My parents just moved from their McLean townhome to a smaller condo this past week and in de-cluttering, my mom shipped me many family clippings, photos, and documents from their (and our) younger lives. In my own decluttering, I've been sorting through many of my own albums, scrapbooks, and mementos from childhood, and it's really hard to consider getting rid of any of these more "sentimental" items but I'm not quite sure what to do with them (other than store them in garage or office closet boxes). (On the other hand, it's really easy for me and my "big black track bag energy," however, to get rid of old toys, clothes, boxes, and general junk belonging to my adult life and my kids to which I'm not very attached). I scanned everything that my mom sent me and organized and placed the *originals* in sheet protectors within a binder, but I still fear that the "history" will be lost somehow unless it's documented in writing somewhere permanently accessible!
While I had a very nomadic childhood, I treasure the fact that I have deep family roots and family history native to northwestern Minnesota, and have the privilege of having many written family stories and memories of my parents' childhoods and young adulthoods. I'm thankful that my paternal grandmother (Georgine Elaine Wehus Arness) was such a great documenter and collector of historical documents and that in 2024, both my mom and dad, as part of a "gift" from me, completed memoirs via Storyworth so that their histories are preserved in print. Dad's is entitled Mountain Peaks and Dogs' Tails, which I heavily referenced to type and label photos in this huge project! I also discovered old photos and interviews from my older relatives in a "Roots" project I completed in 1991 (fifth grade) and that my sister did in high school, which helped clarify some of the details I have forgotten.
I'm nostalgic knowing that my kids will never know their great grandparents or the the farm that was in my (Arness) family for more than one hundred years, where my sister and I spent so many wonderful childhood summers near my Dad's hometown of Fisher, Minnesota. Also never wanting to lose the "Arness" from my being, I kept my maiden name as my middle name and gave it to each of my boys as their middle name, too!
Fearing that physical items could be lost and as so many things have now been digitized, I also wanted to post about it here for future (easy, internet-accessible) reference (Dad, if you see any obvious inaccuracies, let me know!)
TV-drawn Arness Family Tree 8/2026
The Dales and Wehuses- Georgine's side
Gunnar Gunnarson Dale (a.k. Gunder Gunderson Dale or Gunder Gunderson per Civil War Records [1823-1913]), Georgine's maternal great-grandfather, was the first Dale (and anyone on my father's side) to immigrate to the U.S. from Norway ** (see printed history at the bottom of this document**). He was born on a farm near Seljord, Norway. In search of higher wages and a better life, at age 22 in 1845, he traveled by boat via France, NY, and Wisconsin, finally settling in Fillmore County, MN with his wife, Gunhild (Halvorsdotter Skrie). He volunteered to fight for the Union during the Civil War, an served one year in the 2nd Minnesota Regiment (1864-1865). He outlived his wife, who died in 1894, and lived with son Gunder Dale near Climax, MN until his death at age 89. - extracted from a Dale Family history and summarized in Dad's memoir Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, p. 45-51.
Gunder Dale I farm in Norway, 1840s
Gunder G. Dale and Gunhild (/Gonil Halvorson) Dale
Gunder G. Dale I with granddaughter Josephine Dale, 1906
Gunnar's son Gunder (II) was born near Madison, WI in 1849, married Else (Elsie) Hauge at age 19, and reared nine children near Climax, MN, the youngest of which was my great-grandmother, Alvilda (Nina, pronounced "Nye-nah") Dale (1904-1992), who I knew and visited many summers in MN. (Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, p 52-56).
Gunder and Elsie Dale family, 1895
Josephine sitting, Helmer on dad, Alexander baby, Marcus, Gunder III, Heline on L, Geline on R
Elsie Dale (Georgine's MGM), with kids Alvilda (Nina) and ??Josephine c. 1910
Alvilda (Nina) Dale's 7th grade report card, 1918
Georgine's paternal grandparents (Aslak, from Jovick, Norway) and Petra (Larson, from Oslo, Norway), immigrated to to Climax, Minnesota in 1888 and also were farmers.
Mrs. and Mrs. Lars Madsen Ronaas (?sp) Petra Larson/Wehus' parents), 1800s, Norway.
from my grandmother's scrawl: Mrs. died 12.16.1901, Lars died 3.19.22 at age 91.
