Memories of my Mom by Charlotte

 (Mildred Left, and Vivian)

Mildred Nelson Sandberg.  -

Mildred had four brothers just older than she and she likes to play outside with them.  She liked to drive horses and drove the horse (Ole Prince) and buggy to town for her piano lessons at age 13.  She also drove a horse to plant corn and to cultivate corn and she loved it.

 

 Mildred is the 2nd from the left

She and all 9 girls in her family had six weeks of piano lessons.but she excelled in it and had more.

Her family was unusual in their neighborhood, because they  received a newspaper and each of the 16 children could go to  high school, if they wanted.  Now the neighbors felt that both of those expenses were a waste of money.

Mom worked as a waitress  and as a sitter for the local Dr.'s wife  evenings and summers while she was in high school to save money for college.The summer she graduated there was a bank crash and she lost most of her savings. Her sister,Ina, who was teaching and had a Master's degree in Home Economics from Columbia University , said she would pay tuition for two years at South Dakota State and Mom studied public school music and elementary education.

Next she taught 4th grade and music to the whole school and directed an operetta in Avon SD.

Then she and her sister,June,  moved to Minneapolis .  They lived together in Dunwoody Hall  for girls and Mom worked as a maid while attending McPhail School of Music and studying piano.  

She had a senior recital  one evening with a violinist as her guest artist.  Her mother and sister, Vivian took the train to Minneapolis to attend.

Later she worked as a maid  in Minneapolis for the family of a vice-president of Pillsbury flour.

She taught  music at our country school for a few years.

As a widow, she determined to pay for missions as much as possible and began teaching piano at home.  

She once ran for the school board in Gettysburg,but did not win.  In my personal opinion, it's because she did not campaign and went to Utah for the summer.  She had been asked to run by a committee.

She was an active member of the American Association of University Woman.  

Later received an Associate Degree from BYU and served as an ordinance worker in the Provo temple.

She believed in education and hard work and the Gospel.  

She often said,"Every girl should work and have her own money and buy anew outfit every month, if she wants before she gets married.  Then she will be a good manager when she is married."

Charlotte's Family History Project

Sunday was the annual Nelson picnic in Dell Rapids, and none of us attended.  I have been thinking about the Nelson family.  Today I read Alan Packer's talk from the BYU Family History conference and it read,"Research shows that children who are best able to handle stress are those who know the most about their family's history.  As children, grandchildren and descendants hear about the past, they are more able to meet the future." So I have felt very inspired to make sure we doing our share, to share family stories.

One of  my own daughters (Heather, I admit it as I am re posting this blog), this very morning said she did not know Nelsons came to America for religious freedom. Gilbert's book, which becomes more valuable all the time, has great stories.  I have been especially enjoying charter 8 "Mildred Nelson, Beloved Wife" 

And on that note, I am going to start sharing my stories with the family via this blog.  I might even share the time our mother stuck her tongue to the frozen water pump and had to pull it off, along with all her tongue skin.  She was so embarrassed she didn't tell anyone for years.

When we visited Denmark, I learned that only in relatively recent times has there been freedom of religion. When our family lived there , there was a state church, the Lutheran church, brought there by followers of Martin Luther.  The church has a lot of authority and if you did not belong, you may not be able to have a job, or your children allowed to go to school.  No condemnation to Lutherans as they kept wonderful record and brought the whole nation Christianity.  So when a few people became Baptist, it was hard for them.  Our ancestors were among them.

My great-grandfather Thomas Sorensen,  (grandma Ann Marie Thompson Nelson's father) "When he was 14 years old, became converted to the Baptist belief after studying the scriptures with others who were dissatisfied with the state church.  

He was baptized by a Baptist preacher and went about teaching believers personal regeneration. . He was persecuted for his belief and nick named "Holy Thomas" in ridicule.  His  parents asked him to leave home because they frowned on any religion other than their own.

He walked to a nearby village and when he became tired he rested on the doorstop of a miller who owned a place called "Rode Molle" or Red Mill.   The owner found him there and gave  him a  job in the mill. He soon became a Journeyman Apprentice.

Some years later a girl named Karen Marie Larsdatter, came to work for the miller as a nursemaid for his children. A story is told of the courtship of Thomas and Karen Marie,  The young folks where she lived could not find out who her boyfriend was, until one day she came to work with the imprint of two mealy hands on the back of her black dress.  Everyone now knew who her lover was.

Stay tuned for further adventures from the Sandberg family.

Sandberg Calendar 1999 and 2000

From the Family Calendar 1997-1998, Letter between Mildred and Ivar