Amilia Bentrud Dalager: the early days

by Lavilla Dalager Peterson (daughter of Amilia)

Second Wife of Hans Dalager

In Norway the first son or heir would inherit the farm, but many first sons gave up their inheritances to come to America. Norwegians were very excited to emigrate to America. The ones most ready to come were young men and, very often, young married couples with small children. They could picture vast farms ready for the taking. One such young couple was Caroline and Thurston Bentrud.

Amilia Bentrud was the oldest daughter of Caroline and Thurston. She was born June 20, 1868 on the homestead her father settled on near Terrace, Minnesota, in Pope County (after leaving his and Caroline’s parents in Iowa soon after they were married). Amilia attended school in District 28 at Terrace. In her early childhood days she remembers seeing the Indians who walked by their place. The pioneer families were frightened when they saw them but at this time they did not harm them. The Indians they saw had wandered off their reservations. The family moved to a farm near Lake View which is about 4.5 miles from Glenwood. Here she continued her education at District 40.

One of her most exciting childhood experiences was when her family took a year long trip to Iowa. She told this story to the writer in 1947. Amilia described this summer as one of her happiest summers.

Amilia’s parents were lonesome in Pope County and wished to go back to their folks in Iowa to live. In the spring of 1878, when Amilia was about 10 years old, they made ready to go back to Iowa.

Mother had to get all five of us children ready to go–Julia, Lilly, Carl, me and baby Thilda Agusta. Father prepared the covered wagon for travel and hitched the two horses to it. Mother had to prepare food, gather clothes and cooking utensils to be used when they picnicked along the road.

They met many kind people on this trip. As a day of travel was drawing to a close, Amilia’s father would drive up to a farm place and ask if they could spend the night in the farmer’s yard. The horses needed rest, hay and feed and the children needed milk. They were able to buy the items they needed. Most of the farmers were anxious to help with supplies and very often invited the family to sleep in their house or other buildings if they had room. One of the towns they came to had a circus that they could enjoy. Oh such fun–the well groomed white horses, the funny clowns and the man who walked a tight rope. To these children this experience more than made up for the hardship of the trip.

One evening the family where they stopped seemed a little hesitant about inviting them in. The farmer talked to Thurston and the women went to the house. Then the lady of the house came out with a butcher knife and walked straight to the barn.

We were near the cow pen and we could see her using the knife to make the sign of the cross near the cow’s udder. This frightened all of the girls but mother said, “Hush, she thinks we bring bad spirits or evil.” Mother and father looked at each other wondering what to do. In a short time the lady came out of the barn smiling at all of us. We stayed the night and this family became one of our good friends.

When we arrived at St. Ansgar, Iowa, we spent the entire summer with grandmothers Olson and Bentrud and many aunts and uncles. The children had much fun playing with and getting acquainted with their cousins. Father worked on farms all summer.

By fall he had not found any place that they could rent or buy. Land was high-priced, so they had to go back to their farm in Pope County. They were reluctant to leave so it got to be fall-like before they got started on their way back. The fall rains had started which made traveling much harder. At one time it rained so much that everything in the wagon became wet. Luckily they met a man who saw their problem and invited them to his place so they could dry out. They were able to bring the wet things from the wagon into the house so they could be dried.

The woman of the house was ill, but Amilia’s mother pitched in and helped the hired girl and all went well. This family had 2 small boys who were happy over so much company. Things went so well that they stayed with this family for nearly a week.

They had hoped for drying weather to make the trip easier but there had been so much rain that the trails and roads were nearly impassable. The streams were swollen and many had to be crossed on rafts. After much struggle they were finally back at their own farm.

Amilia’s father had rented their farm to Mr. Christianson for a year while they were in Iowa. Therefore that winter there were two families in one house. That winter Amilia, Lilly and Julia attended school in Terrace. Their teacher was Jennie Wheeler. Moses and Jennie Wheeler’s father had the store in Terrace. The following spring the Bentruds moved to the farm near Lake View.

The confirmation class met at farm homes. One time at a home where they met the lady of the house offered them refreshments. She set a large bowl of milk on the table. Each student was supposed to drink from the same bowl. The girls got the giggles and no one could drink any milk.

When there were many children in the family, the oldest child had to go out and earn money. Therefore Amilia went to do house work for others. It wasn’t always housework. It included milking, herding, barn cleaning and various jobs in the house. She worked for $1.50 to $2.00 a week. One of the places where Amilia worked was the Hans Dalager farm. She would also attend school some of the months and took confirmation classes. Amilia was in the first class confirmed in the present Barsness Church.

In 1888 Amelia Bentrud married Hans Dalager, a widower. His first wife had died in child birth in 1886. Amelia stepped into a home where there were 6 step children, 5 girls and 1 boy. The oldest girl was 16 years old and the baby boy was 3 years.

It was a large farm at that time consisting of about 2000 acres. There were sometimes as many as 7 hired men and 2 hired girls. What would the bread making task be at this house? The women also did the milking and other chores during the summer months. The girls were being educated at St. Cloud Teachers College and went out teaching at an early age.

Reference: Dalager Archival Material, Lavilla Dalager Peterson