Myrtle (Wheatman) and Joseph Flaskerud on their 50th Wedding Anniversary, June 7, 1966.

Thomas Roberts High School in 1976 where she played tennis, was a cheerleader, member of Library Club, choir and Madrigal Singers. After high school she attended Winona State University, Winona, MN, University of Northern Colorado at Greeley and Lorimer School of Nursing, Fort Collins, CO. She has been employed as a nurse in the Pediatric Dept, at North Colorado Medical Center, Greeley.

Flaskerud and Bjonerud Families

(Ruth J. Bjonerud)

The Flaskeruds and the Bjoneruds came from neighboring farms at Soknadalen in Ringerike, Norway on the same boat. The reason these people left Norway was because of economic depression. My ancestors were farmers and came from large families. A farm of between 10 and 30 acres was not uncommon. They left Norway 17 May 1853 arriving at Calmar on 4 Aug 1853. Each person on the boat was responsible for bringing their own food. They were attracted to this area because other Norwegians and family members had settled here. They could use their own language and could establish their own church. Both families were charter members of the Calmar Lutheran Church. It took seven days to cross the North Sea and sixty days to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They landed at Quebec, Canada where they traveled by small boat down the St. Lawrence River to Niagara Falls, then by land between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie down the great lakes by boat to Chicago, by land from Chicago to Galena, IL and by river package boat to McGregor, IA. They hired a teamster to haul their luggage and the people walked the last 42 miles.

Ole P (2 Oct 1815-19 Sep 1883) and Ronnaug Sandager-Bjornerud (20 Mar 1810-16 Nov 1892) were married and had three sons when they came to this country. A daughter born in Norway, died there when she was eight years old. The first winter they lived in a root cellar of Sec. 23 of Calmar Twp. My grandfather, Ingvald Bjornerud-Olson, was born in this cellar on 10 Sep 1853 five weeks after they arrived in the area. In the spring they moved three quarters of a mile northwest to Sec. 14 of Calmar Twp. because there was a spring on this land. They bought 40 acres of land for $1.25 an acre. Later they added another 120 acres at $1.75 an acre. The children who grew to adulthood in this country were: Peder (9 Dec 1845-29 May 1910) a salesman for McKibben Co. of St. Paul, MN; Anders (15 Dec 1848-1865) died at the age of 17; Gilbert (5 Oct 1850-21 Aug 1921) farmed at Flandreau, SD; Ingvald (10 Sep 1853-13 Apr 1931) Ruth Bjonerud’s grandfather took over the original farm; Inger Maria (30 Mar 1856-5 Dec 1912) homesteaded near Williston, ND; Edward (17 Nov 1859-15 Jul 1936) a general store merchant at Haughton and Flandreau, SD, Ossian and Calmar, IA; Peter (24 Jul 1862-28 Dec 1949) a chicken rancher near Petaluma, CA.

On 4 Dec 1884 Ingvald Bjonerud-Olson married Randi Honsi (4 Mar 1862-10 Oct 1955) who emigrated to this country from Vik-i-Sogn, Norway. She was the youngest of a family of 13 children. Her parents were Ingeborg and

Gutterom Honsi. The first two years in this country she did housework in the home of her half-sister and brother-in-law, Endre and Rangnild Sandager. Her wages were five dollars and two dresses a year. She admitted to being homesick the whole time and thought the food was terrible. My grandmother was a very strong individual. She did the cooking, baking, canning and clothes washing for the family of eleven people. She raised the garden, took care of the chickens and milked the cows. I asked why she helped milk the cows and was told, this was the only way she could get peace and quiet. They often had company on Sunday for dinner for which she had to cook. She could never accept an invitation for Sunday dinner without consulting her husband. He was somewhat thoughtless and would probably refuse to go. She had three half-brothers living at Lake Mills that came to Calmar for Synod meetings. They stayed with their half-sister that had a house full of small children rather than their full sister, Ranghild Sandager, whose children were all grown. They were a little inconsiderate too. The one named Edlin my father liked. He would stop at the store in Calmar and buy a sackful of oranges, apples, candy and nuts and carry it three miles home. When he got to the door he would empty the sack across the floor and laugh as the children scrambled for the treats. Grandma was also an arbitrator. If the children wanted something they would ask her first. Ingvald Bjornerud-Olson wasn’t very ambitious. He did the farm work until the sons got big enough to help. Then he took care of the younger children.

Flaskerud, Joseph and Myrtle (Wheatman)

(Ruth Flaskerud Branhagen)

Joseph Oliver Flaskerud, son of Erick O. and Kjersty (Egge) Flaskerud, of Norwegian ancestry, was born 21 Sep 1890 at Calmar, IA. He was baptized 4 Oct 1890 at Calmar Lutheran Church by the Rev. U.V. Koren. Joseph lived in the town of Calmar where he went to elementary