Wisconsin My Home

Kinfolk

KINFOLK My SISTERS AND brothers had just as many ups and downs as John and I. Anguline, whose real Norwegian name was Ingrid, was the first to marry in our family. Her husband, the tall, full-bearded, honest, hard-working Sam Thompson, was born and raised in Winchester right near our folks. His father, Sven, had one of the smallest log houses around our country, but it was often full to capacity with company. They were so hospitable to newcomers . His brother, William, was the first child born of Norwegian parents in the community, on April 17, 1848. If Sam had been contented to stay around Winchester, we would have been very glad. But some years before the marriage, he and William and another brother had gone to a place about 250 miles to the northwest in Wisconsin, and had taken up homesteads . The rich timber land was only $3.00 an acre, and you could take up a whole section if you wanted to-640 acres. These three brothers started something. It was not long before my brothers John and Andrew, and sisters Anne, Hattie, and Sena had all gone up north to these wild woods. Imagine going to the thickest forest to start your home! What would you do first? Anne's husband, Chris, and brother John each took a section, but Andrew took only eighty acres. The first thing these folks did was to clear a little place near the road for the house and well. Then they selected good, straight, tall trees which were hauled to the sawmill and sawed into even lengths for house logs, and planed on one side to make a smooth interior. Other logs were sawed into boards for floors, doors, and partitions, if any. Anne had oak floors in her log house. After the logs were brought back from the mill, the bark had to be peeled off with a hand tool, and the ends hewn and shaped to fit at the corners. The young wives worked right alongside their men, picking up brush and burning it, taking care of the babies and animals, cooking and washing. When enough logs were ready, the neighbors were called in and the house put together. It was a simple beginning, but they were all so happy and strong and thought they had discovered Eden. Each family had a couple of cows which were allowed to roam in the woods at will, grazing as they could. Usually at night they lSI would come home to be milked. Sometimes they got so far away that they could not find their way back, and it would not do for a person to start out in those thick woods to hunt them. If they did not return at a reasonable time the next day, someone would have to go after them. When the cows finally got back home, their udders would be nearly bursting for want of milking. In the winter time extra men were always hired to cut wood to sell. This not only cleared the land, but it brought in a handsome profit from the wood. The wife would have a crew of men to board at $1.50 to $2.00 a week. Every bit of money helped. Some families were so poor at first that they gathered wild raspberries to sell for a few groceries. Anguline was lucky. Sam had a log house and some farm buildings put up before he came back for his bride. They were married in the Winchester church, and our folks had a supper and dance afterward. Relatives and friends simply filled that old log house. A few days after the wedding, brother Ole took them to Medinah Junction, five or six miles away, with the horses and sleigh. Mother sorrowed afresh over this departure, for 250 miles in those days were as bad as one thousand now. Anguline did not see us again for ten or twelve years. She had three children when she came home for the first time. She and Sam had a hard time at first in those woods. It was pioneering from the start. But they were both hard-working and saving. Sam had never had another girl, and he was very fond of his wife. Anguline had had several affairs before that, one of which was like "Speak for yourself, John." There was a certain young man very much in love...