Martha (Marta) Marie Evanson, b. Sept. 4, 1858 Gropen, ØT; d. June 17, 1939 Granville, ND; interred Lutheran Cemetery, Mayville, ND; emigrated to Mayville July 29, 1882; m. Nov. 18, 1882 at Gran Church, Trail County, ND. by Rev. I.D. Ylvisaker to Gilbert (Gulbrand) Gulbrandson Molden (widower), b. Feb. 12, 1853, Hadeland, Norway; d. (of cancer) Mar. 5, 1900, Sharon, ND; interred Lutheran Cemetery, Mayville, ND. Martha Marie Evanson was baptized in Hoff Church, Østre Toten, Norway, on Oct. 17, 1858. Auntie Stomner owned lots in Mayville Cemetery, and she permitted her sister Martha to bury her husband, Gilbert Molden, there. Later she died and was buried there, too.

1. Gustave Ludwig Molden, b. Oct. 24, 1883 at Mayville, ND; d. June 16, 1966 at Minot, ND; interred at Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Minot; m. Sept. 10, 1908, Granville, ND to Ada Belle Beecher, daughter of Jeanette Susan (Cole) and Henry Ward Beecher, b. Nov. 25, 1887 at Mineral Point, WI,; d. May 20, 1970 at Minot, ND; interred at Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Minot.

   1. Vernon Gustave Molden, b. Dec. 18, 1910 at Grandparent Beecher’s farmhome, Granville, ND, m. June 30, 1951 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Nancy Jeanette Rubis, daughter of Anne (Karboneck) and John Rubis, b. Oct. 27, 1925, Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

      1. Jack Vernon Molden, b. Aug. 12, 1956, Minneapolis, MN

      2. Judy Anne Molden, b. Oct. 29, 1959, Minneapolis, MN

   2. Marian Lois Molden, b. Jan. 27, 1912 at Grandparent Beecher’s farmhome, Granville, ND; m. Dec. 25, 1941, Longview, WA, to Grant Napoleon Kummer, son of Mary Josephine (Provost) and Jacob Samuel Kummer, b. Jan. 10, 1914, Sand Coulee, MT.

      1. Marilee Kummer (no middle name), b. Apr. 12, 1944 at Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle, WA; m. Dec. 16, 1963 at Boise, ID to Harry Temple McCall, son of Grace (Haley) and Thomas James McCall, b. Aug. 10, 1943, San Francisco, CA.

         1. Deborah Marie McCall, b. Nov. 24, 1964 in Albany, OR.

         2. Patricia Ann McCall, b. Dec. 3, 1965 in Albany, OR.

   3. Jeanette Berniece Molden, b. Apr. 25, 1913 at Grandparent Beecher’s farmhome, Granville, ND; m. July 14, 1937 First Lutheran Church, Granville, ND, to Alfred Frithjof Frydenlund, son of Bertha (Bergen) and Erick A. Frydenlund, b. Jan. 23, 1907, Rugby, ND; d. May 20, 1969; interred Sunset Memorial, Minot, ND.

      1. Sheila Ann Frydenlund, b. Nov. 26, 1947, Rugby, ND; m. Sept. 13, 1969 to Lonnie Schroeder, son of Leonard and Marian Schroeder, b. Oct. 16, 1947, Des Lois, MN. Divorced Jan. 15, 1973.

      2. Donna Jean Frydenlund, b. Aug. 10, 1949, Garrison, ND; m. Mar. 22, 1969, Minot, ND to Townley R. Knutson, son of Inga (Evanger) and Theodore Raymond Knutson; b. Mar. 16, 19__ at Norma, ND.

         1. Cammy Rochelle Knutson, b. Mar. 9, 1970 in Bellingham, WA.

         2. Wendy Raelle Knutson, b. Jan. 10, 1973 in Minot, ND.

   4. Alma Ada Molden, b. Aug. 17, 1917 at Grandparent Beecher’s farmhome, Granville, ND; d. Apr. 29, 1965, Minot, ND; m. July 14, 19__ at Velva, ND, to Earl Benjamin Wolfe. Three children (?).

