These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 9:00 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
August 9, 2026
Looking through some of the research files at the Roseau County Museum, I came upon a folder for Harry and Audrey Jensen of Roseau. Audrey (Helstad) Jensen had written biographies of her ancestors. I’ll read from the information she shared. She starts by explaining the naming conventions of the Norwegians she descends from.
Grandpa Helstad’s name, if carried down each generation from as far back as I can trace, would today have been Anton Jensen. Following the custom those days though, that was not the case. Since his father’s name was Anders, son of Jens, (Anders Jenson), his name was handed down as Anton, Ander’s son (Anton Anderson), Today we would say his name should be, if we were to include the Anderson name, known as Anton Anderson Jensen.
The confusion doesn’t end there. In those days, when people immigrated to America, it was common practice to take the name of the place you came from. Grandpa was a miller in Norway and worked at a place called Helstad. He chose the name Anton Anderson Helstad.
Grandpa Helstad was born April 21, 1858, in Vang Parish – Hamar – Ridsarkivet in Hamar Norway. He had a twin sister Antonette, who died shortly after birth. There were also two other sisters and five brothers, namely Syverine and Agnette and Emil, Amund, Johan, Carl and Ole. [She also wrote in Jens and Anders.]
He married Oleana Olson on October 25, 1884. We are not absolutely sure her name was Olson, because of the before-mentioned confusing practice, but this is what she called herself. Her parents were Lars and Berta Olson.
In 1893 he left Hedemarken, Norway, destination – America. As far as we know he first settled in Hoople, North Dakota. In 1895 he came to Pinecreek, in Dieter township, Roseau County, Minnesota. A brother came to North Dakota with him, but it is not known what happened to him. He may have returned to Norway because he didn’t like America, or he may have died. All efforts to trace him failed. You must remember that the only communications those days was by word of mouth or letters delivered by people traveling from place to place by foot, ox team, or horses.
Grandma Helstad and their three children, Borghild (Betsy), Oscar (my dad) and Evald came to join Grandpa in 1895. Three children were born after they came to Pinecreek, Minnesota. They were Albin, Olga and Hazel.
Grandpa was a farmer by trade. One of my vivid memories is of the creek that ran through his farm. The cattle would go there to drink water. This one time a cow had mired down in quick-sand. Only her head and shoulders were above ground. They used horses and ropes and tried to pull her out but had to give up and shoot her. We didn’t get there too often to visit because in those days, the 25 to 30 miles from our place north of Salol to Pinecreek was a long way.
My Grandpa and Grandma Helstad built a house in Roseau, Minnesota [maybe around 1921] and retired there in 1923. This house still stands just a few yards north of the corner of Highway eleven and Main [Avenue].
Grandpa was very miopic and his glasses were so thick his eyes looked like little dots. He became blind the last few years of his life. I can remember him walking down town every day – even after his eyesight was failing badly. He loved children and was known and loved by many of the village children. He would hand out coins to them and tell them to go and buy some candy.
Later they moved into a house next door that they owned. All the bedrooms in their first house were upstairs and I’m sure one of the reasons they moved was because this house had a downstairs bedroom. Grandpa died in that room on April 1, 1935 after suffering terribly from cancer. One odd thing to report here — A few days before he died he called out that he could see. This was hard to believe, so Grandma moved her hand back and forth and asked him what she was doing. He answered in Norwegian “Du vifta” (You are waving.) As I remember, this condition lasted for only a matter of minutes.
Grandma Helstad was born in Oster Toten, Norway on September 23rd, 1860. She had two sisters, Martha and Nicoline. Neither one of them ever married. There were three brothers, Nels, Julius and Even. All married but none of them had any children. Her family is extinct except for her own offspring. Most of her life history was mentioned earlier as I wrote about Grandpa.
Grandma (Oleana) was a tall and slender lady who carried herself proudly. One of the highlights of her life was sailing to France to visit her son Evald’s grave.
Grandma kept her house very clean and neat. She was especially careful to keep her wood burning kitchen range spotless. I always admired the pretty dishes she had in her china closet. Her house was the first one that I can remember that had a basement.
Grandma was a very sick woman the last few months of her life, but no one realized it. She had the habit of saying “Uff da” as far back as I can remember and the last few weeks she said it much more often, but that was about her only complaint. No one paid much attention to it. She was up and around almost to the last day, August 23, 1938, when she died from liver cancer. Before she died she made it known that I was to have a white gold ring that she wore all the time, and her lefsa rolling pin, because Grandpa had given her that as a gift when my Dad was born. I treasure them both and always will. I wish I had inherited her poise.
I’ll continue Audrey’s biography of her ancestors next week.
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.