As told to Caroline Clemmons
Thank you for inviting me to talk to you
today. I want to tell you about my brilliant son, Levi Iverson. First, I’d
better give you a little background on the family.
My name is Ellvita Iverson. My husband
Haakon and I grew up in Norway. It’s a beautiful country and I’m sure you’d
love it there. We were happy growing up
there, but we longed for an easier life with our own land and winters that were
not so harsh.
Haakon was best friends with my brother,
Gustav Nilson. Haakon and Gustav decided they would come to America. In fact,
Gustav’s wife Frieda and I agreed that was a good plan. We had heard about
Texas and that many other Norwegians were moving there. When we booked our
passage, Levi had just turned four and his sister Ingrid was two.
You may think we were crazy to travel so far with such small children, but we could hardly wait to get to our new home. Ach, we were young and didn’t realize the dangers or hardships we’d encounter. My Haakon is so smart and strong and such a good man, I knew I could trust him to find us a place. Gustav and Frieda had no children, and doted on Levi and Ingrid.
Haakon and Gustav understood quite a bit of English and spoke a little. Frieda and I didn’t. The only places we could find to live at first were little more than shacks. Eventually, we were able to homestead adjoining farms. What a great day that was! Levi was able to start school. Such a smart boy he was. That’s not just a mother’s opinion. His teachers were proud of him, too.
Levi always helped Haakon whenever he could, but, but he didn’t enjoy farming. Haakon understood and Levi found a job near our farm working for a blacksmith. He worked hard, but he said he enjoyed the challenges. When he decided to continue as a blacksmith and opened his own smithy in Harrigan Springs, he was only nineteen. He also repaired guns as he learned from my brother, and soon purchased the local livery stable. Unknown to most people, he continued to buy up property—homes and businesses. I’m so proud to say that he was generous to everyone with whom he did business. He had rental property, but he remembered the terrible place we lived when we first came here. He vowed he would never take advantage of anyone. He has become a community leader in Harrigan Springs, Texas.
That brings me up to the point where he met a lovely girl. She is perfect for Levi, though he had his doubts at first. She had come to town as the mail order bride for someone else, but she refused to marry the awful man. I’m sure you’ll agree, if you read their story. It’s available at Amazon and is free in Kindle Unlimited.
The
link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZDT6Q1J
Stay safe and keep reading!
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