Gustave Edward Berg Bio

Biography of Gustave Edward Berg 1884-1968

Compiled from biographies of:Ruby (daughter)Mae (daughter)

Harold (son)Shirley (daughter)

3 Generation Berg/Andersen Pedigree

Grandparents Gunder Eriksen Berg and Ellen Jacobsen

Parents

➲John Edward BergBorn Aug. 30, 1859 in Trondheim, Trondelag, Norway

➲Anna Eriksen PaulsenBorn Mar. 22, 1860 in Gausdal, Opland, Norway

➲Both converts

Married in Endowment House on Jul. 21, 1881

Gustave Edward Berg born Sept. 1, 1884

Gustave Edward Berg

➲Proud, even boastful, of his Norwegian heritage➲Parents taught him well the Gospel of Jesus Christ➲Only allowed to go through the 4th grade and then was expected to get a job and bring in some income➲He was interested in math and mechanical drawing in school

Family Life

➲Lived on the Island (open Google Earth)½ block from Logan River2 block SE of Logan TempleDeseret Flour Mill to north westSW was a big forest he played in with friendsStood on bridge and caught fish with a pitch forkSkated on ponds in nearby cow pasture in winterDrinking water taken from Logan RiverHelped his mother rock the babies, scrub the floors and wash the dishes

Anna Drowned in Logan River 1888

• Gustave never forgot about his sister’s drowning. • His Mother blamed him for it, saying he should have

jumped in and saved her even though he was only 3 years old at the time.

• He said his Mother was always reading novels and didn’t spend enough time watching her children.

Father Left for Mission 1890

➲John Edward, his father, was called on a 2 year mission to Norway➲His third daughter, Bertha Eleanor, was born shortly after he left➲Gustave went to town to get sugar and cocoa➲On the way home, he fell into a creek and lost the groceries➲He cried and prayed he could get more sugar➲A man came by and asked why he was crying➲He took him to town and bought him more groceries. People knew his father was on a mission

From “Legacy of Sacrifices: Missionaries to Scandinavia, 1872-1894”

JE Berg’s Mission 1890-1892

Father Returned from Mission 1892

➲When he came home, the family was about $500 in debt for living expenses. John Edward was re-employed at the Oregon Short Line as a carpenter and they got along quite nicely after that.

Father Returned from Mission 1892

➲When John Edward, Gustave’s father came back from his mission he brought back a➲family of converts with him, and let them live in two of the rooms of his house.➲One day Gustave saw the father of the family dragging one of the children on the floor on top of a big family Bible with a rope tied into it. He had borrowed it from Gustave’s father.➲That family later left the church.➲When Gustave was 8 years old, in 1892, the family moved to Salt Lake City

His Father’s Work

➲ In 1893 there was a panic and he made only $8.00 a week. He was paid $2.00 a day and worked four days a week.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1893



Gustave’s Brothers

• Because of personality differences, he had trouble relating to his brothers later in his life

Einar Baptized 1904

Brother Einar Died-1920

Albert Baptized 1904

Albert Harriman Ordained a Teacher 1912

Orson Cornelius Born 1893

Orson and his wife, Hattie

Misc. Family Temple Records

Gustave’s Sisters

• He always got along well with his sisters: Mary, Nora and Bessie

Moved to SLC-1892

➲Family moved to Idaho Falls for a few years then back to Logan, then to SLC in 1892.

Baptized and Confirmed July 2 1894

➲Gustave was baptized in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Sept. 2, 1892 by Joe Keddington

Aaronic Priesthood Service

➲When Gustave was twelve years old, he was ordained a Deacon➲It was the Deacon’s duty to go around and collect for ward expenses➲When they went to collect from the grocery man, he said, “You can take money from the tithing I pay, to help with the ward expenses.”➲It was also the Deacon’s job to keep the ward clean and keep the fires going in the winter, because there was no janitor.➲They chopped wood for the widows. One time they chopped wood for one of Lorenzo Snow’s wives➲When Gustave was Ordained a teacher he had a new responsibility, he went “block teaching.”➲When he was a Priest, he blessed the Sacrament.

School Years

➲During his school years, drawing and math were his favorite subjects.➲He was allowed to only attend school to the 4th grade, then he was expected to work to bring in income for the family➲As an adult, he took a correspondence course in mechanical drawing

Books

➲Some of the books Gustave had liked to read are, Washington Irving’s Works and he enjoyed reading church books, including the Book of Mormon and the Life of Heber C. Kimball.➲As a child his favorite books were wild west and Indian adventures.

A Young Man 1904-1907

➲Hanging in Ken and Cathy Berg’s living room under unique oval convex glass.

➲ Charles Daddley and Chester Knight were Gustave’s favorite pals.➲They would often play billiards and bowling and would dance at the Salt Air Pavilion and also Waldamer Park.➲They learned new dance steps at Russell’s Hall.

A Young Man 1904-1907

Received Apprenticeship at 18

Ordained a Priest-1905

Agnes Josephine Anderson

➲At a dance in the 22nd Ward, Gustave met a very sweet girl, Agnes Andersen.➲He wanted to take her home but she refused to go home with strange fellows.➲ He met her the second time at the 16th Ward’s dances. After this they became very close friends➲When Agnes, (his girl friend) went to Wolf Point, Montana; he went with her as far as Butte.


➲Ca 1906, about the time she emmigrated to America


➲They went together to Lagoon, Salt Air,

Waldamer and different wards.

➲Sometimes they would rent a horse and buggy

from the livery stable and take rides into the

➲Canyons.

Married Agnes on Oct. 30, 1907 in SL Temple

The 30th day of October in 1907, he went to the Salt Lake Temple and was married to the true and faithful convert from Norway, Agnes Andersen. She had been in America only a year.

They paid a lady to make their temple suites.

