Second Generation

13. Ellen Agnes MOGEN was born on Jan 24, 1903 in Blooming Valley Twp, South Dakota. She died on Apr 27, 1988 in Mesa, AZ. As a young woman Ellen was engaged to a Richter, a brother of Ernest, but after she survived a very serious rheumatic fever illness he broke their engagement, telling her he was a farmer and needed a wife who would be able to do the hard work that required. Carolyn wondered if that could have been the reason she accompanied her mother on the trip to Norway -- possibly her or a parent's way of easing personal pain? However, the answer to the question "Why were you the one to accompany grandmother?" was "Because I was a schoolteacher and could be gone in the summer." No further questions ensued so it remains a puzzlement. (Carolyn Drown Schilling, 3/07)

In the summer of 1925, Ellen (22 yrs old) made a trip with her Mother (Berit, 63 yrs old) to Norway while Grandma GRONBO who was 86 at that time. Ellen relates that this was a highlight of her Mother's life, as she was essentially a homebody when it came to going places except to Church and Ladies Aid. She never wanted to miss either and the children went along, baby sitters weren't known of in those days.

Quoting a letter from Ellen to Bryan Mogen in 1977:

" We visited MARIE (C. K.'s sister) and KNUT BAKKE in Holmsbu (south of Oslo). KNUT was a teacher. ERLING, their oldest son, ran the farm. At the time we didn't see their sons MAGNUS or HERMID. KJELL, 12 years old, was my companion while there. We were at KARIE's (C.K.'s sister) daughter's place (JORAN BRATTRUD) a long time. I corresponded with her many years, but gave up about 1968. She had a daughter then, but more children later. She also cared for her father and a brother and sister who were mentally retarded. JORAN was a LETMOLIE. I had the nicest time of all with uncle KITTLE (C K's Brother) and family. To have 13 cousins to have fun with is exciting. We picked berries and I sewed dresses for two of the girls. KITTEL, my cousin, was 22, the same age I was and MAGNILD was about a year old."

Ellen Agnes MOGEN and Claude DROWN were married on Jul 2, 1931 in Webster, SD. Claude DROWN was born on Jan 3, 1905 in Sheldon, IA. He died on Jul 4, 1997 in Mesa, AZ. Claude was the middle child of seven born to his parents, Ralph O. Drown and Pearl Estella Vanderbeck. Claude was a short man in a tall man's world, but he successfully pursued many areas of employment. Farming was not one of them. 1951 came as he finally was able to pay off the government loan for the seed for his early-1930s crops that never came. Prior to his marriage he worked as a school teacher, a farmer and a window decorator and Assistant Manager for a Woolworth store in ND. After the crop failures in SD he was a grocer in IA and then WY before becoming an insurance salesman. Then as a District Manager his district won a nationwide contest in his company: now MONY. In a discussion with Carolyn he pointed out that his competitors had more people in their home offices than he had in the whole population of his District in northern WY. No mention was even made of the differences in mileage and weather. This win was the impetus for his becoming WY State Mgr. for Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. But Claude also was successful in his avocational endeavors as well. He was a trained vocalist, and when young his daughters often heard him practising with the others in his gospel quartet. He was a rock hound, a lapidarist, a calligrapher, a golfer, a winner at crossword puzzles, poker and Scrabble. He had many interests and ways of entertaining others, including drawing cartoon sketches of and for them. Lastly, but of the most importance to his family, he was a dedicated and deeply sincere Christian. (Carolyn Drown Schilling, 03/07) Ellen Agnes MOGEN and Claude DROWN had the following children:

+56	i.	Carolyn Jean DROWN.
+57	ii.	Doris Elaine DROWN.
+58	iii.	Charles Leonard DROWN.