Church, Decorah. They live in rural Decorah. LaVerne Clinton Anderson married Julie Kuennen 19 May 1990 at Calmar Lutheran Church. They reside in St. Paul, MN and have 2 children: Erin and Allen. Lisa Marlene Anderson married John Dohner 13 Jun 1987 at Calmar Lutheran Church. They presently live in Calmar and have a daughter Lara. Lowell Clark Anderson lives in San Diego, CA. LuAnn Marao Wanasness married Don Billen 2 Oct 1993 at Calmar Lutheran Church. They live in Seattle, WA.

Ervin farmed his home farm until 1982. He has driven the “Special Education" school bus for the South Winneshiek Community Schools since 1984. Lorraine retired from teaching in Iowa Public Elementary Schools in 1989. Twenty-five of her teaching years were in the South Winneshiek Community School District, Calmar, in Winneshiek Co.

Wangsness, Herman E. and Johanna (Wangsness)

(Hazel Wangsness and son Wayne Wangsness)

Herman E. Wangsness was born in 1847 in Norway, the son of Ellend H. Wangsness and Britta Ellendsdtr Fosse. In 1856 (when Herman was 9) he left Norway with his parents and 3 brothers: Ellend, John Joe and Johannes.

On 18 May 1873 the Rev. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren married Herman E. Wangsness (22 Oct 1847-10 May 1936) to Johanna Wangsness (20 Jul 1850-5 Aug 1937). Johanna was a widow whose first husband (David Davidson) and daughter had died of diphtheria on the same terrible night, leaving her with a small son, Ludwig. Her maiden name had been Wangsness also. Johanna had come to America with her infant son from Nordland, Norway in 1869. The marriage of Herman and Johanna took place in Calmar Lutheran Church and lasted just a few days short of 63 years.

Herman made 16 trips to South Dakota with horses to trade with the people there. He would tie one horse to the tail of the horse in front and the lead horse to the back of his buckboard. Sometimes he would ride the train back. Sometimes he would save a team to drive back. Of course they had many adventures on these trips. Family legend records that once the Indians crept into camp and stole their horses while they lay in camp pretending to sleep. The next day their horses came wandering back. Another time, a man standing next to him was shot in the throat by an arrow as they crouched behind their wagon. And once, on the way back, they almost got hung by a crowd at a sale because they were falsely accused of stealing by the person they had seen stealing. Fortunately, they had good horses.

Herman and Johannes’ children included: Ellend (1874-1952), Diana (1876-1944), Herman (1878-1941), Ella (1884-1956), Johanna (1889-1977) and John (1897-1962). All the children lived in Winneshiek Co.

Ludwig married Tona Anderson and lived in Calmar.

He was a mail carrier towards Protivin for 30 years. Ludwig also played bass violin with many bands for about 60 years, including a few years with the Luther College band for the Messiah. He played with a bow. His pet peeve was people who played the violin like a guitar. Ellend married Martha Tollefson (1878-1973). They had 4 children: Bertha, Henry, Marie and Elmer, (see separate story) Diana married Syvert Numedahl. They had 8 children: Alice Wheatman, Lester and William - living in this area; and Johanna Heuser, Ernest, Helen Halvorson, Edna Peterson and Dolores Honsch - living in California. Herman, called “Hank", married Hannah Jorganson (1885-1875). Their children are: Beatrice Estrem, Ted, Clifford, Viola Blegen, Ervin and Elva Roney (lives in Rochester, MN). Ejja married Sever Severson. They had 2 sons, Donald and Curtis and a daughter, Mae Jane Taylor (living in Sitka, AK). Johanna married a Flaskerud. They had a son, Ahlert and 2 daughters, Lorraine and Verna. Johanna lived in Calmar and a few years in Alaska near their daughter, Lorraine. John married Hannah Strand and lived on the home farm in Springfield Twp. Their children are: Willis (a photographer and ham radio operator in Decorah); Virginia Snyder (lived in Calmar and Illinois); Howard (farmed the home farm); Kenneth (a farmer, mail carrier and chuck wagon racing fan who lives near Allison, IA); Joanne Weselmann Egge (lives in Florida part of the year); and John (lives near Des Moines),

Wangsness, Norma Jo Ann (Anderson)

(Norma Wangsness)

My great-grandparents, Anders Hanson born in 1812 in Langaker, Norway and died 21 Feb 1867 in Lasn, Norway. He married Ragnhilde Peterdtr born in 1815 in Norway and died ca. 1873 in the U.S. Their son (my grandfather) Torbjorn Anderson was born 16 Apr 1840 in Langaker, Norway. He emigrated to the U.S in 1864, died