Letter from Asbjørn to Anders ROE (27 May 1887)

Letter. Asbjørn to Anders ROE (27 May 1887). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Daily remembering son Anders and family, God's grace and peace.

God has allowed me lie here in the time of grace in this world up to now, so I will attempt to send you some word because the days are evil and the signs of the time are marvelous so it appears that all things are approaching end. How good it was, yes the best of all, to seek the Lord while he be found and call on him while he is near. We know from God's word that Jesus is the only Redeemer and Savior, so that when we stand in inner life's communion with Him, so can we not be dying of apprehension and terror for the expected things which shall come over the entire earth's collapse when he comes to judge the World with Righteousness. When we have the judge as friend what can then condemn when he has himself paid sin debt for us. This must we learn of God's word by the Holy Ghost's enlightenment which is promised all who ask God about that. The Holy Spirit _____ for us, not alone the external sinful deeds, but especially that our inner being is pierced through by sin, _____, blindness and powerlessness to all good. Then we are coming to the position that we can approach the crucified Lord Jesus as we are and not allow our common sense deceive us to the opinion we must be so and so holy first, which is the usual wrong path the devil will lead us into. But when we have caught hold our faith's and soul's eye on Jesus and _____ get faith our sin's forgiveness in His name and thus have him as Way, Truth, and Life, which is called Sanctification's way. On all this I can speak from experience with regard to the earthly so has the Lord _____ be praised, sustained, and preserved house and home, health and vitality for us till now.

We _____ potatoes 5 acres besides we are through with all planting. There has been little rain in this month so it is very dry here and if we do not get rain soon, so it will be worse this year than last year, which certainly is not other to expect when God's gifts are so terribly misused. Intense heat we have also had.

The thermometer has often varied between 80-90 degrees F. in the shade. There has been much lack of fodder here this spring, so Minnesota has had to get us many car loads of hay.

Knudt is at the iron mines in Michigan. I have written to him and wait for a letter from him. Drine have I written to at the same time _____ received a letter from Anna the 1st of this month. As I said, I have, thank God retained health so that I can go on foot and function some, but hearing and especially eyesight has decreased so it is difficult to read and write which also this letter shows. I'm thinking on to get me some other glasses but they will fall expensive. Anyway I long for relief from here so it can possibly be the last you may hear from me.

Lars Raae I have not heard any from for awhile, but I hope that all is well there. Haake Sønneve has sold out and the whole family is moving to Dakota. Karl Stoltenberg died this spring, otherwise all is the same here, no sickness of consequence except Anders Grøthe's wife is by the same nervous sickness. To close a loving greeting to you and family from us all here. Write back soon.

Amherst 27 May 1887
Asbjørn Raae

Letter from Knut to Anders ROE (27 Oct 1887)

Letter. Knut to Anders ROE (27 Oct 1887). Images courtesy of Verla Williams.
Amherst, Wis. Oct. 27th, 1887

Dear Brother:

I came home from Mich. last week when I first heard the sad news of Julian's premature death. I also received your letter last night which was sent after me by Ed Lysne. I can very well imagine your feelings over the loss of your best boy and I wish I could say a few words of good cheer, but words of condolence avail nothing when death has taken its victim. All I can do is to sympathize with you. What makes it sadder to think of is that he should have been doctored to death which seems to be the case. I have a couple of works on medicine, but none of them presents[?] quinine in typhoid fever and one of them (Dr. Dannet[?] some medical counselor) absolutely forbids its administration in typhus fever on account of its tendency to drive the blood to the head overwhelming the brain and increasing the delirium, and as typhus & typhoid are very nearly the same both having the same tendency to the head, I should think quinine was just as dangerous in one as in the other, especially in such large doses as you say the Dr. gave Julian. If you want to send one of the doses I will show it to Dr. Guernsey and hear his opinion about it.

The times were very dull up in the mining regions this fall and I guess it will be all winter. If it booms again in the spring I shal[l] probably go up there again. This winter I intend to go into the woods but I think I shal[l] stay to home a month or so before I go. It is very quiet down here quite a contrast to Wakefield and [?] where it was so much noise and excitement that I was very often sick of it. I see by your letter that the drought damages your crops out there too. I had an idea from a newspaper article written by A. [?] that the crops out there were very good this fall.

We have about 6 inches of snow here but we are all hoping that it will go off[?] and that we will have a Indian summe before the regular winter sets in. If it doesnt it will be kind of hard on some of the farmers here who have not got all their potatoes dug yet. Ole has all of his out of the ground but half of them are left in piles on the field yet, but as they are well covered I don't think it will hurt them. He thinks he will have about 700 bu. Potatoes was the salvation of this country this year pretty good crop and [?]. Remember me to your family.

