Lillian Castle's Recollections
by Lillian Hesseldahl Castle, 1890-1983
edited by Norman L. Hesseldahl
Lillian Hesseldahl Castle
Foreword: "Aunt Lillian Castle has written a few of the things she remembers of their childhood, and later times, and along with the obituaries she gave me, I will add a few things to Frank's account." Agnes Hesseldahl Sharp (Agnes is the daughter of Anchor and Annie, niece of Lillian, and knew all of the older generation as a child - she is the oldest of Anchor's four children. She was the first Hesseldahl family historian, conducted or financed nearly all the genealogical research, compiled the first family trees and caused these wonderful written histories -both Frank's and Lillian's - to be put to paper. In addition, she wrote her own memoirs, which are posted on this web site. Aunt Agnes kindly provided us with a transcript of Lillian's memoirs, and her permission to use it as we saw fit. Without her efforts and loving generosity, the family would have lost all of this history. ed.)
Anchor, Clarence, Frank, Johann, Lillian, Ludwig, Mary, Nora
About John (Johann Christian Hesseldahl, 1869-1928, ed.) I will always remember the time John came from Denmark...It was getting dark, Mother was getting supper when I saw a shadow of a man outside, and I told Mother not to let him stay all night...I did not know at the time that he was my oldest brother. After the folks and Lewis came to the United States, he stayed with an aunt over there for years. After he came here he went to country school, and married his teacher, Carrie Johnson. They lived in Iowa for some time and then on account of his health they moved to Fowler, Colorado. They had no family, but did adopt two boys, named Walter and Orville...they had a small farm and John had several hives of bees.
Johann's Obituary
Prominent Farmer
Here 33 Years
Died Tuesday
Following an illness of about three weeks, John C. Hesseldahl passed away at his home, six miles west of Fowler on the Santa Fe Trail, Tuesday afternoon about four o'clock. A general run-down condition and low vitality, with complications, was the cause of the demise of this well-known and well-liked citizen.
The body was brought to the Diesel Funeral Home and prepared for interment in Fowler Cemetery. Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at two o'clock, from Trinity Lutheran Church conducted by the pastor, Rev. R. Walledom. Mr. Hesseldahl was a member of Trinity Lutheran church and assisted in the founding of this organization many years ago.
John C. Hesseldahl was the eldest of a large number of children born to N. G. and Mary Magdalene Hesseldahl, of Elmore, Minnesota.
He was born in Denmark, August 3, 1869, and had he lived another month Mr. Hesseldahl would have been sixty years old. He came to the United States of America about thirty-five years ago, and resided two years in Minnesota. There he married Carrie Burkum, who survives. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hesseldahl, but there were two adopted sons, Orville Edward and Walter Raymond.
Mr. Hesseldahl's father and mother are still living in Minnesota, as are also the following brothers and sisters: Lewis Hesseldahl, Mrs. Ada Snyder, Frank, Anchor, Nora, Lillian and Clarence Hesseldahl.
J. C. Hesseldahl has resided on the 40 acre farm west of town about thirty-three years. As a farmer he has been successful. The home place, surrounded by trees, was well kept and nicely farmed. His many years spent in the community has endeared Mr. Hesseldahl into the hearts of the people of Fowler, and he will be missed....missed as a citizen, as a neighbor, as a friend, and as one of the substantial, dependable farmers. In his untimely death the community indeed suffers a big loss.
To his bereaved widow and other relatives the people of Fowler extend their sincere sympathy.
COMMUNITY LOSES GOOD MAN
In the twenty years the Tribune Publisher has lived here never have we heard more nice things said of any other man than we have heard said of the late John C. Hesseldahl, who died at his home, west of town, last week. As a neighbor, as a true friend, and as a citizen, Mr. Hesseldahl possessed those traits of character that caused him to be loved by all who knew him. One who has known him many years, spoke in this complimentary manner of Mr. Hesseldahl:
"I think he was the best neighbor I have ever known. There was something in the clasp of his handshake and in the strength of his friendship that every man does not possess. I have been with him in neighborhood gatherings time and time again, and never once heard him speak slightingly or disrespectfully of any man. If he could not say something good of others, he refrained from saying anything. If every man could emulate the conduct of John C. Hesseldahl, the world would be vastly better. The community suffered a real loss when this good man passed away."
Funeral services were held in Trinity Lutheran Church Saturday afternoon, and the numerous floral offerings and the large attendance of friends, attested to the esteem in which Mr. Hesseldahl was held by the people of this community. Interment was made in Fowler Cemetery.
About Lew (Ludwig Martinius Hesseldahl, 1871-1929, ed.) While in California he and Carl Larsen enlisted in the Spanish American War, and were in service a long time. When he became sick with Malaria. I can remember their old friends back here would send boxes of food over to the boys...one kind of fruit cake that could keep for a year, if not eaten, of course. Quite a while after he came out of the service he worked in Fertile, Minnesota, and was married to Annie Underdahl. Several years later he had surgery for the removal of his stomach, due to cancer. He lived a year after that, but had to eat real often.
