drew married Petra Hager. They moved to Ada, MN and had 5 children. He died and is buried in Ada.

Gilbert was born 7 Feb 1857. He married Cecile Nelson 27 Feb 1878 and they had 3 children. He died in Decorah and is also buried in the Springfield Lutheran Cemetery.

John was born 3 Oct 1860.

George was born 30 Jun 1863 in the log house where the family lived again while the “new" house was being built. That house stood until 1978 when the present home was erected. George married Ella Heen 26 Mar 1890 and they had 4 children. After her death in 1907 he married Nellie Moore. They eventually moved to California and resided there until their deaths.

An early highlight occurring on the Estrem farm was the performing of the first marriage in Winneshiek Co. On 26 Oct 1851 Rev. Nils Brandt presided at the marriage of Kathrine Anderson to Johannes Evenson. Trine, as she was usually referred to, had come to America with Inger and Inger’s uncle Iver. Rev. Brandt was one of the earliest Norwegian ministers who came to serve the growing number of immigrants.

In 1856 when Anfind decided to move to Minnesota, he sold Christopher his half interest in the farm, which now included a barn and a granary. Eighty acres of land that was purchased for $1.00 an acre in 1850 was sold for $720.00!

Very likely due to the farmstead location near the junction of two roads, it became a post office for the area. Although the dates of its usuage are not recorded, the Woodside Post Office box with family names still readable remains on the farm now owned by Paul Estrem. The stagecoach would stop at the Frankville road and leave the mail in the care of the Estrems. John Estrem told his children how he and his siblings would run to meet the stage.

Christopher and Inger lived at Woodside Farm, as it came to be called, until their deaths. He died on 29 Jun 1886 and she on 14 Mar 1901. Both are buried at the Springfield Lutheran Cemetery.

Estrem, John and Ida (Corsen)

(Lilah Aas and Paul Estrem)

Of the 5 children born to Inger and Christopher Estrem, only John C. (3 Oct 1860) stayed on the farm. As he did not marry until he was 45 he had years to pursue a variety of interests. He was an avid reader and had great curiosity to experiment and invent. He was a county spelling champion at age 12. His prize for winning was an unabridged dictionary. We might regard him as a rather unconventional farmer in that he was one of the first to plant hybrid corn and also patented a “new and useful improvement in Traction Devices”, a forerunner of the caterpiller track. The patent was recorded in Ottawa, Canada 2 Dec 1913. Unfortunately the patent ran out and he apparently was not able to renew it. He married Ida Mathilde Corsen, daughter of Nils and Ellen (Lien) Corsen 13 Dec 1905 in Brookings, SD. They were married by Rev. J.M. Green who was the husband of John’s niece Agnes, a daughter of Andrew. On 3 Jan 1913 John expanded the farm through the purchase of eighty acres from PE. and Milla Ramsey. Eighty acres cost $4,961.00!

John and Ida had 4 children: 3 daughters and one son. All of them were educated at the “Bakke” school, as it was commonly referred to. Although the school stood on land jointly donated by the Bakke and Estrem families, it was closer to the Bakke home from which the school’s water was carried. School was a short quarter of a mile walk across the field for the Estrem children. They all also attended and graduated from Decorah High School.

Inger Elizabeth was born 15 Jan 1907. She taught school after graduating from high school and married Milo Bakke 27 Nov 1929. Milo grew up on the farm directly to the north of the Estrems. They lived in Lake Mills, IA and had 5 daughters. Inger died 21 Sep 1985 and is buried in Lake Mills.

Norma Clarice was born 13 Mar 1908. She also taught school after graduating from high school until her marriage to Fritchof Krogsund 2 Jun 1929. He grew up on the farm directly to the south of the Estrems. They lived in Madison, Wl and had 2 daughters and one son. They eventually retired to rural Muscoda, Wl. Norma died 28 Mar 1995 and is buried at the North Washington Prairie Cemetery of rural Decorah.

Charles Arthur was born 5 Jun 1910.

Lucile Valborg was born 9 Apr 1914. She married Sidney Eken 27 Apr 1939. They lived in various places, but retired in Madison, Wl. She died 23 Mar 1982 and is buried in Madison.

John died 31 Mar 1934 and Ida on 27 Feb 1963. Both are buried at the North Washington Prairie Cemetery.

Estrem, Paul and Lois (Gipp)

(Paul Estrem)

Paul was born the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Viste) Estrem. He was baptized at North Washington Prairie Lutheran Church. He attended the rural school at Frankville #7 or known as the Bakke School located in Frankville Twp., Winneshiek Co., IA. He attended Decorah High School graduating in 1958. He attended Luther College until 1961 when he quit to help his father on the family farm.

Paul married Lois Gipp 14 Jun 1964. She is the daughter of Elmer and Edith (Sersland) Gipp. Paul and Lois have 5 sons.

Chris Alan is currently living in Homer, Alaska. Formerly of Crested Butte, CO; formerly of Tellu-ride, CO; formerly of Fort Collins, CO; formerly of Estes Park, CO. As you could imagine, Chris is an avid skier and biker. He is a skilled carpenter as well as a certified massage therapist.

Steven Paul lives in Duluth, GA. Steven spent 2 years in the Navy studying electronics and nuclear propulsion. A chronic knee problem forced him to leave that program. After leaving the Navy he found employment in the Atlanta, GA area working for Husky Foundations. He is still in the area working as a foreman for a large concrete contractor. He is into white water canoe-