Bethel Cemetery, Leinan, Saskatchewan, Canada (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 40 theme: "Cemetery")

This cemetery near my childhood home is the one that comes to mind in connection with this week's theme.

Bethel Church and  Cemetery - photo courtesy Ray Martinson on Findagrave.com

 

The land for the cemetery was donated in 1909 by Sigvald Jorgenson. The area was just opening up to homesteaders and before long, it became apparent that a cemetery would be needed in the community. The cemetery was alone on the prairies until Bethel Church was built in 1926-27 adjacent to it on land donated by Mrs. Anna Vatne, heir to homesteader Peter Anderson. This followed years of planning, fundraising and work by the community. There had been much discussion of various other locations for the church to be built, but in the end it made sense to place it adjacent to the cemetery. albeit on two separate quarter sections of land. 

Bethel Cemetery is located at SW22-18-14 W3M in southern Saskatchewan. I spent the first 10 years of my life just south of there on the farm at SW15-18-14-W3M. This was a short walk to the Bethel Church at NW15-18-14-W3M for Sunday School and Church services, though it was always done by car if my parents went.

Many activities occurred in the church: weddings, baptisms, funerals, Fowl Suppers, Christmas Pageants, bridal showers, and various meetings. The children all tagged along but escaped to play in and around the parked cars -- and, of course, in the graveyard. We would make a point of not stepping on any of the concrete and stone grave coverings, probably more out of superstitious fear than of respect for the dead. 

Findagrave.com website lists Bethel as cemetery id 2495060 and indicates that it has 101 memorials listed for people buried there. Surnames reflect the predominant Norwegian background of the congregation and include: Anderson, Bardahl, Berg, Bow, Brown, Bye, Doverspike, Eidem, Fladaasgen, Gilbertson, Grand, Hanvold, Hjermanrude, Johnsgaard, Johnson, Jorgenson, Kantrud, Koziol, Kvale, Kvello, Martinson, McCauley, Miller, Moen, Nygaard, Olson, Robertson, Rude, Rustad, Saaler, Sjoberg, Tangen, Tollefson and Wengel.

Bethel Church Congregation unknown year - probably 1940s

Although the church itself has not been used in decades and has fallen into a sad state of decline, the cemetery remains available. It was here before the church and is surviving long after. 

Despite the Bardahl homestead being on the adjacent farm, my Dad Ken is the only Bardahl who has been buried here. 

Ken Bardahl grave marker at Bethel Cemetery - photo by Ray Martinson of Findagrave.com

Some Resources:

• Anderson, Reynard, History of Bethel Church 1919-1954, privately printed, date unknown
• Memories to Cherish, Stewart Valley and Leinan, compiled by Stewart Valley - Leinan History Book Committee; Printed Altona, Manitoba: Friesen Printers, 1987, pp. 103-105
• Success, The Success History Book Committee, Printed Steinbeck, Manitoba: Derkson Printers, 1981, pp. 45-46

What Became of Mr. Murdy? (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 39 theme: "Disappeared")

Mr. Murdy (Murdie or McMurdy) was my 4th great grandfather. No first name has ever been found. He was believed to have been from Scotland and to have married Jane Davidson, though any evidence to support these suppositions has itself disappeared. 

He had a daughter Jane Murdy, my female mitochondrial DNA line ancestor (possibly going back another generation to Jane Davidson). Jane Murdy is said to have been born in 1801 in Hannibal, New York. She married David Bullen there in 1823.

Location of Hannibal, Oswego County, NY - Google Earth image

The only references that have been found relating to Jane's father are from the Source Book for the Bullen Family. One letter there dated 19 October 1935 from Americus Brown (a grandson of David and Jane's) reads: 

"Mother was born in Hannibal, NY.  Her mother was Jane Murdy. Her grandmother and she who was her mother came west from NY and settled in northern Illinois with their people.  Her grandfather came later as he was a breeder of fine horses -  bringing some blooded stock.  When he got where they were he wanted to see farther west so he hitched up a team and started out.  It was the last seen or heard of him.  It was always supposed he was killed by the Indians for his team."

An additional notation was made by Source Book for the Bullen Family co-compiler Mrs. A.H. Nelson: 

"My grandmother's (Jane Murdy) father died and her mother married a Mr. Chambers who was the father of Kate and Mary Chambers." 

