Sadie Jubella Grimland was born to A.C. and Theresa Grimland on November 2, 1894, on a farm in the Gore Community in Hamilton County. She was the oldest of seven children. Being the eldest, she shared more responsibility than the others did, especially as she got older. Sadie was a quiet and unassuming young lady, and these traits stayed with her all of her life. She developed cooking and baking skills at a very young age, and these skills set her apart from the average homemaker. Again, these skills became her reputation throughout her life.

     Sadie met a handsome, friendly, and unassuming young man at the Young People’s Society at church. There was something special between these teenagers from the first moment they met. The society met at the church most of the time, but some times they met at members’ homes. Once the meeting was at the George Knudson home. While there, she was looking through some family photographs. There was a small photo of Conrad, who was hosting the meeting. She took the picture and later placed it in a locket she wore around her neck. She told me that was the only thing she ever stole in her life. She really had feelings for Conrad. Not long after that incident, she said the chain on the locket broke and fell into the fire. She said she felt that was her punishment for taking the photo.

      Sadie and Conrad married on September 6, 1914. She told of the beautiful sunflowers they used as decorations at the reception. The flowers were very large and were abundant that year. She told how her dad, who was the director of the Gap community band, made Conrad play in the band at his own wedding reception. He played a slide trombone.

      Sadie married into a difficult situation. Conrad’s mother, Olena, died shortly after giving birth to Hilda in 1909. George had a very difficult time trying to provide for and raise his son, Molden, and four young daughters, Orelia, Pearl, Tomena and Hilda. After their marriage, Conrad and Sadie chose to move to the Knudson place and raise his younger sisters. As a new bride, she immediately went to work trying to build the kind of relationship needed to care for the girls. The homemaking skills she had learned in her youth suddenly became her survival skills. Sadie once said that when she arrived at the farm, there wasn’t much food to eat and the girls didn’t have many clothes to wear. She soon took care of those problems. Conrad’s brother, Molden, was three years younger. He spent much time with Uncle Hans Hanson until he left for the service in 1918. Before Sadie arrived at the farm, various relatives and friends came and stayed for a time and helped George with the kids.

      One year after moving to the farm Sadie and Conrad had their first child, Tirah, who was born on November 18, 1915. Sadie now was responsible for raising five girls. George, her father-in-law, would spend forty-three years (the rest of his life) living with Conrad and Sadie. Over that many years you know it was tough to have George under foot, but she never complained. She always did what she had to do.

      The year 1918, was a very sad time when the United States entered World War I. Molden left home and enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in France. In 1919, another national tragedy struck the American people. The great influenza epidemic swept the country killing many thousands of people. The Mustang Community was not immune to the epidemic. Sadie felt the need to help the Jermstad family who had been stricken with influenza. While doing her Christian duty, her own family was exposed. When the disease hit the Knudson family, Sadie took Tirah, who was the first to become ill, to her parent’s home at the Gap to be near a doctor. During the time when Tirah was ill, her eighteen-month-old baby brother, A.C., was also stricken and died shortly afterwards. Tirah, only fours years old, battled for her life. Sadie, along with her sister Elsie (who was a nurse), brought Tirah through a touch-and-go battle for her life. Without Elsie’s medical knowledge and caregiving, Tirah would likely have died. These were extremely difficult times that tested Sadie’s endurance, strength, and her Christian faith. Jan and I saw first hand, eighty years after A.C.’s death, that she still showed grief when she talked about the tough times in 1919 and losing her eighteen-month-old son.

      Putting pain and sad memories behind her, Sadie continued the duties of caring for her family. She was a realist. Both good and bad things happen in life, and if either visits you…life goes on. Sadie was not visibly an emotional person and like others of her generation, for the most part, was stoic. Family and friends of Sadie and Conrad knew they were full of love and compassion, even though they did not readily show it.

      Gina Orelia was the first of George’s girls to marry and leave home. She married Waldermar Olson in 1916. Four years later, the family numbers grew by one when Wade Estrem was born in 1920. I’m sure a new baby boy helped ease sad memories. Carroll Jerome came along in 1922. As their family grew, the family also lost members when Pearl Mae married Canute Carlson in 1922, and Tomena married Otto Johnson in 1927.

