Narvik 24. Februar -1948.

Kjære Alma.

Vi vil ijen sende Dig noen ord, Da vi forstår at du nu har hadt meget arbeide og stræv, efter Johns Død og begravelse.  Ja ingen forstår vel, hvormeget Du har strævet for å hjelpe Disse to gamle, og Dertil stelle Dit eget hjem.  Men vi håper at John har Aarnet De slik, at Du får lidt tilbake for Dit stræv og Dit arbeide med Dem, både mens han levet og nu.  Her er alt som vanligt.  Vi ønsker bare at vi skulde ha fått snakket lidt med Dig.  Si oss Alma.  De er noget vi vilde gjerne fortelle Dig, og samtidig spørre Dig om.  Men kjære Dig Alma De må Du holle for Dig selv og ikke skrive noget om de til Axel eller Olav Holm.  For Da kan de let bli misforståelse, og Axel og Olav kan tro at De er vi som roter i saker som vi ikke har noget med.

Jo her skal Du høre.  John sa i et brev til mig en gang i fjor høst, at han hadde sendt noen hundrede Dollar til Norge.  Så vidt jeg husker så var De ikke så lite.  Nu vet vi at vor Datter Gusta fikk 100 Dollar, Herborg fikk også 100 Dollar.  Og så fikk Axel 100 Dollar som han skulle Dele ut til Misjonen, og så skulde Laura ha 25 Dollar av Di penger Axel fikk.  Men Den sum John nævnte i brevet til mig var meget større.  Si oss Alma om du kan.  Hvem har han sendt Disse penger til, og hvem eller hvad skulle Di brukes til tror du?  Jeg har snakket både med Axel og Olav og Laura men ingen har sagt noe om de til oss, andet end at Olav nævnte en gang at han trodde at Axel hadde tat imot, eller at han hadde fått en del penger fra John.  Vel De kan nok være så, og vist Axel har fått Dem, så er jo Den sak i orden.  Men vist Dem skulle fordeles, enten til Misjon eller noen annen, så vilde vi gjerne ha vist De vi også.  Din Mor fikk vel vite, hvad pengerne som John sendte skulle brukes til.  Ja ja kjære Alma.  Dette bare mellem Dig og oss.  Hanna min hustru er selvfølgelig også intreseret i sin brors Velgjørenhed.  Ja send oss noen ord, om du har tid, så er Du snill.  Hils også Din kjære Mor fra oss.  Alle her hilser Dere og vi ønsker at De må gå Dere vel alle, og at Di for være frisk til Dagens kamp og stræv sålenge De er Guds vilje at Di skal være her.  Fikk brev fra min søster Bergljot for noen dage siden.  Hun sier at vor søster Marie har hadt et Slagtilfelle, men at hun nu er bedre ijen.

Ja ha De riktig bra vor kjære Alma og la oss ikke glemme hverandre.

Hilsen fra oss alle tre

Hanna, Gusta og Edvard.

Narvik 24^th February-1948

Dear Alma.

Will again send You a few words, As we understand that you’ve had a lot of work and toil now, after John’s Death and funeral.  Yes, no one probably understands, how much You’ve worked to help These two old ones, and in Addition take care of Your own home.  But we hope that John has Arranged It in such a way, that You get a little bit in return for Your toiling and Your work with Them, both while he was alive and now.  Here everything is as usual.  We’d just wish that we could talk with You a little bit.  Tell us Alma.  There’s something we would like to tell You, and at the same time ask You about.  But please Alma you must keep It to Yourself and don’t write anything about it to Axel or Olav Holm.  Because it could easily be misunderstood, and Axel and Olav may think that we’re interfering in things that are none of our business.

Ok, here goes.  John said in a letter to me sometime last fall, that he had sent a few hundred Dollars to Norway.  As far as I remember It wasn’t a small sum.  We do know that our Daughter Gusta got 100 Dollars, Herborg also got 100 Dollars.  And then Axel got 100 Dollars which he was to Distribute to the Mission, and then Laura was to have 25 Dollars of The money Axel got.  But The sum John mentioned in the letter to me was a lot greater.  Tell is if you can Alma.  Who did he send This money to, and who or what was It to be used for do you think?  I’ve spoken with both Axel and Olav as well as Laura but none of them has said anything about it to us, other than Olav mentioning once that he thought Axel had accepted, or that he had received some money from John.  Well, That could be, and if Axel has gotten It, then That’s fine.  But if It was to be distributed, either to the Mission or somebody else, we too would like to have known about It.  I assume your Mother was told, what the money that John sent was to be used for.  Oh well dear Alma.  This just between You and us.  Hanna my wife is of course also interested in her brother’s Beneficence.  Well send us a few words, if you have time, please  Also say hello to Your dear Mother from us.  Everyone here greets You and we wish that things will go well for You all, and that You’ll stay healty for the Day’s battle and toil for as long as It’s God’s will that You shall be here.  Had a letter from my sister Bergljot a few days ago.  She says that our sister Marie has had a Stroke incident, but that she’s better again now.

Well goodbye then our dear Alma and let us not forget eachother.

Regards from all three of us

Hanna, Gusta and Edvard.  