K. Roe

Letter from Asbjørn to Anders ROE (30 May 1889)

Letter. Asbjørn to Anders ROE (30 May 1889). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Daily remembering son Anders and family. God's grace and peace be to you the wish of your old father.

It is long since we have heard from you and you from us. Often I have thought to write to you, but it remained merely the thought till now.

I still am in this life and _____ of this sinner's body so has God's grace been excessively great towards me in that he has allowed me to keep relatively good _____ health, as also my housefolk. The year's way is now so far advanced, so I hardly can remember to this time of the year. We have at the the first of this month had between 80 and 90 degrees heat, but now we have had a while chilly weather and often rain so the ground is absolutely soaked. The health's condition is good here with exception of a little spring fever both at our house and others, but not as to regard as anything. Jens Nelson has now sold his farm and is moving to Tremplau County to his daughter who is married there. Knudt is at Anders Raae in St. Laurens and will be there to work for the summer months, for the rest we have not heard anything for a long time. No deaths have happened here of your acquaintance except old Sønneve at the house. Henry Lysne died I believe it was last March, [he was] over 80 years old. We see by newspaper _____ that there has been a harmful storm here in Wisconsin, but the Lord has here so far spared us such storms.

The Lord be therefore eternally praised, He who carries all things by his powerful word that when he takes his sustaining grace from us then must all things perish in an instant. And that all flesh is as hay and its glory is as a flower in the field. The people are certainly _____ dear Anders, our life is as smoke, as a vapor, if life's and death's so is it out _____ with us. Let us _____ this that if we die without Jesus, without life in Him, so it is terrible endless hell our lot. I will say with the apostle Paul, I die daily, and if Jesus Christ were not my great trust I would a long time ago be lost in my wretchedness. The old Adam must die if Christ should live in us. O yes, the dear Lord Jesus stands sure at the heart's door and knocks, if we will listen to and hear his voice and open the door can we obtain supper with him and he with us.

There is talk and writings about a merger with 4 church groups, but Lord help us if there is a merger. Church and party struggle belongs to the day's word both in word and writings of pastors. The Missourians are shut out from everything so we have had to allow them to bury their dead at our cemetery. There are already _____, and there is talk about building a church in the vicinity. Enough about that.

From your sister Anna I have not heard from for a long time. You must be so good and write to me so I can hear how it goes with you. I think daily about you in my prayers to God that if we cannot see more here in this world, we could meet with joy before God's judgment seat and say, here am I and the children you have given me. Finally loving greeting to your family from me, and my housefolk.

Amherst 30 May 1889
Asbjørn H. Raae

Letter from Asbjørn to Anders ROE (27 Mar 1890)

Letter. Asbjørn to Anders ROE (27 Mar 1890). Images courtesy of Verla Williams.

Daily remembering son Anders and family in our Lord Jesus' name God's grace and peace.

A plenty of time is now gone by since we have heard from you and you also from us. And then the dear Lord God has allowed me to live until today, so I will attempt to send you some word so you can know a little information about our conditions here. In as much as we all are _____ guests and strangers in this world, _____, futile and fleeting and _____ which is under the son.

This is not only the wise Solomon's word but confirms by experience also therefore it is best that we seek the things which are here from above rather than the things which are on the earth where the Savior is sitting at the Father's right hand. To seek our will in the crucified Lord Jesus is the only will: which we can find for our soul here in this life. So shall God's saving grace discipline and train us to live _____ and _____ and godly in this world.

Yes dear Anders! It is necessary now to gird one's loins with truth; it draws near now toward evening at world's day rather soon could he come as to judge the entire world with righteousness. All who loved the Lord Jesus here can then meet him then with joy and extol his name for all eternity.

With regard to the earthly so is everything about in the old groove except the so-called grippe has affected I think all families. Some deaths have happened so as Henrik Lysle's wife Kirsti and old Lars Loberg with several others who _____ are without my acquaintance. Knudt rents now a store in Amherst in cooperation with Evan Lysne, and is married to a 22 year old yankee girl; she has been 6 years at Welke house and is therefore a naturalized Norwegian. She was baptized and confirmed by our minister and is one who loves God's word.

The Synod people here are split in two parts and the one party, namely the Missourians are barred from all church property so will this build new churches, so that a distance from Amherst to Skandinavia, and up north to town 25 will in all be 10 churches.

We have had a good mild winter and not much snow but on the other hand cold sickness enough so that cough and sneeze are the most common business. _____ the rest _____ I and my house people have been spared of serious illness. I will close my letter although there could be much to write about worldly things so I will _____ nevertheless not because they interest me not. I long after relief from this world daily and it can happen that this is the last word you get from me, so I will send to you my fatherly greetings to family. Fear God and keep his commandments so we can meet with joy in eternity.

