Ingeborg (Sigdestad) Skaare
Ingeborg Sigdestad was born on July 23, 1856
in Opstryn, Nordfjord, Norwey — parents Sakarias and Synneve Sigdestad. She
emigrated with her parents, one sister, and three brothers, arriving in
Montevideo, Minn, the spring of 1881.
On January 4, 1882, she was married to Iver Skaare at Granite Falls, Minnesota. Here I’ll mention an interesting feature about the ceremony. A Lutheran Pastor could not be found and as love could not wait, a Justice of the. Peace performed the ceremony with all dignity, in the English language, entirely foreign to the bride and groom, but in all good faith the Service was accepted and proved binding. In later years I well remember Aunt Ingeborg mention this fact about their marriage ceremony in a language they did not understand, with a great deal of humor. Their wedding gifts were a second hand coffee pot, a pair of used flat irons.
They lived in Yellow Medicine County until the spring of 1884 when they too developed the fever to move to new regions—with their possessions in a covered wagon and team of oxen, one cow, 2 roosters and one hen, and few household utensils set their course for Dakota. After a journey of ten days with their 10 month old baby, they came to Lynn Twp and stayed for a while in a dugout on the land owned by Alfred Tofley near Lynn Lake. Later they located their clam five miles west of Lynn Lake. They were the first settlers to the community — their first home was a shack 12 x 14 feet, the outside sod and inside rough boards. This served as parlor, bedroom, dining and kitchen and even accommodated strangers seeking homes on the prairie.
Mrs. Skaare and baby spent the first summer alone while her husband went back to Minnesota to work, so a little extra money could be earned to tide them over winter. Theses were lonely days for Mrs. Skaare and many tears were shed. They were fortunate in not being molested by Indians - they were scarce, but the prairie fires were a constant worry. The early settlers life was many hardships, but with good health, willing hands and staunch faith in God, they progressed.
To this union were born ten children — 6 girls and 4 sons:
Mr. and Mrs. Skaare were the organizers of Bergen congregation intensely interested in schools and religious instruction for their children and decent community living.
The Skaars enjoyed life together for 56 years. On Jan 4, 1932, their relatives and friends of Bergen congregation feted their Golden wedding Anniversary.
Mrs. Skaare spent all her life on the homestead she labored to establish and passed away on July 15, 1943, age 86, and burial was in the Bergen Ch. Her husband preceded her death by 2 veers.