Ludwig's Obituary
Lewis Hesseldahl died July 4th at the Veteran's Hospital in Minneapolis, after a long illness. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1871, and was 58 years old at the time of his death. He saw duty in the Spanish American War in the Phillipines, with the First Regiment of Colorado Infantry, entering the service May 1, 1898, and was honorably discharged September 8, 1899. The genial nature of Mr. Hesseldahl won him many friends. This was true at the hospital as well as elsewhere.
About Nora (Nora Hesseldahl, 1887-1972, ed.) As a baby she fell off from Lew's lap somehow, on the point of a sewing machine, which was very sharp. The folks did everything they could for her...went to a specialist in the state of Kansas where the Dr. gave her electric treatments to try and raise her skull, but it did nothing for her. She stayed home for many years, and then as Mother was not able to take care of her, she was taken to Faribault (then the site of the state asylum, ed.). She now resides in a home for the elderly in Waseca.
About Anchor (Anchor Hesseldahl, 1881-1966, ed.) He attended our country school also did take part in many activities such as spelldown, basket socials, etc. He went to Sunday School, and took out a school mate, named Annie Larsen. They both attended Sunday School together, as he had a very nice horse and buggy, and they finally were married. They had a lovely home wedding. Before that his brother Frank would play tricks on the Gaard girls, such as putting dirt in coffee sacks, when the girls came home from town they would jump out of their buggy and pick up the sack. On Halloween they would dress up in women's clothing and go out and scare the girls when they came over. Anchor was such a good corn picker...he would drive 2 miles and wait for daylight to pick...and he always picked 100 bushels a day.
About Mary (Mary Magdalene Hesseldahl Snyder, 1875-1944, ed.) I remember that she worked out a lot...she and another lady from Elmore had a little hat shop in the Farmers Store. She and Mother did quite a lot of sewing. One time Elmore had a parade, and Mary was chosen Queen, on account of her hair was so long she could sit on it. Shortly after the parade she met Art Snyder and they went together quite a while. He had such nice driving horses, and in the winter he came in a cutter with sleigh bells on his horses...we could hear him a half mile away. They married and lived on his Dad's farm for many years.
About Clarence (Clarence John Hesseldahl, 1892-1940, ed.) Clarence left home for Karlstad, Minnesota, where he did some farming, and was married to Edith. Then he went to Battleground, Washington, where they had a small acreage. He also had a small store. They had two sons, Faye and Gordon, who is a car racer. Edith left him after some years, and he then was married to May...they had two girls, now both are married, and one is a teacher. Her husband is a principal. After Clarence died, May married Jess Graffunder...he is now dead. May works at the Singer Sewing Company, where she has been for many years.
About Lillian....shortly after Evelyn and Wilbur married, I made a trip to Santa Barbara, California, and stayed with my sister-in-law, Carrie Hesseldahl. Then I went to Battle Ground, where I stayed with Clarence and May. There I met Earl Castle. We were married in Vancouver at the M.E. Church...had a small wedding. Earl had a small house in Vancouver, so we did a lot of fixing up, and lived there a couple of years, before I got sick. I thought it was the flu, but the Dr. said it was TB. I had to go up to Seattle, at Puget Sound, for over 5 months. Soon I was well enough to work at the Kaiser Ship Yards, where I worked for 5 months on the same boat. Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt sponsored it.
About Frank (by Hazel Hesseldahl Jacobsen - daughter of Anchor and Annie, 1921- . ed.) My fondest memories of Uncle Frank and Aunt Stena are from the days when I was a little girl, and the big thrill of every summer was my visit to Frank and Stina's. Frank would take me uptown to Rake, and buy me treats and I would get to play with the little Mexican children who lived with their family in Frank's converted garage...we called them beet weeders, but of course we couldn't do that today.
Frank's Obituary
Services Held For
Frank Hesseldahl
Frank Hesseldahl, long time resident of the Elmore area, passed away on Thursday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. George Myers at Ogilvie, Minnesota. He was 89.
Funeral services were held at the Elmore Methodist Church with Rev. Ralph Gebhard officiating on Saturday afternoon and interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Wicks Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Frank Nicholas Hesseldahl was born at Plattville, Illinois on April 17, 1878. He came to Minnesota at the age of five with his parents. He married Christine Larsen on March 4th, 1902 and they farmed in the Elmore area for many years. Later he managed the elevator at Rake, Iowa and then retired to Elmore. Recently he had made his home with his daughter.
Surviving are his daughter; two sisters, Mrs. Lillie Castle of Blue Earth and Nora Hesseldahl of Waseca, Minnesota; 9 grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild.
Preceeding him in death were his wife and four children, four brothers and three sisters.