   5. Betty Jane Molden, b. Dec. 17, 1921, Granville, ND. m. Arthur Duchscher, b. May 20, 19__

   6. Audrey Yvonne Molden, b. Feb. 6, 1923 in Granville, ND; m. Jan. 28, 19__ to Ibsen Ottem, son of Olga Marie Evanson and Lars Ottem.

      1. Charles Ottem, b. Feb. 9, 19__

      2. David Ottem, b. May 29, 19__. m. Alvina

         1. Gale Michelle Ottem, b. Mar. 23, 19__.

      3. Karen Marie Ottem, b. Apr. 3, 19__

      4. Betty Ann Ottem, b. June 26, 19__

2. Johan (John) Molden (no middle name), b. Dec. 18, 1885 at Mayville, ND. d. May 9, 1940 Minneapolis, MN; interred Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Minneapolis; m. Nellie (no last name given)

   John’s sister, Anna Karine Lenarz, writes: “Nellie was separated from her husband Jack. After his death, she married again to a man whose last name was Owens. She had several children by her first marriage, including a daughter, Eleanor, of whom Jack was very fond. Jack was a waiter and a cook. Aunt Clara talks about her brother Jack. She was very fond of him. He lived and worked in the cities, so she saw quite a bit of him. This is the story she told of his leaving the farmhome at Norwich: “Jack left home when he was sixteen. He had a different make-up than Gust. Gust was better in the fields, but he was careless about taking care of things. He used to take off the horses’ harness at night and throw it down onto the barn floor. Jack, on the other hand, would clean the harness and hang it up. One day he came into the house to tell his mother he was leaving home. Without any money in his pockets, he started off, walking down the road. From the window his mother watched him go, and she was crying because he had left.

   “Jack was a waiter and a cook, and Aunt Clara said he was very good. Eventually he came to Minneapolis. Once when Aunt Clara and Uncle George were in town he told then to eat at the hotel where he was working. They were to ask the head waiter to seat them at his station. He had told Aunt Clara that he needed a new winter coat and that he would collect enough money in tips that night to buy one. sure enough, he collected $45.00 that evening, and that was a lot for those days.” Another insight into Jack’s character: Aunt Clara told us, “Mother kept the house on Lovers’ Lane, Mayville, until Jack died. She deeded the house to Jack because at one time when she needed money, he gave her $1,000. He had been working in Minneapolis, and he pulled the money out of his pocket and handed it to her. So she said, “I’ll give you a deed to my house.” After Jack died, his wife Nell got the house and she sold it for $700.00.

3. Anna Karine (Corrine) Molden, b. Jan. 29, 1888, Washington Township, Grand Forks County; d. Sept. 18, 1960, Minneapolis, MN; interred Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota, MN. m. June 22, 1911 by Rev. Father Corry at Priest’s House, Cando, ND, to John (Chryostamus) Lenarz, son of Eva (Thoennes) and Henry Lenarz, b. Feb. 28, 1883, Leaf Valley, MN; d. Oct. 26, 1954, Minneapolis, MN; interred Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota, MN.

   In letter to Anna Karine, her Cousin Inga states, “You were living in Mayville when we came in 1893. There were five of you then and I saw you all for the first time. Uncle Molden had rented out the farm and you were living on Lovers’ Lane in Mayville, not far from the house your mother bought from George Stomner.”

   1. Donald Jerome Lenarz, b. Aug. 31, 1913, Bisbee, ND. m. Aug. 19, 1939, St. Philip Neri Church, Chicago, IL, to Edith Evelyn Brown, daughter of Pearl Josephine (Heckel) and Charles Edward Brown, b. Feb. 16, 1911, Millville, IA.

      1. Mary Michelle Lenarz, b. Dec. 3, 1941 at Randolph Field Hospital, San Antonio, TX; m. Feb. 17, 1962 at the bride’s home, Minneapolis, MN to Donald Hopkins Litterer, son of Ora Beryl (Hopkins) and Oscar Frederick Litterer, b. July 24, 1941, Madison, WI.