Ordained an Elder-1907

He was ordained an Elder when he was twenty-three years

old, just a few weeks before he was married.

First Home at 300 N 300 W

Children

They were blessed with a family of seven children.

Homes

➲When Nephi was nine Months old, they moved from 3rd North and 3rd West to their new home on 17th South. This was in June 1909.

Homes

Home at 743 E. 1700 S.-1908

➲Bought this home and moved here in June 1909. Nephi was 9 mos. old➲Agnes, Florence, Ruby, Mae, Jennie and Harold born here➲Ancestry Draft Regis. Card age 34

Birth of Ruby Irene 1915

Birth of Mae Viola and Jennie Alvera 1918

His Dad Retires from Kennecott-ca. 1920

Home at 738 Logan Ave.

➲In the summer of 1920, Gustave cut out part of the orchard in the back yard and began construction of a new home that faced Logan Ave.

Ordained a Seventy 1922

Birth of Harold Marcus 1924

Birth of Harold Marcus 1924

738 Logan Ave.

➲Moved here in 1924➲Gustave did all design and construction work except brick➲First ranch home raised 4 feet above grade (high basement for protection against water in basement)➲Hand made all wood trim➲Front entrance room had double doors with glass on each side-one to living room and one to dining room➲Main entrance on west side of home➲Eaves were unusual 2 foot extension from outside walls➲Had several features that were ahead of it's time

Draft Registration-1924

Death of Mother Anna 1927

Death of Father John 1929

Nephi Married Gertrude 1931

➲Family lived there until Agnes said she wanted to move to Holladay or she would die in that house

Holladay 1937

Millcreek Canyon-1930’s







Misc. 1930’s

Pocatello, ID 1930

Ordained High Priest 1933

Moved to Holladay 1933

In 1933 they moved out to Holladay, Utah.

Death of Wife Agnes 1935







1937

Holladay 1937

Florence and Andrew Marry 1937

Moved to Omaha

• Gustave moved to Omaha to work in the UP headquarters after Agnes died.

• He met Louise Loertscher at a dance in Salt Lake City.

Married Louise in Council Bluffs, IA 1939

Louise Loertscher-age 20. She was 41, he was 55 when they married.

Birth of Ray George - 1940

Ray was born in 1940 when they lived on Chicago St. in Omaha.

Shirley Born in 1942

They had moved to Corby St. when Shirley was born.

Corby St., Omaha- 1942



Shortly after Shirley’s birth, Florence, Louise’s daughter from a previous marriage, visited them. They told her they were naming their daughter “Anna” after Gustave’s mother’s name. She suggested they name her “Shirley” instead, and they did.

Moved to 2411 Washington St., Bellevue, NE in 1943

Moved to 2411 Washington St., Bellevue, NE in 1943

Bellevue, NE 1947

They had many friends in Bellevue. Best friends were the Slaters who a furniture store in town and the Hansens who owned a auto repair shop. Another family, the Otto’s were friends, and lived about a block away. The Otto family had several tragedies. Mr. Otto was incarcerated for drinking. The family home burned to the ground, on a cold, snowy, winter night, killing 3 of their 6 children. The mother, Anna, survived but was severely burned. After spending months in the hospital she recovered but had severe facial scarring. The was a tragic loss for Gustave and Louise. They later donated many things to the surviving family

Bellevue, NE 1947

members. It was later determined that the fire had been caused by the landlady plugging the oil heater chimney with snow.

Bellevue, NE 1947

Bellevue, NE 1947

Bellevue Street Directory 1943

Moved to SLC at 1020 Ramona Ave.-Aug. 1947

Gustave loved this location. It was only a block from Sugarhouse business district. He would walk there to by a paper when not working out of town. He had a free pass on the UP. He would leave Omaha after work on Friday afternoon and get to SLC on Sat. night. On Sunday morning he would board the train and be back to work in Omaha on Monday morning.

Sugar House

He continued working in Omaha for a few years until he retired.

Gustave took his family with him to Omaha occasionally to spend the summers. The also travelled to Sedro-Woolley, WA, where Gustave worked making patterns. They also enjoyed many trips to Los Angeles, CA and Spokane, WA.

Sugar House 1948

Sugar House

Sugar House ca 1949

The family had many summer picnics in the large backyard in Sugar House. Gustave made outdoor furniture for these occassions.

SugarHouse ca 1949

Gustave remodeled the bathroom and kitchen here. He also put new supports in the basement and shored up the house’s sagging structure.

SugarHouse ca 1949

Sugar House 1948

Sugar House 1948-51

N. Logan, 1948?

N. Logan 1948

N. Logan 1948

Shirley’s Misc. Pix

N. Logan?







Shirley’s Misc.


Granger/WV Homes ?

Building the Shop

When he retired from UP he started construction of his wood pattern shop. He did all the work himself, except the electrical, which Nephi did. Main

Building the Shop

Building The Shop-ca 1948



1st Pattern Out in 1953

1948

Travelling

Gustave always enjoyed hiking, dancing, and traveling. He has been to Los Angeles

several times, to Stockton, California; San Francisco; Yellow Stone National Park; Kansas City’

Independence, Missouri; Omaha. When Agnes, (his girl friend) went to Wolf Point, Montana; he

went with her as far as Butte. He as also been to Pocatello, Idaho several times on business trips.

Leaving Sedro Wooley, WA Fall 1951

Omaha Greeter 1945

RR Passes-1940

UP Timetable

Seattle 1951

Seattle 1951

Christmas 1962

Gustave enjoyed playing checkers, especially at Chrismas time. He was good at it and was seldom defeated.

Louise at Organ ca 1960’s?

With children ca. 1965

80th Birthday Party 1964



Death 1967

Spiritual

Gustave Edward Berg Bio