Another of the semi-regular installments of Great Aunts and Uncles! Mary’s great uncle Conrad Nicolei Blixrud was born 18 Oct 1878 in Lien Twp, Grant County, MN and died Friday, 20 Jun 1958 in Alexandria, Douglas County MN.
On 23 Jan 1906 he married Emma Marie Peterson and they farmed in Roseville Twp. I happened to be researching some family history last year and pored over some plat maps (I have 1930 and 1948, and there are others online from 1914 and even earlier). I found Uncle Conrad’s farm on Section 1.
L to R Adults: 3 unknown, Emma Blixrud (partially hidden), Alma Onstad Blixrud with John Jr, Conrad Blixrud, son Clifford Blixrud. Children: (young boy standing) Arnold Blixrud, (seated) Joren Blixrud, Conrad’s daughter Myrtle Blixrud, Gertrude Blixrud.
OK, Roseville Twp is due south of Lien Twp, where my grandfather John (later my parents and family) lived, so this was close by. But I couldn’t figure out which farmstead was theirs. By comparing the maps over time and lining them up, I figured out that their farm was eventually owned by the Reuss family- now I can visualize the location! Who knew the brothers (John and Conrad) had lived only a couple miles apart?
According to the book “A Door to Door History of Barrett, Minnesota Past and Present” by Evelyn Quist and Josephine Johnson, Conrad and Emma lived with son Arnold Blixrud and his wife Eleanora (Schmuhl, later Mrs Fred Moerke) at 405 River Street in Barrett. Here’s the entry:
“Arnold and Elenora lived 3 years in Hakan Person’s cottage. They moved to Erick Johnson’s, where John Sandberg lives, for three years, then back here [405 River Street] to the Blixrud Estate [!] and bought the house. Son: Raymond 1937. Arnold died in December 1946.”
A biographical sketch by their daughter Myrtle states: “Mother and Dad moved from the farm to Barrett (maybe) in 1937. Mother passed away in 1944 at the age of 67. Dad was one of the first residents of the Knute Nelson Home in Alexandria. He loved it there. He passed away in 1958 at the age of 80.”
But: the 1940 census does not show the two families living together, although they are both in Barrett. Conrad and Emma, along with Myrtle and a grandniece appear to live 2 doors down from Conrad’s sister Bertha (Blixrud) Endreson. Arnold, Eleanora, and son Raymond are enumerated on the next page. Naturally, since it’s such a small town, no street names or house numbers appear on the census. Too bad I didn’t notice this earlier so I could talk to the enumerator about this- it was none other than grandmother Alma Onstad Blixrud!