As we discover old photographs in old trunks and great drawers, let's be searching for mulitple generation pictures. Let's try to look at the pictures with an attitude of how generations are built and what sort of characteritics these family members have in common regarding at outward and inward appearance. Dorothy appears to be at least six months old. Although there is no snow on the ground, a good guess + or - would be March of 1939.
Thorinus was the patriarch of the family, he is 84 in this photograph and would celebrate another eleven birthdays. His daughter, Nina, is 47 and her son and Dorothy's father, Lloyd is 27. Most likely the picture was taken by Ella, Dorothy's mother. Was Lloyd tall or was Thorinus short? Or was the ground not level?
We have no pictures of the mustached Thorinus smiling. One of his great grand children told him something in Norweigan once and he didn't laugh about it. Does anyone know if he had a sense of humor? It is an inner thread we all hope to have inherited.
Nina, on the other hand, seems to be a sweet soul. Although she is looking into the sun on this picture, she seems to have some expression. In later photographs, she has a kind expression on her face. I think we all expect that in our grandmother's. My own grandmother smiled but covered her mouth when she laughed; her husband threw his head back and laughed from his belly. He also slapped his knee when he got a good one on you. Benhard as I knew him, laughed often, laughed hard, and slapped his knee often.
Lloyd looks just plain handsome in his hat cocked to the side of his head which was the common set for a hat in that era. Based on his dress and that of his mother, I am willing to gather it was on a Sunday and they were going to church. It may have been Easter. As is typical in Northern Minnesota, Easter does not mean fine spring hats and dresses. If this is Easter, it means winter coats and in Nina's case, over shoes. One can't tell if Lloyd is wearing rubbers. If the picture was taken in March they had mud to contend with as the snow melted.
Most likely the picture was taken at the little house on the south side of town where Thorinus lived. It is believed that during this time, Carl Bloom, Nina's husband, was in the San in Thief River Falls and Thorinus was living with his daughter. The Thief River Falls Times states in the Rosewood News that Mrs. Carl Bloom visited Mr. Carl Bloom.
We talked about this land back in June after the courthouse in Marshall County did a trace for me. Do you remember it was homesteaded by Thorinus and Pauline, then sold to Carl Mellem EXCEPT a small parcel which was kept by Thorinus?
There was, in the last two sales, a parcel of land set aside and not included in the transfer. The following information shows the land being sold to Nina and Carl Bloom on October 13, 1937. According to the deed record, this land was owned by Thorinus Mellem and sold it to Carl O Bloom and Nina Bloom for $300.00.
The blog also states a land transfer on October 22, 1958 where Carl O and Nina Bloom sold this parcel to Arthur and Myrtle Swenson $1700.00. Yet on the back of a picture of Carl and Nina, written in Carl's handwriting, it says, "Taken 24 September 1954, the day we sold our house in Rosewood." Do I need to look at that sale again? What did I miss?
For those of you doing genealogy, I am hopeful your searches continue to expand for you and that you are gleeful in your new information. For some of you it is about getting back to the beginning, for other's, it is learning about branches and how they sprout out. I am fascinated on how communities worked together and I am in agreement with what it said in Rolland Sande's obituary, "His main interest was in people and their life stories".
Last night I received an email from Enid Mellem Sande. My sweet Thomas came running when he heard me squeal. Not only had she identified the members of the Rosewood String Band which I had sent to the children of Lloyd and Ella Anderson a few months before but she had been working on updating the Sande expansion; I sent her a multiple page questionaire.
What thrilled me was what she said about sending on the information. I was tickled that her oldest son, Gary, was reading the blog to her over the phone. I giggled when I read that Gail and stated I had gotten Gary's red hair on his blond sister, Lynell's head. "I have forwarded all this stuff to Ervin, Harlan and my kids. Gail said you took Gary's red hair and put it on Lynnell who was blonde. Gary called the other night and read me stuff from your website for about 45 minutes....."
The glorious thing about it is that, like Shirley correcting my errors, Enid and her family will bump me back on the path of right information and hopefully share stories which will enrich the blog and encourage others. I apologize to Lynell for thinking she had red hair. It must be wonderful to be a red head; I always wanted red hair and freckles. Let's hope it prompts her to send me a picture of herself and prove my memory wrong.
On October 10, this Wednesday, it will be the 153 anniversary of the birth of Thorinus Mellem. Look at the strength of people that came out of that lineage. Can you look back into your family history and see a patriarch? Let's hope so.
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