      In 1927, at the age of 33, another difficult chapter in Sadie’s life was written. Sadie had severe pain in the abdominal area. Dr. Pluneky diagnosed her problem as a “belly ache” and prescribed medicines that aggravated the problem. When she became extremely ill, her sister Elsie (who had earned a medical degree) diagnosed her as having appendicitis. Elsie sent her to Dallas, via railroad baggage car, where Dr. Gene Morris and his wife Edna, a registered nurse, met Sadie at the train station. After weeks of fighting an acute infection and several surgeries that removed several feet of intestines, she survived the gangrenous infection that nearly took her life. If God ever had a plan for someone’s life, there certainly was a plan for Sadie. It could have been a repeat of what happened to Olena in 1909. What made the whole experience so miraculous was that in 1927, sulfa drugs were the most potent medicines doctors had to fight infection. Most people died from similar afflictions during those times. Yes, God did have a plan for her. He returned Sadie to her husband and children, and soon she regained strength and continued her role as a wife and mother. The only remaining sign of that ordeal in Dallas was an abdominal hernia. She learned to live with that day to day.

      Over the years, Dr. Morris and Edna had become good family friends after that first meeting in 1927. They grew to love Conrad and Sadie, and they made frequent visits to the farm to check on Sadie. During this time Dr. Morris was battling cancer. Even though he was ill he still checked on her. Conrad also became Dr. Morris’ patient once when he got gasoline in his lungs and became very sick. Through it all, the friendship continued to grow. Gene and Edna were now like family. They came from Dallas often, and they loved to visit and eat Sadie’s marvelous home cooking. This close relationship continued until Dr. Morris died in 1932. Edna continued to monitor Sadie after Dr. Morris died. When Sadie became pregnant again, there was great concern for her well being. Edna was worried that Sadie might have problems due to the difficult surgeries she had five years earlier. On March 25, 1933, a healthy boy arrived, exactly one year after Dr. Morris died. No complications! They named their son Gene Morris Knudson.

      Sadie was a very special person. She was a beautiful person both inside and out, and I have always been especially proud to call her “Grandma.” Grandma seldom, if ever, raised her voice. Disciplining of the children was usually left to Grandpa. Once when Grandpa was gone and I stayed at home with Grandma. I remember it wasn’t much fun because she had me doing several “around the house” chores which I didn’t like. On that particular day I probably sassed her or something, and she came down on me right quick. I remember it happened out by the tank-house because she locked me in there for a period of time. I was crushed. I couldn’t believe she would do that to me, but she did. After that day I took obeying her much more seriously.

      Grandma was blessed with a double portion of patience. I remember her calling in the mornings, “Gene, wake up! Breakfast.” A few minutes later another call. “Gene, get up for breakfast.” There was no response from Gene. Then she would get a little louder, “Gene Morris…. Get up for breakfast now!” Still there was no response. This would go on for several minutes. When Grandpa came in for breakfast, he walked to the hallway and called out, “Gene, get up and come down for breakfast!” There was an immediate response from upstairs.

      Anyone who sat down to Grandma’s table experienced dining at its best. None better anywhere! Hot rolls and fresh baked bread were always featured, and the hot rolls provided a topic for discussion at the table. Gladiola flour and the old Home Comfort stove were the means with which Grandma worked everyday. Grandpa bought the stove for her in 1924. From the first time she fired up the stove, it probably never really completely cooled down until replaced with an electric range. It was taken out of the kitchen sometime during the 1960s. Milburn agreed that the old cook stove should stay at the farm and graciously turned it over to me when I asked him if I could restore it. When the restoration is complete, it will be returned to the kitchen where it rightfully belongs. What I wouldn’t give to smell hot baked bread coming from that stove again!

      Grandma was a “hummer.” She hummed as she worked. I never did know the tunes she hummed, but she always hummed. I wonder if she hummed a different tune for different jobs. I wonder if her baking hum was the same as her washing hum? Whatever she hummed, I guess it got her through the mountains of dirty clothes or whatever other jobs she did so well.

