson was united in marriage to Miss Seva Ingbritton Oppedahl Rice, a native of Norway, who came to the United States with rela­tives and settled in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, while later she became a resident of Mason City, Iowa. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson was celebrated in Northwood, Iowa, and they have five children, Ada, Arthur, Martin, Lena, and Isaac, who died at the age of one year.
In his political views Mr. Gunderson is a republican, keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day and thus able to support his position by intelligent argument. He and his wife are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church, and their well spent lives have won for them the warm regard and high esteem of those with whom they have been brought in contact. Mr. Gunderson has reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey, and as one of the venerable citizens of Worth county receives the high respect which should ever be accorded one of advanced years whose life has been well spent. He has never had occa­sion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for its opportunities were those which he sought, and in their utilization he won a place among the substantial farmers of his community.
SOURCE: HISTORY OF MITCHELL AND WORTH COUNTIES, IOWA, 1918, VOL. II; Pages 634 - 637