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1880s Vehus Garen, Wehus home in Norway
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Aslak and Petra Wehus had six children born in Climax, MN: Alice (1890-1864), Ole (b. 1891), Bertha (1893-1983), Lewis [my great-grandfather] (1895-1977), Ingeborg (b. 1897, lived 3 mo), Emma (b. 1899).
Wehus children, 1918
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They moved to Gully, MN in 1901, about sixty-five miles away from Climax with their belongings pulled by horses on three hayracks and cattle walking behind, and built a new log house.
Petra Wehus and Bertha age 8, Emma age 3 in Gully MN (1901)
Aslak Wehus,1904
Aslak Wehus' log house in Gully, MN (1905).
Petra died in 1905 and Aslak then returned to Climax until his death in 1929.
Lewis Wehus completed eighth grade and then worked as a farmhand and lumberjack in northern MN. He served in World War I in Argonne, France, but apparently injured his back and did not serve in the front lines. After the war, he stayed on guard duty in Diekirch, Germany in 1919. His older brother, Ole (a very common Norwegian name) also served in WWI.
Lewis Wehus, WWI service, 1914- 1919
Lewis Wehus, 1914- 1919
Ole Wehus c. 1914
Lewis Wehus reportedly met Alvilda (Nina) Dale while working on her dad, Gunder's farm and they married in Climax in 1921. Lewis tried truck driving and farming, later going on to work at Standard Oil in Climax, Kelly Oil in Crookston, and later (in 1943) moved to Bemidji, MN, working for the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) and raising poultry. My dad recalls that his MGF Lewis enjoyed to fish and play card games like Smear in his older life.
My grandma Georgine was the second of five kids born to Lewis and Nina Wehus (Ainsworth Percy [1922-2004], Georgine Elaine [1923-2018], Lawrence Arnold [1926-2007], Wallace [1929-2017], and Gayle, [1940-1969, passing away quite young from probable inflammatory bowel disease]).
Lewis Wehus and Nina (Alvilda) Dale 40th anniversary photo (1961)
The Arnesses - Alton's side
I grew up hearing a lot more about my Dad's paternal side (the Arnesses) while spending summers on the family farm. My family had longstanding farm roots in Roome Township in Polk County, northwestern MN, with generations of Arnesses (Alexander--> Albert --> Arthur --> Alton--> Craig) living on the farm near Fisher, and almost all being buried in nearby Bardo Cemetary. Their early history was well documented in 1970 by Theobald ("Tab") Boyer in a history booklet I have saved and treasured, and quoted in my Dad's memoir (Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, pgs. 7-30).
My Ancestors came from near Bodø, a coastal city located just north of the Arctic Circle in Nordland county, Norway. Alexander Cornelius, a fisherman and farmer, immigrated at age 40 with his wife Randine (Anderson) and six kids (Albert [1868-1936], Olaf [1870-1949], Conrad [1873-1935], Angeline [1875-1964], Ingebore [1878-1963], and Ole [1882-1967]) to the Red River Valley in MN, in 1883, in search of a better life (a seventh sibling, Nicolina, joined the family in 1886). They landed in Crookston, and then expanded their farm between Eldred and Fisher, "eleven miles west and south of Crookston, MN.").
Alexander Arness Farm in Norway, 1883
The Arness farm is on flatland which used to be ancient Lake Agassiz over 9,000 years ago, with fertile soil good for farming and near the Red River, which serves as the border with North Dakota. The address I remember from was always marked as "Route 1," (no street name or house number), and the farm locatable from the gravels roads by a characteristic Kentucky-shaped grove of trees.
Malmberg Prairie, the land across from the Arness Farm in Fisher, MN.
Alexander Arness Family, 1893
Albert was Alexander's first-born, and just sixteen when he moved to America with his parents and siblings. He later married Swede Christina Anderson in 1894, continuing in the family farming tradition, purchasing some of his father's land for his own. Some of the original land deeds are in my binder now! He was reportedly quite bright and money savvy, and built the Arness Farmhouse in which my dad grew up, and in which I spent so many summers, in 1914 for a cost of around $1500!
