Going through some old papers, I came across an old mortgage document that my parents must have passed on to me.
In April 1906 Emil and Gina Borreson purchased land, “the southeast quarter (1-4) of section fifteen (15) in township twenty-two (22) north…,” from Peder Olson Bjordal at a cost of $1,600. (I didn’t try to determine the property location.)
The Borresons had a mortgage with John O. Melby and Company Bank with $300 and interest due each year beginning June 1, 1908. The interest rate was 6 per cent. Here’s the face of the document.
I thought the signature portion (included below) of the same document was interesting for several reasons:
- The loan was in the names of both Emil and Gina, even in those very patriarchal times.
- “Borreson” was typed “-son” in the document, but both Emil and Gina still signed in the old Norwegian way, “-sen.”
- The notary public was Herman L. Ekern, a Pigeon Falls native who was just beginning a notable political career in Wisconsin. When he signed this document, he was already serving in the State Assembly. He later became the state Attorney General, 1923-1927, and was named Lieutenant Governor in 1938. He was a close friend of the famous Governor and Senator Robert La Follette. In 1917 Ekern was also one of the founders of Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance.
Borreson Cousins 