Grandma Sundby

By Jeanette Hoppes of Fergus Falls

Grandma left Norway at the age of 17. Her two brothers wanted her to come and live with them while they proved their lot and built a house on it. She was to cook and keep the place clean.

During the trip from Norway, Grandma had a basket with dried fish and some crackers. She had to guard it because others did not bring food. She was riding in the basement of an animal truck. It was dark, didn’t smell good, people died, had babies, and got sick. It took three years to get up north so she could meet her brothers and go home with them.

To prove his lot, he had to build a house on the place. Grandma was to cook and clean house. It took many years to accomplish that.

When she was done, she went to work making meals for the people who made the rules. There, she met grandpa who was attending a school about farming. Grandma met and married him and later moved to the farm with him, where she made liquor outside the house for the men who worked. She had the reputation for the best liquor in the area.