Joseph Rosenquist

Josef Jönsson was born on September 10, 1869 in the parish of Norra Åkarp, near Bjärnum, a town just north of Hässleholm in Skåne province, southern Sweden. He was the fourth of six brothers born to Jöns Carlsson and Elna Nilsdotter. He also had two sisters who died as children. Joseph's grandfather, Carl, who died the same year Josef was born, had moved to Norra Åkarp from Småland province, where he had been raised on a farmstead called "Rosenqvist". Although he may have had an informal surname derived from his own father's given name (as was the custom), records show that he was known as "Carl Rosenqvist". Josef spent much of his early life living with close relatives. They included his widowed grandmother, Hanna Persdotter, and his Uncle Bengt. Family stories also mention an Aunt Inga. She may have been Bengt's wife or an unmarried sister of Josef's father, Jöns. (Records indicate that Jöns had a sister named Ingrid.) Josef also attended school and received an education comparable to our high school education.

It was difficult to find work and make a good living in Sweden when Josef was growing up. Thousands were leaving the country, looking for a better life elsewhere. On Thursday, Feb. 17, 1887, Josef Jönsson boarded an emigrant ship and came to America. He became one of the 46, 252 who left Sweden that year. His three older brothers had made the trip in previous years. His parents and two younger brothers followed him the next year.

The new homeland also meant a new name as Josef Jönsson became Joseph Rosenquist, assuming the same formal surname that his brothers had adopted earlier. His first home in the new country was the town of Princeton, in Bureau County, Illinois. Joseph's two older brothers, Olof and Charlie, lived and farmed in that county most of their lives.

Joseph continued his education by attending school for a year in Moline. He also worked for the farmers in the Moline area. In 1892, The Salvation Army started a new Swedish Corps in Moline. At that time, starting a new corps was equivalent to the founding of a new church. Joseph was involved with the new church from a very early time. In fact, a historical record documenting the early days of the church mentions a "brother Rosenquist". It indicates that the young man was involved in founding the new corps.

In Moline, Joseph learned to be an iron-molder and worked for the companies that made farm machinery. It was in the young Salvation Army church where Joseph gained his early experience as a lay preacher. It was also there where he met a young dressmaker who lived in nearby Cable, Illinois. Her name was Emma Sophia Bodeen.

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Emma Sophia Bodeen

John August Bodeen was born in Hällstad Parish, Älvsborgs County, on May 9, 1843. Caroline Larson was born in the same county on June 16, 1842. They were married on December 21, 1865. They lived at Murum Parish, Älvsborgs County, in the western Swedish province of Västergötland. Their home was on a three and one-half acre plot of land about 100 kilometers east, northeast of Gothenburg. The land was provided by the Swedish government in payment for John's service in the military. John, being an unusually tall man, had been chosen as a member of the King's special guard. For him, military service was a life-time obligation. So a significant portion of his time was spent serving the King. When he was on leave at home from military duty, he lived with his wife and their children on their small "farm." John had considerable skills as a carpenter and shoe cobbler. Caroline had a cow, some pigs and chickens and a garden. She was an excellent manager, so they always had enough to eat.

Emma Sophia Bodeen was born on April 4, 1874, in Murum Parish. She was the third of the seven Bodeen children who lived to reach adulthood. John and Caroline had eleven in all.

Caroline's sister, Anna Oakberg, emigrated with her family to the United States in the early 1870's and settled in Cable, Illinois. John could not adequately care for his family during his long separations, so while on leave in 1881, he and Caroline decided to emigrate. On May 6^th of that year, three days before his 38^th birthday, John Bodeen (Johan Bodin in Swedish), began his journey to America, where he could provide a better life for his family. About three weeks later, he arrived in New Windsor, Illinois, not far from Cable. He was met there by Anna's son-in-law, Pete Isaacson. Later, he went on to Cable, about five miles to the north. There, he found suitable work as a carpenter in the local coal mines and purchased a house. Then he sent word for his wife and children to join him.

On August 15, 1881, Caroline Bodeen left Sweden with her six children. They were Augusta, Albert, Emma, Frank, Charles, and Alfred. Their destination was also New Windsor. When they arrived, they, too, were welcomed by Pete Isaacson. When they reached Cable, the family spent a few days living with the Oakbergs while waiting for their new house to be ready.

The first Bodeen house in Cable was their home for the next 11 years. John continued working as a carpenter for the local coal mining industry. He made a good living for his family. Another daughter, Ellen, was born there in 1883. In February of 1892, they moved into a new house, where John and Caroline spent the rest of their lives. They were active in the Cable Community Church. Their oldest daughter, Augusta, returned about 1924 to care for them. Caroline died on June 26, 1928. She was buried at the Cable cemetery. John stayed in his home as Augusta and her husband, C. T. Samuelson, continued to care for him. He died on March 28, 1938, and was buried beside his wife.

