Joseph and Wendelin Janson NEWS

From the Pierz Journal, April 20, 1911--
"Joe Janson Sr. left for California Monday to visit his son Wendeline, who is running a truck farm out there.  Joe will stay a year for his health.  He has rheumatism and we hope it will help him".

Wow!  Three short sentences and look what we've learned: 1) Great grandpa tried California weather as a cure. 2) Wendelin did something besides the railroad, at least for awhile, and 3) Buckman knew Joseph as the Senior Joe Janson because his cousins' son was also Joe Janson (blacksmith in Buckman).

It's hard to imagine Wendelin trying something as agricultural as truck farming.  On the other hand, just cuz it's in the paper doesn't make it true.

Grandpa Anton said his father was weak and ill when they moved home from trying Virginia in 1902, but we didn't know that he went to California for his health 9 years later.  He didn't last a whole year--he died after 8 months, on December 19th, 1911. I wonder, did he die in California?
 .......................
So, I went looking for the Joseph Janson obit in the Pierz Journals of December 21 and 28.  No luck.  All I found was this, in Math's "Buckman" column, complete with misspellings:
(Yes, yes...I know you're supposed to copy something exactly.  Tough ☺).
"Sebastian Janson returned to his home in Wadena Saturday.  He was here to attend the funeral of his father Joe Janson".

How does Eva Meyer connect?

Here's an interesting connection we figured out because of a wedding pic from the Morrison Co Pictorial Atlases--a 1945 photo of Alfred and Eva Janson (it's here, just down the post).

In case you don't know who Alfred Janson was:
--Cousins Johann and Josef Janson arrived in Minnesota with their families in 1883;
(Josef was our greatgrand).
--Johann eventually had 11 kids, one of whom was
--Michael, who married Antonia Hurdt.  They had 10 kids, one of whom was
--Alfred, born in 1921.

First tho, a bit about Eva's family of origin:

Eva was born in 1919, as shown in the 1920 census here, but everybody in this undated photo was younger.  I'd guess it was taken about 1910, since the oldest, Lena, looks about 15, don't you think?

But wait!  Thanks to Carrie for some clarification.  She wrote that this pic:.. "is my grandma's parents and kids (10) of them from about 1914. They had 13 all together, the very middle baby Mathias Jr. died as a baby. The baby in the picture is Gust who was born in October 1913. The inset picture is my grandma Eva (youngest) & her sister Catherine. We always figured they thought they were done after Gust so had a family pic done! My great-grandma was almost 40 I think when Gust was born. By the time they had my grandma, she was 45 years old and Math was 52. One of my grandma's nieces added the little pic of Catherine & Eva on the side".

 Here's more about Mike's family....and a charming pic of Mike (Alfred's dad) with a case of Cold Spring beer.  Par-TAY!

So the wedding photo below, taken June 5th, 1945, was Mike and Toni Janson, Alfred and Eva Janson, and Eva's mom, Catherine Meyer. (Her dad Math died in January 1933).

A fun extra is that the photos below were obviously taken on the same day--the wedding pic came from the atlases and the brothers' pic came from Carrie Staves' website at least 4 years ago.  (The checked paper decoration shows behind Eva when the bridal photo is expanded).  Isn't that cool?

Note from Carrie: the brother with Mike here was Joe (Alfred's sponsor) ☺.

Our enumerator ☺

Ok, you can breathe now--here's your first view of the 1940 census.  This is  Pierz township (the village itself was recorded separately).  LOOK who the enumerator was--top right corner.  Cool, huh?