Kleppe, Alfred Johann Olsen and Hedvig (Kleppe)

(Hedvig Kleppe)

Alfred Johann Olsen Kleppe was born in Bergen, Norway 27 Dec 1897, the younger of two brothers. He became a compositor in the printing trade at a newspaper called Annonse Tidende. In Aug 1923 times were bad, and the newspaper had to close down. Jobs were scarce, so he decided to emigrate to America. He boarded a Danish liner The United States for Ellis Island, NY On 23 Aug 1923 he left there for Chicago. A friend met the Pennsylvania train Alfred was on, and helped him find living quarters, because he could not speak English. Here he became resident of Chicago Lutheran Bible School (administered by a Decorah native, Rev. Orlando Ingvolstad) where he attended evening classes in English. When he became more proficient in the English language, he started working as a packer at Marshall Field Co. in Chicago. Later he sought a job as a compositor in a publishing company on the north side of Chicago. He felt this was an ideal place to work. In Sep 1929, he was married to Hedvig Kleppe in Joice, IA by her father, Pastor L.E. Kleppe. Pastor Kleppe, with the same family name, was born near Hittero, near Flekkefjord, Norway, south of Stavanger, and was not related to Alfred’s family who lived in the city of Bergen.

In Oct 1929, the stock market crashed, and forced Alfred and his wife to move. This was the beginning of the Great Depression. Banks and shops had to close, affecting the cities hardest. Alfred went to Decorah, IA and paid a visit to Robert Bergeson, the administrator of the Anundsen Publishing Co. They had no jobs at the Decorah Posten at that time. Alfred did find work in Winona Lake, IN at the Free Methodist Publishing Co., where church books and publications were made. Their first son Lowell was born there. They stayed in Winona Lake until 1939 when they moved to Decorah and built a house at 714 Pine Street, where they lived until 1945. Their second son Richard was born in Decorah. After World War II they returned to Winona Lake for two years and then settled at Lake Mills, IA, where Hedvig's mother and sister also lived. Alfred was employed at the Lake Mills Graphic as a printer from 1947 to 1951 before settling again in Decorah. In 1956, Alfred had the misfortune to get macular degeneration which blinded his central vision. In Dec 1956 he was forced to retire from the printing trade. His sons graduated from Decorah High School and also from Luther College.

He continued to live with his wife in the house he had built located at 406 Winneshiek Avenue in Decorah. Alfred Olsen Kleppe died 3 Jan 1988. He was buried in the Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah.

Hedvig Kleppe was born 20 Sep 1902 in the parsonage of East Immanuel Church at Deer Park, Black Brook Twp, Wisconsin. When she was six weeks old the family moved to Elbow Lake, MN. The family consisted of her father Rev. Ludvig Emil Kleppe, her mother Louisa Olsen Kleppe and two older sisters, Helga (4) and Ellen (2). Her younger sister, Lydia was born 27 Oct 1904. Shortly after her birth they moved to Fergus Falls, MN. The year was 1906. She started school in 1908, the same year William Howard Taft ran for President. In 1911 they moved to Humboldt, IA where she began 4th grade. Two years later they moved to Sioux Rapids, IA. On 25 Nov another daughter was born to the family. Her name was Virginia Theresse Kleppe, making them five sisters and no brothers.

Hedvig graduated from Sioux Rapids High School in Jun 1920, and entered St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN that fall. Four years later she graduated, and that fall signed a contract with the Madelia, MN schoolboard to teach Home Economics. Besides Home Economics, she had a major in Biochemistry. This was a very good background for becoming a Medical Technician, which was a new field in the medical profession at that time. Physicians before this time had done their own testings in their offices.

Resident physicians usually did laboratory work in the hospitals day and night. She took a course in Des Moines. IA to prepare for such a position. Her first place for hospital work was at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, OH in 1926. From there she went to the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.

She worked there from 1927 to 1935. Because a leave for pregnancy was not granted nationally at that time, she had to stop working while raising two boys in their home. In 1951 in Decorah, she went back to work again at the Smith Memorial Hospital. She considered it a compliment when the administrator, Mr. Dresser, said he wished he had two of her. The last day she worked at the Decorah hospital was 30 Apr 1966. She had worked there 15 years from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and was on call from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. They were to be on call every other day and every other weekend. Several of her days became thirty-three hours long. She was paid $2.00 a night on call.

After her husband, Alfred, died in Jan 1988, she lived at 406 Winneshiek Avenue until mid-Oct 1989 when she moved to an apartment that she soon shared with her younger sister at Bethany Lutheran Home, LaCrosse, Wl. Her son Richard teaches in LaCrescent, MN.

Klimes, Jan and Anna (Mikota)

(Cyril M. Klimesh)

Jan Klimes was born 14 Apr 1829 in #12 Zverkovice. Bohemia to Matej and Katerina (Mistr) Klimes. Matej was the son of Martin, who was the son of Jakub, who was the son of Jan Novotny (aka Klimes) who was the son of Ondrej Novotny. After Jan’s birth, Ondrej acquired the Klimes farm and thereafter was called Klimes, who was the son of Vaclav, who was the son of Petr Novotny. Like his father, Jan was a stonemason. On 18 Nov 1854 he left Hamburg, Germany aboard the coastal vessel Hamburg bound for England where they transferred to another ship enroute to the United States. Of his journey it is known only that it was relatively fast. On 31 Jan 1855, Jan became owner of 80 acres of virgin prairie in Section 16, Sumner Twp, Winneshiek Co, IA. On 26 Aug 1856, Jan married Anna Mikota, daughter of Frantisek and Marie