August Fredrick Kunze Jr.

August was born on 14 July 1884 in Litchfield, Minnesota. He was the third son born to August and Mary Kunze. When his mother, Mary, passed away during child birth, they were living amongst the Kunze relatives in Waconia, Minnesota. He along with his two younger brothers, Frank and Albert, lived with the Nels Nelson family. This was his Mother's brothers family in Danielson, Minnesota. Grandma Etta (Annette) talks in her book about what a crazy time it was with their nine children, plus the Kunze boys and other family members that stayed with them. The house was full to the brim! August was a favorite and "loved by all." He went West to Three Forks, Montana and worked for many years on the Railroad as an Engineer.
In 1921, at the age of 36, he married Anna Mary Fairhurst who was 26. She was born and raised in Massachusetts but I don't find any other record of her after the marriage record so not sure if they were divorced or she had passed away.
In 1925, August marries Edna Louise Bellach and they have two children, Mary Louise and Charlotte Deane. I'm sure those were happy times. He must have been an outgoing likable fellow as he served Three Forks as the Mayor for a number of years.
From Grandma's book, Long Ago and Far Away, we read: " On a tragic day in June 1938, he and his wife, Louise, were shot and killed in their own front yard by his half brother, John Kunze. We in our family never learned the reason for this dreadful deed. We knew that August had been extremely kind to his father and his second family, helping them to come out to Montana and make a home there. John Kunze was sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary in Montana and died there some years ago. The two little girls were left orphans."

 

I found many newspaper articles regarding this story and Grandma's version is about correct and very sad. It must have been heartbreaking for all those involved and for the town of Three Forks. The girls were raised by a sister of Louise's, Annie "Deane" and her husband Lawrence Hankinson. It must have been a very difficult few years for the girls but they were surely loved and cared for by a large extended family on both sides. And I can only imagine how the Kunze family felt in regards to John~  epic sadness all around.  

August and his wife were remembered throughout the community as wonderful, friendly people and outstanding citizens. Such a tragedy. They were buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Three Forks.
A know a little bit regarding the two girls. Mary Louise married Spencer Fowler and lived most of their lives in Spokane, Washington and is possibly still living in Brooks, Oregon she would be about 88. Her sister, Charlotte Deane, married Stanley Collum, they lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for a few years then in Billings Montana. She died in 2013, at the age of 81. I don't know about children or grandchildren, but I suppose they have many and who knows, they might read this and send me a message so we know :) I think Mary would be so pleased with the men her boys turned out to be but saddened at the heartbreak too. But I guess that is no different than the rest of us as life is full of the good and the bad~ lessons to be learned.

Frank William Kunze

Frank was born  on June 26, 1881 in Litchfield, Minnesota. He was just 9 years old when his Mother, Mary passed away giving birth. At the time, I believe they were living in the German community of Waconia, Minnesota. The Kunze boys must have stayed with family members in Waconia and Danielson for many of their growing up years. In 1895, at the age of 14, he is living with the Herman Brandenburg family in Laketown, Minnesota. I haven't discovered the relationship between Frank and the Brandenburg's, but most likely a friend of the Kunze family. His brothers Albert and August are also living in Laketown with other families.
 I believe he stayed there until sometime in the early 1900's he moved to Three Forks, Montana where his brother August had moved, to take advantage of work on the railroad and the beginnings of a bustling new community. He is still there in 1919, when he moves to a farm owned by a relative, Heur Mulligan, in Saskatchewan, Canada. It seems that he is a bit of a drifter and trying to find his way in the world or maybe he has "wander lust". He must have only stayed a year as he is back in Montana in 1920.
In 1929, he marries Dora Marie Seivers, he is 48 she is 34. Dora is from a small town outside of Spokane, Washington named Spangle. She is one of ten children born to Ernest and Dora Seivers. After 1929, Frank and Dora live in Portland, Oregon. They have one daughter, Frances Lorraine. He works on the docks.
A rather strange finding is that in 1932, Frank is in the McNeil Island prison in Washington state for fraud. It doesn't say how long he is incarcerated, possibly about 5 years.
He passes away in Portland June 7,1950, Dora in 1988 and their daughter Frances in 1989. I don't know if Frances married but it would be nice to know "the rest of the story" of Frank William Kunze. So many unknowns with these Kunze boys....