Albert and Christina had four kids -- Arthur Roy, my great-grandfather, (1896-1961), Constance (1897-1902, who lived to just age five), Gustave Adolph (1901-1965), and Carl Alvin (1906-1962). Albert helped build a nearby school in 1898 to help educate those kids in the farming community, which was open from 1898-1940, and organized the Eldred Farmers Elevator Company (Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, p. 24-25).
I had completely forgotten, but in the family papers is now Albert's "suicide letter" to his sons, in which he describes in Norwegian his ill health, pain, and alludes to possible diabetes (while oral history attributed his pain to cancer), listed his current debts, and provided a check to cover burial expenses, before he took his life via a firearm.
Arthur, my great-grandfather (Dad's paternal grandfather), passed away long before I was born, but ("Grandpa Art") is still remembered well by my dad (Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, p. 30-35). He was educated until eighth grade at the nearby schoolhouse, continued in the family farming tradition, but excelled in music (violin, trumpet, trombone, and piano), passing on the love of musical performance to my dear grandfather, Alton. Arthur had his own Dance Band ("The Arness Orchestra," 1924-1948), which played every Saturday night, and is where my grandparents met (on the dance floor). Arthur was active in the community in the church, school district, and farming leadership. He survived smoking, tuberculosis, and passed away in Crookston from an aggressive cancer in 1961.
My dad has some early childhood memories of his grandma Clara (Arthur's wife) and grandparents on her side (Louis and Ellen [Ness] Larson), especially how proud she was of her son and grandson's musical abilities, but writes that she was a rather "grumpy old lady," and I don't carry much understanding or closeness on her side or generation. My grandma Georgine and her mother-in-law Clara apparently did not get along well, especially noted when Grandma and Grandpa Alton lived with Clara and Art on the form shortly after their wedding (Mountains Peaks and Dogs' Tails, p. 78).
1924-1948
My paternal grandfather, Alton Lowell, was born in 1921, and his only brother (as Clara reportedly suffered many troubling miscarriages) was Duane, born twelve years later in 1933.
Arness Farm Fisher MN (1883-1998)
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to be continued: Alton and Georgine and their legacy...
**GUNNAR (GUNDER) DALE LIFE STORY
Gunder Dale December 31 1823 - May 15 1913
Reprinted from Telesoga
Volume 2, October 1909 , Reprinted again May 1999
File contributed for Minnesota Biographies Project by:
Author: Olav Breivik Translated by Arnold Ness
The oldest in Telelage is Gunder Gunderson Dale from Climax. (Seljord, II-
p.167.) He will soon be 86 years old. He was with us at the Telestevne in
Climax last year and this year was with us as Crookston, “And how glad I am in
Telelage,” he says. Olav Breivik has written up the life history of Gunnar Dale
and it is Breivik’s write up which follows.
He was born in a husmann’s place, Fiskehyl in Seljord, on December 31, 1823 son
of Gunnar Kjetilson Gravli (or Gravalid) and Toril Gunnarsdotter. There was no
great need during the early years but they wanted more and as time went they
made progress. His father was a capable man and at last became part owner of
Haugland and later he moved to DALE, the place Gunnar took his name from.
The fall when he was nine years old he went with his mother’s sister to
Hovdekleiv in Kviteseid ands was there until he was confirmed. The Gunnar went
out to be on his own and as many young Telemark boys at that time went North
over the mountain. He and another boy went over the mountain on skis and
didn’t stop until they reached Jarbraek in Suldal. There they had to leave
their skis. Then they traveled further to Roalkvam.
Gunnar signed on as a hired hand from summer to summer and the pay was homespun
clothes and four speciedalars in money. When the year was out he took a job
with an Erick Oddson Risketjon. He was a hard driving man and it was not such
that a young man could take it. In all luck, there was a kind man by the name
of Olav Uraedd who worked on the farm. He said to me, “You won’t be able to
take this, Gunnar, but I tell you what, I will arrange it such that you can get
free of your work contracts.” And this I really wished to do. So he said to
Erick one day while cutting grain, “This young boy cannot cut as much in a week
as I or another good man can do in a day. He just eats up you food and you
have no use of him.” When Erick heard this he was more than happy to see
Gunnar go. We agreed that I was to get ¼ of my year’s wages for the 14 weeks I
was there. It was not much but anyway I was glad to get away.
