Knut Bidne farm

Helen married Jack Hendrickson 17 Jul 1954. They were the parents of Mark of Champaign, IL; Eric of Omaha, NE; and Joel of Lancaster, CA. Jack was the only son of John and Theressa (Schlitter) Hendrickson. A daughter, Edna Mae (m. Phil Vikesland) completed the family. John had a steam engine and a saw mill that were moved from farm to farm to saw lumber. For many years barns in the surrounding areas were built using the lumber John sawed from locally grown trees.

Bidne, Peter and Katherina (Bidne)

(Helen Hendrickson)

The information following is taken from an article written by L. Dale Ahern which appeared in the Decorah newspaper in 1941.

Katherina Bidne was born in Voss, Norway. Her father, Peter Bidne, died two months before she was born. She and her mother lived with her mother’s parents for a few years. Her mother then married Katherina's father’s brother, John Bidne, and the family set out for America in Jun 1868 when Katherine was 7 years old.

At the age of 80, Katherina recalled the long trip across the ocean to the new homeland. For several days she was so sea sick she didn’t enjoy the trip. She then became acclimated to the rolling movement of the big ship and romped about the deck playing with the other children aboard, or just stood at the rail admiring the big blue waves. She thought the water was very pretty and she loved to look out over the endless reaches of ocean with no signs of land as far as she could see.

At New York she waited with her parents and other immigrants, who were all herded together in one big station house, waiting for trains to take them to widely scattered sections of the big land of promise.

Katherina’s stepfather had a sister living near the Big Canoe Church. The family lived there for two years until John Bidne bought 120 acres of land just east of Highlandville and took his wife and step-daughter there to live. All of Katherina’s 4 brothers and 5 sisters were born in the one-room log cabin on that 120 acre farm. Brothers and sisters still living in 1941 were: Peter and Ole Bidne of Highlandville and Josie and Julie Bidne of Seattle, WA.

In the last years of her life, Katherina liked to mull over early memories of her fatherland. She remembered her old home and the steep hill she climbed going to church.

She also recalled how Norwegian farmers fed their livestock. Customs in that country were so different from those in the United States. Barley was the principal crop. Cattle, hogs, sheep and horses were found on most farms.

Because of the large population, Norway was divided into small farms. Farmers had to conserve their crops. They didn’t waster anything. Heads from timothy hay were plucked off their stems and stored in large containers. Bark and leaves were stripped from birch and ash trees and ground up in the hay seeds. Water was poured over the mixture so it formed a kind of silage which the livestock relished. The silage was stored in large wooden vessels which were held together by home-made staves.

When Katherina arrived in Winneshiek Co. she had her first glimpse of chickens and eggs. Domesticated poultry were just being introduced in Norway when she left, but she had never seen any.

Katherina Bidne

Katherina Bidne was married to Peter S. Bidne 12 Dec 1884. Although his name was the same, he was not related to her immediate family. Katherina and Peter were the parents of Sander and Joseph of Hesper Twp.; Clarence of Decorah; Sylvia (Mrs. L.A. Seim) of Decorah; Knut on the home place in Pleasant Twp.; Elmer and Olga who died in infancy; Olga, of Decorah, superintendent of