Amherst 27 March 1890
Asbjørn H. Raae

Write soon back and if you can then give me information about brother Halvor.

Death of Asbjørn H. Roe (8 Jul 1890)

The death date of Asbjørn Roe can be determined from an article by Wendell Nelson that appeared on page 17 in the May 7, 2010 issue of the Portage County Gazette. During March through May of 2010, Nelson had written a well-researched four-part series about the Amherst octagonal barn for the paper. In the article entitled "Was Asbjorn Roe first owner of octagon barn?" he writes:

Roe died in July of 1890, according to the July 12, 1890, Stevens Point Journal. But so far, as with his wife, no death certificate seems to exist for him.

Even that Journal obituary is very short and uninformative: “Mr. Roe, father of Knud Roe, died at his son’s residence here (in Amherst Village) Tuesday night. He was 77 years of age.”

According to the Infoplease Pertpetual Calendar, July 12, 1890, fell on a Saturday. It would be a fairly safe assumption to make that the "Tuesday night" to which the Stevens Point Journal obituary refers is the most recent one prior to that Saturday. If that is true then Asbjørn would have died on Tuesday, 8 July 1890.

Children of Asbjørn and Ragnhild ROE

Asbjørn and Ragnhild ROE's Children (Bef. 1913). From left: Anders, Anna, Ole, Andrina, and Knudt. Image courtesy of Verla Williams.



Asbjørn and Ragnhild ROE's Children (Bef. 1913). From left: Anders, Anna, Ole, Andrina, and Knudt. B/W copy of the above image courtesy of Verla Williams.

Family Group Sheet for Anders A. ROE

Husband: Anders ASBJØRNSEN Raae (aka Anders ROE, Andrew ROWE)

Born: 13 Sep 1844
Place: Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Married: 27 Nov 1866
Place: Portage County, Wisconsin
Died: 8 May 1913
Place: Enterprise, Jackson, MN
Husband's Father: Asbjørn HALVORSEN Raae
Husband's Mother: Ragnhild ANDERSDTR Raae

Wife: Else OLSDTR Raae (aka Elsa FREDRICKSON)

Born: 9 Nov 1844
Place: Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
Died: 11 Aug 1910
Place: Enterprise, Jackson, MN
Wife's Father: Ole FREDERIKSEN Raae (aka Ole FREDRICKSON)
Wife’s Mother: Gjesa ANDERSDTR Raae (aka Jesa ROE)

---

Children

1. Julian ROE

Born: 15 Aug 1868
Place: Jackson, MN
Died: 28 Sep 1887

2. Alfred ROE

Born: 2 Feb 1871
Place: Jackson, MN
Spouse: Laura ANDERSON
Married: 21 Mar 1908
Died: 22 Dec 1951

3. Emma ROE

Born: 15 Dec 1872
Place: Jackson, MN
Spouse: Lars TEIGEN
Married: 2 Jun 1903
Died: 7 Feb 1954

4. Albert ROE

Born: 8 Nov 1876
Place: Jackson, MN
Spouse: Mina HOGANSON
Married: 21 Oct 1900
Died: 15 Sep 1951

5. Richard Henry ROE

Born: 24 Jan 1884
Place: Jackson, MN
Died: 13 Feb 1951

Birth Record: Anders Asbjørnsen RAAE

Sogn og Fjordane fylke, Lærdal, Ministerialbok nr. A 6 (1835-1849), Fødte og døpte 1844, side 112. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Birth Record: Else Olsdtr RAAE

Detail of Sogn og Fjordane fylke, Lærdal, Ministerialbok nr. A 6 (1835-1849), Fødte og døpte 1845, side 116. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Elsa's Trunk

Elssa Thommesdatter's trunk, 3/4 view (1832). Image courtesy of Verla Williams (2011).


Elssa Thommesdatter's trunk, front view (1832). Image courtesy of Verla Williams (2011).


Elssa Thommesdatter's trunk, right side (1832). Image courtesy of Verla Williams (2011).


Elssa Thommesdatter's trunk, left side (1832). Image courtesy of Verla Williams (2011).

This trunk dated 1832 is inscribed with the name, Elssa Thommesdatter R. (3 May 1792-Apr 1870) who was Elsa (Fredrickson) ROE's paternal grandmother. It is not certain what the "R" stands for, though perhaps it is "Rikheim," a farm name of her husband, Fredrik Olsen. Elssa, who is my 4x great grandmother, originally was from the Vetti farm.