Conversation: Reminiscing About Edwin Oscar Statland with a Grandchild of Edwin’s wife. June 2013
Conversation: Reminiscing About Edwin Oscar Statland with a Grandchild of Edwin’s wife. June 2013
Link the the original page of Ole and Lena (Edwin’s Parents)
Link to the Jesmer Family page
Link to Harvey and Alice Jesmer’s page (Edwin’s sister)
Link to Michail Statland’s page (Edwin’s Grandfather)
The children of Ole and Lena Statland
Documents of Ole and Lena Statland
Advertising from Wildrose North Dakota 1910’2 to 1920′s
“Edwin Statland is not related by blood, but by his loving care of me since infancy. See my Father, is step son to Edwin. But Edwin was the loving theocratic father and Grandfather (patriarch) to a very large family on my grandmother’s side. Edwin was the epi-center of our lives. We all looked up to Grandpa…He led all of us with kindness, understanding direction. When we lost him, it had a profound effect on our family.. Maybe one day I will expand…
All can say, is my grandparent memory burns very brightly in my mind and heart, and I hope to welcome them in the resurrection..
It is so wonderful to have this pleasant surprise and to know persons of my Grandfathers side. I would like to know more of Alice and Arthur…At first I thought Arthur was my grandfather. He looks so much like him. When I saw the photo of him as a young man, it made sense why my grandmother fell in love with him. What also made sense is that they were farmers…My grandfather was a very rugged hard working man (building maintenance). Very few older folks in their 50s 60s could do such hard word. As a matter of fact, the residence of that building he maintained were older folks with canes and walkers. But they were younger than my grandfather…Unfortunately a condition called sleep apnea (not known then) distressed his heart at night and caused three heart attacks…The third of which took his life.”
“I know some things about Edwin. I know that that he was the first in the family to convert to the Jehovah Witness faith. He converted my grandmother Alice. Alice had 6 kids. 2 of them continue in the same faith. (My aunt and uncle) Arthur was never married. He later farmed around Wadena Saskatchewan. Young Edwin was born on 3/34/1910 in Wildrose North Dakota. His family moved from Norway to PopeCountyMN to farm. His dad was also a blacksmith. Then, around 1900’s they moved to near Wildrose North Dakota to farm. They were Lutheran. In 1926 they moved up to Wadena Saskatchewan to farm. in 1930 Edwin farmed his own land. In the 1940’s he moved to the USA. He spent some time in an internment camp as a conscientious objector to WW11. He graduated from GileadCollege in 1950. Edwin’s mom suffered from mental illness, my dad thinks it is due to stress from the hardships of farm living during the depression and the dust bowl days. She ended up living in a really bad mental health facility in Saskatchewan and dying of TB. Edwin moved out to New York and the Jehovah Witness organization sent him to Nicaragua as a missionary when he 50. There is met Olga and married Olga in 1958. They moved back to New York in the 1960’s and worked in building maintenance. Alice had a twin that died in infancy. She had 6 kids. My dad is the oldest. She met my grandfather as she worked as a maid in his father’s house. I don’t think there was not much communication with family. Edwin’s father, Ole was a quiet old man. I know that Magne went to Edwin’s funeral. Maybe that is where you met him.”
“Wow! You’ve told me more in the short emails about the Statland family than my Grandfather has ever talked about cumulatively. But like his father, Grandpa was such a quiet person… I guess it runs in the family. I do remember him and Magne would sit in the living room for hours and say nothing, or very little… As a child I figured it was because they were just watching the Yankee games or news, but never said anything… Actually Magne would stay for weeks at a time. He would join us at the meetings. And yes, how did you know about Gilead?, I do remember how the friends in the JW organization mentioned how Grandpa was incarcerated for defending the faith. There were so many things I (and others) admired about him…. I have many stories to tell.”
“Edwin looks very happy in the pic. I only saw pictures of him not smiling. Magne was very quiet too. If Edwin did not marry Olga when he older, all three boys would not have married. Arthur was a single man. Magne was a single man. Magne was known to work hard and read fiction books until 2 AM. Arthur also died of a heart attack. I asked my dad, “Why didn’t these men marry?” My person theory is that their mom’s mental illness may have had something to do about it. Their father, Ole was known to be a very quiet man. My dad told me about Gilead. He is the one who summarized Edwin’s history. My dad, Ted, is Alice’s oldest son. There were six kids born to Alice. The only Statlands left belong to descendants of John Statland, Edwin’s Uncle. He raised his family in Saskatchewan. He had ten kids. They are in Western Canada. Alice married my grandfather, Harvey Jesmer. Their descendants are all across western Canada.
“Yes Grandpa was a jolly fellow. Always made you feel good about yourself. I did notice smiles were not common in those photos. They lived a hard life. Their mother probably just suffered from depression. Apparently those were very hard years. Her sons may deemed marriage too great a personal cost…Who knows? But I will tell you my Grandmother said she practically had to twist my grandfathers arm to marry her… She said they were courting for some time… She then put her foot down gave him an ultimatum and threaten to move on as she was not getting any younger…He acquiesced…LOL 🙂 My grandmother is a firm fiery personality, had it not been for that, Grandpa probably would have remained single.”
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