Nella Marie Eggen

  Research Notes:

Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen, 1880-1960



See a Biographical Sketch under the tab "Legacy Stories"


As I have indicated in the Nellie's biographical sketch", she was the foster daughter of Thore and Regina Eggen (nee Neperud). Nellie was married 3 times and divorced 3 times. She had 7 children, between her first two marriages.

As of this writing (21 July 2017) I have only recorded her name on my Legacy Database. Neither Nellie nor her children are not a direct relation to 'our Grue family'. I will need some more time to decide to include her and her children as part of the 'Grue family database'.

I have conducted quite thorough research and have located a number of pieces of source information. I have this information documented in 2 records: "Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen, research sheet (Excel)" and "Nellie Marie Eggen, research notes document" (Word). Both are located in my "C" drive and under Thore Eggen's file folder.

If anyone is reviewing this page along Nellie's Biographical Sketch and have any questions or want further information, please contact me. ⁴⁷⁷⁵

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Residence - 1930, 1 Apr 1930, Mason City, Cerro Gordo Co, Iowa, United States.

Biographical Sketch: Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen, 1880-1960: 21 Jul 2017

Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen, 1880-1960


Written by Rueben D Grue, 21 Jul 2017. © 2017. All rights Reserved.



In 2013 I started to review family information for Thore Nilsen Eggen (1859-1936). Thore is my half third cousin twice removed. His grandmother was Maghild Jonsdatter Grue (1756-1832), a daughter of my fourth great grandfather, Jon Simensen Grue (1729-1807) and his first wife, Sigrid Estensdatter Gruva Berg.

Thore Nilsen Eggen had emigrated the United States with his parents in 1870 and eventually settling in Barron County, Wisconsin (about 100 kms east of Minneapolis). Thore attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and in 1882 he graduated from the Lutheran Seminary in Madison, WI. In 1882 he started as the Pastor at the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Decorah, IA were he served for about 10 years. He was also married in 1882 to Regina Naperud from Coon Valley, WI. Around 1892, Thore and Regina moved to Grand Forks where he was Pastor and then about 1896 he became the Pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, WI where he served for 11 years. In 1906 he and his wife moved to Minneapolis where he became the editor of a church paper. He later was involved in establishing the Lutheran Brotherhood.

One of the earlier records for Thore and Regina Eggen is the 1885 IA State Census for Decorah, IA. Thore and Regina are recorded along with Nella Eggen, 4 years old born in Winneshiek Co, IA (Decorah is the county seat). Nella is not recorded with Thore and Regina in the 1900 US Federal Census for Madison, WI. In this 1900 census record, it is noted that Regina is the mother of 'zero' children with 'zero' children living (this same statement is again in the 1910 US Federal Census). In 2013 I had found a newspaper article regarding Thore Eggen (he died in 1936) and also an obituary. These do not say he had a daughter, Nella. What happened to Nella? At the same time, I found a funeral service article for Regina Eggen (she died in 1937) and in this, it was noted that her husband, Rev Eggen had died in 1936. This article also notes that she is survived by "one daughter, Mrs Nellie Ardinger of Hesper, IA". At that time of finding the above information (along with some other information on Thore Eggen) I did not enter information on Nella other than her name and birth from the 1885 IA Census, along with some additional notes from Ancestry Public Member Trees. I had decided in 2013 that I would wait until I could find more information before entering further information into my Legacy database.

2017

In Jun 2017, I found another obituary for Rev Thore Eggen from the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis. MN. This obituary also does not mention a daughter, Nella or Nellie. Using the name from Regina's obituary from 1937, I starting researching Mrs Nellie Ardinger and found an obituary in 1960 from Williamsburg, Virginia (VA). Unfortunately this obituary does not note Nellie's parents, but it does record the names of her daughter and four sons. This of course, lead to a number of further research possibilities and based on this research I created a spreadsheet summarizing this research along with source citations (located in my computer file folder). And this lead to a number of conclusions.


