Ole's Blog

Cousin Eric took the “Shack” photo from the previous post, and edited it for more contrast and clarity. Thanks, cousin! I have been fooling around with this photo and others, trying to duplicate Eric’s excellent results. So far, I’m not even close.

The Shack, c. 1910, clarified

Tomorrow: the Nesseth connection.

In one of those albums at David Kasold’s is what must be the original print of the famous 1910 “shack” photo.This print, although smaller than the picture postcard I made my best copies from, is at least as clear, perhaps a little clearer. On the same album page is what appears to be the main portion of Isaac’s “real” house, located on Smith’s land claim.Lots of interest here. First, in the foreground, two sod structures that must be root cellars or other food storage. Cropping in a little closer, we can see parts of two vehicles.On the left, behind the tree branch, appears to be a horse-drawn wagon, and on the right, mostly hidden by the sod structure, is the rear of an open buggy, or perhaps a “horseless carriage.” And ramped up to the native resolution of my scanner,we can make out the figure of a man near the right corner, and possibly another human form framed by the doorway. This picture seems to be taken from the west.

I am guessing that the side with the door is where an addition was later built, giving the house its final and more familiar shape. If so, then the  picture below (by Uncle Ivan, approx. 1941) was taken from the opposite side, which became the “front.”Note the lean-to structure behind the house, which looks similar to the one in the foreground of the older photo, supporting my guess about the viewing angles. The final interesting detail is that the second photo was labeled “Isaac’s,” even though it must have been taken long before Smith “disposed of” his claim when he reenlisted in the Marines.

Next: more about the Nesseth’s.

Here is a large group photo from one of the “Louise” albums, one of the few that has a date attached. I emailed this to a couple of you a few months ago, after my first visit to cousin David K., but I got very poor copies then, using a hand-held camera. This time I brought along my own scanner and captured the best copies I could hope for.

A few general comments: 1) The background is positively the North Dakota, Larson brothers’ homestead country. That is a little vague in this photo, but others confirm it. 2) I admit I am very poor at ID-ing people from old photos. After literally hours of staring and comparing with all the other pics I have, and with all my family info, I can only guess at a handful of these folks.

Even the adults named without ? marks are open to question.  Here is another shot almost surely from the same occasion. Some of the same people are in it, wearing the same clothes, but there are key changes.

Both Walt and Lovell are there now. They are almost the only ones in either picture I am really certain about. Oscar and Olaf (if that is who they are) are now down in front; Axel and Isaac are missing, and Anna is standing behind that handsome dude with his sleeves rolled up, who is sitting next to Olaf. For a while, I thought that one might be Isaac, but the resemblance (in my eye) is extremely poor.

Thanks to Edna’s notes, and to other photos like the one below, I am sure I have her  and Lenora pegged.

But yikes! Who the heck are “Ruth” and “Lois??” They are in the group shots as well. They both look older than Edna, so must have been born between approx. 1898-1903. I have scoured the “Larsons and Slettens,” plus the Samuelsons, Moens, and even the Nesseths, and can find no one by those names that could possibly be them. The little tyke with the white collar is another huge mystery. He must have been born in 1915 (give or take a year), and there is no one in my records who fits.

At least one of the babes-in-arms is also unaccounted for. One is surely Harvey. Another could be Vernon, although he was only three weeks old on this date, and none of them look that young. But even if so, there is no one to match the third baby. So, pipe up, cousins! I need some serious help on this one.

Next: a new, early picture of “Isaac’s house.”

I just got back from a trip to northern California. The main purpose was to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 94th birthday, but I made a side trip to visit (second)  cousin David Kasold, the grandson of “Aunt Lucy,” Louise Larson. David has several old photo albums, apparently assembled by his mother Edna, but containing snapshots from Louise (most likely taken by Smith Larson). Some of these photos I have seen before, but most of them are new to me. The latter include the earliest photos yet of Waldemar and Lovell. The first one is positively Walt; a similar but less clear shot is labeled as such.

Walt c. 1914

Next is obviously Isaac and Walt on the right. The other man and child are less certain; after some very insightful comments (see below), I am fairly settled on Isaac’s close friend Con Brunsvold and his eldest son Howard (wh0 was about Walt’s age).

Isaac, Walt, and ?? c. 1915

Below must be the earliest photo yet known of Lovell.

Walt and Lovell c. 1915

Finally (for today), the two of them with a barnyard pet.

Walt, Lovell, and calf, c. 1917

This is a luxury, very few of these are labeled at all. Next: some large group shots with identity crises.