When Emma finished school, she took a job as a dressmaker in Moline. She probably boarded with someone living close to her work. She also joined the local Salvation Army corps church, which opened there in June of 1892. It was there that she met Joseph Rosenquist.

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Joseph and Emma's Family

Joseph Rosenquist and Emma Bodeen were united in marriage on September 12, 1894, at the home of Emma's parents in Cable, Illinois. The witnesses who signed the license were Emma's brother, Albert, and his fiancé, Anna Sandeen. The newlyweds made their first home at St. Charles, in Kane County, Illinois. Joseph was already living there before the wedding and was working as an iron molder and mechanic.

Emma gave birth to her first child on August 16, 1895. They named her Luella Margaret. The second child, Esther Caroline, was born on July 17, 1897. Their first son, Frithjof Theodore, was born on October 25, 1898.

In the early 1880's, the Great Northern Railroad opened a new frontier in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. It was new country with plenty of fertile farmland. When Joseph and Emma heard about an opportunity to purchase some of that land from the railroad, they moved their young family to a farm a few miles north of Downer, in Clay County, Minnesota. Joseph's father, John, moved to the same area, with his second wife, Inga, and their two young children, Herbert and Lillie.

The Rosenquist family continued to grow. Elna Josephine was born on October 31, 1900. Archie Englebert arrived on September 14, 1902. August Victor was born on March 13, 1905, and Harold William on September 24, 1906.

Between 1907 and 1913, Joseph moved his family several times. The farm in Downer was not doing as well as Joseph had hoped. So in 1907, with seven young children to feed, Joseph moved his family to Moorhead, where he got a job in a foundry. In 1909, they moved back to the farm in Downer. They made three more moves in the next four years: to a farm near Moorhead in 1910, Spring Prairie township in 1911, and finally to Riverton township in 1913. Three more family members were added during that time. Leona Gertrude was born on September 2, 1907, Carl Albert on September 24, 1909, and Selma Eudora on December 13, 1911.

The years between 1913 and 1930 were more prosperous for the Rosenquists. They had a second farm a few miles from the one they lived on. They raised potatoes, flax, corn, various types of grain, and even carrots. They also had milk cows and other livestock. Joseph's stepmother, Inga, lived about three miles to the west. She and her son, Herbert, ran a farm there until the early 20's, when they moved to Sheldon, North Dakota. Each family member had plenty of work to do, but there were many more special days as well. The family enlarged in more ways than one. On May 27, 1915, Luella married Walter Sauer. They started on a farm about five miles to the west. On March 7, 1916, Joseph and Emma's eleventh and final child, Ruth Evangeline, was born. Then, only 20 days later, Walter and Luella gave them their first grandchild - Florence Eleanor Sauer. Another wedding took place on November 21, 1917. Esther married Theodore (Ted) Sauer. Ted was Walter's brother.

Joseph's second farm was about three miles away, in Elkton township. In 1920 or 1921, he decided to build a house and move there. The farm buildings were carried one by one on horse-drawn wagons. It was too big a project to complete in one summer, so the family moved a few miles west and spent one winter in another house. By the fall of 1922, they were in their new house near Downer, not far from where they had lived 20 years earlier.

Joseph Rosenquist was more than just a hard-working farmer. He also had a keen interest in politics. He had been a deeply spiritual man since his youth. He was a lay minister, a poet, and politician. He wrote political poems and commentaries under the pen name "Farmer B. Gosh" in the Fargo paper. He wore a felt hat and his shoes always turned up at the toes because his feet were too short for the shoes. He read the Bible to his family every day. At the beginning of each day, he would lean on the garden gate and talk to the Lord and they would make plans for the day.

Archie Rosenquist recorded a number of interesting stories about the Rosenquists while they were growing up. Here are a few of them:

"One time when we were stacking hay, Luella was on a mowing machine and the team of broncos she was driving became frightened and started running. She fell in front of the seat and was dragged for a long ways. I was on the hayrake some distance away and it looked to me as though she was in front of the sickle bar and I thought she would be cut to pieces. She was bruised pretty bad but able to walk. No bones were broken."

"Another time Harold had a run away with a team of colts on a hayrake, and one wheel hit a rock and threw him in front of the other wheel. I don't know whether the wheel ran over him or not, but he sure had a sore face for awhile."

