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Severt E Smedsrud
b.26 Aug 1887 Tordenskjold, Otter Tail, Minnesota, USA
d.26 Mar 1968 Fergus Falls, Otter Tail, Minnesota, USA
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 2 Jul 1875
(edit)
m. 6 Nov 1920
Facts and Events
BIOGRAPHY: From his Daughter Verna Severt Smedsrud was born in a dug-out on August 26, 1887 in Tordenskjold township. His parents were Ellev and Anna Smedsrud who came from Norway in 1881. Later, a house was built where Severt grew up with five sisters and two brothers. Severt attended a country school in the same township. In those days there usually was only four months of school. He had three miles to walk to school and never got a ride. The economy was very depressed and money was very scarce. He often told about the time he did not have any shoes and he had to wear his older sister's shoes to school. This was very embarrassing for his as he was teased by the other children at school. He had very good grades in school and arithmetic was his favorite subject. Severt never had the opportunity to attend high school, as he would have had to stay in town and his family did not have money for that. Together with his parents he attended a country church near Dalton. He had to walk seven miles to take confirmation lessons. They rode in a wagon box pulled by a team of horses when they attended church services. Severt had to work very hard. As a young boy he bought a saw rig and went to other farms to saw wood which was used for heat in their homes. By doing this, he earned some money to help the family with living expenses. On November 6, 1920, he married Sophie Larson in Fergus Falls. Following their marriage they lived on a farm in Eagle Lake township for nine years. Then they bought the farm where Severt was born and lived thereafter. Severt and Sophie were the parents of five children. They had three daughters and two sons. In 1947 Sophie passed away. It was very difficult as the two youngest daughters were only 4 and 5 years old. It was hard seeing these two little girls grow up without a mother in the home, but with the help of the oldest daughter they managed quite well. Severt was a very aggressive farmer. He was active in the church where he served as a trustee. He acted as treasurer of the rural school for several years and he also served on the Board of Directors for the telephone company. Severt died in 1967 when he was 80 years old. SEVERT AND SOPHIE SMEDSRUD (They were married at the Courthouse in Fergus Falls on 11/6/1920) Interesting info**** Swend was Jurgine’s (Severt’s sister) school teacher and later they were married. Grandpa Severt was out in the field behind the walking plow when they came out to the field and asked him to be the best man. He said he went inside, washed up, did his best man duties and then went backto the field. Verna also remembers when her and her mother were home alone as Severt had gone to Canada to visit Oscar and Inga. They didn’t want to stay alone at night so Gena volunteered to stay with them. She was dating Stanley at the time and the two of them were sitting in the car when they saw a tramp snooping around. It turns out he needed a place to stay for the night, so they said he could sleep in the barn. The girls decided Stanley better spend the night with them too. In the morning the tramp told Sophie and Verna that he had watched them getting ready for bed the night before. They said Stanley stayed with them the rest of the time until Severt came home. One day Severt was chopping wood and Emma came up behind him as he wasr aising the ax and got hit on the head with the ax and her head was split open. Severt was very sick in 1947. He was helping some neighbors put up the snow fence at Bethel Church when he got sick. He was taken to the hospital in Fergus Falls. He had a fungal growth in his stomach that was operated on. Dr. Norman Baker was the surgeon and Dr. Boline was his regular doctor. They consulted with doctors at Mayo Clinic. He was treated with penicillin. It would be interesting to know the whole story, as this made some type of medical history and was written up in a medical journal. He recovered from the above illness and did well until the winter of 1967 when he developed pneumonia. While in the hospital hebroke his hip. When Severt and Sophie were married they lived on the Dr. Hekner farm near Milo Haagenson’s. (I have 1925 map of Eagle Lake Twnshp showing Hekner land) Uncle Anders and girlfriend Florence Eggum lived at home place for awhile. (She was Sophie’s best friend.) Florence got sick and died. (She got pregnant and died duirng labor according to Verna)Then Anders moved to Ashby and operated a Plymouth-DeSoto dealership. He sold so many cars he won trip to Norway. Severt and Sophie moved to home place when Anders moved off. Milton said the Elef homesteaded 160 acres. Sophie's father Swen Larson homesteaded 80 acres but eventually lost it.Elef took over the deed to those 80 acres in 1919, so he had 240 acres in 1920 when he took the deed. When Elef died the farm was to go to Severt. Jurgine, Mary and Andrew contested the will. Andrew took over the farm, Severt moved on to other farms including the Dr. Heckner farm. Andrew eventually lost the farm, Severt purchased it in 1929 for $6000. The Christmas tree had candles. One year the tree started on fire. Anna and Ed were watching Verna when the fire started. (Parents were doing chores.) Ed got fire put out. BIOGRAPHY: Smedsrud Farm Picture - Tall one is Severt, His brother Anders next to him on the left is their father Ellev Smedsrud BIOGRAPHY: Severt married in 1920, about 1929 or 1930 they bought the home farm. When they married he rented Dr. Heckner's farm BIOGRAPHY: Clara Smedsrud Had a goiter that grew on the outside. Supposed to have surgery but died. Other story is she did have surgery and died of complications. Severt went to get the body with horses. House near hillside Burried where all the Smedsrud's are in Dalton DEATH: SMEDSRUD, SEVERT E. Date of Birth: 08/26/1887 Place of Birth: MINNESOTA Mother Maiden Name: na DEATH: certid# 1968-MN-007095 DEATH: Date of Death: 03/26/1968 County of Death: OTTER TAIL Born in a dugout on the farm. This home was on the western edge of the farm. References
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