Conclusions:

Conclusion 1. Nellie Marie Bertine is in fact a foster daughter to Thore and Regina Eggen. This conclusion is based on the following:

a. US Evangelical Lutheran Church Records for the year 1895. This is Nellie's confirmation record from Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, WI. Her name and her age of 15 (birth would have been 1880) are recorded. Her parents are recorded as Thore and Regina Eggen, but in brackets to the right of their names, it is written "Foster forældre", with 'forældre' the Norwegian word for parents.

b. US Evangelical Lutheran Church Records for the year 1880, Big Canoe Lutheran Church, Winneshiek Co. This is the record of the baptism of Nellie Marie Bertine on 4 Jul 1880 (birth on 5 May 1880), with parents Bernt and Olene Anderson.

c. 1880 US Federal Census for Canoe Twp, Winnisheik Co, IA records Nellie Anderson age 20/30 days, daughter of Bernt Anderson and his wife Olina. Nellie's the age is recorded a bit unusually; this of course would actually put her birth as 12 May and different from the baptism record.

d. Her given name of Nellie Marie Bertine is also recorded in Nellie's marriage record to Paul Johnson in the US Evangelical Lutheran Church Records for the year 1899, Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, WI.


As indicated above, in 1885 Nellie (Nella) is recorded with Thore and Regina Eggen. In the 1885 IA Census some of her siblings (from the 1880 Census) are living with with Bernt Anderson's parents (Andrew Anderson); Bernt and Olina are not recorded in the 1885 IA State Census. In the 1880 US Census, for the line for Bernt Andersson, in column 15 ("...sick or disabled so as unable to attend to ordinary business or duties"), it is written, Scrofula which is a "...grandular disease, likely a form of tuberculosis." Given the information from this it may be possible that Bernt (and Olina) had gone someplace for some type of treatment and some of their children were sent to different homes. Bernt and Olina are recorded in the 1895 IA State census in Winneshiek Co, but Nellie is not. Of course sometime in 1892, Thore and Regina had moved to Grand Forks.

There are numerous Public Member Trees on Ancestry.com. Unfortunately the Family Trees related to Nellie only record her as a daughter of Thore and Regina Eggen, using the 1885 IA State Census as source information. Family Trees that relate to Bernt and Olina Anderson record the 1880 US Census including the record for Nellie. But these trees do not provide more information on Nellie (connecting her to her marriages and children, or "foster-parents" Thore and Regina Eggen). Another difficulty with the Ancestry Family Trees, is that they tend to only follow the descendancy of one or two of the children, and do not include information on a person's complete family. This can be said for any on-line family tree. The family trees for Bernt Anderson have some information on Josephine (Olefina), Fred, and Minnie, but not other children.


Conclusion 2. Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen/Anderson was married at least 3 times and had a total of 7 children. Most of the Ancestry Public Member Trees only record one marriage, although a couple record two marriages. In fact she was married three times (and was divorced three times).


First Marriage. Nellie's first marriage was on 5 Jun 1899 at Madison, Dane County, WI to Paul Gilbert Johnson, born in 1875 in Dane Co, WI. Although it is not certain, it is likely that Thore Eggen was the Pastor, since the marriage took place in Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, the church that Thore served as Pastor for about 11 years (see US Evangelical Lutheran Church Records for Bethel Lutheran Church). Nellie and Paul Johnson are also recorded in the 1900 US Census for Madison, Dane Co and it notes they had been married for 1 year. They are also recorded in the WI Historical Society, Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection, Marriage Record Index.

It is difficult to be certain, but it appears that Paul and Nellie Johnson had moved to Chicago around 1902 (US City Directories, Ancestry). Paul Johnson and Nellie divorced, likely sometime in the early part of 1905 (see newspaper notice from the Cook Co Circuit Court, 3 Dec 1904). Additional proof of Paul and Nellie's divorce is noted in her second marriage (see below).