"We were on the way home one evening and I was driving one team hitched to a wagon, with another team tied to the rear of the wagon. Victor was on a wagon behind mine and he decided to run up and ride with me. One of the horses I was leading kicked him and knocked him out. He didn't come out of it for several hours, but he kept saying, "I'm sleepy." He was able to get around O.K. the next day."

"I drove in the yard one day and unhitched the horses. They started for the well to get water and I jumped on one to ride to the well. Ruthie, who was about two years old, came running and wanted a ride. I reached down and was lifting her up when the horse got scared and started running and bucking. Ruth and I had quite a ride for a minute or so, but I finally got the horse to quiet down. Ruthie thought it was fun but it sure scared me."

"Harold and I were loading hay in a hayrack one day and I was pitching the hay up to him and he was leveling it on the hayrack. We had a pretty big load on and he was standing near the end of the rack when the horses moved ahead a little. Harold lost his balance and fell off the load with the pitchfork in his hand. He wasn't hurt a bit but he sure looked funny."

By the early 20's, the older sons and daughters were beginning to spend more and more time away from home, earning their own income and starting to live more independently. During the corn-harvesting seasons in Illinois, some of the Rosenquist boys went there to work with their Bodeen cousins, helping with the harvest. One of the cousins, Harold Q. Bodeen, son of Frank Bodeen, remembered the visits. He wrote this in 1998: "We had several cousins, the Rosenquists, Frithjof, Victor, and Albert who lived in Minnesota and would come to Illinois each fall to pick corn. It was good pay, three to four cents a bushel. These were big Swedes, who could pull in 120-130 bushels a day. Their headquarters was Ethel and Bud's home. Some years, one of the sisters, Peggy or Ruth Rosenquist would come with them. Sundays were a time of a lot of family fun." (Ethel was Harold's older sister. Her husband was Lloyd (Bud) Epperson.)

In November of 1923, Archie went to Colorado with his friend, Bill Lebeda, to look for work. Shortly afterward, on July 10, 1925, Elna married Bill (William Clarence) in Columbus, Nebraska. They lived in Colorado near Archie for a while, but then returned to live in Minnesota. Archie decided to make his home in Colorado. He was married there on April 8, 1927 - to Esther Ellen DuRee.

By 1930, Joseph and Emma's home had changed considerably. Walter and Luella had moved to Clearwater County and had a family of seven. Ted and Esther had one son and lived on a farm in nearby Spring Prairie Township. Frithjof had his own place and was working in a concrete block plant. Elna was at home, temporarily, with Bill and her three small children. Archie and Esther had a son and were living in Central City, Colorado. Harold was boarding with them. Victor was working in Illinois and was living with the Eppersons. Leona was boarding close to home and was working as a cook. Her employer was an agent for the Great Northern Railroad. Only Albert, Peggy, and Ruth had not yet left home.

The depression years of the 1930's meant hard times for almost everyone. Reduced demand for farm products made farming a risky business. More than a few farmers with large operations had to sell out and find simpler ways to support themselves and their families. Joseph struggled as long as he could. He tried supplementing his income by other means, but by 1935, he had lost his property in Clay County. He already owned land in the wooded area of northern Minnesota, where he had been logging in the winter, so he and Emma decided to move there. Their new home was Bagley, in Clearwater County. Walter and Luella had already lived in Minerva Township, south of Bagley, for several years, and were managing to make ends meet. Joseph was still a farmer, but logging helped him put food on the table.

Times were tough in the 1930's, but that didn't stop the younger Rosenquists from moving on with their lives. On May 2, 1931, Leona married Eric Earnest (Eddie) Schellack. Selma (Peggy) married Francis Milton Lewis a few weeks later, on May 27. Then Victor married Ethel Helen Amundson on June 2, 1934.

Joseph, Emma, and the Sauers weren't the only ones to make their homes in "the woods". Francis and Peggy had lived there from the time they were married. Victor had purchased land there in 1929. He and Ethel moved to Minerva after they were married. Frithjof also owned property in Minerva , purchased from his brother, Archie, in 1936. He spent time there in the late 30's and eventually made it his permanent residence. Bill and Elna left Clay County just as Joseph had. They moved to Minerva Township in 1939.

Two more weddings took place before the 1930's were over. On March 15, 1936, Joseph and Emma's youngest child, Ruth, married Norman Clifford Langseth. Then, on June 24, 1936, Harold married Fern Ruby Severson in Pemberton, Minnesota. Another notable event happened before the end of the decade. Joseph and Emma became great-grandparents for the first time. Luella's daughter, Florence, and her husband, Clifford Wastweet, had their first child, Lavern. He was born on March 22, 1937.

