Stoughton, Dane Co., Wl. Martha’s brothers and sisters were: her twin brother Andrew; Bennie (1870-1905); Carl (1872-1931); Christine (1874-1960); Marie (1877-1897); Henry (1879-1912); Emma, Amelia and Carolina (no dates).

John and Martha were married 8 Apr 1891 in Stoughton. They had 6 children: Amanda Idelia (1 Jan 1892-1 Mar 1983); Percy Elvin (8 Nov 1893-10 Jun 1911); Henry Orvin (22 Oct 1895-27 Apr 1968); Marie Juliet (6

The family of John and Martha Bakke taken in 1916 on their 25th wedding anniversary. Seated from left: John Bakke, Aaker Bakke, Milo Bakke and Martha Bakke. Standing in back: Marie, Henry and Idelia.

One son, Percy, was deceased.

Jun 1897-12 Sep 1951); Milo Bernard (7 Jan 1902-9 Feb 1961); and Elling Aaker (21 Mar 1906-10 Jun 1917).

John met Martha when he made a trip with his father to Stoughton to buy some cattle from his good friend from Norway who was Elling Aaker, Martha’s father.

John and Martha were members of the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in Springfield Twp. all their life and are buried in the church cemetery.

When John and Martha were married they bought the 280 acre farm that his father Peder owned (part in Frankville Twp. and part in Glenwood Twp.). His father bought another farm in Decorah Twp. and moved there. John and Martha lived on their farm - and raised their children there - nearly all their life, except the last few years when they moved to a home in Decorah.

John was always a very quiet and calm person. He never got too excited. His daughter Marie told about the time they were going to Decorah (9 miles away) in the first car they owned. The car stopped about 15 times and her father would calmly get out and crank it to restart it -never once cussing or saying anything. Martha was quite different from John. She did not have a temper, but was very domineering - always trying to run her children's lives and the women’s organizations in the church.

Together, John and Martha, always raised a very large garden, canning as much as possible each year. They also had lots of strawberries, red and black raspberries and apples for canning many jars of sauce, jams and jellies.

Bakke, Lars and Kari (Nilsdtr.)

(Verna (Peterson) Dalby)

Lars Anderson Bakke was born in 1818 in Norway. He was one of 8 children of Anders Larsen Underdal (b. 1789) and Ingeborg Johannesdtr. Skajemb (b. 1791).

Lars married Kari Nilsdtr. Bakke (b. 1819) in 1841 in Sogn, Aurland, Norway. Kari was the second of 5 children of Nils Halsteinsen Bakke (1787-1854) and Johanna Ellingsdtr. Dyrdal (1785-1839). Lars and Kari lived on the Bakke farm. The farm was located on the Sogna Fjord and could be reached only by boat. Lars and Kari had a son, Nels (b. 1 Sep 1841). Kari died in 1852 when Nels was 11 and was buried on the farm in Norway.

Before Kari died, she and Lars had decided to emigrate. Two of her siblings had previously emigrated - Elling in 1849 and Sigrid in 1850. Kari’s father, Nils, had been widowed in 1839 when his wife, Johanna, was killed by a rock slide. With all of his family having emigrated or planning to emigrate, Nils chose to emigrate rather than be left alone in Norway. In 1851 Nils joined a number of his kinfolk and immigrated to the United States. Nils H. Bakke (Aug 1787-Mar 1854) died 3 years after arriving in the United States and is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in the southeast corner of Decorah Twp., Winneshiek Co. Kari’s brother Halstein Nilsen Bakke, her husband Lars and their son Nels immigrated to the United States in 1854 and settled in Winneshiek Co.

Lars remarried when Nels was 21 and raised a second family of 4 children. He moved to Ottertail Co., MN where he died at the age of 66. When Lars remarried, Lars sold Nels the land he had purchased in Highland Twp. at the original price of $1.50 per acre for 80 acres.

Bakke, Nils and Johanna (Dyrdal)

(Mildred Kjome)

Nils Halsteinsen Bakke, born 8 Aug 1787, to Halstein Nilsen Skjerping and Sigrid Monsdtr. (Dyrdal) Bakke, was reared to adulthood at Bakke, Aurland Parish in Sogn. He married Johanna Ellingsdtr Dyrdal 22 Jun 1813. There is no information as to Nils’ occupation in Norway. We assume he was a farmer. In 1839 his wife was killed by a mountain rock slide. Nils never remarried/

Two of Nils’ children, Elling Nilsen and Sigrid Nilsdtr., had emigrated to America. In the spring of 1851 at age 64 Nils joined a number of his kinfold and emigrated. He settled in Frankville Twp., Winneshiek Co., IA where Ole H. Bakke had settled on Section 33. Nils died in March 1854 and is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery northeast of Washington Prairie Church. The name on the Pioneer Monument is Nils H. Bakke, August 1787-March 1854.

Nils’ children were: Elling Nilsen Bakke, Halstein Nilsen Bakke, Sigrid Nilsdtr. married Torgrim Halvorsen Busness, Kari Nilsdtr. married Lars Anderson Bakke (mother of Nels Larson) and a daughter Ingeborg b/d 1830.