Prairie in Winneshiek Co. (see Jens Erickson Ness history). He married Anna Johnson Huseby 29 Apr 1896 at Big Canoe Lutheran Church in rural Winneshiek Co. Anna was born 20 Jun 1870 in Winneshiek Co., the daughter of Arne Johnson Huseby and Johanna Margrete Johannesen. Anton and Anna lived in Decorah and later moved to North. Dakota. They moved back to Decorah and later moved to Spokane, WA where they remained for the rest of their lives. Anton died at Spokane 12 Oct 1943 at age 84. Anna died there 20 Jan 1946 at age 75. Anton and Anna were parents of 4 sons: Jesse, George, Arnold and Wilbert.

Jesse Arthur (1897) married Adelaide Dahl, lived at Connell and Seattle, WA and had one daughter, Deloris. (George Irving 1900) married Josephine Eliot lived at Chattanooga, TN, and had one daughter, Lorene. Arnold Milton (1907) married Lois Catherine Boatman, lived at Connell, WA and had one son, Richard. Wilbert Alvin (19 IQ) married Elizabeth Caudill Zack and lived at Spokane. They had one daughter, Janis.

Erickson, Carl and Alma (Espeseth)

(Esther Gilbertson)

Alma J. and Carl T. Erickson, 1965 50th Anniversary photo.

Carl Torvald Erickson was the oldest son of Andrew and Carrie Erickson of Burr Oak Twp. He was born 27 Mar 1891 and died 12 Jan 1976. He married Alma Espeseth on 1 Dec 1915. They met at a bowery dance when Alma was a teacher at Lost Nation School in Burr Oak Twp. They had 4 children: Myron Clair (2 Oct 1916), Esther Virginia (13 Apr 1919), Hildred Janice, Vernelle Evelyn.

Carl and Alma lived in Winneshiek Co. all their lives. Carl was a tenant farmer until about 1940 when they bought a small farm in Glenwood Twp. The family moved many times. They lived on about eleven different farms mostly in Burr Oak, Hesper or Highland Twps. They moved to Decorah in 1949. March first was moving day many different years. During the early years this was always done, by teams and. wagons,

A low point in the life of this family was during the Depression years. Like many, many other people they went bankrupt. They moved to a small farm in Pleasant Twp. There was a period of time when there was only one dollar per week to spend on groceries. Of that, Carl had to have ten cents to buy a Bull Durham sack o't 'tobacco Sd he could roll his own cigarettes. Life improved when Carl got to work on roads under the WPA program. Alma later got a chance to return to teaching in a Pleasant Twp. school. During this difficult time the family lived off the land by having a garden, by hunting for berries in summer and collecting nuts in the fall, hickory nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts and butternuts. Slowly times improved so they could again rent a farm and live more comfortably.

Esther V. married Elmer Gilbertson 30 Dec 1938. They had 3 children: Davis Carlyle (, Wayne Dennis and Leslie Neal.

Hildred J. married Stanley Vikesland 25 Jun 1946. They later divorced. They had 2 children: Lynn Diane and Steven Eric.

Vernelle E. married Bob Messer. They had 2 children: Maureen Ann and Sharon Katherine. They later divorced and Vernelle married Alex Kurak 23 Mar 1973.

Erickson, Earl and Lenna (Young)

(Lenna Erickson)

Earl Erickson was born in Canoe Twp. 18 Jan 1908 the son oi Olias and Clara Matilda (Iverson) Erickson. Olias and Clara were born in Winneshiek Co. and are buried in the Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah. Earl’s siblings were: Maurice (m. Gladys Gross), Lester (m. Mabel Thompson), Evelyn (Mrs. Howard Hahn), Violet (Mrs. Ernest Winger), Robert (m. Betty Wiemerslage), Alice (Mrs. Raymond Tollefson), and Olive (Mrs. Clem Frye).

Earl married Lenna Young 14 Mar 1929 at the Decorah Lutheran Church. Lenna was the daughter of Jacob and Mary Catherine (Barth) Young (Jung). Jacob was born in Alsace and Mary was born in Winneshiek Co. Lenna’s siblings were: Lydia (Mrs. Will Sherwin), Clara (Mrs. Melvin Solem), Amelia (Mrs. Alder Sande), Roy, and Julia (Mrs. Herbert Bergsrud).

Earl and Lenna had 3 children: Marlys (Mrs. Marland Bjerke), Lois Mae (Mrs. Walter Hovey), and Roger (m. Elaine Harkness).

Lenna worked as a waitress at the Aase Haugen Home southwest of Decorah before her marriage. She enjoys sewing and gardening. Earl worked for the Sugar Bowl factory in Decorah and delivered ice cream to other towns. Later he purchased a truck and two cream routes for the Decorah Creamery and also did some trucking. He sold the truck and cream routes to Palmer Anderson and then bought a farm east of Locust and farmed for several years. He sold the farm, moved to Decorah and hauled bulk