A Brief History of the BEAR CREEK COMMUNITY, Mower County, Minnesota Part 2 of 5 On the third Sunday in June, 1856, Rev. C. L. Clausen held the first Lutheran Church service in this same house and organized the Bear Creek Lutheran Church. Rev. Clausen presided and Gulik Dalen acted as Secretary. Ole Finhart and Ole Simonsen were elected trustees. It is right to remark here that Gulik Erlandsen Dalen had at this time arrived in the settlement as it is seen he was present at this church meeting. Gulik Dalen's family at this time was his wife, Kari Syversdatter Kirkeberg Moen, from Bang, Aurdal South. Gulik was born on the Gaard Bruflat, Etenedalen, Aurdal South. With Gulik was his aged father Erland Bruflat. The Dalen family had for some time lived in Dane County, Wisconsin and from there moved directly to Bear Creek in the early spring of 1856. Other families and individuals also came this same early spring and summer, namely, Ole Froland, (Florand) born in Telemarken, Norway, and his wife, Martha, and child Ragnhild, born Oxnaberg, Voss, Norway, and Jonas Nelsen Berg, born Etnedalen, Aurdal South, and two daughters, Ragnhild and Kirstin, and his wife. Marit Halvorsdatter Milevandet, Bang, Aurdal South. Early in the spring of 1855, before Rev. Clausen visited Bear Creek, Ole Finhart decided to get married and wanted to get married by a Lutheran preacher. He with his betrothed, Kari Hovda, started for St. Ansgar, Iowa, to find Pastor Clausen, and with him went Nils Syversen Moen and his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Syversen wanted their first child baptized. The party started across the unsettled prairies in a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen. The first night the party camped on the prairie. The second day they reached Cedar River near St. Ansgar. At this point Ole and Nils left the Women in the wagon and walked over to the parsonage, there to find out that Pastor Clausen was absent from his home in some distant place in Iowa or Minnesota. The parties in their wagon returned and reached their homes. Ole Finhart didn't want to put off his marriage any longer and in his wagon drawn by his oxen he went a long distance into Fillmore County, and there discovered a lawfully qualified Justice of the Peace, by whom Ole and Kari were made lawful husband and wife. We will mention in connection with Ole Finhart's marriage history that he and his wife were the first couple married in the Bear Creek Settlement and perhaps the first in Mower County. Finhart came to America in the year 1848, had acquired a fair common school education in Norway and during his residence in Wisconsin he attended an American English school. With these qualifications he was the natural leader in the settlement and a staunch supporter of the Lutheran Church. In the War of the Rebellion, he served in the First Minnesota Battery and in 1872 was a member of the House of Legislature of Minnesota. As already mentioned an additional number of persons came to Bear Creek in the spring of 1855. These were Halvor Olsen Klastolen and wife, Johanna, and with them a sister of Halvor Klastolen, name Kjersti; all of these were born in Etnedalen, Aurdal South, and Christen Tuff, born West Slidre, Valdres, and his wife, Anna, born Lier, Norway; and Nils Nelsen Haugerstuen, born Aurdal North and his wife Anne, -her birthplace is unknown. Aslak Knudsen Aamot also came in the spring of 1855. In 1856 came Halvor Johannesen Vig, (Week) and wife Jorand born Haugerstuen, and children, Johannes, Siri, Ragnhild and Kari, all born Aurdal north. Together with the Week family came Ole Lunde, Nils Lunde, Peder Huset, Gulbrand Renna, and Anders Torhaug, all from Aurdal north. All the persons as arrivals in 1856 came to the Bear Creek settlement on Sunday, the 22nd of June of said year. By memory it will be stated that on this Sunday, the 22nd of J une, the first regular Lutheran Church service was held in the settlement by Rev. C. L. Clausen, and on this same day the church was organized. The service and organization meeting was held in the house of Ole Simonson Jobraaten. At this first church service, six children were baptized. Names as follows: Gunhild, daughter of Nils and Elen Syversen, born Nov.2, 1854, and Marit, born March 6, 1856; Ole, son of Ole and Kari Finhart, born April 10, 1856; Joseph, son of Chresten and Anne Tuf, born ? Anne, daughter of Hans and Ragnhild Andersen ( Gamlemoen ) .and Engebret, son of Amund and Marit Johnson Lindelien. The date of the organization of school district No. 28 is not known to the writer, but this can be found in the records in Austin, but part of the deed given for the school house ground is in the writer's possession, and bears date the 17th day of January, 1859. and signed by Ole and Liv Simonsen and certified to by Walthr S. Booth, Justice of the Peace. The land contained one half acre and situated in the SE 1/4, Section 5, Town 103, Range 14. On this ground the school house was built--the writer thinks during 1857. Minnesota was yet a territory. The house was built by voluntary work. The men of the settlement each brought a certain number of logs, squared and hewed and then fitted them into the building. The house from foundation