Nothing Dies that is Remembered

The Recollections of Agnes Hesseldahl Sharp

If your knowledge about the family history of the Hesseldahl and Larsen families is increased, if you know more about how people lived in the early years of the 20th century after reading these pages, then you have this woman to thank.

Agnes Hesseldahl Sharp ("Aunt Ag" to the generations of children who know and love her) wrote these pages after her trips to Denmark in search of our family history. A retired educator with a Master of Science degree in Special Education (she was a pioneer in her own right in this field) Agnes' interest in genealogy was sparked, I think, by her research during her Master's studies, when she administered intelligence tests to all of Anchor and Annie's grandchildren. Perhaps it was the lack of direct family records - no great collections of letters or diaries - that motivated her to write her book. But I remember the thrill I felt, when, upon reading it, I made discovery after discovery about my family, my heritage, and about a lifestyle that had been swept away by technological innovations made during World War II.

From time to time, you will find little explanatory notes, italicized and enclosed in parentheses, and signed with "Ed." (for Editor) in Agnes' text. I've tried to make some references more understandable, and, sometimes have simply been unable to refrain myself from adding a comment. Her words are unaltered. For those of you who may use this as a historical resource, this is an unpublished personal history by Agnes Pauline Hesseldahl Sharp, born June 10, 1910 in Blue Earth, Minnesota. I have one of the original copies of her book. She did not title her work, but it opens with a personal quote that not only titles the work, but explains its philosophical base as well - "Nothing dies that is Remembered."

(Our dear aunt passed away on February 9, 2004. Her health had been deteriorating for several years, and she no longer was able to walk. She had been confined to a nursing home for several months, and death came as a welcome end to her suffering. We remember her, and we shall miss her every day.)

Norman L. Hesseldahl. La Grande, Oregon (a long way from the Minnesota prairies), September, 1999