Later I worked for seven weeks for a kind man named Nils Reine. I received 16
cents a day and thought it was great pay. That fall I went to Stavanger for
the market and for the first time saw what city life was like.
There I met a man named Andres Myklebust and I was at his place over the fall
threshing out his stacks. At Myklebust were six farms with houses one after
the other like a town. Late I was with Andreas fishing as Lutaman, as they
called it. I received fishing clothes and a ¼ part of the catch, which was 3-½
speciedaler.
Later I traveled back north to Roalkvam in Suldal and I met four Tinndallers
with whom I went together over Hauklifjell to Hylen, which is six Norsk miles
and you can well say that that was a good day’s trip. The day before another
group of Tinndallers had traveled the same way and one became tired out and
froze to death on the mountain. We then traveled through Grangedal, Vinji,
Hoidalsmo and Dalane to Kviteseid. I was happy as a bird in the sky when I saw
my home.
I remained at Kviteseid for a year’s time, but wages were small and the work
hard and so I began to think of going to America. I went to Knut Sveinson who
was married to my sister. He sold his farm and made ready to go to America and
I went with them. This was in 1845 and I was 22 years old. We sailed from
Skien on the “Axel and Valborg” with 135 people on board. We set course for
France. The passage was $5.00 from Skien to Havre. We laid in the English
Channel for eight days before we reached land. The storm and wind blew us to
and for and it often looked like we would go under. At Havre we went aboard a
good Post ship which took us to New York. The passage was nine dollars but we
had to furnish our own food.
> From New York we went by canal boat, which was pulled by a horse. In Milwaukee
I met the first man that I knew in America. This was Svein Sveinson from
Seljord and I went home with him to Hartville Prairie. There lived Knut
Andreson Huvestad who had been our neighbor in Norway. I was with him for a
time and my sister and her husband decided to settle here but I and Leiuv
Bjorguvson went to Jefferson Prairie. There I received work at an American’s
place hauling manure for 25cents a day. That was good, I was used to low pay
from home.
Later I worked for an old acquaintance named Sommund Aa for about the same. I
would rather do that than lay around. During harvesting I had $10 per month.
In threshing I received 50 cents a day. With the threshing rig was an Irishman
who boasted that it would be a small task to throw a small Norwegian like me.
But the man who had the rig said that in no way was a Yankee or Irishman as
good as any healthy Northman. I and the Irishman went to it and to make sure I
used the familiar Norwegian back throw and swung the Irishman in the air so
that he landed on his head and got a bad scare, and after that he didn’t want
anything more to do with me.
There was so much remarks in the community among both men and women and gossip.
I stayed away from it and would not give satisfaction when they asked of this
and that I went to Koshkonong and bought the right to 80 acres of land for
$20.00. I had to send $100.00 to the land office in Milwaukee to obtain title.
The land had a log house and one acre of planted winter wheat and I though this
was a pretty nice field. I put a foundation under the house and got it in
shape and how happy I was in my own home. This was the first thing I had ever
owned in this world and I was just about 26 years old. The year after I was
married to Gunhild Halvorsdotter Skrei from Fyresdal (Fyresdfal
Gardsogaettesoge. P. 1545). Pastor J.W.C. Deitrickson performed the wedding.
The land I had was low and unhealthy to live on so I sold it for $900.00 and
went to Fillmore County, Minnesota and bought 80 acres of woodland and Highland
Prairie. I then bought a quarter on the prairie for $120.00. I had purchased
soldier right and therefore got it at that price. Here I built a good home and
all went well thereafter.
But then several years’ later war broke out in the land and I had to go wage
blood for Uncle Sam. We were 100 men that left Fort Snelling.
We went down the Mississippi and it took us three days to LaCrosse. We went the
train to Chicago and then further south to Chattanooga. There we received
weapons and uniforms. We hadn’t been there a week before we were sent into
battle at Atlanta, which was one of the hardest battles I was in. I was in
Company C and it went hard for them. Many were wounded and nine died during the
night. I had to stand my watch and it was terrible to hear all the crying and
moaning. Many who died were either sitting or standing and stiffened up and one
had to grab a person to know if he was alive or not. We won the battle and our
opposition retreated to Janesburg and there we did not envy them. They had
lost so many times to the 2nd Minnesota that they were happy to have nothing
more to do with us. The 105th Ohio had also lost, they were mostly German.
