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In other news...

These days, I'm thoroughly enjoying digging into the searchable databases of archived newspapers online - whether it's GenealogyBank, Newspaper Archive, or Google News.  I've read about a 2nd great-grandfather's antique collection, lively city council meetings, legal proceedings, advertisements, marriages, baptisms, burials.  The details found in historic newspaper articles breathe new life into the two-dimensional names and dates filling my tree.  A little snapshot of life as our relatives knew it!

Here's one such clip - one of many, many social snippets I've found while researching both of our families.  On November 13, 1930, the Moorhead Daily News published the following comments in the social section:

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"...Mrs. O. E. Olson of Laurel and Joe Nelson of Pelican Rapids motored to Barnesville Monday.  They are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Morben and Miss Esther Olson on Sunday.  Mrs. Olson will return to her home accompanied by Ralph Morben and George Nordeberg.  These men will enjoy a few days hunt in northern Minnesota."
  1. Mrs. O. E. Olson -- my husband's maternal great-grandmother.  Her full name is Anne Pedersdatter Mjoen, daughter of Peder Eriksen Mellem (1828-1877, Oppdal, Trondelag, Norway) and Barbro Pedersdatter Ekrann (1838-1909, born Oppdal, Norway; died Otter Tail county, Minnesota).  Anne was born in Oppdal, Sor Trondelag, Norway in 1874 and died in Koochiching county, Minnesota in 1954).  In 1907, she married (2nd husband) Oscar Emil Olson.  Her surname by birth - Pedersdatter - is typical of Scandinavian naming patterns.  Simply, it means "daughter of Peder".  Mjoen is a geographic description...of their farm's location and name in Norway (Mjoen kalvehagen).  Anne immigrated to the United States with her mother Barbro and siblings in 1892.   She married first husband John Nelson (1860-abt 1905) in 1895.
  2. Joe Nelson -- son of Anna Olson and first husband, John Nelson.  Born 1902-died 1952.  Joe's father, John, has been incredibly difficult to track down.  Based on anecdotal information from the family, John died in the early 1900s-  about 1905.  However, I've been unable to locate a death record.  Also, John immigrated to the United States in the 1880s; with such a common name - and one that was probably "Americanized" in some way - I've been unable to locate his exact immigration record.  
  3. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Morben -- Ralph Bernhardt Morben (1896-1980) and wife Linda Marie Nelson (1901-1987; daughter of Anne Pedersdatter (Mjoen) Nelson Olson).  My husband's maternal grandparents :).

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