      Grandma baked the best molasses cookies ever made. She would bring tea and cookies to us at nine in the morning and at four in the afternoon when we were doing fieldwork. We would look toward the house with great anticipation at those times each workday. She was as reliable as Grandpa’s pocket watch.

      Grandma drove a car only once during her life. She took out some fence posts at Coin Tergerson’s. That ended her desire to drive. As a youngster, I was glad she didn’t drive because I got to drive her various places around the community before I got a license. I remember on a few occasions taking her to sewing circle. Once I drove her to Lillian Dahl’s and another time to Delia Rogstad’s for circle meeting. I always enjoyed it because the ladies would fuss over me and tell me I was a “handsome young man” or that I was “cute.” Also, they’d give me all the cookies or cake I could eat. It wasn’t a bad deal for me.

      Grandma was not what one would call a “social lady.” She rarely had time to socialize except for church or school events. She had too much to do. She did enjoy visiting on Sunday’s after church with family and friends. She was a member of the Home Demonstration Club for a time. The Club taught homemakers how to can, sew, cook, and preserve food. She knew how to cook and sew before she joined the Club. With information from the Club, she bought her first pressure cooker and canned meat not only for her family, but also for others. The photograph is of her and other club members posing for a picture at the southeast corner of the house.

      Once I drove Grandma to a quilting at Sadie Hastings. I have memory of an old woman sitting in a rocking chair out on the porch (Albert’s mother). She smoked a pipe and wore a dark long dress like you see in old photographs. She didn’t speak English, only Norwegian. I remember that Shelly and Nellie acted silly about their grandma smoking a pipe. I believe that was the first time I remember seeing ladies quilting. I do remember that it was hot, and they had plenty of lemonade and tea. I got tired after awhile and looked forward to going home, but the quilting went on and on.

      The summer before Grandpa and Grandma’s 50^th wedding anniversary (1964), Jan helped me strip and refinished Grandma’s dining table and chairs. We finished in time for the anniversary in September. It turned out very well. Grandma was so pleased and grateful for what we had done. She was always so appreciative for what people did for her. She never wanted to be a bother to anyone. Even though she spent her lifetime “giving,” sometimes it was hard for her to receive. She was a very special person.

      Once we had a big celebration and dinner at the Rock Church. She made a large peach cobbler. It looked delicious. She took it to the church dinner. When the festivities ended, she went to get her baking pan. She was astonished that most of the cobbler was still there. She couldn’t understand why. People in the past always ate every bit of her cobbler. As it turned out, she had put salt into her cobbler instead of sugar. She never really wanted to admit that mistake. Bobby Epley said it was good and went back for seconds. I guess her reputation as a cook compensated for the saltiness of the cobbler in Bobby’s eyes.

      In 1973, Grandma was cleaning and vacuuming the house and somehow got tangled up with a rug or the cord and fell, breaking her hip. She fell to the floor and hoped someone would come soon. When help did not come, she dragged herself to the telephone where she finally called for help. After undergoing surgery she remained in the hospital recuperating until she was released to return home. Tirah retired from her job so she might stay with her mother recuperating at home. Being from strong stock, she fully recovered. Ten years later (at the age of 89) she fell once again. This time she didn’t recuperate as fast. The doctor said she needed the care she would receive at Sunset Home in Clifton. She really didn’t want to stay there, but being the kind of lady she was, she soon accepted the fact that this would be her new home. She was happy to receive visits from family and friends. It was always a joy to visit with her. Her warm smile will forever be remembered. While living out her last years she made it very clear that she was ready to go be with the Lord. Jan and I used to say upon our leaving her, “Grandma, we will see you in two or three weeks.” Her response would nearly always be “Oh, I hope I’m not here.”

      After suffering a stroke, she died in 1992 at 97 years of age. Looking back over her life I can clearly see why God did not take her in 1927. She got to raise her family and enjoy many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She touched many lives during her life. Edna (Morris) Grimes once told me that Sadie Knudson was like a sister and that she had an angel for a sister. Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all have a very special place in their hearts for this example of a Christian woman.

 Sadie Jubella (Grimland) Knudson

Fodte den 2 de November 1894

Dod den 31 de March 1992

 JMW/August 1998

Back to history.mustangtexas

Back to As I Remember