The two companies were called the Twins and we were under the command of
General Thomas. General Grant wanted to get hold of us but General Thomas said
that he did not like to lose the 2nd Minnesota. “Here are men who are able, can
and will fight, and I don’t have to use the “black snake” (bull whip) on them,
but I will have to let them go when Sherman makes his March to the Sea.
We couldn’t come into town because it was dammed up and Sherman offered
$70,000.00 to anyone who would open the dam gates, but the enemy themselves
opened the gates. We were gathered out on the land which was low and they
thought they could flood and drown us, but it didn’t happen. So Sherman sent
word to the town that if they did not surrender he would make them into
labskaus (stew) in 24 hours. They surrendered and we took over.
There was a meeting between General Johnston of the South and General Sherman
of the North towards the end of the Conflict. Sherman asked if he wanted to
settle but Johnston answered, “No, now I have you where I want you.” “Well
answered Sherman, “That which we cannot eat in South Carolina we will burn and
you will never stop me, that I can tell you. When I have taken you prisoner,
you are my pig, but I shall take good care of you. You starve and plaque your
people but I don’t do that, and if you aren’t satisfied with that and want to
fight I will kill 100 of your men for every 5 of mine.
They did not come to terms, so we took off to a river at Sister Crossing.
There were two sisters that had a ferry there. The land was swampy and
difficult to travel but we came to Carolina. There we had a battle, we won and
the enemy had to retreat.
We were battle strong for 60 miles with 60,000 men so we weren’t anything to
fool around with. We took all of our provisions and when they saw that they
couldn’t hold out any longer Johnston called in his troops and gave up. It was
coming towards then last of the war so we went to Louisville, Kentucky, where
it was arranged that we were discharged.
You can well imagine how great it was when the struggle ended and the good
times began. General Sherman was a kind man who thought a great deal of us and
we of him. He had a warm talk and thanked his officers but mostly thanked us,
whom had gone form home and family to serve his country. In North Carolina the
first flag was raised for the Union and freedom and it was greeted with joy by
the multitudes.
We went in company formation homeward via Richmond and Washington. We said
farewell to our beloved General and continued homeward through Michigan to
Chicago and Milwaukee to LaCrosse.
People came out with whole baskets of food for us and when we said, and true it
was, that we could not pay since we had no money, they said that makes no
difference. Music followed us constantly, so people knew we were coming.
On the steamship up the Mississippi the Division General Bishop read the names
of those that left originally. There were 1,100 officers and men and of those
only 70 came back. We were still a full regiment because the ones that were
lost were replaced. We reached St. Paul eight days early and had to stay
aboard until they were ready for us. When we went ashore we were met by the
Governor with a real swell welcoming speech. We followed him to a big
banquet. Everything was grand and elegant and we ate and drank as gentlemen.
When we were done we went to Fort Snelling and received our papers and pay and
then we took off for home via Winoa. Of my comrades, there were at last only
eight of us and we hired a German to drive us to Highland Prairie. I got off
at Dolalie and then it was only a mile to home. It was late at night when I
came through our pasture, and the horses came prancing around as if to bid me
welcome. It was then that I realized that they recognized me too. With my
wife and children there aren’t words to describe how glad they were when I came
into the house that night. I had been away over a year. I left in May of 1864
and returned in June of 1865.
This is the story of old Gunnar Dale who has worked himself up and forward in
this world and who is an honorable man. He has always stood on his own feet.
The worst sorrow for him was when his beloved wife became sick and died in
1894. He was no longer able to run the farm and gave it out between his eight
children who mostly live in the Red River Valley and are doing well. He lives
with his son Gunnar Dale and is yet in good health and of sound mind. He
said, “If my health holds out I will be at Telestevne one more time”.
Notes:
In several newspapers during the 1930s, Rønning, on behalf of the Telelaget,
urged people to submit histories of immigrants from his region of Norway as
well as letters, diaries, and other documents pertaining to Telemark. {21} The
results of this campaign are uncertain. Rønning organized the last large-scale
Telestevne, or gathering of immigrants from Telemark, in Minneapolis in 1937, and he was able to publish a few new issues of Telesoga from 1938 to 1953.
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