Monthly Archives: May 2011

Playing in the Barn

Posted on May 29, 2011 by

Growing up on a farm in North Beaver Creek, my brothers and I can testify that the barn was not just a work place. It was great for hide-and-seek too, especially if you were daring enough either to find a hole … Continue reading →

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Barn Dance

Posted on May 26, 2011 by

A few years ago someone gave me a copy of the barn dance notice Emil Borreson had posted in the Whitehall Times and Blair Banner (a combined paper). It had been run as one hundred year old news in The Whitehall … Continue reading →

Posted in Recreation, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Trip to Pigeon Falls

Posted on May 23, 2011 by

Last Thursday I made a trip to Pigeon Falls to examine family records at Pigeon Creek Lutheran Church. It was a beautiful day for a drive, and when I arrived, secretary Diane Thorson and Pastor Moe were so helpful and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bertinus Estensen, Elias Borreson, Emil Borreson, Gina Estensen, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Barn – from the Top Down

Posted on May 20, 2011 by

Taking a closer look at Emil and Gina’s barn built in 1901, we notice a cupola tops it off. This one (below) appears to be a wooden rectangular structure, reminding me that Jerry Apps wrote in his Barns of Wisconsin that “[s]ome of them … Continue reading →

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The Barn Came First

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

The title of this post is, as I recall, a book title that serves as a reminder that for immigrant families, a good barn often was constructed before a fine family home. Why? Because the barn was where farm folks made a living. Emil … Continue reading →

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Farms Near Biri Norway

Posted on May 14, 2011 by

In my April 15 post, “Roots in Biri, Norway,” I wrote about Maria Thorson’s birth there in 1850. (Maria was Gina Borreson’s mother.) I also mentioned the marriage of her parents, Thor Thorstensen and Oline Olsdatter, there on May 22, 1831. Again using the generous materials supplied me … Continue reading →

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About Biri Church

Posted on May 12, 2011 by

My April 15 post, “Roots in Biri, Norway,” has a couple photos of the Biri church, built in 1777, but I thought it would fun (and good for the record) to include here more information. The Norwegian website from Rolf Steinar Bergli has the material I … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Norway, Uncategorized | 4 Comments