with walls, roof and furniture included was all completed by free and voluntary contribution. The settlers built the house for school and temporary church meetings and for many years it was so used. About 10 rods east of the school house and little to the south of a due east line, a graveyard privilege was granted or donated to the Church Association by Ole Simonsen, and the first person buried in this cemetery was Anders Torhaug who died from overexertion trying to drive a pair of young steers. This accident occurred on the old trail east of Ole Finhart's home and about 80 rods due west of the present Bear Creek church. Halvor Week and Torhaug came together through the grove, but Torhaug's steers forced him faster forward than Week could ordinarily walk, and when Week caught up to Torhaug's team and wagon, Torhaug lay unconscious by the roadside. Mr. Week brought water from the creek near by and did his best to revive him, but he expired without regaining consciousness. The second person buried here was Erland Bruflat, father of Gulik Erlandsen Bruflat. The family adopted the name Dalen at the time becoming citizen of the United States. In 1864, Ole Simonsen died and was buried in this graveyard, and before it was abondoned for the new cemetery about the Bear Creek Church in 1870, it is said by many of the oldest settlers that about 40 persons were buried in this first grave yard. In the fall of 1856 came to Bear Creek, J ohn Amundsen Lindelien, born Hedalen, Aurdal South, and wife, Beret Knudsdaughter born Bang, Aurdal South, and with them were the following named children: Thora, Ole, Gulik, and Gunhild. We will note here that Thora Lindelien became the wife of Aslak Knudsen Aamodt, and Gunhild the wife of Dr. 0. W. Anderson of Rochester, Minnesota. She was generally known by the name Julia Johnson and married by this name. John Amundsen Lindelien moved to Bear Creek from Springdale, Wis. During this year 1856, came Anna Oxnaberg, born Voss Norway and her son Torgeir. She became the wife of Syver Olsen Skalshaugen. She was a sister of Martha, Mrs. Ole Florand. In 1857 came Helge Johnson and wife Barbra, from Wisconsin. Helge was born Aurdal North on farm named Odegaarden. In the summer of 1858 came from Norway, Amund Finhart and his sister, Sigrid, born Bang; Aurdal, So., and Ole Sorflaten and wife Olia, and a boy child, name Ole. With this last named family came Anders Halvorsen Milevandet and wife, Olia, born Finhart. These two families were born in Bang, Aurdal, South. After the log school house was built the settlement had visits .now and then, irregularly, from one pastor, Jensen, preacher in charge of Highland, Fillmore County, Minnesota, and one Rev. Fredriksen, a peculiar character who traveled from settlement to settlement clad and wrapped in sheepskin, and by his peculiar appearance he was generally known as the sheepskin (Skinfeld) preacher. In May, 1858 came Rev. A. C. Preus to Rock Dell, upon request from St. Olaf's church, to conduct church service and announcement was communicated to Bear Creek people informing them if they wished to have any ministerial business administered, they were invited to come to this church meeting. Most all the settlement people of Bear Creek went to Rock Dell and brought with them many children to be baptized and eight to be confirmed. The meeting was held under a 1arge oak tree on Golberg's farm. The writer will remark it was on the senior Golberg's farm--the father of the large Golberg family. Here Beret Simonsen and Simonsen, children of Ole Simonsen Jobraaten; Siri and Ragnhild Week, daughters of Halvor Week, Engebret and Gudrid, children of Ole Olsen Hovda, Sr., and Gunhild and Gulik, children of John Amundsen Lindelien, were all examined in their religious knowledge and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. The writers will remark as a leading direction for future information that the girls in this confirmation class in time became the wives of men as follows: Beret Simonsen, married Hermand Hovda; Siri Week, Lars G. Hanson-Modalen-; Ragnhild Week, wife of Ole Johnson Lindelien; Guri Hovda, wife of Ole Jorgens, and Gunhild Johnson, wife of Dr. 0. W. Andersen of Rochester, Minnesota. How many children were baptized at the above described church meeting,is not known except Ole Florand, son of Ole and Martha Florand, but there were several others. In the early part of the summer of 1861, Pastor Jensen, temporary minister of the churches, St. Olaf, Rock Dell and Bear, Creek, held confirmation in Rock Dell and confirmed Syver Simonson Jobraaten, son of Ole Simonsen, Kari Week, daughter of Halvor Week-she became the wife of Hans G. Hansen Modalen; Ragnhild Tuff, daughter of the widow, Beret Tuff who was now a resident in the Bear Creek settlement. Ragnhild Tuff married one Ole Hansen. This couple moved to Lac Qui Parle county, Minnesota. At this writing both are dead many years ago. Anne Sjuru was in this class. She married one Knud Storodden, and Kari, daughter of Jonas Nelsen was married to Engebret Fjeld. They moved to Iowa and at this writing both are dead. The widow, Beret Tuff, as said, was a resident of Bear Creek, and had children, Ragnhild, Ole and a second Ole, Peter, Beret and Anders.