Dell Rapids 3-16-48

Kjere onkel og Tante Eidum

Ja nu skal Jeg svare paa dit brev  Jeg likte ikke at svare paa det  som Jeg sa til mor om Jeg sa dere sanheden vilde du ikke tro det men nu har Ole skrevet til mor første gang isit liv at hun skal skrive paa at dem kan gaa paa Stjørdalen spare bank og ta ud pengene som der er i John navn og sente et avskrift af brev som John skrev Axel July 8-1946 hvor han sir han sente 200. Daler til Stjørdalen bank og agtet at sende mere nu og da og om ikke han dra pengene selv saa skulde dem deles ligt mellem hans 4 søskend ligedele, senere ved.  Jeg (mangler det et ord her?) han sa at Conrads kone og Markus kone ogsaa skulle ha i ære af Markus og Conrad og det tror Jeg han skrev til Axel da Axel skrev til han at du glemte Olava og John sa det mente Jeg ikke paa  men Det er mere end 200. Daler og mor signer ikke noget for Ole at gaa paa banken efter før hun faar høre fra Banken hvad summen er der  du spør om John har ordnet det slik at Jeg ska faa noget for hvad Jeg har gjort for at hjelpe dem her. men nei, Alma skal intet ha.  Da huset her ska gaa for at betale tilbage en del af di penger som mor sin søstersøn sente hjem fra krigen og det er ikke mere end ret, men synes du at det var ret at John sente ale pengene til norge.  Ja Ole har sagt dig at John sat fint naar han var her i America.  Ja mor havde da faat en del penger fra sin far og da tog John af dem og sente efter Ole og saa begynte han støre forretning  han hade smie shop før.  Ja dete kune Jeg si mere om men det er ikke nødvendigt.  men naar døden komer kan man ikke stike livet ilomen og bede døden gaa til koss forstaar du.  Jeg tror knaft at den blir nogen velsignels til nogen naar man gjør det paa en uret maade.  Jeg vil ikke at Tante Hannah skal bli bedrøvet af dete stakkers hende som er daarlig og stakkers Laura  det ser ud for at hun og guten hakes paa af Ole  Jeg tog foto af kisten  haaber di har faat.  Jeg forstaar ikke hvor for Ole skulde gaa paa Banken der da Axel var den som skulde bestile dete.  mor sa kan du faa vide fra Banken hvor meget er der.  Det er skam.  hun fik penge flere gange fra sin far men nu ska hun intet ha  hvad som helst var godt nok til mor  Jeg har kjøbt hendes kler i 24 aar  du skulde set madrasen paa sengen hun har ligget paa.  Jeg vilde kjøbe en men nei det var godt nok sa John  nu har hun min seng og lige i  stakkers mor er gamel og daarlig  hvorfor skulde hun ikke ha det godt den tid hun har tilbage  John sa han angret meget som han hade gjort, han sa Jeg har veret styg.  Det var noget at tenke paa i di siste timer. og saa som han plages og pintes dise siste uger iser di siste 3 uger.  Det var saa trist at se paa.  svar du nu er du snil  Jeg ska inte si om dete og det trenger heler ikke du

Hilsen fra mor og Alma

Jeg skrev dig om Marie slag, du fik vist ikke brevet mit

Dell Rapids 3-16-48

Dear uncle and Aunt Eidum

I’m going to reply to your letter  I didn’t like to reply to it  like I said to mother if I told you the truth you wouldn’t believe it but now Ole has written to mother first time in his life that she must sign so that they can go to Stjørdalen savings bank and take out the money that is there in John name and sent a transcript of a letter that John wrote Axel July 8-1946 where he says he sent 200. Dollars to Stjørdalen bank and was going to send more now and again and if he doesn’t withdraw the money himself it was to be divided equally between his 4 siblings the same, later on. I (a word missing?) he said that Conrad’s wife and Markus’ wife also were to have some in honor of Markus and Conrad and I think he wrote that to Axel when Axel wrote to him that you forgot Olava and John said I didn’t mean to but there’s more than 200. Dollars and mother is not signing anything for Ole to go to the bank for until she finds out from the Bank what the sum is there  you ask if John has arranged it so that I’ll get something for what I’ve done to help them here. but no, Alma gets nothing.  This house will go in order to pay back part of the money that my mother’s sister’s son sent home from the war and that’s only right, but do you think it was right that John sent all the money to norway.  Well Ole has said to you that John was doing well when he was here in America.  Yes mother had received some money from her father then and then John took some of it and sent for Ole and then he started a bigger shop  he had a blacksmith shop before.  Well I could say more about this but it’s not necessary.  but when death comes you can’t stick life in your pocket and tell death to go away you understand.  I hardly think there’s any blessing for anyone when it’s done in a way that’s not right.  I don’t want Aunt Hanna to become sad about this poor her who’s unwell and poor Laura  it looks like she and the boy are being picked on by Ole  I took a picture of the coffin  hope you’ve received it.  I don’t understand why Ole went to the Bank there when Axel was the one who was to take care of this.  mother said can you find out from the Bank how much is there.  It’s shameful.  she got money several times from her father but now she’s to have nothing  anything at all was good enough for mother  I’ve been buying her clothes for 24 years  you should have seen the mattress on the bed she’s been lying on.  I wanted to buy one but no it was good enough John said  now she has my bed to lie in  poor mother is old and unwell  why should she not be comfortable in the time she has left  John said he regretted a lot of things he had done, he said I’ve been mean. That was something to think about in the last hours. and how he suffered and was tormented these last weeks especially the last 3 weeks.  It was so sad to watch.  please reply  I wont say anything about this and you don’t need to either

Best wishes from mother and Alma

I wrote you about Marie stroke, you must not have gotten my letter