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Second Generation
4.
Gilbert (Gullick) MOGEN was born on Nov 28, 1883 in Numedal,
Norway. He died on Oct 19, 1961 in Webster, SD. He was
buried in Waubay, SD. Gilbert was born in Norway in 1883 and
came to America in 1886 with his Mother and Aunt INGEBORG, traveling by sailing
ship. His parents lived in the Marietta, MN area before homesteading in 1892
in Blooming Valley Township of Grant County, South Dakota. Gilbert recalled as
a small child herding cattle in the Madison-Marrietta area.
Gilbert attended the Lutheran Academy at Marrietta, MN until the family
moved to Blooming Valley where he attended school. Gilbert was a teacher in
the Blooming Valley school for the 1904-05 school term. His contract was signed
by Ole Dingsor, his uncle. Records reviewed at the Grant County Court House
in Milbank revealed that ten of the thirteen children of C. K. and Berit were
teachers in Blooming Valley schools. Conrad, Henry, and Art did not teach in
Blooming Valley. One of the years that Gena was a teacher she had five siblings
in her classroom.
In 1905, he homesteaded near Turtle Lake, ND and returned to Summit in
1906 to work as a grain buyer. He was also able to assist his father on the
homestead for a short period. He then entered the banking business in Summit.
In about 1913 the Summit school yearbook included an advertisement for Ford
automobiles showing Gilbert as a sales representative. This is interesting since
he was not very adept as an automobile driver.
In 1919 he joined his brother, Conrad, in operating the State Bank of
Waubay, which they had bought earlier. Gilbert had been a state bank examiner
the year previous. On September 30, 1919 he married Helen Puder of Big Stone
City. He continued in this business until his death. Gilbert was highly respected
by all who knew him. This respect and five sons grown honorably to manhood are
his heritage.
One of Gilbert's younger sisters had an interesting story of life on the
farm as the large family was growing up on the homestead. One day Gilbert was
taking a bath on the second floor of the barn. His younger brother, Henry, flung
open the barn door to reveal Gilbert in the "all together". Gilbert
was not too happy with his brother and proceeded to chase Henry around the farm
yard with a pitch fork that was handy. Luckily, Henry escaped injury from his
angry older brother. How many observed this episode will never be known.
Gilbert (Gullick) MOGEN and Helen Mar PUDER were married on Sep 30, 1919
in Big Stone City, SD.
Helen Mar
PUDER was born on Aug 23, 1893 in Muncie, IN. She died on Jan
26, 1968 in Webster, SD. Her family included four brothers and three
sisters. The sons all learned a trade from their father including skills as
stone masons, brick layers and plasterers. Helen's mother, Julia, was concerned
that her three daughters would have adult occupations in addition to homemaker
and used her inheritance for these three. Helen started piano lessons at the
age of five and developed a life-long career of piano teacher, church organist
and choir director. At the age of sixteen she graduated from high school in
Big Stone City, SD. She spent one year at Omaha, Nebraska, living with cousins
and studying piano. Then she attended the Chicago Conservatory studying piano
and music theory.
This preparation led to an interesting and productive occupation. For several
years Helen taught private piano in several towns near Big Stone City as well
as teaching in her parent's home. The communities included were Wilmot, Corona,
Summit, SD and Ortonville and Correl, MN. Helen would travel by train to each
town. Typically she taught the lessons at one of the homes with payment to the
home owner of free lessons for the children of that home. At Summit she held
her classes at the home of Dr. Lull. Fortunately, the Lulls hosted a dinner
including a young bachelor employed at the local bank, Gilbert Mogen. You can
imagine the rest of the story. Helen and Gilbert knew each other about six years
before being married in 1919 at her parent's home in Big Stone City.
Helen owned an excellent piano which she used for lessons in her parent's parlor.
She felt she must leave it there, so a new Chickering five foot grand piano
was purchased for her new home in Waubay. Piano lessons started in Waubay for
a fee of 25 cents for a half hour lesson. Submited by Iro Mogen, May 2008
Gilbert (Gullick) MOGEN and Helen Mar PUDER had the following children:
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