Elsie Holtan, HOLTAN FAMILY HISTORY 1950, and from the Washburn newspaper, December, 1934,
with additions by Phil Holtan and Kathy Holtan Wilner
b. Dec. 9, 1869, Forest City, Winnebago County, Iowa, d. Nov. 26, 1934, Washburn, McLean County, North Dakota
Miss Elsie Holtan was born Dec. 9, 1869, near Forest City, Iowa and died Nov. 26, 1934, at the Bismarck Hospital where she had been a patient about five weeks. She had been ill all summer. Her death was due to heart trouble. She lived with her parents near Forest City, Iowa, until her parents moved to their homestead in McLean County, North Dakota, (more correctly, Dakota Territory) in the spring of 1886. Elsie was left as a housekeeper for her brothers, Thomas, Ole, and Henry, on the home farm in Iowa. Since Henry was only 12 years old and she was only 17, she was obviously a precocious and responsible person, and so were Henry and their brothers.
The next spring her brother Ole went to North Dakota to help his father with the farm work. In 1887 her oldest brother, Halvor, married and moved to Iowa, and Elsie and her brother, Engebrigt, came to Washburn, N. Dak., to take Halvor’s place and help their parents on the new farm. There was a lot of work to do and Elsie also helped the neighbors when she could get away from home. In the fall of the year, many of the neighbor ladies needed help when the threshers came and Elsie was a good cook. At one time while cooking for threshers at a bachelor’s place, he made the remark that “It had never cost him so little and had so many good things to eat as when Elsie did the cooking for his threshers.”
In 1900, the census finds Elsie, age 30, living on the farm, with her fatehr Hans, Sarah, 21, Gilbert, 19, and Theodore 17. They also had a servant, or hired man as we would call it later on.
Sometime after 1900 she filed on her own homestead west of Turtle Lake, North Dakota and lived on it long enough to prove on it and which she later sold, but land was so cheap at that time she did not get a good price for it. Her mother died July 6, 1906.
In the census of 1910, we find Elsie, age 41, with her father Hans, and her brother, Theodore, age 24 there on the farm. Theodore must have been taking a break from medical school. Sarah and Thomas Grothe and their children lived right next door, and we even find Iowa cousins Gilbert and Bennie Tweeten with the Grothe’s, both listed as servants and farm hands.
Elsie Holtan was housekeeper for her father, Hans Holtan, until he sold the farm in 1911. After that she made her home with her sister, Sarah, Mrs. Thomas Grothe, who had married in 1905 and by this time had 4 little children. She also spent some time at her brother’s place near Forest City, Iowa. We believe that was with Thomas, on Hans Holtan’s original home place. Otherwise, she stayed at her sister’s place as she needed her help having a family of small children.
Her father made his home there also, when he was not with his sons in Iowa. He was in poor health after his first stroke. In 1915 he had the last stroke and died at the age of 81 on Oct. 2, 1915. Her sister, Sarah, Mrs. Thomas Grothe, died in 1918 of influenza and childbirth after the birth of twins. One died but one little girl lived. Then Elsie took care of the little girl, Serene, who needed special care, and five of the other Grothe children, four under twelve years of age. The next few years were hard on Elsie but she was always so patient.
In the 1920 census Elsie, age 50, is living on Willow Street in Washburn, a rental property, with Thomas Grothe and family. Her occupation is listed as a cook for wages or salary.
In June, 1925, Thomas Grothe remarried and moved to Wilton, N. Dak. They had been living in Elsie’s home in Washburn. It was during this time that the youngest Grothe child, Serene, with some severe handicaps, was moved to the Grafton State School, where she died at age 16. Records show she died in January 1934 at Grafton, Walsh County, North Dakota. It’s possible that Thomas’ new wife, Olive Olson, found the care of Serene too much to handle at home.
The 1930 census lists Elsie’s age as 61; she was born in December of 1869, I suppose it depends on when they are doing census work. By now she is living on her own in a rented house on “Jenel” Street in Washburn. She has her niece Alvina Grothe living with her along with 8 lodgers. One of those lodgers was her nephew Arthur Grothe, brother of Alvina. Of the 8 lodgers in her house, two were women and the rest men. Quite a houseful!!
Elsie sold the house (or was it rented?) and rented an apartment over her brother Martin’s store in Washburn. (She also provided some care to Martin and Amanda’s son, Orville, who would have been 7 years old in 1930). This apartment provided a place for her to go when not visiting her folks. Her health had begun to fail so she needed to remain at home more. She enjoyed having her sister’s children come to see her. They were all taking care of themselves by this time.
Elsie’s health was failing her faster than before. In the spring, she came to stay with her brother, Ole, on the farm. After a while the doctor told her to go to the hospital, staying there for a short term before returning home. Sometime later she was again taken to the hospital for an operation. While she recuperated from this, she suffered a slight stroke from which she did not recover and passed away Nov. 26, 1934. Burial was in Sverdrup Cemetery beside her mother and father. She truly gave her life in the care of others.