Alexander William Kunze

Alex was the oldest son of August Kunze and Mary Nelson. He was most likely born in Danielson, Minnesota on the farm that they were renting, 26 September 1878. Her mother, Martha, who lived nearby was probably in attendance along with the local midwife, Lydia Johnson, who attended all of the births of the Nels Nelson family. It was a time of great celebration and joy! During this time, he grew up around many cousins and was close to the Nelson boys who lived on an adjacent farm. In 1885, they had moved to the "city" Litchfield where he attended school. When his mother passed away suddenly in 1888, Alex would have only been 10 years of age. I'm not sure where he went to live during the next 10+ years, as some went to live with the Nelson's and others with relatives on the Kunze side in Waconia, Minnesota. I wish I knew the details of this, maybe one of his descendants will read this and tell more. We do know that he only went to school up to the 4th grade which wasn't entirely unusual during those days, but it certainly would be a challenge to provide for a family with little eduation. But it seems that Alex worked hard on various farms, as we find him at age 22 working on the Olson farm as a farm hand and in 1906 he is living with two of his brothers in St. Paul, working as a laborer and then in 1910 he is back working on a farm in Danielson. He seems to be a bit of a wandering soul.
On 20 December 1916, he is married to a spinster that he most likely had known for many years, Rosie Danielson who had lived and grown up on a farm in Danielson. He was a distinguished 38 and she a young 25. Prior to 1920, his brother August and some other family members had moved to the hills of Three Forks, Montana. This was a rapidly growing city in the west being populated mostly by mining and railroad employees and their family. He decided to try his hand too and began working on the railroad there. It must have been hard for Rosie, after being around her family all her life, and life in a bustling new city can be overwhelming for a young country girl. But I'm sure they made the most of the situation and hopefully, enjoyed their time there. They possibly went because his father was gravely ill and passed away in 1918. During these years, everyone was trying their best to eek out a living and to get ahead. If you weren't educated, you worked in farming or did labor it seems and the RR has most always paid fairly well. But by 1930, Alex and his growing family are living back in Danielson. I'm guessing here but they most likely took over her family's farm. By this time, they had three children, Bernice, Dale and Hildar and the aged father of Rosie was also with them, Hans Danielson age 72. There were other Danielson's in the area too. Within 10 years, the old grandfather had passed away and the Alex Kunze family had moved to Litchfield. The 1930's was a difficult time for most everyone in the U.S., especially farmers. With droughts and the depression, work was not plentiful. Hopefully, the farm was sold for a profit and Alex and family came out a little bit ahead. But they didn't own the farm so most likely shared the proceeds with other Danielson family members. Their home in Litchfield was on beautiful tree lined 4th street. The house was rented. He was working in road construction and traveled extensively. Also living there are his wife, son Dale, daughter Hildar, married daughter, Bernice and her husband and son. Quite a houseful!! I know nothing of the rest of his story. I do find a little tidbit in Gramma Annette's book that I might have left out but ... it's telling and part of the story so I include it here. In the summer of 1916, Gramma's family would sell the farm in Danielson and move to Litchfield. Her parents were aging and her mother not especially well. They left some valuable items in the house to which she comments regarding, " We left on the parlor floor the lovely China lamp with the wild roses on the shade and base, also the scope and all it's pictures. How I would love to have them now! In the dining room, we left on it's shelf, the handsome marble clock. And on the kitchen shelf, the tall old clock which had chimed the hours through the years. Why did they do it? Were we not going to need clocks? Nate later rescued the kitchen clock and Vernie still treasures it. The other things are forever lost, priceless mementos. And saddest of all, we left out in the attic of the "old" house, Grandfather Andrew's old chest, the one he had made and brought across the ocean. My father planned to get this later when we were settled in our permanent home in Litchfield. But for some reason, this was never done, and one day some years later, my cousin Alexander Kunze came and wrongfully and illegally removed it from my father's premises. After Alex died in 1952, (brother) Nate and Vernie called on his wife, Rose, and asked that it be returned. She refused and Nate took not further action. So it remains in the possession of a daughter of Alex in Litchfield." So it would be fun to try and find the old chest, even to just take a glance or run a hand along the old wood. Alex would have been a grandson too and obviously was equally entitled to it. He possibly was asked by Gramma's father Nels to go and pick it up. Who knows. There is probably more to the story than she knew or we will know. So that is the story regarding Alex the oldest son of August the German and lovely Mary Nelson from Norway.