I have learned that Kate and Mary's father was John Chambers who married a woman named Jane Davidson. Was this Jane Murdy's mother and the presumed widow of Mr. Murdy? 

All efforts to locate additional information about the Murdys/Murdies/McMurdy's have proven futile. Nothing relating to the Davidson or Chambers surname proved of any relevance in locating information on Mr. Murdy. Nor could anything further be found in the history of Hannibal, NY.

Unanswered questions: Where in northern Illinois did Mr. Murdy disappear from? Was he killed by Native Americans or by someone else keen to rob him of his fine horses? Was he involved in a fatal accident in the wilderness? Or did he voluntarily disappear, change his name and start a new life with a new family farther west? 

He disappeared. End of story.

Some Resources: 

Nelson, M. and Dunlop, R., Compilers,  Source Book for the Bullen Family; Privately printed in the 1930s, p67 (copy in possession of author)

Martha Pray and Joseph Wilkinson (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 38 theme: "Animals")

My 7X great grandparents Joseph and Martha (Pray) Wilkinson were born in Providence, Rhode Island in the latter part of the 17th century. They were married in Smithfield, Providence, RI in 1713 and  went on to have a large family of 15 children. 

Joseph Wilkinson had come to the northwest part of Scituate in 1703 and spent 10 years establishing himself there prior to their marriage.  He erected the first barn there to house the first cow brought to town.  His home, on the most northern turnpike, was considered to be a good farm. It was said that Martha had planted apple trees on their farm during the first year of their marriage. Both were doing their parts to establish a good home for their family in the new community.

Locations of Providence and Scituate, R.I. - Google Earth

Joseph was known to have used the hunting lodge that was built for the convenience of sportsmen from Providence and surrounding places. But sometimes the tables were turned and it was the wildlife doing the hunting.  

One often repeated story tells how Joseph and Martha in their early married years had to keep guard on their sheep at night to protect them from bears and wolves.  The sheep were kept in log enclosures near the house.  One night Joseph and Martha were awakened by the sound of a bear rolling the logs away; they had to get up quickly to rescue their sheep.  

Another frequently told animal story relates to Martha being visited by a bear when she was home alone. Martha had an apple tree full of ripe fruit that the bear was shaking from the tree. In desperation, Martha took her husband's loaded gun kept on a peg on the wall for just such emergencies. She took one shot.  This so frightened her that she dropped the gun, ran back into the house and fastened the door.  When her husband returned home and was told what she had done, he went out to investigate and found the bear dead near the apple tree. Not only had Martha saved their apples but also provided some fresh bear meat for the family.

In fairness to the bears, black bears were believed to have been common throughout Rhode Island when the first Europeans arrived. Colonists soon cleared about 2/3 of the forest lands, drastically reducing bear habitat. It isn't surprising that the bears were doing what they could to find food amid depleting resources. Bears had essentially disappeared from the area by the 18th century.

Joseph died at the age of 58 and is buried in the Westcott-Wilkinson Lot (also known as R.I. Historical Cemetery #14); Martha lived to the age of 91 and probably told her bear story many times to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Westcott-Wilkinson Lot  burial site for Joseph Wilkinson (and possibly Martha Pray Wilkinson)

photo courtesy Gene Kuechmann of Findagrave.com

Some Resources: 

• A History of Scituate, R.I., Being an account of its Early Settlement & Events to the Present, Compiled by the American Studies Class, Scituate Jr./Sr. High School, N. Scituate, Rhode Island, Project Heritage 1977
• Beaman, C.C.,  An Historical Sketch of the Town of Scituate, RI,  published by Order of the Town Council, Delivered in Scituate July 4, 1876 at the Request of the Town Authorities, Phoenix Capron & Campbell, Steam Books and Job Printers 1877
• Roberts, Gary Boyd, "Genealogies of Rhode Island Families volume 1", New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1989
• Kuffner, Alex, Providence Journal 11 June 2019, "Bears, too, Finding R.I. A Good Place to Settle Down" article accessed online 25 August 2025 from The Herald News at https://www.heraldnews.com/story/news/2019/06/11/bears-too-finding-r-i/4938185007/

Steve Bardahl: Sheriff in the Old West (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 37 theme: "In the News")

My great granduncle Steve Bardahl (1868-1947) was, for a period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  employed in law enforcement in North Dakota. News articles cover some of his cases dealing with bootleggers, con men, forgers, horse thieves, mental health cases, assaults and even a murder. 