Nellie and Paul Johnson had two children:

(Nellie's first child). Ethelyn Lenora Johnson, born 6 Aug 1900 in Madison, Dane Co, Wisconsin (see, WI Historical Society, Pre-1907 Vital Records; Birth Record Index). Ethelyn was married at least twice. Her first marriage was to Harold W Larsen on 24 Mar 1919 at Newport, Campbell County, Kentucky (across the Ohio River from Cincinnati). See Kentucky County marriage records on FamilySearch. Ethelyn's second marriage was on 22 Feb 1941 to Raymond Osborne Jolly and they lived in the Newport News/Williamsburg, Virginia area. Raymond Jolly died in 1965. Harold Larsen and Ethelyn had to have been divorced prior to 1940 (1940 US census records Ethelyn as divorced and she had married Raymond Jolly in early 1941), but it appears they remarried in 1966 (a marriage license was granted to them in Newport News, VA, and noted in the newspaper of the time).

Ethelyn and Harold Larsen had one child, Kenneth L Larsen born in 1920 in Minneapolis where Ethelyn and Harold Larsen are recorded in the 1920 US Federal Census. He died in 1975. He was married (his wife, Willie Dell House died in 1966). They had four children and it appears they all live in Virginia. Ethelyn likely died in St Petersburg, Florida based on one family tree data.


(Nellie's second child). Lynn Eggen Johnson was Nellie and Paul Johnson's second child. He was born 5 Jan 1903, likely in Chicago, IL. He was baptized (likely by Thore Eggen) at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin on 12 Sep 1903 (US Evangelical Lutheran Church records). Donald Ardinger's obituary of 1929 states that he was survived by his brother, Lynn Johnson of Lansing, Kansas [about 15 kms west and north of Kansas City, KS]. Donald would actually be a half brother of Lynn E Johnson. In the 1940 US Census, Lynn is recorded at Weeping Water, Cass Co, Nebraska and was married sometime between 1935 and 1940 to Edith E who was born in Missouri. This census records Lynn's birth as Indiana, although his birth is more likely in Chicago (however, I do not have any direct evidence of the location of his birth). Both Nellie Ardinger's (his mother) and Ralph Ardinger's (his half-brother) obit of 1960 record that Lynn is living in Weeping Willow, NE. There is a likely match for Lynn Johnson in the US SSDI that records his death in Mar 1980 (birth 5 Jan 1903) and the address on record is in Weeping Willow, NE. However, I have not been able to find an obituary.


Second Marriage. Nellie and Paul Johnson divorced sometime in 1905 (there is a newspaper article dated 5 Dec 1905 regarding a court order, likely related to the divorce, but I'm not positive).

On 9 Dec 1905, Nellie married Charles Fishback, most likely in Chicago (the marriage record is from Cook Co, IL marriage records). Charles was 33 years of age. Nellie and Charles lived in Chicago for a few years (their oldest son Ray was born in Chicago in Mar of 1907). By Mar of 1908 they were in Minneapolis, MN (Ray was baptized in Mar 1908). Likely after Ray's baptism, Nellie and Charles moved to North Dakota where the family is recorded in the 1910 US Census. Charles is recorded as a farmer in Bucyrus Township in Adams Co (this is about 250 kms southwest of Bismark. Nellie and Charles likely lived here until 1911 or 1912 when they moved to Red Key County in Indiana (Ralph, their third child was born in ND in 1910 and Markely their fourth son was born in Indiana - see below). Nellie and Charles likely separated sometime in 1916 and likely divorced in 1918 or 1919. Nellie proceeded with divorce action in June 1917 (see newspaper article from the Cincinnati, Ohio; this also notes that Charles had a farm in Clermont County, Ohio, just to the east of Cincinnati). There are a few newspaper articles in 1916 indicating that Charles was ill, likely with a mental health episode (see my research sheet). I have not found a record indicating Nellie and Charles Fishback's divorce. However, Nellie remarried in May 1920 and in June 1920 she had started court action for custody of her children from Charles Fishback with court papers filed in Portland, Red Key Co, IN. This was my first indication regarding the names of her children with Charles Fishback. Together they had 5 children (note that the numbering continues with the children of her first marriage):