Mary Margaretha Nelson daughter of Anders and Marta Nelson

Mary Margretha Nelson was born on 13 September 1857 on the Island of Borge in the North Islands of Norway. There is no written information regarding her physical characteristics or her growing up years that I know of, but she must have been a very lovely, young woman if she looked anything like her brother, Nels and sister, Anna (Julia). They both had stunning blue eyes and she most likely did as well. She was only 11 years of age when she and her family embarked on the great adventure of living in a new land, the U.S. It was full of opportunities for those who were willing to work hard and persevere. Her father, Anders, was now crippled from a fishing expedition which must have been difficult for the entire family. I hope that he still had his sense of humor and obviously he didn’t lack for ambition since he was taking his family away from familiar surroundings, family, friends and loved ones- left behind in Borge, Norway.

When they arrived in the U. S., they lived for a time with her Aunt Ingeborg and her family the Elias Larson’s in Lake Prairie, Minnesota. They had two daughters, Martha and Sophia who were close in age and they must have been her friends during that time. There might have been a bit of a language barrier though as Mary would have known no English and these girls along with their cousins the Norman’s, had all been born and raised in Minnesota. But the Larson girls most likely knew some Norwegian and probably taught Mary English. She would have had many cousins in adjacent farms there in Lake Prairie and I’m sure it was lots of fun.

In 1869, a year after their move from Norway, her family packed up and left Lake Prairie for land in Lake Lillian. It was a few days journey of about 72 miles northwest. I’m sure there were tears shed over the friendships she had gained with cousins and family there, but there would be cousins from her father’s brother, Bryngel, that would have helped. For over a year they lived with her Uncle and family and then they moved to their own property just a short distance from them. She did have a cousin Minnie who was her same age and they must have been friends along with others in close by farms. She also would have attended school which was held in various homes and taught by an older gentleman named Mr. Pitman. He opened every morning with a reading from the Bible and a prayer. As we might remember, one of the reasons these Norse came such a far distance to live was for religious freedom from the tyranny of the state church in Norway. So this was probably a wonderful way to start out the day and not unusual in the least. The Hanson girls were also attending this school, and lived on a close farm, so most likely she was friends with Bertha who was also 13 and Sophia 15. These girls would all be sister in laws when her brother and their sister married a few years later. Later, the Hanson girls would all go to Minneapolis to work but we don’t hear if Mary did as well. She must have as life on the farm could be dull for a young girl and her older sister, Julia had lived in Minneapolis and found her husband, John there. But we find Mary or Maria as she is listed, living with her family in Lake Lillian; she is 18. The Hanson’s are living nearby.

Sometime in 1876 or 1877, she married a young man named August F. Kunze. How they met is a mystery. But they were courting in 1876 as they were signed witnesses to the marriage of my great grandparents, Nels Neilson and Paulina Hanson. He was from Saxony, Germany and about 4 years older than she. In 1880, they are living on a farm very close to her brother Nels’ farm in Danielson. These must have been good times being close to her Mother, who she was certainly close to. They have one child, Alexander William and he is 1. Prior to 1885, the family has moved to Litchfield which is a couple hour buggy ride to Danielson. She would have 3 more sons, Frank William, August Frederick and Albert Frederick.