In December of 1933, Joseph purchased 160 acres of land on section 28 of Minerva Township. In 1939, the year he turned 70, Joseph began building a new home on his property. He was an experienced and skilled builder. The house was very well built, with two stories and a basement. It promised to be a wonderful place where his children and grandchildren could come to visit while he and Emma lived comfortably in their senior years. It was well insulated, sure to stay warm during the cold Minnesota winters. The house was also beautiful, with heavy, split-log siding. On Tuesday morning, June 11, 1940, Joseph began another day of work on the new house. His youngest son, Albert, was helping as they climbed up on a scaffold erected on the north side of the house. Still early in the day, Joseph went back down for some building materials. He also intended to get some spikes for the scaffold, having noticed that it needed reinforcement. He returned with the materials, but somehow forgot the spikes. Not strong enough to bear the load, the scaffold soon gave way. It was not a long fall, but it proved to be tragic for Joseph. His head struck a concrete support that he himself had poured earlier. He suffered a skull fracture and died within hours. He was buried two miles south of his new home at Rice Lutheran Cemetery, Pine Center.

No doubt, life was never the same for Emma and the eleven children after Joseph was gone. Changes had to be made, but life went on. The house was finished later and Emma lived there. Albert was still unmarried, so he kept her company. Several of Emma's other children were close by in the summer of 1940. Francis and Peggy lived next door with their six children. They were on the south half of the property Joseph had originally purchased in 1933. Elna and Bill lived about one mile to the south, with their four children. Victor and Ethel lived about three miles to the northwest. They had two sons. Walter and Luella lived just a few miles away. They had nine children. Their two oldest daughters were married and lived close by. Archie and Esther had one son and lived in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Harold and Fern were at Minnesota Lake, in southern Minnesota. They had two children. Frithjof, Esther, Leona, and Ruth still lived in Clay County. Esther had one child; Leona had two, and Ruth had three. In all, Joseph and Emma had 30 grandchildren when Joseph died.

More changes were soon to come. On October 12, 1941, Archie and his family left Colorado and moved to Port Henry, New York. Archie was beginning a new job as a foreman in an iron ore mine. The mine soon became an important source of strategic material. The United States became involved in the Second World War before the year was over. By March of 1942, Albert had been drafted into the service of his country. By the first of April, he was already in training at Fort Ord, California. After additional training in Oregon, he was sent to the Philippines. He was with a unit that serviced Army field hospitals. Albert was discharged on December 17, 1945. Frithjof went into the service in November of 1942. He began his training in gunnery, but was soon assigned to a searchlight battery, part of an anti-aircraft battalion. He was sent overseas on Dec 4, 1943. While he was stationed in New Guinea, he developed a fungus disorder on his feet due to the dampness. He was returned to the States on November 14, 1944, to be hospitalized. He was discharged on October 5, 1945. Other family members also served in the military, including Luella's son, Melvin, and Esther's son, Clifford. Elna's son, Dale, saw some service in the Navy before the war ended.

With Albert away, Emma didn't want to stay alone in the new house, so she traveled around, spending time with her children and other relatives. The house was not left abandoned, though. Some of Luella's children lived there at various times during the 40's. Emma spent time in "the prairie" (Clay County) as well as in "the woods." She even stayed with her brothers in Illinois and with Archie in New York. She enjoyed traveling, and her children were always pleased to have her drop in for an extended visit. The mobile lifestyle she began during the war continued well into the late 1950's.

After the war, Frithjof moved to Minerva permanently. He built a garage with an upstairs apartment and lived there as he farmed his land. Victor, who had been in Minerva since the 30's, decided to make a change. In September of 1947, he moved his family to Peshastin, Washington. He later moved a few miles to Cashmere. There was an important change for Albert, too. On July 9, 1948, he married Althea Macy Glenn in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he had been living for several months. He and Althea moved several times during the next 10 years as their family grew. They lived in Glyndon (Clay County) and Minerva as well as North Carolina. In the summer of 1959, they moved into Joseph and Emma's log house in Minerva, where they stayed until 1967. Albert had owned the place since 1950.

In 1960, the year Emma turned 86, she suffered a serious hip fracture and had to spend several weeks in a hospital. Because the level of care she needed was becoming greater, the family soon decided she was ready for a long-term care facility. They chose a nursing home in Clearbrook, north of Bagley. Emma's traveling days had come to an end, but her children and grandchildren could still visit her. They went to see her often. She gradually lost her ability even to recognize her children, but they still knew that all the time they had together was precious. Emma Sophia (Bodeen) Rosenquist died on July 12, 1966. She was buried beside Joseph at Rice Lutheran Cemetery, Pine Center, Minnesota. She was 92 years old. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Francis Lewis (May, 1965), and her son, Albert (May, 1966).

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