(Nellie's third child). Ray Harold Fishback was born 18 Mar 1907 in Chicago, IL. This birth is from a note in a Chicago area newspaper, regarding the birth of a boy to Mr and Mrs Chas Fishback. We know that Nellie and Chas (or Charles) were married in Chicago in 1905 and so the birth of Ray is likely correct. His birth date of 18 Mar 1907 (same day as the newspaper notice) is noted in his baptism record, almost a year later (12 Mar 1908), at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN. Witnesses to the baptism were Pastor Thore Eggen and Regina Eggen. In the 1910 US Census he is recorded with his parents, Nellie and Charles Fishback (note that all the children are recorded as being born in Iowa - this is a mistake). However, I have not found him in the 1920 or the 1940 US Census '96 he is not recorded with his father and other siblings in Red Key Co, IN in 1920 (I also haven't found his mother in the 1920 US Census). Ray is recorded crossing the US/Canada border during the period ending 31 Aug 1926 (ancestry.com). He is going to Carievale SK (about 50 kms east of Estevan) to work on the harvest. He previously had been in Canada the summer before (Aug-Nov 1925) and it is recorded that his mother is Nellie Ardinger, living at Hesper, IA. This puts the family in IA as early as 1926 (possibly, 1925). Ray is also recorded in the 1930 Census Record '96 Fayette Twp, Lawrence Co, OH (across the river from Huntington, West Virginia). Ray is recorded as married to Catherine and he is farming Catherine's grandmother's farm (no children are recorded). The 1930 US Census records his birth as Ohio, but this conflicts with the newspaper article (I have not found an actual birth record for him in either IL or OH).

Sometime in the early 1930's he and Catherine are in Iowa and the Iowa Birth records have them as the parents of 3 children (see research note document for more detail). Ray is not recorded in the 1940 US Census, although his name is recorded, and but then it is crossed off and Catherine's (Katherine) is written above it and the children are recorded (Winneshiek Co, IA). I also have not found a record of his death. In his mother's obit of 1960 or his brother Ralph's obit of 1960, he is not mentioned. It is assumed that he died prior to 1960. I do not know what happened to Ray after 1940. For the most part, Ray used the surname 'Fishback' for most of his adult. See Nellie's research notes document for some information of Ray's children.


(Nellie's fourth child). William Taft Fishback (Ardinger) was born 4 Mar 1909, likely in MN. He was baptized on 4 Apr 1909 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Around 1917 or 1918, Nellie and Charles Fishback divorced (in May of 1920 she had remarried). At some point in the early 1920's, William became known as William Ardinger; he had adopted the surname from his step-father, Harry Ardinger. William was married in 1931 in West Virginia and for a few years they may have lived in Iowa, since the 1940 US Census records the birth of his oldest daughter in Iowa around 1932 (his other daughter was born in around 1938 in West Virginia). William is a Truck Driver in the 1940 Census.

In 1952 there is a newspaper article from Charleston, West Virginia about the upcoming marriage of Wanda Ruth Ardinger, daughter of William T Ardinger from Chicago and previously from Oak Hill, West Virginia. In his wife's obit of 2003 it is noted that they lived in Chicago where she worked as a Stock Broker until at least 1975 when she retired. William died in Nov 1977 in St Petersburg, FL; he and his wife Virginia and daughter Wanda are buried at Barboursville, Cabell Co, WV which is just east of Huntington, WV. Their daughter Wanda had remarried to an 'unknown' Thomas according to both parents obituary. Their other daughter, Barbara, is married to 'unknown' Foushee and lived in New Mexico at the time of her mother's obit (she died in 2005; see research notes document).


