A Smörgåsbord of Stories
Marilynn Louise Norenberg passed away peacefully on May 16, 2023. She was born January 5, 1933 to Frank and Gert Gentzkow in LaMoure, ND. After graduating from high school, Marilynn completed a one-year teaching certificate at Valley City State Teacher’s College (VCSTC). The next year … read more
Mother’s Day, May 14, 2023. I’m sitting next to my mother’s bed; she is dying. I love you, mom. Hospice and mom’s care team are guiding my family through mom’s final journey on this earth. It is a time to reflect on her strengths, remember … read more
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cass Lake, Minnesota retains all of their original record books. The first volume/register provides a history of the church by listing members, baptisms, confirmands, marriages, communicants, deaths and pastoral sermon topics. Lutherans believe that there are two sacraments, rites that are … read more
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cass Lake, Minnesota was formally organized in 1902 as part of Die [Deutsche] Evang.-Lutherische Synode von Minnesota und anderen Staaten – the [German] Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Minnesota and Other States. This synod would eventually become part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri … read more
Because I’ve been researching my family for over 30 years, I have most of the names and dates added to my charts. So, now I focus my attention on discovering more stories about my ancestors. Years ago, newspapers were the social media of choice. The … read more
Julius Neils was a successful Minnesota lumberman. With westward extension of the railroad, he set up an additional sawmill operation in Cass Lake. In 1899, Mr. Neils purchased town lots for a church, school and parsonage. The house of worship Mr. Neils built was Immanuel … read more
Konstantin Nörenberg (1889-1955) came to America in 1909. In order to find information about his birth, I took a clue from his original Confirmation certificate. Confirmation Konstantin Nörenberg born 11 December 1889 baptized [blank] Confirmed 25 April 1904 at _________ Church of Elisabethpol Dated … read more
During most of my life, my paternal grandparents, Mae Lydick (1910-2003) and Otto Norenberg (1911-1997), lived in the same house on the west shore of Cass Lake. Because of the attractiveness of their property, my family did not take sightseeing vacations; we went to Grandma … read more
My great grandmother, Bertha Arndt Norenberg (1893-1970) came to America in 1910 and married Konstantin “Charlie” Nörenberg seven months later. At Christmastime, great grandma always made cabbage rolls. These wonderful-smelling packets of wintertime warmth are a Norenberg tradition. My family calls them galishkys [gah-LISH-keys]. … read more
Christmas memories and traditions are different for each of us. For me, my favorite part of Christmas is decorating the tree with my grandmother’s crocheted snowflakes. Mary Mae Lydick Norenberg My Grandma Mae was born May 1, 1910 to Susan Roy and Horace “H.S” … read more