Dorothy Janson Welle 1916-2008

The name Dorothy Welle was familiar throughout my childhood.  If you'd asked, I'd have said I thought she was mom's cousin, but I wouldn't have associated her with grandpa's brother Sebastian.

This morning, Larry showed me with this page, because of the SAND name.  (Anna Sand was connected on my dad's side, but the second connection here was mom's cousin Dorothy):

Sebastian Janson was born in Germany.  He married Mary Roos in 1898 in Buckman, and they moved with his parents to Virginia, where 2 of their children were born.  When the Va experiment fell through, Sebastian and Mary moved home and eventually settled in New Munich, Minnesota.

Dorothy was their 8th child, and she married Hubert John Welle in September 1941.  You'll see their names in the center of that newspaper page.

According to the above article, Hubert Sr had a threshing business around Spring Hill in Stearns county.  Larry found this photo of their wedding online, and wondered if Mr Welle hired out as far away as Buckman.  I thought not, because it'd be over 40 miles away...a long way to take a threshing machine even today. 

The thing is, Larry noticed Anna's face and stature--could she have gone to help feed the men on her cousin's threshing crew?  Sure!  Anna died in 1930, but we have a pic of wives, sisters and neighbors in about 1919...it's certainly possible that the second woman from the left, back row, is Anna Sand Welle.  What do you think?