Berte Ivarsdatter LEINE

Other Events and Attributes:

• Baptism: 5 Mar 1836, Vang i Valdres, Oppland, Norway

Notes:

She is listed in “The Valdris Book”, a history of the Valdris Samband published in 1920 (available on Google Books), as Mrs. Berthe Brekken of Dennison. She was a member of the Samband between 1904 and 1910. She had come to the U.S. in 1853.

In the 1910 census, she is probably Bertha Brekken, a 74 year-old widow living in Warsaw Twp with her “son” Austin, 21. This census says that she came to the U.S. in 1852.

Family/Spouse: Even BREKKEN. Even (son of Ingri Torstensdatter) was born on 27 Aug 1828 in Norway; died on 18 Feb 1895; was buried in Vang Lutheran Church Cemetery, Dennison, Goodhue County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Baptism: 6 Jan 1889

Notes:

Funeral services were held for Austin B. Brekken Sr., at 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, at the Vang Lutheran Church with Rev. Terrence Fretheim officiating. At the church service Mrs. Fretheim sang "The Lord Is My Sheperd". Mrs. Cyrus Midge presided at the organ. Honorary pallbearers were LeRoy Brekken, David Lenway, and Mark Lenway. Dennis Brekken, Robert Reko, Richard Lenway, Burnett Jacobson, Merle Svien and Iver Halvorson served as pallbearers. Interment took place a the Vang Cemetery. Austin was born Dec. 7, 1888 to parents Knut and Sissel Ives Svien. After baptism on Jan. 6, 1889 he was taken to live with foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Even S. Brekken of Dennison. Mrs. Brekken was his aunt. He grew to manhood on their family farm, later moving to Northfield where he attended High School and Saint Olaf college. He also attended college at Saint Ansgar, Iowa. Dec. 14, 1910, at the Methodist Church at Monticello, he was united in marriage to Tulie Read. They established their home on the Brekken farm for 46 years, then retired to Northfield where they resided until May of 1968 when due to ill health they became residents of the Kenyon Sunset Home. Mr. Brekken served as Warsaw Township Clerk for many years and on the School board. He was a life member of Vang Lutheran Church where he was baptized and confirmed. He was preceded in death by his parents, one son Evan who was a casualty of Pearl Harbor, two grandsons; Bruce Sunde and Larry Brekken, five brothers and two sisters. He is survived by his wife Tulie, five sons; Austin, Jr. of Dennison, Lyle of Cannon Falls, Levi of Portland, Oregon, Wilfred and Harvey both of Northfield, and four daughters; Caroline (Mrs. Vernon Reko) of Kenyon, Adeline (Mrs. Harold Lenway), Bertha (Mrs. Sanford Sunde) both of Faribault and Avis of Minneapolis, also 23 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and one brother Knut Svien of Red Wing.

Family/Spouse: Tulie READ. Tulie died on 22 Aug 1970 in Goodhue County, Minnesota; was buried in Vang Lutheran Church Cemetery, Dennison, Goodhue County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From the Faribault Daily News, Nov. 15, 1947:

Burial services for S 1/C Evan Brekken were conducted at the Vang cemetery, Friday, November 14 at 2 o'clock following the arrival of the casket in Kenyon in the morning from Kansas City, Mo. Leo C. Dangers, guard of honor, accompanied the remains, and served as one of the pallbearers. Other pallbearers were Herman Aase, Jim Feeley, Shirley Cole, Clair Knowlton and Oscar Jorstad of Kenyon. Full military services were conducted by Joseph A. Gates Post No. 78 of the American Legion and Conrad Osthum Post No. 141, Veterans of Foreign Wars, of Kenyon. At the services Mrs. Brekken was presented with the flag by the honor guard. Rev. Crouch, American Legion chaplain, had charge of the services with Rev. Virgil T. Foss of Kenyon representing Vang church in the absence of Rev. Egge, who is recovering from an operation. Taps were sounded by Ronald Teigen. A firing squad took part in the services and sounded the final salute.

Evan Benhart Brekken, S 1/C, son of Mr. and Mrs. Austin Brekken who live near Wangs, was killed in action at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, while at his station, on December 7, 1941, in the first Japanese attack. He is survived, besides his parents, by four sisters: Mrs. Sanford Sunde of Faribault, Mrs. Vernon Reko, Mrs. Harold Lenway and Miss Avis Brekken of Kenyon; also five brothers, Austin, Wilfred and Ormenzo of Dennison, Lyle of Faribault and Levi of Portland, Oregon. He was the first Warsaw man killed in action in World War II and perhaps the first in Goodhue county. His parents received letters of sympathy from his commanding officer and from his shipmates. He was awarded the Order of the Purple Heart, the American Defense medal and World War II Victory medal, posthumously. Memorial services were held in Vang church, Sunday, Oct. 25, 1942. Seaman Brekken entered the U.S. naval training station at Great Lakes, Ill., October 17, 1940. He graduated November 25, 1940 and was transferred to the USS Pennsylvania at Bremerton, Washington, Dec. 6, 1940.