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Johanna Torina Ylvisaker Jordahl

Born in 1871, she was the sixth of the seven children and the younger of two sisters of NTY and Bestemor. She grew up in the parsonage at the Lands Church parsonage before moving to the Erstad farm in 1879 after her father died. She was known as Hannah in the family and it is likely that she early had responsibilities in watching over her slightly younger brother, Nikkel, and in lending considerable help to her mother. She went to parochial and public schools, learned the piano, and did some instruction on the instrument.

A glimpse into her young adulthood is found in a letter to her brother Olaf from a Luther classmate of his when Olaf was in California looking to recover from tuberculosis. The letter offers some details of a get- together of Luther boys in Minneapolis in 1889. Her brother Ivar would be there for the occasion as he had been driven away from home by the scarlet fever, others were to include “Kittlesby” and “Jordahl”. Hannah and the hired girl were invited for an evening visit and, ignoring the quarantine and yellow card on the wall, came. According to the letter writer, “Hannah had been enclosed for a week and not allowed to mingle in society and by then she felt kind of lonesome I think because she is a girl that can enjoy some fun once in a while. About all the students are more or less, especially more, stuck on her and I think she has had a very pleasant time”

Johanna was married to Daniel Jordahl in 1893. He had been the minister in a Norway Lake church for twelve years when she died. In their twelve years of marriage she had borne him seven children. They were as follows.

Dagmar Kirstine Leikvold, born 1893

Esther Hortensia, born 1895

Harald Conrad, born 1897

Verner Trygve, born 1898

Christian Scriver, born 1900

Nils Ylvisaker, born 1902

Helga Solveig, born 1904

She is a sympathetic figure in our history - a true mother of her era. In her married years she was isolated some 180 miles from her Minnesota family and, it seems, she had to rely on visitors - her older sister for example, and on her sister-in-law Marie. Moreover her husband often traveled out of town tending to the Lord’s business and not so much on his family business.

She was devoted to her mother in particular – writing to her faithfully, and poignantly when she came to her final days.

Jordahl took a second wife in 1906 and, to his credit, maintained contact with Bestemor. He had a full career in Norway Lake and a subsequent parish in Iowa.

-DY