The earliest newspaper report about Steve's law enforcement career is from September of 1897. 

Bismarck Tribune 1897-09-21 p.3 from Newspapers.com

Steve was listed as a "constable" in the 1900 US Census, was elected as Sheriff at Langdon, is called "Marshal" in Milton and also often served as Deputy Sheriff to Sheriff Allan Pinkerton in the south end of the county. (It should be pointed out that this is not the famous Pinkerton of Pinkerton Detective Agencies who had died in 1884. It is not known if the two are related.) 

Since the news reports are so numerous, just a couple of his cases will be featured.

First up: the horse thief Thomas McDonald.

Courier Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 25 April 1901 p.1 from Newspapers.com

Although the stolen horses had been recovered, the thief and his ill-gotten gains had disappeared and Bardahl was "on the chase". By the time the above article was published in the Langdon Courier Democrat, McDonald had been captured.

Grand Forks Herald, 24 April 1901, p.5 from Newspapers.com

No mention was made in the Grand Forks article about any involvement of Marshal Bardahl, but the Langdon Courier Democrat soon rectified that.

Courier Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 2 May 1901 from Newspapers.com

Also in 1901 one of the greatest murder scandals in North Dakota history unfolded on Steve's patch. The well-liked local farmer William Barry of Milton was charged with the murder of his equally well-liked hired man Andrew Mellen.

It seems that Mellen was thought to have wronged Barry's sister by not standing by her after getting her pregnant.  Barry initially said he had tried to hang Mellen, but when that failed, he had slit his throat. At the first trial, Barry's lawyers sought to absolve him of responsibility by pleading temporary insanity. 

Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck ND 7 Jan 1901 from Newspapers.com 

The unnamed sheriff pledging his personal responsibility for the defendant in the above news item was probably Steve Bardahl. Although there is no other indication that Steve was involved in the investigation, he was responsible for seeing that Barry was imprisoned after the first trial resulted in a guilty verdict.

 w

The Bismarck Tribune 29 August 1901 p. 2 from Newspapers.com

This did not end the matter. A second trial was held in 1903.

Sister blamed at Second Trial - Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, ND 19 Nov. 1903 from Newspapers.com

Throwing the blame on his sister did not work but did get his sentence reduced from life down to 10 years.  (The sister had mental health issues and died a few years later in an institution but no report could be found suggesting the birth of any baby.)  The third trial in 1904 resulted in his life sentence at Bismarck's State Prison being reaffirmed. Newspaper coverage was extensive over the years, filling many columns - most far too long to easily share here in readable format. 

Finally, in 1911 William Barry was released from prison putting an end to the case. Still, the community must have remained divided in opinion even after his release. No indication could be found about Steve having had an opinion in the matter, though no doubt he did.

William Barry Released - Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, ND 25 Jan 1911

Even Steve's wife Laura (sister to my grandmother Louise Nelson who had married Steve's half brother John Bardahl) adopted a role at least once -- accompanying a friend who was being sent to the state mental asylum. 

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 30 August 1906 from Newspapers.com

By 1907, Steve and Laura had moved to nearby Nekoma as reported by this newspaper item:

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 30 May 1907 from Newspapers.com

(Steve was also a terror to his sister-in-law Louise Nelson Bardahl who was certainly no evil doer. She was traumatized -- definitely NOT amused! -- when he locked her in a jail cell as a "joke".)

The final news item for Steve's career is from 1910 as he and Laura planned to leave the area. 

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 18 August 1910

Steve and Laura tried homesteading in Saskatchewan, Canada along with other family members. 

Steve's position as an effective law enforcer was not matched by a happy personal life.  Sadly, the loss of two babies in infancy and Steve's heavy drinking eventually put an end to their marriage and to life in Canada. Steve was living with his widowed mother in Lien, Grant, MN at the time of the 1930 US Census. 

Steve Bardahl believed to be the man on the right in this 1930 photo of his mother Anna Elton Bardahl including her other two  sons Ole and John and their wives Louise and  Anna

Shortly after this, he moved back to the Langdon, N.D. area where he died 24 July 1947. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Lebanon Cemetery at Milton, N.D.