from "​Double Cousins" by Ralph Hammersborg,  A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996

Ralph Hammersborg had asked his Mother’s cousins to write about their lives.  The cousin's stories are taken from "Double Cousins by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996.”   Birth dates of living relatives have been removed from the original text.

1896 - Marie S. (Susag) Johnson
born November 30, 1896, died at age 91 on December 2, 1987.

Written in 1959 - In her own hand, Marie Susag Johnson wrote....

Born - November 30, 1896 of Julianna Mikealsdater & David Susag in Christine, North Dakota.  At 2 years of age, moved to Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.  Attended 1st grade in a shack, the remaining 7 grades at Dunn Center School.

Married December 9, 1916 in Cooperstown, North Dakota by Rev. Swigar in the parsonage of United Lutheran Church.  Theodore Thompson and Mrs. Swigar were witnesses.  In December, 1916 we went to Paris, Montana to a 2 room shack (I was later told it was made of sod, originally) on a 160 acre homestead.  Bought two teams & lumber and hauled out to the homestead and built a house.  Lined home with beaver board.

In 1919 - in summer moved to Binford, ND and rented 160 acres and later 3 sections (540 acres) farmed for 3 years - belonged to Theodore Thompson of Cooperstown, ND (grocery store).  In the fall, after harvest, sold out.  Daddy went to Blaine, Washington, Marie and two oldest (Cecelia & Marian) children went to Minnesota to grandparents for a few weeks.  Then back to Binford, ND for a few days.

Lef tfrom Sutton, ND by train for Blaine, Wash.  Lived in Blaine for 9 years, from 1922 to 1931 where Daddy was employed at the Morrison Mill Co. at several different jobs from clean up man to mill wright.  Then the depression hit and mills and all industry stopped.  We then traded our house & lots for 30 acres on Highway 99 two miles north of Ferndale, which was known as the Klander place.

There we acquired some cows and chickens and raised a garden.  Daddy worked here & there at odd jobs until he finally got a job at the Thorson Shipyard.  We lived here til spring of 1933 - we moved to a 10 acre place on the Brown road.  There we remodeled a 2 room cabin by raising the roof, adding 3 bedrooms.  Years later adding a downstairs bedroom and a kitchen.  Built a barn for 7 cows, a hay loft, hen house for 200 hens.  Drilled a 96 foot well, put on an electric pump and had running water in the kitchen and out to the barn.  We lived here until 1948.

We had many interesting happenings and episodes that were both merry and sad.  We had 9 children, 5 girls & 4 boys.

Cecelia Jeanette (May 30, 1918), Marian Deline (February 7, 1920), Norman Victor (November 22, 1923), Lillian Florence (September 6, 1926), Hartvick Theodore (October 29, 1928), Carl Hillard (January 11, 1932), Pearl Esther (July 6, 1933), Myrtle Mae (May 16, 1937), and Harold Leroy (October 7, 1939).

In 1945 Dad and Hartvick (Bud) went to Alaska fishing.  Also in '46 and 1947.  On July 20, 1947 Dad drowned off of a fish trip up at Excursion Inlet in Alaska.  His body was not found.  In 1948 we sold the place up at Ferndale and moved to Snohomish, on a 4 acre place (that is Pearl, Carl, Harold and I).  We lived there 'til 1951.  We sold this place and moved to Seattle where I bought a house, so here I am in 1959.

(Ralph Hammersborg addition:  I know that many of you have a great deal to add)

Marie lived there on 64th NW in Ballard until 1964.  Here family met frequently there for birthdays and Christmas.  It was a huge, four bedroom house with a dining room larger than the living room.  It seemed as though the entire family could fit around that enormous oblong, oak table to eat.  Then we would all squeeze into the living room, around the tree and fireplace for the opening of packages.  Both the front and back porch were large and glass enclosed.  I remember the lutefisk soaking on the back porch for days.  Marie did not anger easily nor often.  The only time that sticks in my mind was on that back porch, she was muttering under her breath something about "never going to fix this nasty stuff again".  I was pretty young but I found it amusing.  After all, she had seen me angry many times while she was patiently teaching me how to rake up the leaves from the orchard (there were 6 large trees in that yard: a horse chestnut, pear, cherry and three apple trees).  Six months after selling her house in the spring of 1964, it burned to the ground.  Two children died in that tragic fire.  Marie and Lillian lived together a few blocks away for 20 years.

Susag Family (home)  -  Kinstories (home)  -   Johnson Family  -  Flatau Family  -  Beckman Family
Granquist Family  -  Anderson Family  -  Stout Family  -  Walker Family  -  Peterson Family  -  Morris Family  - Cauble Family