         1. Lynn Ann Litterer, b. Sept. 6, 1962, Northwestern Hosp., Minneapolis, MN.

         2. Thomas John Litterer, b. Apr. 24, 1969, Northwestern Hosp., Minneapolis.

         3. Robert James Litterer, b. June 17, 1970, Northwestern Hosp., Minneapolis.

      2. Donna Jerrine Lenarz, b. Mar. 1, 1943 at Hillcrest Hospital, Waco, TX; m. Sept. 3, 1966 at St. Helena’s Church, Minneapolis, MN to Charles Dean Madison Woodward, son of Veronica Holland (Joffee) and Jasper Soule Woodward, b. Aug. 10, 1943, Jacksonville, FL. (When Veronica Holland’s father died, she was adopted by her stepfather, Joffee.)

         1. Matthew Donald Woodward, b. Apr. 4, 1968, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Sioux City, IA.

         2. Sara Elizabeth Woodward, b. Jan. 1, 1971 (“First Baby of the Year”), St. Joseph’s Hospital, Superior, WI.

         3. Andrew Jasper Woodward, b. June 20, 1973, St. Luke’s Hospital, Duluth, MN.

4. Clara Molden (no middle name), b. Apr. 13, 1890 on the farm near Hatton, ND; m. June 30, 1916 at Devils Lake, ND, to George Wilhelm Wigdahl, son of Mary (Olson) and Peter Johan Wigdahl, b. June 30, 1889 at Westby, WI; d. Sept. 26, 1952, Minneapolis, MN; interred Sunset Memorial Park, Minneapolis (attendants at wedding were Mabel Golden and Carl Wigdahl). No children.

5. Mabel Molden (no middle name), b. Dec. 11, 1892 on farm near Hatton (or Mayville); d. July 26, 1971 Longview, WA; m. Sept. 4, 1921 in MT to Donald Ray Stearns, son of Mary (McFadgen) and Frank Charles Stearns, b. May 3, 1895; d. Dec. 26, 1967. No children.

6. George Marcus Molden, b. Sept. 19, 1895 Mayville, Trail Co., ND; d. Dec. 7, 1972 at Bengen, WA; interred Williamette National Cemetery, Portland, OR. m. (1) Marian (divorced); m. (2) Lena.

   Auntie Rud wrote to Anna Karine: “Your mother and father were married in Gran Kirka (church) in Trail County, November 1882. They lived in Mayville but moved to Washington Township (Grand Forks County), where you were born, Anna.” Clara Molden and Joe Lenarz were attendants at her sister Anna’s wedding. Aunt Clara told us, “Joe and I gave them a cut glass pitcher and glasses for a wedding present.”

   The following was written by Anna Lenarz: “Mr. and Mrs. Gulbrand Gulbrandson Molden lived in Mayville and on a farm near Hatton, ND. They homesteaded one quarter (160 acres) of land, had a quarter of land (160 A.) called Tree Claim, and one quarter (160 A.) called Pre-emption Claim, making 480 acres in all. They sold the land, moving to Sharon, ND, one of the new small towns just springing up, where they had a hardware store. The store building was built large with the idea of expansion, so the family lived in partitioned-off rooms and the upstairs of the building. In the fall of 1899 Gilbert Molden became ill with cancer and he died March 5, 1900. About two weeks before he passed away, the building, stock, furniture, everything burned to the ground with no fire insurance to cover the loss; it had expired.

   “With the loss of the business, home, and death of her husband, and a good father who had only a very moderate life insurance policy, the mother, after the funeral at Mayville, ND., used part of the insurance money to buy a five room house in Mayville. She brought her six children, the oldest 17, the youngest about four, together again under her roof. The oldest son, Gustave Ludwig, was attending Bruflat Academy, Portland, ND. Under the circumstances he was forced to quit school. With so little money for such a large brood, the mother knew she would have to do something for an income, so when land opened up for homesteading in McHenry County, ND, she with a widowed sister, Bertha, went out and filed on the land, three miles north of Norwich, two quarters now owned by Anna Molden Lenarz, and one quarter owned by Clara Molden Wigdahl, both of Minneapolis, MN.”