Mary passed away in about 1888, cause unknown but possibly during childbirth or of consumption. Her mother passed away that same year.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for her husband August and four young sons. The Kunze boys frequently lived with their Uncle Nels and family in Danielson on the farm. Grandma Annette talks of them being there often and helping her father and brothers on the farm. I believe their father tried to keep his family together but having to support them all and work surely was difficult. August worked some in St. Paul in the 1890’s and in 1895 he married a spinster from New London, Minnesota named Hilma Stam. They had three children and lived in Kittson County, Minnesota, then in Three Forks, Montana by his son August and family. Mary’s husband August passed away in 1918 in Three Forks, Montana.

In the following post, I will briefly tell about the four Kunze boys. 

Stella Waters Dahl

Stella Waters about 1894

Stella Waters is a cousin to our Grandma Annette. She was born in July of 1878.  Her mother, Hanna was 28, her father William Waters was 45. His age, a houseful of young children, the farm and all the responsibility, took it's toll on William. At age 61, not really old by our standards today, committed suicide on the farm in Lake Elizabeth, Minnesota. It must have been  a very trying time for the Waters family that year of 1894.  Stella being the oldest daughter, but only 16, must have especially felt the stress of the situation and having to be more help to her mother during this time. I'm not sure of her exact age at the taking of this picture, but she doesn't look too happy; maybe a little defiant. And what's up with that funny "knot" on top of her head! I think it must have been the fashion of the day. In the 1895 census in Lake Elizabeth, Minnesota, unmarried Stella is there on the farm with her Mother, brothers,a sister, a daughter, Zola, and a hired workman named John Dahl. John is the brother of Anton Dahl who marries Stella in 1896. Whether or not her daughter Zola is his, is unknown. Grandma writes this about Stella, "We had visitors from Minneapolis that summer (of 1909). They were my cousin, Stella Waters Dahl, her husband Anton, and their four children, Zola, Mary, Irwin and Leslie. Stella was a dear, kind person like her mother, Aunt Hanna." And she had this to say about the children, "Mary was a nice ten year old but the two boys, seven and nine, were undisciplined and spoiled. Zola was my age, thirteen, but we had nothing in common. She was a pretty, knowing and sophisticated city girl." Again regarding Zola, "I saw Zola in 1933, when she came to see Aunt Sophia and found me and my four children there. It was something of a shock to see her! She was grossly fat, really an enormous woman. No trace at all of the pretty thirteen year old of twenty six years ago. Zola was a widow, no children, and was earning her living as a housekeeper for an elderly man. The two mature women of thirty-nine had a pleasant visit."
       After marrying in 1896, she and Anton lived on a farm in Friendship, Minnesota. There were other members of the Dahl family living there too. They lived there for about 10 years, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where Anton was a carpenter.
       In 1931, she and her husband, daughter Zola who was widowed, daughter in law and grandchild were involved in an horrific car accident on the way to visit with her son Irwin. Both she and Anton were killed. The newspaper article is included at the bottom of this post. A bit graphic and for that I apologize.
       Here are a few things that I have gathered about Stella's children. Zola married Arthur Bazine about 1920. She was a nurse. He died in 1924 at the age of 35. There are no children listed in census records. In 1930, she was living with her parents in Minneapolis. She died in 1960 in Minneapolis, Minn. I don't have any information on Mary. Leslie H worked as an office manager for the public telephone company in 1940. He married Irene Miller; they had two children. He died in 1978 and is buried in Mendota, Minnesota.
Irwin R worked also for the telephone company but as a traffic chief. He married Anne Smith and they had two children. He also died in 1978.
       So that's all I know about the Stella Waters Dahl family. I now realize how important it is that we write down a little of our life story. Without my Grandmother Annette's book, we would know so little about her family and others. I am hoping to do the same in writing a few lines. I have plenty of the good, bad and the ugly~ just what a good story needs these days ;)
       Just so you know who Stella is~~ Grandma's grandfather Hans Hansen had a daughter named Hanna, who is Stella's mother. So she and Grandma Annette were first cousins.

