SOREN/MARGRETHE/BERTHA OLSEN REUNION
JULY 16/17, 2004
CARDSTON, ALBERTA, CANADA
 
Just an update on the wonderful reunion that we had in Cardston recently. I was honored to be one of the organizers of this marvelous event. Our committee worked hard to prepare and plan for this reunion and it surpassed our expectations. A special thank you to my committee of LaRae McKinnon, Shirley Jensen, Marie Olsen, Diana Mackenzie, Linda Belter, Les Olsen and Joanne Gregory, and to all those who stepped in and helped so very much to make a wonderful and successful reunion.
Perhaps the highlight of the reunion for me and for many of those attending was being able to meet and visit with Chris and Karen Fleng a cousin and his wife from Denmark. When they heard about the reunion they planned their vacation around a trip to Canada and attending the reunion. They were very gracious and happy to be with family they had never met or even dreamed that existed. Chris is a descendant of Ole Kristian Sorensen, the third child of Soren and Margrethe. They came on Thursday and stayed through the reunion until Monday night. They were most impressed with all the love and kindness shown them, they had a wonderful time.
This reunion also marked the first time that we have been able to have representatives from the Danish family (Soren and Margrethe’s children). We had descendants from Ole Kristian Sorensen, Yorgen Sorensen and Christian Sorensen. They all really contributed to the success of this reunion. Weldon Kearney lives in Vancouver and he is a descendant of Yorgen. He brought out two computers and lots of disks and information and helped people learn how to start and do their own research. Thank you Weldon.
Juilanne Lusvardi is a descendant of Christian Sorensen the youngest son of Soren and Margrethe and it was exciting to get to know her. She came from Provo at the insistence of her mother who was too sick to come. Julianne’s mother has been doing research for many years and wanted to come but when she couldn’t, she sent Julianne. It was super to see all the work that has been done and to make a connection. I know that many people made connections at this reunion which if it leads to greater coordination of research and greater binding of the hearts of Soren’s descendants, it will have met the goals of this reunion and will bless the lives of many of our ancestors
As a little aside, the thing that amazed me the most about this reunion was how many people there were who have been doing genealogy research on their own in isolation. Just before Chris came from Denmark, he met a cousin who is a descendant of Christian Sorensen named Poul Erik Nielsen, who has been doing research for almost 50 years and has much information. He does not read or write English but with the help of Chris I hope to be able to tap into this research as well. He reads the old Gothic style printing that much of the early Danish records were written in. Perhaps the greatest work that has been done is the work of Chris Fleng’s grandfather, Jacob Peter Wammen. He was married to a descendant of Soren and Margrethe when felt the great call of the Spirit of Elijah in his life. He was a teacher and every summer during the 1910s and 20’s he would go by train to Northern Denmark and cycle around to all the old churches going through all the records and interviewing people, to gather the necessary information of his wife’s family and his family. As a result of his research, he hand wrote 5 books, most of them no less than 500 pages each, all with names, dates, marriages, births, and often with short biographies of a person. Because of the work of Chris Fleng, who has begun transcribing all these books onto the computer and putting them onto the internet, we have access to this great work. I am just overcome with gratitude for the work of men and women such as J.P. Wammen who was not directly related but whose work will be the means of interest and salvation for many of Soren’s descendants.
On Friday, we started the reunion by setting up, beginning at noon. I am so grateful to everyone who helped our committee with this. Several came and put up tables, chairs and helped with the many displays. A special thank you goes to Les, Joyce and Kristen who did so much. Also to Murray McKinnon and my wife Terry and all my children who pitched in helping in the kitchen and the program.
People started arriving at about 5:00 p.m. to register, to get their pictures taken, and to look at the displays and visit. Of course the greatest part of the reunion was the visiting, the making of new connections and reforging old ones. Everyone was excited to talk to Chris and Karen Fleng and kept them busy all night. They were able to show everyone on the large map of Denmark, that we had displayed, where every thing was in Denmark especially the different places that we have only just read about. People stayed till almost 9:00 pm.
On Saturday, people started coming at 9:00 am and were able to spend more time with Weldon on doing their own family history research, looking at all the amazing displays that Linda Belter had put up, my displays, Julianne’s displays, getting their pictures taken, and making many other connections.
A quilt was set up by my mom, June Olsen, and several people helped to make one quilt and work on another one.
At about 10:30 am, Diana and Shirley started the family and kids/teenager games. They played volleyball, softball, had water fights and water balloon launching, etc. Everyone had a great time with it and enjoyed the hottest days of the year.
Lunch was "beef on a bun" organized by my wife Terry and all my kids. A special thank you to all who cooked the beef and who bought the food and prepared it.
After lunch many people went out to the Aetna graveyard to see Erastus’s grave and then out to Beazer graveyard to see the graves of many others of Erastus’s descendants. This is another way to make that sacred connection withthose who have gone before.
At 4:00 pm many people met back at the church for a program of singing, stories and learning a Danish Song, "Lille Peter Edderkop" (Eensy Weensy Spider) lead by Chris Fleng. It was a fun way to make a connection with our Danish roots. Then it was eat, clean up, take down and dismantle everything. It was hard to believe it was so successful and it was over. After all the time of meeting, planning, and organizing for so long and then to say goodbye to new family and friends was difficult. Again a special thank you to my committee, and to all those who helped so very much. I know that many of our ancestors and relations who have gone to the other side of the veil were aware and able to come and be present at many of our festivities.
Thaine Olsen.