(Nellie's fifth child). Ralph Lyle Fishback (Ardinger) was born 21 Nov 1910 in North Dakota. He was baptised on 8 Sept 1911 in Minneapolis. Ralph adopted his step-father's surname. He was married to Clara Selness on 13 Aug 1939. In the 1940 US Census, Ralph and Clara are living in Highland Twp, Winneshiek Co, IA where Ralph is farming. In the early 1940's they have moved to Norfolk VA where their two children are born, Ralph (Jr) on 20 Mar 1941 and Charles Edward on 7 Jul 1942. Sometime after the children were born, they moved to Mabel, Houston Co, Minnesota. Ralph died at a relatively early age of 49, on 11 Nov 1960. He is buried at Hesper Lutheran Cemetery in Hesper, Winneshiek Co, IA (his wife had remarried in 1962 to Edward Porlow; she died in 1978 and is buried alongside of Ralph).


(Nellie's sixth child). Thore Markley Fishback (Ardinger) had also adopted his step-father's surname. His birth given name was Thore, but for the most part he used Markley as his given name (some records his given name is T. Markley). Markley was born on 19 Oct 1912 in Jay Co, Indiana. His parents were living in Richland Twp at this time and likely Charles Fishback was farming.

Around 1937, Markley and his mother moved from IA (1930 US Census) to the Williamsburg, Virginia area. In the 1940 US Census he is recorded as a Proprietor of a Restaurant (along with his mother Nellie) in James City Co, Virginia. Markley was married in North Carolina on 15 Apr 1941 to Gladys Morgan. In 1962 Markley was appointed Deputy Sherriff for Williamsburg and James City County and continued until 1971 (his wife died in 1971). There are a numerous articles in the Newport News, VA newspaper mentioning his name. Another article in the local paper in 1990, Markley notes that he had worked in numerous jobs in the area, from selling insurance to police work, to operating service stations and driving taxi. Markley died on 16 May 1999 in Williamsburg, VA and is buried in Williamsburg. He had one daughter, Linda Kay who later had married Denny Kelley.


(Nellie's seventh child). Henry Donald Fishback (Ardinger) had also adopted the Ardinger surname. He also used Donald as his given name. Donald was born on 14 Jun 1914 in Jay Co, Indiana and he was baptised on 13 Dec 1914 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (at that time the family was staying with Thore Eggen). Sometime after this they moved back to Indiana (Nellie and Charles Fishback were divorced before 1920 since Nellie had remarried in May 1920). Around 1925-1926 the family had moved to the Hesper, IA area and then by the spring/summer 1929, the family had moved to Mason City, IA. Donald died at age 15 from an accidental gun shot wound. He and a friend were playing when the gun went off (newspaper article/obit in the Mason City Globe Gazette; see file folder). Donald is buried at the Hesper Public Cemetery in Hesper, Iowa.



Third Marriage. As indicated above, Nellie was married to Harry Clay Ardinger on 17 May 1920 in Catlettsburg, Boyd Co, Kentucky. I have not found a marriage record. However, her marriage is recorded in the Virginia "Abstract of Divorce Decree" (see Ancestry.com) with the date of the decree 28 Sep 1943. At that time Nellie is recorded as a "Tea Room Operator" and living in James City County, Virginia. The divorce record notes that they had separated in Mar 1935 (at this time, Nellie was living in Iowa).



Summary:

Nellie Marie Bertine Eggen Ardinger (nee, Anderson) died on 2 Apr 1960 at Williamsburg, James City Co, Virginia. She was 79 years old (she had cancer as well as diabetes). The Virginia Death record notes that her father was Thore Eggen and her mother as Regina Neprud (however, Thore and Regina were actually her foster parents).

I believe that the two conclusions that I have made, along with documentary evidence, are correct. Nellie was a foster child of Thore and Regina Eggen and that her birth parents were Bernt and Olena Anderson. Nellie was married 3 times and had 7 children. All her children lived into adulthood, with the exception of Donald who died at age 15.


As I have documented above, Nellie moved a great deal in her life, from Iowa to North Dakota to Indiana and Ohio, to Minnesota, back to Iowa and then onto Virginia (where she lived for over 20 years). For the time period, this seems to be a lot. She may have had a somewhat chaotic life. However, this may not be very accurate and really is only speculation. Although I have found a number of documents about her and her family, they do not tell the whole story or what her life was like on a daily basis. Her story suggests that she would have been a fascinating and intriguing woman.