Individual Details

Pat Wiff, in her book, "Is There Any Lutefisk And Lefse Left?", noted that "The best-known harness maker [in Martell] was Jacob Engebretson. He came to Martell Township early in the 1880's, but as a farmer. By 1890 he had moved into Martell and ran the shoe and harness business until the family moved to Hudson in Jun of 1921."

In an interview with Emma Engrebretson by Katherine Karras that appeared in the Sunday, St. Paul Pioneer Press, about mid-November, 1967, Emma reminisced about her memories on Jacob's farm near Martell, "My father, Jacob, played the guitar - zither and mother played the organ and sang. I earned $25 for playing the church organ for one year. I was 13 years old then." One of the antiques she particularly cherished was a big wooden sledge. "During the holiday we drove from farm to farm, singing Norwegian songs and sharing in neighborhood treats." "Rolla Polsa," a Norwegian pressed meat used in sandwiches made with warm homemade bread, was the "treat" most often served by the Norwegian families in the Martell area, she said.

Birth	20 Nov 1859	Odalen, Norway
Marriage	13 Mar 1881	South Odalen, Norway - Carrie (Karen) Knudson
Death	11 Nov 1950	Burkhardt, St. Croix County, Wisconsin

Spouse	Carrie (Karen) Knudson (1872 - 1944)
Child	Peter Edwin Engebretson (1883 - 1936)
Child	Julia Matilda Engebretson (1886 - 1936)
Child	Melvin E. Engebretson (1896 - 1977)
Child	Clara Mae Engebretson (1900 - 1987)
Child	Emma Viola Engebretson (1902 - )
Child	Alfred Engebretson
Child	William Engebretson (1908 - 1931)