Ingvald Urseth you read about in an earlier Blog posting. Anna married a Saskatchewan farmer named Abel Myrfield and they had a large family. Their son Willard Myrfield and his wife Mary lived in Port Alberni and I stayed connected with them through to Willard’s death three years ago. Willard was the Electrical Superintendent at the Harmac Mill in Port Alberni. They have 3 sons living, David, Lyle and Neil. David and Lyle are Optometrists in Parksville and Courtenay respectively and Neil works in the Mill in Port Alberni.

The best place to learn about who we are and where we came from starts with a visit to the Cemetery in the Bella Coola valley in Hagensborg.

The top photo is the gravestone of Christian Urseth, he is your great-great-great Grandfather. He was born in Norway in 1839 and he died in Bella Coola in 1928 so he was just 7 months short of turning 90. So we have inherited some good longevity genes. Christian came from Crookston Minnesota to Bella Coola in October of 1894 with the first group of settlers. Christian had many children, most of whom remained in the US, however he and his second wife and the youngest four children – Martha, Johanna, Ingvald, and Anna came to Bella Coola.

Martha Urseth was born in 1875 in Norway, your great-great grandmother married your great-great grandfather Albert Hammer (more on the Hammer connection later) and from that union my Dad and your great grandfather was born on October 3, 1905. Martha died on Oct 15th just 12 days after giving birth to my father.

Johanna Urseth Fougner was 4 years older than her sister Martha and was born in Narvik northern Norway in 1871. Johanna married Iver Fougner in 1899. When sister Martha died my grandfather Albert Hammer contacted a sister in Eau Claire Wisconsin asking her to come and care for the new baby. Until her intended arrival the baby was left in the care of Johanna and Iver Fougner. We don’t know what happened but the sister was a now show and so in August of 1906 Dad was formally adopted by his Aunt and Uncle; and that’s why we are Fougner’s and not Hammer’s