 

Ken Knudson (Aunt Julia's grandson) pictures

L  is Ken Knudson on right with friend, Top R is Ken with wife Lydia and baby@ graduation from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR , Bottom R is Ken and Lydia Bowman @ their wedding

About a year ago, Greg Bowman was doing some research on the Knudson line and sent me a message through Ancestry. From that message I have connected with Julie Knudson a great granddaughter of Julia Nelson Knudson (see previous post) through her son,William Knudson.(following me?!!) I have also included some of the stories that Julie and her brother Steve have shared about their Grandpa Will and their father, Ken Knudson. Sorry that the type font's are different~ oh well, the stories are great! Thanks Knudson's!
Memory 1 about Will Knudson~~"Just a few notes below about Dad when he was a marine from me and my oldest brother Steve.  Steve told me last night that Grandpa Knudson (Julia's son) was a very quiet guy and that Steve had to mine him for information.  Steve was the one who found out about Grandpa traveling from Idaho to Enterprise Oregon to drive a herd of horses back to Idaho to sell to the US Calvary.  And, Steve had asked Grandpa Will, when he told us the Lofoten Island fisherman's trials during the storm, if Grandpa knew the guy he was telling us about and Grandpa said yes, he knew him.( Of course we know this was Grandpa Anders!)  And, we never, ever heard about Grandpa going to Idaho on the Oregon Trail when he was a little kid.  Greg Bowman told me about that.  Just the same, one of my Dad's sisters told me that she overheard Grandpa telling my Dad when he was leaving in the marines, in a private conversation between the two of them, to 'be a man' and that was about the extent of the conversation.  I just remember Grandpa (Will), dolling out pennies to me and my brothers and sisters from a little coin purse he had in his pocket, the suspenders he always wore, the way he tipped his hat on his head when he wore it, him telling us kids the raspberries were ripe and we should go out and pick some for ourselves, and his blue eyes and sitting at his feet when he would tell us stories."
Memory 2 This is regarding Ken Knudson, Will's son~"Dad was a marine in WWII--actually all marines were sent to China (they are called China marines) ready to invade Japan but he was saved from that by the dropping of the bomb.  In China, he and another guy in his outfit went out at night to look for Japanese infiltrators in the Chinese villages.  He was called 'Big Brother' and the guy he went with was called 'Little Brother'.  My brother Dave learned about this when he went to a marine reunion of Dad's after Dad had passed away.
 "I just remember the story he told about the Chinese guy who would come and do chores for them.  At the end of his work, Dad and his buddies would load him up with gifts and take him to where they could let him out of the American compound.  Dad said he would usually be stripped of everything they gave him by the time he crossed the street and Dad and his buddies would yell at him to 'Run'!"
Memory 3 This is from Steve Knudson regarding his Dad, Ken Knudson "I would like to possibly correct a comment here. The place they would go out looking for Japanese was on Kume Shima or Kume Jima where he was for a while. It was part of the Okinawa islands and there were many Japanese soldiers hiding out with the local Okinawans who are and were Japanese citizens or hiding in the jungle.. On a patrol I don't think he was on they did lose one marine to a slit throat. In China the threat was Nationalist Chinese soldiers who he said were nothing better than bandits. At night they could hear shooting and machine guns as the Communists and Nationalists were shooting at each other. At one time the Communist general told them to leave or they would be attacked. They were prepared for battle but nothing happened. There were no Japanese hanging around in China as I remember the story."

Ken Knudson @ age 62

                                                                             

Knudson, Knutson or Knudtson!

When Julia Nelson married John Knudson, I'm sure she had no idea how much trouble that name was going to be! In some of the records I have researched, I have found a variety of spellings which makes for alot of confusion. Julie Knudson a great granddaughter of Julia's, tells me the following, "Knudson (used to be pronounced Newdson--but after a family meeting in Eugene, we decided to pronounce the 'K' and so, Knudson's from Eugene in my family are 'Canudson' and family in Portland are pronounced 'Newdson'.  Portland relatives say, 'you do not say 'K'nock, 'k'nock' and Eugene relatives got tired of being on the 'N' list rather than the 'K' list and say--'yes pronounce the 'K' '. "  :-) 
I thought that was hilarious! Thanks Julie.