Lloyd was called to serve his country in 1941. Initially, he was stationed in Brownsville, TX with the 113th Cavalry which later became a mechanical unit. Later Lloyd was sent overseas, but came home unharmed. Myrtle wrote him every week while he was in the service.

Carl Sersland

Myrtle Sersland married George Orlando Ellingson 27 Jun 1940. Lloyd married Helen Halvorson in 1948 and Herbert married Alice Martinson. Carl needed help on the farm so he talked Myrtle and George into going farming with Herbert. At the time George and Myrtle had a dray business in Decorah which they sold to a friend.

Carl and Julia moved into Decorah and bought a house on Washington Street. Carl then got a job working for the county and Julia washed dishes at the Springer Hotel. They later were voted in as custodians at the County Farm in Freeport. Myrtle and George bought Carl and Julia's farm and Herbert bought a farm in Glenwood Twp. Later Carl and Julia moved to Cedar Rapids where they were custodians in a high school. Carl died 30 Sep 1968 from heart failure; Julia died 17 Jan 1980 from a heart attack.

Carl loved to fish. His fishing pal was Charley Daniels who lived just south of his farm. He loved to fish in the Mississippi and the lakes of Minnesota. It was not unusual to see stringer after stringer of bass strung across the garage wall. Julia and the children milked the cows while the fish were being cleaned, cooled and put in the cream tank. One day Carl washed his dentures in the Mississippi and they slipped out of his hand. That was one time Julia really got mad.

Sersland, Harold and Bergit (Haugen)

(Myrtle (Sersland) Ellingson)

Harold Sersland was born in 1833 in Norway. His parents were Ole Nelson Sersland Ormasakaer and Kari Jemond Sersland. Ole Sersland Ormasakaer was born in 1803 in Opsahl. Ole and Kari were married 12 Jun 1830 in the Hjartdal church. Ole was 27 and Kari was 24 when they married.

Harold Sersland and Bergit Haugen (b. 1845) were married in 1869 (possibly in March) also in the Hjartdal church. Her father was Tov Haugen. Harold and Bergit lived on a small place (about 2-3 acres) covered with “hard heads." In the fall of 1869 they came to America.

Bergit Haugen Sersland had 2 sisters. One came to America. She is buried in Wisconsin. Her son, Soren Hogetvedt, returned to Norway. Soren had 6 children. His descendants still live in Norway. They use the name Sissjord. The descendants of Bergit's other sister live in Minnesota. Among them are Julia (Mrs. Jim) Martinson and Annie Stevenson. Bergit’s 3 brothers - Big Ole, Little Ole and Herge - remained in Norway. “Little Ole” and Herge never married. “Big Ole’s” descendants include a son, Ketch Hovland, who lives in the Hjartdal area.

Harold Sersland had 2 brothers. One went by the name of Thore Olson. Thore died in 1907 and is buried in the Washington Prairie Cemetery. The other brother was Hans Aakre. Both Thore and Hans lived in Glenwood Twp., Winneshiek Co. Hans' daughter, Mrs. Hans Olson, was the mother of Carrie Olson Rosendahl and Betsy Olson Smorstad. Betsy now resides at the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Harold also had 2 sisters who remained in Norway. One married a man in Svartdahl. They did not have any children. The other sister was Regne Mollbakken. Regne’s descendants, Hans and Ingebjor Rue, visited the United States the summer of 1995.

Harold and Bergit Sersland had 7 children: Ole (m. Minnie Ramsey Vangsness), Holver (m. Malla Brown). Theodore (m. Helga Anderson), Carrie (m. Conrad Cornelius), Annie (m. Hans Olson), Carl (m. Julia Anderson) and John (m. Evelyn Sjoboen).

This was a close-knit family. They always helped one another out in times of need. Harold died in 1898; Bergit died in 1915.

Shadwick, Robert and Nancy (Sandberg)

(Robert and Nancy Shadwick)

1969 found Robert Shadwick of Clinton, IA accepting a Junior High Science teaching position and Nancy Sandberg of Gowrie, IA accepting a third grade teaching position at John Cline, both in Decorah.

Rob was born to Lucille (Dannatt) Shadwick and Kenneth Shadwick. He graduated with a B.S. degree from Mankato State University, Mankato, MN in 1969 and in 1976 earned his M.ED. from the University of Minnesota. His only brother, Edward, died in 1963 after a car accident. Kenneth died of leukemia in 1968.

Nancy was reared on a farm near the unincorporated town of Lanyon about 10 miles from Gowrie. She graduated with a B.A. degree from Westmar College in 1969. She is the daughter of Helen (Putnam) Sandberg whose ancestors from England are documented from the 1600’s and the late Robert Sandberg, a first generation Swede. She has one brother, Jim, who farms near Lanyon. Nancy’s father, Bob, died 10 May 1977.

Rob and Nancy taught one year in Decorah, not meeting until the last week of school after being introduced by mutual teachers. By then Rob had been drafted into the Army and Nancy had accepted a position in the Iowa