|
FRIDSBORG CEMETERY FAWN LAKE DRIVE ON COUNTY RD. 24 & 76 EAST BETHEL, MN
The 1880s were years of heavy Scandinavian immigrants to Anoka and Isanti County. Entrepreneurs paid for advertisements in the “old country” to entice immigrants to the new lands in America. The ads talked about the wonderful opportunities here, how the weather and land was much like the old country, the clean water, land to be homesteaded (almost free!) and the riches that might be gained with hard work and ingenuity. The ads worked and people with little future (the last of a long line of sons, political unrest, avoiding military conscription, problems with the law or church, etc.) were soon on ships to this new land. Many of these immigrants took up farming and the homesteads lands in this area were prime places for them to settle. Once settled, they began building communities. They were in farming country, so, Fridsborg Cemetery was one of those necessary things the pioneers here had to establish. On April 11, 1903, a group of men met at the home of Nels Oslund to discuss establishing a cemetery in their neighborhood. After some discussion, they agreed to form as cemetery association and purchase two acres of land owned by Nels Oslund for which paid $25 and they paid in cash. The land was in the far northwest corner of section 26 in Bethel Township (today’s East Bethel) and bordered the county line with Isanti County. If you walk past the edge of the cemetery in the north side, you are in Isanti County. The members of the Association recorded their names in their minute book and elected officers to serve the association’s need for a one year term. John Bostrum was named trustee, Soloman Magnuson was the cashier, and Erick Haggbloom was the secretary. Two others were named to the board, Jonas Smith and Louis Swanson. The original 13 members of the cemetery are listed on a sign at the Cemetery and include Erick Haggbloom John Bostrum Lars Lindberg Erick Kranz Nels Oslund Louis Swanson Peter Mickelson William Swanson Jonas Smith Charley Swanson Louis Wicklund John Tiderman Solomon Magnuson Though not written in the official minutes of the first meeting, it has been said that each of the organizers of the cemetery received two sections in the cemetery, a total of 32 graves. There is also the story about how there were only ELEVEN families who established the cemetery as the three Swansons “were all the same family” and therefore should only count as one, not three. Most of the families of these original founders were related to each other, so this is a family cemetery in more ways than one! You will see several generations of some families buried here among cousins and grandparents. Some of the families are still in tehr area and are still active with the cemetery arssociation. The current association president is James BOSTRUM and the treasurer is Sidney OSLUND. A bit of folklore about this cemetery is that there was a man from Sweden whose name was Frid, and he was a much honored person. He never came to America, but “Frid” means Peace and Borg means place, so the name “Fridsborg” means “peaceful place.” There was a rule established early on in the cemetery’s history that said whoever showed up at the cemetery during the growing season had to water all the plants that were dry, not just their own. You were also responsible for making sure the gate was firmly closed! Those rules still hold true today for those who come to visit graves here in Fridsborg. The first burial in the cemetery was for Sarah Krans and we’ll be visiting her a little later in the tour. We have been told there is a saying in Swedish—Schlecta, schlecta—that means relatives of relatives. That is kind of how it is in Freidsborg, everybody is related to somebody or at least to their relatives!
|
