Mankell Family History
Maps of ancestral homes in Norway
Jordin and Johnson Families
The parents of my mother, Vivian Mankell, were Walter and Inga (Johnson) Jordin, from Irving Township, east of New London and north of Atwater, Minnesota. Walter was the son of Swedish immigrants; Inge was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants. Here are their stories. Let's begin with a map of Irving Township where I have noted various farms, churches, and a school connected to the Jordin and Johnson families.
Map of Irving Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
Here is a description of the highlighted areas with coordinating circled numbers, moving from west to east:
- Farm north of Spicer which Walter, siblings and parents rented. (They rented other locations around Spicer.) The brick house was demolished in 2000.
- Walter's home which was a small cabin, where he lived for about 5 years in the mid 1960s. He owned this 3 room cabin (kitchen, living room and bedroom).
- The "Hawick Farm" which Walter owned in the 1950s. He lived here prior to moving to the small cabin. No buildings remain on this property located in what is commonly called "Lost Valley." This land is near the Miller orchard which is owned by the family of Christine (Miller) Sogge.
- Zion Irving Lutheran Church. This is the home church of my mother, Vivian and her parents. Numerous weddings baptisms, funerals of the Jordin family, including the wedding of Orlynn and Vivian, baptisms of Susan and Carolyn Mankell, funerals of Inga and Walter. Buried in the cemetery are Walter and Inga Jordin, Ben Jordin, Raghnild Olsen Johnson (mother of Inga) and Iver Olsen (father of Raghnild), Ed and Jenny Johnson, Jens Zachariason, (father-in-law of Raghnild).
- Nordland Lutheran Church. Andrew Johnson (father of Inga) is buried there.
- Raghnild and Andrew Johnson home. Inga grew up on this farm. Walter, Inga, and son Noel Jordin lived there for a few years. House no longer remains.
- District 2 school house location. The building is now at the Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds. Vivian, Mary Ann and Noel attended this school, just north of their childhood home. They walked to school.
- The "Atwater Farm" where Vivian and Mary Ann were born and grew up. No buildings or trees remain. It is now a farm field. It is distinguishable because it is next to a curve in the highway and there are two close approaches to the field.
- The Ed and Esther Johnson home (no relation to Inga Johnson). Walter and family would walk to the house of their friends to play Rook and checkers. There were many late nights walking home in the dark after visits and games.
- Location of Zachariason cabin which is now at the Monongalia Historical Society in New London (old Lebanon Church). A Jens Zachariason who lived there was a relative, but not the father of Andrew Jenson/Johnson.
JORDIN
Walter's parents were August and Mary Jordin; they married in 1890 in Cosmos MN. They lived in the Beckville area south of Litchfield until 1897and had 3 children. Then they moved to New London and had 7 more children, though 2 died as infants.- Albert Emanuel, 1891-1929
- Edward Ansgarius, 1892-1948 (m. Jenny Johnson)
- Walter Vitalius, 1895-1970 (m. Inga Johnson)
- Theodor Benjamin (known as Ben), 1897-1977 (m. Ellen Hanson)
- Alice Mathilda, 1900-1951 (m. Axel Johnson)
- Esther, 1902-c1990 (m. Russell Strandberg)
- Lillian Hilma, 1902-1969 (m. Arthur Magnuson)
- Clara Amanda, 1906-1984 (m. Rudolph Westerberg)
- Clarence and Carl Edwin died as very young children
Walter's 1910 confirmation photograph.
Scroll down to the 'Walter and Inga' section for more photos of Walter.
Walter's Brothers and Sisters:
Edward and Jennie (Johnson) Jordin, 1920.
(Brothers Edward and Walter Jordin married sisters Jennie and Inga Johnson.)
Ed and Jennie had two children: Lois and Donald. Following Jennie's death in childbirth, Edward's mother Mary Jordin raised the two children with the help of Mary's oldest son, Albert Jordin.
Ben and Ellen (Hanson) Jordin with children, (l-r) Wanda, Hannah and Arland, 1946.
Ben and his family lived in Spicer MN.
Alice (Jordin) and Axel Johnson, 1922.
They had at least 7 children: Helen, Harriet, Howard, Richard, Kathryn, Loren, and Gayle.
Twins Esther and Lillian Jordin, c1925.
Esther married Russell Strandberg in 1927. They had one son, Owen Strandberg.
Lillian (Jordin) and Art Magnuson, 1927.
Lillian and Art had 4 children: Margaret, Roger, Beverly and Donna.
Clara (Jordin) and Rudy Westerberg, 1929.
Clara and Rudy had two children: Doris and Leslie.
JOHNSON
Inga's parents, Andrew Johnson (1861-1898) and Ragnhild Olsen (1858-1927) were both from Norway. They married in 1888 in Atwater and had 5 children.
- William (Bill), 1890-1977 (m. Ann Van Hueveln)
- Hannah, 1892-1972 (m. William Rose)
- Jenny, 1893-1923. (m. Edward Jordin) She died in childbirth.
- Inga, 1896-1937 (m. Walter Jordin)
- Richard, 1898-1940 (m. Eleanor Johnson)
Wedding picture of Andrew and Ragnhild Johnson, 1888.
Andrew's Norwegian name was Anders Zachariason, later Anders Jenson, and finally Andrew Johnson.
