Family Memories.

     Regularly I visit Joanne and the many other family and friends in her cemetery. Today I wandered another cemetery where my brother, maternal grandparents, several uncles and aunts and also my cousin's husband are buried. It's called the "Bergh Cemetery" but perhaps should be name "Bethania Cemetery" because that was the name of the congregation that once worshiped in the church that stood there. Rev. O. O. Bergh, my maternal grandfather, was the founding pastor. When he graduated from the Hauges Synod  Seminary in Red Wing, MN., he was sent to South Dakota in 1884 to found a congregation. He purchased 80 acres of land, built a house and a church on the property.
     One of my uncles, Martin Bergh, died in 1920 in an airplane crash at age 22. He was flying with a barnstorming pilot above his brothers working in a field. He leaned far out the open cockpit to wave at them, threw himself back into the plane hitting controls that caused the pilot to lose control and the plane crashed near the brothers. He died shortly after the crash.
     Ella Bergh, died in the flu epidemic in 1918 at age 28. Ella is my aunt. Grandma Bergh and her daughter Agnes did not get sick. They cared for Grandpa, and siblings Oscar, Martin, Ella and Margaret who were all sick at the same time.
      Richard Bergh Negstad, my late brother, was farming grandpa's land when he died in 1997. So it is fitting that he is buried in the Bergh Cemetery and not where the other Negstad's are. At the time of his death he was a South Dakota State Senator.
     Also buried in this cemetery is Rev. G. Evenson, a seminary friend of grandpas. Rev. Evenson's son, Ed, and my father were friends. Donald Evenson, Ed's grandson and I are friends and he's been known to post comments on this blog.
     Deep roots for which I'm grateful!

Takk for alt

Al

Plaque at the cemetery.

Brother.

Aunt.

Uncle

Al