Bayfield County WIGenWeb

Hanson 50th Wedding Reenactment

Contributed by Zoe Lappin

WEDDING REENACTMENT
IRON RIVER COUPLE WEDDED FIFTY YEARS

Mr. and Mrs. Elias Hanson Round out Half Centuryof Connubial Bliss and Friends Join Relatives in Celebrating Happy Event.

Mrs. and Mrs. Elias Hanson, who have resided in Iron River for 36 of the 50 years of their wedded life, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary this week. Many relatives and friends had gathered here from distant points to be present at the formal party given in their honor at the Odd Fellows Hall on Tuesday evening, and it was SOME party, judged by all local standards.

Dancing started in the ball room at 9 o'clock and just before 12 o'clock the grand march took place, led Mr. and Mrs. Hanson, whose postures were erect and whose tread showed little signs of faltering despite their advanced ages. That was the last event before the wedding supper, which took place in the dining hall on the second floor. Following the supper, the guests again repaired to the ball room, where the wedding ceremony of fifty years ago in far-off Helgaland, Norway, was reenacted and Mrs. and Mrs. Hanson, with Rev. Clyde Case officiating, pledged anew their love and fealty, forsaking all others, until death doth them part. At the conculsion of the ceremony, the principles wee roundly cheered after which H.O. Lund, Geo L. Pettingill, Alfred and Albert Johnson and M.C. Helmer passed along to the "newlyweds" an assortment of verbal "bouquets" which were sincere tributes to these most worthy and highly respected citizens.

On behalf of the relatives and friends, a purse of $100 in gold was presented to the couple by P.J. Savage, and Mr. Hanson responded expressing the deep gratitude which he and Mrs. Hanson left for the kindess, thoughtfulness and generosity exhibited by friends and relatives, and that his emotion ran deep was qite apparent.

At this juncture one of the most pleasing events of the whole evening took place. A choir sang the verses and the audience, under the direction of Mrs. M. C Helmer, sang the "Golden Wedding Day" with pe and vim. The leaky roof noted that evening in te hall may not have been caused by the vibration of the vocal organs but there are some who "allowed" that such might have been the case.

Elias Hanson and Ingeborg Johnson were born in Norway, the former at Overhalden on April 4, 1848, and the latter at Glbrandalen, on Oct. 8, 1860. They were married on Dec. 22, 1877, at MosJan, in the district of Helgeland, Norway, and five years later came over to America, the land of opportunity, and picked Woodville, this state, as the spot to construct that "castle" that most invariably is pictured on normal youth's imagination. "Taht, of course, was before Iron "River was on the map, so they were not so much to blame so much for not finding Iron "River until John Pettingill put it officially on the map some ten years later.

Mr. Hanson followed various avocations in life, but he didn't jump around in a flighty way by any means, for he followed lumbering for 10 years, was section boss on the South Shore line for a number of years, and farmed for 16 years. Mr. Hanson naively remarked that he has not done anything for the past two years and that he never lived so well in all his life.

Mr. and Mrs. Hanson have six living children and eight grandchildren, and all were present witht the excepion of one son, Alvin, who is located at Scappoose, Oregon, and who was unable to come.

Those from out of town who attended were: Mrs. and Mrs. H.J. Weiland and family, of Virginia, Minn." Mrs. and Mrs. Geo. O. cooper, Mrs. and Mrs. Elmer Hanson and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hagen, of Duluth Minn.; Miss Emma Carlson, of Coleraine, Minn.; and Mr. and Mrs. John Randall, of Woodville, Wis.; Mrs. and Mrs. Christionson, of South Range, Mrs. Hazel Nyquist, of Sperior, Wis.; Mrs. Vic Lukanovic, Chicago; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Carter, Wakefield, Mich.; Art Brown, Fargo, North Dakota.

From Iron River and vicinity were: Messrs. and Mesdames Harry Olson, Emil Johnson, Emil Hanson, John Nelson, N.O. Shulstad, John Fuhrmann, Harry Dahl, Christ Field, Ole Olson, C.R. Miller, L.A. Mineau, John Mulloy, Geo. H. Dargie, Peter Erickson,William Klino, J. H. Fitzpatrick, John Hicks, G.L. Pettingill, A.G. Johnson, T.F. Mackmiller, John Johnson, H.O. Lund, Roland Mellon, Frank J. Yeakey, Louis Swanson, A.E. Johnson, P.J. Savage, Thos. J. Lavin, Earl Carrick, M.C. Helmer.

Mesdames Anna Lundberg, Bert Peterson, F.X. Rocheleau, Jane Cunning, Leo Mitchell, C. Mellon, P.C. Knapp, Carlson, Oscar Olson family, James Fisher and daughters Marge and Doris, Chas. Diamond, Grace Wells, Wm. Fox.

Misses Estther Olson, Clara Corigan, Leolla Mellon, Georgia Pettingill, Lylith Lund, Emy Mollenhoff, Lottie Knapp, Virginia Tarter, M. Johnson, Fenella Daniels, Celia Taylor, Janet Froling, Florence Dahl.

Messrs. Otto Skyberg, Alfred Johnson, Miles McNeil, Jack MacRae, Wm. Kongstvedt, Vern Knapp, Loche Lund, Karl Kopplin, Byron Ripley, G.A. Herman, Leonard Froling, Merrill Anderson, Edward Daniels, Jr.

Among the messages of congratulation received by Mr. and Mrs. Hanson was a telegram from their son, Alvin, and his wife, Barbara, of Scappoose, Oregon, and another one signed by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Swanson, Mr. and Mrs. M. Stockey and Miss Clara Wilson, of Virginia, Minn., all former residents of this city.

The Iron River Pioneer Thursday, December 29, 1927

NOTE: The place in Norway where the orginal ceremony took place is spelled Helgaland, and Helgeland in the original newspaper article. In the list of guests from Iron River is "Carlson" with no first name or initials.