After finding so many roadblocks on Friday, we were anxious to get down to Ryder (about 30 miles southwest of Minot) to do some more investigation. We drove the RV down and parked it along the city park. Ryder is a town of around 90 people, a railroad track and a several large grain storage bins. Ryder is typical of many rural towns in that it once had over 500 people, a hotel, a couple of grocery stores, several eating establishments and 2 churches. It still has the 2 churches, a small cafe and a gas station (sort of). Barb and I checked into the cafe (It is best to let the locals in the cafe know who you are and the small town grapevine will take care of the rest.) and then drove our Jeep up to the graveyard. We searched every headstone but found no Aune. As we returned to the cafe, we met George who was coming to get us. As we exited our perspective vehicles, George came over to greet us. With a twinkle in his eye he stated, "Jeanise has some great news for you." We entered the cafe and Jeanise left her conversation with a local to approach us. "We found him." she exclaimed. She seemed as delighted as I did but I know she did not share the internal emotions that were now really running through my every being. We sat and she related the story of how the Aune name had been striking a vague but familiar chord with her. She called several of her friends last evening to see if she could gain some info. The phone call to Darwin paid off. I don't remember much about lunch as I was anxious to get to grave. George decided that he should drive me in his car and Jeanise should ride with Barb. George is 87 but drives well. As we drove the some 20 miles to our destination George gave a lengthy narrative of the history of the area, the crops, who owned each farm that we passed, historical tidbits, some of which I actually was able to process. He offered to stop to let me look at a few of the farms. I urged him on. We crossed a county line into McLean county. (Explains why there were no records of GG Aune in Minot which is the county seat of Ryder, not Roseglen.) We finally came to Roseglen which once was a town of several hundred people and the commercial necessities. Now there is a post office and tavern, that's all. We drove a mile or so more and he turned on to dirt road. "That it. That is the Aune quarter. (People usually homesteaded a quarter section in this area - 160 acres.) It was a harvested field, void of any buildings.
We returned to the highway and continued west another mile. He turned onto another dirt road and traveled about a mile. A fenced off area lay to the right. A sign read Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The church was taken down in the 1980's. The cemetery is well maintained. We found the white childlike headstone. Found. It lies in the southeast corner of the grouping of headstones, overlooking the Aune quarter, about a mile away. The graveyard is easily seen from the farm. Interestingly, Jeanise's parents are buried in the cemetery as well.
We spent some time at the cemetery. We bid farewell to George and Jeanise. I am not sure we would have found this without them. Barb and I proceeded to the farm of Darwin Vangsness. Darwin is retired and at 74 maintains the cemetery. I stopped to thank him for guiding us there and for his service to all of us who have loved ones buried there. Darwin and I compared notes. He remembered his mother telling him of the 12 year old boy who was killed by runaway horses and is buried there. After comparing notes, we discovered that his mother, my dad and my Aunt Mable were confirmed in the same 1918 class.
Barb and I then met Dwight Johnson who now farms the Aune quarter. He raised canola on it this year.
Barb and I returned to the RV in the park and slept well. However, dead Norwegians dominated my dreams. I am not sure if any of my Aune family had visited here since 1918.
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