Memorials › Lewis E "Lars" Lunn

Lewis E "Lars" Lunn

11 Oct 1867 – 14 Apr 1944

Birth11 Oct 1867
Death14 Apr 1944
CemeteryRosebud Cemetery
Bonesteel , Gregory County , South Dakota , USA
Added byDeb on 24 Jun 2017
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69024620

Bio

LUNN : LEWIS (LARS) LUNN was born October 11, 1867 at Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin to Ellef Torgerson and Anne Andersen Lonne(Lunn). He was 32 years old when journeyed down to South Dakota on March 18, 1890 stopping off with his homesteading brother Thomas at Burnside in Charles Mix County. Two of his brothers Samuel and Albert E. were already homesteading in Gregory County with squatters rights. March 29th Lewis came down to Gregory County and established "squatters rights" on a piece of land -- the N1/2 of SE1/4 and W1/2 of the SW1/4 of section 7, Fairfax township about two miles southeast of Bonesteel, South Dakota a joining 160 acres of his brother Samuel. Here he built a log house measuring 10x12x6 feet which was his home. . In 1892 Lewis went to what is now Academy, South Dakota and bought a yoke of oxen which he drove on the ice across the Missouri River. With these oxen he broke about 40 acres of farm ground that spring using a 12 inch walking plow. He used the oxen two years. . Lewis was about 27 years old. He had his farm and log house but bachelor life was not too much to his liking so he courted Miss Gertrude Peterson and on April 17, 1895 they were married. Gertrude Andena Peterson was born October 3, 1877 in Coal City, Illinois to John (Ole Johannes) and Ingeborg (Quamme) Peterson from Bergen, Norway who were early homesteaders in the new frontier of eastern Gregory County, South Dakota. . Lewis and Gertrude Lunn made their first home together in the log hut. Their first furniture was a bed made of logs, some boxes for chairs, and a makeshift lumber table. . When the survey of Gregory County was made in 1895, Lewis lost some of his farm ground. However, not being too sure of the boundaries. Lewis had not made many improvements on the land. In 1897-1898 he built a new house a little East of the log hut which was their home until they retired to Bonesteel. . In 1904 the opening registration of the remainder of Gregory County brought much excitement and confusion. Lewis hauled prospective landowners to look over the country west of the meridian line two miles west of Bonesteel which until then had been the Rosebud Indian Reservation. In his horse and buggy Lewis drove the interested land seekers and homesteaders west as far as the future Burke, South Dakota to look over the land they might want to homestead should they be fortunate enough to draw lucky numbers or buy relinquishment's. Burke was then designated but not yet opened until August 8, 1904. There were no homesteads. It was just a grassy knoll in a huge and wild expansion of prairie land. Lewis charged $1.00 per person per day for his services. . Many of the easterners were disappointed when they did not see indians and buffaloes moving about on the land, but a trip to Milk Camp satisfied them. There were many panhandlers (people who stopp people on the street to ask for food or money) who stopped at the Lunn home during the filing days but no trouble was encountered by them. . After the flurry and rush of the registration and the drawing, things settled down to a more normal speed and permanent settlers began establishing themselves. . While on the farm, Lewis was clerk of the school district for 17 years. They retired to Bonesteel in 1939 after rearing their large family. . Lewis and Gertrude Lunn celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on March 29, 1940 which was also Lewis's 50th year of homesteading. Gertrude Peterson Lunn passed away February 13,1941; Lewis Lunn died April 14, 1944. . Lewis and Gertrude Lunn were the parents of 14 children -- two sons and ten living daughters;. -John Edwin (1896) married Marguerite Stewart; four children - Harlan, Darwood, Lewis, and Beverly. . -Ida (1898) married Paul Woerpel; a daughter Deanne. . -Clara (1899) married Wallace P. Murray; two children - Jean and Robert. . -Lilly (1901) married Fred Thoene; two children - Logan and Catherine Jean. . -Bessie (1903) married Thorwald Kjeldgaard (deceased 1956); two children - Vera and Jack. Bessie married Boslav Fortchner. . -Edna(1905) married Ambrose Burke; three children - JoAnn, Dean and Glen. . -Ruth (1907) married Howard Hunt; three children - Phyllis, Lewis, and Howard Jr. . -Arthur (1909) married Elsie Horst; two daughters- Caroline and Corrine. . -Mabel (1911) married Wyne Sebesta; two children - Anita and Harry. . -Anna (1914) married Marcus Elmer. . -Helen (1915) married Oscar Stanby. . -Samuel T. (1917) deceased infant. . -Deloris (1918) married Norman Benkerk; four children - Daniel, Norma, Frederick and Patricia. . -Phyllis M (1919) deceased infant. . from page 372 of "Saga of the Missouri River Reveille"

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