Source: Zion Irving Lutheran Church, 1905-2005: An History of the Congregation
Jens Sakarisen, father of Andrew Johnson. His Norwegian name was Jens Zachariason
Source: Zion Irving Lutheran Church, 1905-2005: An History of the Congregation
Andrew Johnson and his parents, Jens Jorgen Zachariason (also Sakariason/Sakarisen) and Wilhelmine Amundsdatter, were from Mo i Rana (Rana Fjord) in the Helgeland District/Nordland County of Norway, just south of the Arctic Circle. (see maps) Andrew used other names, reflecting his Norwegian roots and the changes while in the US: Anders Christian Zachariason, Anders Jenson, and finally Andrew Johnson. Andrew arrived in the US in 1882; his father Jens emigrated in 1868 (Wilhelmine Amundsdatter died in Norway, 1862, a year after Anders' birth) and settled in the Irving Township area of Kandihohi County. This area in the northeastern part of the county was the new home to several families from the Nordland District of Norway; they formed the Nordland Lutheran Church (in Irving Township) in 1868. The family owned a farm in Section 23 of Irving Township, about a mile south of Nordland Church
Andrew died in 1898 from an accident, leaving Ragnhild with five young children; the youngest, Richard, was an infant. According to Zion Irving Lutheran Church, 1905-2005: A History of the Congregation, Anders/Andrew was helping
"Gilbert Pederson butcher a hog. Anders had borrowed an old muzzle-loading rifle to shoot the pig, but made the mistake of using smokeless gunpowder and an oversized lead ball. The weapon exploded, and sent a shard of metal into Anders' head. He died a few days later." Andrew Johnson is buried at Nordland Lutheran ChurchRagnhild and her parents, Iver Olsen and Guro Johnsdotter, were from Oppdal Valley, Norway, and lived on the Mjoen farm. (see maps)
Mjoen farm, Oppdal Norway; home of Iver and Guro Olsen and daughter Ragnhild. A yellow line marks the home in which they lived.
Lower image: Oppdal Church, known as "Marit Vang"
Inga's Brothers and Sisters:
William (Bill) Johnson, 1918.
He married Ann Van Hueveln and they had three children: Ruth, William and Donald.
Hannah married William Rose, 1920. Three generations of the Rose family owned the Rose Meat Market in New London for 60 years. The market (founded by Bill's father Frank) was originally on Main Street and later moved a block south, close to the Mill Pond. Hannah and Bill had two children, Franklin and Robert, who owned the store until 1967.
Hannah Johnson Rose, c1965.
Edward and Jennie (Johnson) Jordin, 1920.
(Brothers Edward and Walter Jordin married sisters Jennie and Inga Johnson.)
Ed and Jennie had two children: Lois and Donald. Following Jennie's death in childbirth, Edward's mother Mary Jordin raised the two children with the help of Mary's oldest son, Albert Jordin.
Inga's youngest brother, Richard Johnson, married Eleanore Johnson in 1929. They had one daughter, Roslyn. Richard died at the age of 42.
Walter and Inga Jordin
Walter was born in Beckville Township, Meeker County, in January, 1895. When he was two years old he moved to New London with his parents. He started farming in Irving Township in 1921. Walter and Inga married in 1922 and had three children:
- Noel, 1923-1992 (m. Mildred Arnesen)
- Vivian, 1932-1995 (m. Orlynn Mankell)
- Mary Ann, 1935- (m. Allan Sogge)
Walter and Inga and later Noel, lived on her parents' farm during the first years they were married (see above map). Later they rented a farm (the "Atwater Farm") about a mile south. Vivan and Mary Ann were born on this farm, which now is part of a field; no buildings remain. The family worshiped at Zion Irving Lutheran Church, where Walter was the treasurer for the Sunday School for many years. The children attended school at District 2, less than a mile north of their "Atwater Farm" home.
District No. 2 Schoolhouse, which is now at the Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds.
Walter and Inga Jordin in 1926.
Atwater house, with Jordin family, 1932:
Back row: Inga Jordin holding Vivian, Ellen (Mrs. Ben) Jordin, Art Magnuson, Mary Jordin, Walter Jordin, Russell Strandberg, Esther (Jordin) Strandberg, Ed Jordin, Ben Jordin
Front row: Roger Magnuson, Margaret Magnuson, Hanna Jordin, Lois Jordin, Donald Jordin, Noel Jordin.
Vivian Jordin as a toddler, c1933.
Vivian's mother Inga Johnson (1896-1937) was born at the Johnson farm north of Atwater. Known for playing the organ, Inga died in February, 1937 from heart trouble (after suffering from rheumatic fever) at the age of 40. Vivian was only 5 years old; Mary Ann was one; Noel was thirteen. Her obituary in the Willmar Weekly Tribune states:
Death came suddenly without warning to Mrs. Walter Jordin Wednesday evening, about 11:00. While walking across the room, she fell lifeless, due to heart failure, the Atwater Press says. She had been failing for about 2 years with heart trouble, but had appeared much better this winter. Her husband and 3 children are left to mourn her death. The family resides on the Lester farm in Irving, nine miles north of Atwater.
In about 1950, Walter moved his family to the "Hawick Farm". Walter lived here until he retired from farming in 1962 and moved to the small cabin, just a few miles west of the farm, where he lived until 1966. Walter died in 1970 after living a few years at a nursing home in Willmar. His cabin was sold in 1970. Walter and Inga are buried at the Zion Irving Lutheran Church cemetery. Walter and Inga had 9 grandchildren: LuAnn, Loren, Donald, Robert and Jarl Sogge; Carol Jordin; Susan, Carolyn, and Kurt Mankell.
The house on the Hawick farm, 1952.
The house on the Hawick farm, 1954.
Walter Jordin with grandchildren, 1959.
Left to Right: Carolyn Mankell, LuAnn Sogge, Loren Sogge, Donald Sogge, Susan Mankell, Walter holding Robert Sogge.
Siblings: Mary Ann Sogge, Vivian Mankell, and Noel Jordin, 1988.