TBT: In the WayBack Machine

My Great-Grandfather Nils with his wife Margrethe surrounded by their children and grandchildren

For Throwback Thursday, let's take a little trip back in the WayBack Machine to the turn of the last century.

The photo above is of my father's side of the family.  You see my great-grandfather Nils in the middle.  He was originally from Ringasaker, Norway.  His wife, Margrethe, is next to him on the right.  She came from the Danish island of Bornholm.

They met in Salt Lake City, and eventually settled in the Mancos/Kline area in the LaPlata mountains of southwestern Colorado.

My grandfather Axel Hermand is standing in the back on the far right.  His wife Pearl is seated in front of him (next to Margrethe), holding my Uncle Clifford on her lap. Pearl was still a teenager in this photo!  She had married Axel at age 15 and had Clifford the following year.

Nils and Margrethe's daughters were Agda Kjersti, Evine Christine, Dagmar Constance and Hilda Margrethe.  The children in the photo are Agda and Evine's I believe. Nils and Margrethe actually had eleven children, but only five lived into adulthood.

My Uncle Wendell writes:
Margrethe had a happy home, even though Nils was very strict with the children. There, on the 17th of July 1895, twins were born to Margrethe, but they did not live. This greatly saddened Margrethe and Nils, making five of their children who had passed away in infancy. Nils took their tiny bodies to their old farm in Jackson for burial. On the way home he camped overnight among the pinions east of Red Mesa. There he unburdened his sorrow in prayer and pleaded for a knowledge of the reason why so many of their children were taken from them. That night he dreamed that he was at a large banquet. He was very busy waiting on the guests. The long banquet table was loaded with good things to eat. At the end of the table sat Christ Himself. When Nils approached Him, Christ told him that he would be waited on after awhile. Upon awakening Nils felt cheered and comforted.

Nils and Margrethe were faithful Latter-day Saints who endured many hardships in their lives. Through all their trials, they buoyed each other up and remained firm in their faith.  They both passed in 1939, having been married for nearly 60 years.