Gustav Gudmunson/Gudmundson

My research trip out to South Dakota was very successful. I was about to get about 90% of everything I wanted to accomplish. One of those things I wanted to find was to find about was my great-granduncle Gustav Gudmundson's family out who lived near the town of Nunda, South Dakota.

The first place I went to look was in the Karl E. Mundt library on the Dakota State University campus in Madison, South Dakota, which is the county seat of Lake County in which Nunda is located. The Mundt library has an obituary index to the Madison Daily Leader from 1930 to present. There I was able to find two obituaries for Caroline Gudmundson, Gustav's wife, and one for Clarence and Howard, Gustav & Caroline's sons.

From the obituary you can tell Caroline was born September 1, 1878 in Fillmore County, Minnesota and died October 11, 1962 in Madison, South Dakota. Also she married Gustav Gudmundson, June 10, 1899. Burial was at the Prairie Queen Cemetery next to her husband and four of her children who proceeded her in death.







The two other obituaries I collected were for Howard and Clarence Gudmundson. Howard Gudmundson was born January 29, 1905, in Fillmore County, Minnesota, and died February 14, 1940 when he was only 35 years old. It says in the obituary that he died in Colinga, California, but I believe they mean Coalinga which is just south of Fresno. According the obituary is states that he had been living in California 12 years working as a oil well driller. He was buried in the Prairie Queen Cemetery. Clarence Gudmundson was born 1902 in Minnesota and died February 22, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It doesn't say in his obituary but I know he is buried at the Hillside Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.




After I was finished looking at the newspapers in the Mundt library I traveled north about 10 miles, just to the southeast of Nunda, where the Prairie Queen Cemetery is located.






Apparently the second 'I' in prairie fell off but the bird above the 'E' posed quite nicely while I took the picture. It is not a large cemetery so it did not take too long to find the Gudmundson family. Another interesting observation was everyone in the family used the surname Gudmunson without the second 'D' which is not uncommon for people to slightly change their last name back then.

















Gustav Gudmunson








Caroline (Olson) Gudmunson









Agnes K. Gudmunson









(Ella) Mildred E. Gudmunson









Bertha L. Gudmunson









Howard E. Gudmunson









Gladys A. (Gudmunson) Hart

South Dakota or Bust

I promised to document my itinerary for my research trip out to South Dakota. The details of the trip are not set in stone but there are a few places that I need to hit.

Thursday:
I plan to leave very early Thursday morning so I can attempt to get there and visit everything in one day. My first stop is in Willmar, Minnesota, where I try and acquire a birth certificate for my grandfather, Melvin Scheevel, and attempt to find a land record for when they lived in Kandiyohi County a few years. My next stop will be in Montevideo, Minnesota. There I have to visit the city offices to inquire about a cemetery plot location for Martha Johnson, my great-great-great grandmother. I know she is buried in the Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Montevideo but it's a cemetery of about 5000 people so I'd be there all day if not for a plot location.

From there I cross over the border into South Dakota and visit the town of Madison. Madison is the county seat of Lake County, South Dakota, which is the county my great-grandfather and grandfather lived during the late 1800s. Hopefully there I am able to find a birth certificate for my grandfather, Joseph Larson Sr., at the courthouse and possibly acquire a land record for where they lived. I do have a 1900 census record for the family which lists they are living in Summit Township of Lake County so that should narrow my search a bit. Also in Madison is the Dakota State University which holds a large collection of obituaries for Lake County. I have a few people I'd like to acquire obits for while I'm there. Just to the northeast of Madison are two cemeteries I want to visit. South Lake Campbell Cemetery is where Joseph Larson's father Jonas' first wife Ragnhild is buried and Prairie Queen Cemetery is where Jonas' second wife Bergitte's brother Gustav Gudmundson (my great granduncle) is buried. That'll be great if I can manage to stop at all those places in one day.

The next day I'd like to spend in Sioux Falls going to the zoo and a few other fun things. On the way home I want to visit the Oslo Lutheran Church Cemetery in Trent, South Dakota, to see if I can find the grave of my great-great-great grandfather, Ole Skadsem. I have the grave and lot numbers so it shouldn't be to hard to find. Have a few other places I may visit but that is the extent of my research trip.

2009 Research Trip

I have been planning out my research trip through central Minnesota and into South Dakota. I will be visiting many places in which my ancestors once lived. After the holiday weekend I am going to post the detailed itinerary of my destinations.