| Name | Johanna Hansdatter Larson Hvesser  |
| Birth | 14 Mar 1851, Trøgstad, Ostfold, Norway |
| Death | 29 Oct 1881, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Burial | Lot 97 P So 1/2, Minneapolis, MN. |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Father | Hans Larson Hvesser (1824-1895) |
| Mother | Anne Gundersdatter Flåtten (1824-1899) |
| 1 | Christian Johannensen Grimsrud |
| Birth | 23 Apr 1843, Grepperud, Akershus, Høland, Norway |
| Death | 19 Jan 1924, Appleton, Minnesota, USA |
| Burial | Appleton Cem., Minnesota, USA |
| Father | Johanes Christensen Grepperud (1813-<1865) |
| Mother | Karen Halvorsdatter (1812-1891) |
| Marriage | 15 Apr 1879, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Children | Alma Carolina (1880-1958) |
| Johanna "Jenny" Hildora (1881-1963) |
Sentvet, Norway February 2, 1870
Dear Father,
At last a few words from me. Please be so kind and excuse me for not writing to you sooner, but the reason for this is that I have been sick. It started about 5 weeks before Christmas. I had been at O Dal for 3 weeks when the situation got worse, and I ended up in the hospital. I stayed there nearly a full month. While I was in the hospital, Dal took another domestic help, so on top of it all I lost my job. I wanted to write to you as soon as I knew where I was staying. When I came out of the hospital I stayed a couple of days in town looking for work but did not find any. That is why I had to travel back home to Hvesser. After I had been home about a week Bul, from Sentvet in Trøgstad, came to Hvesser. He wanted me to move to his place so I went home with him right away. So now I am staying at Sentvet and am feeling fine after having been seriously ill with pneumonia. Since you left I've had pneumonia twice, so believe me, I have been tried hard. Still the Lord has been good to me.
Thank you so much your letter, which I received on the second day of Christmas. It made me very happy. I understand you want Mathea to write to you as well, but I haven't spoken with her since you left. Now that I am staying here, it is not easy to correspond with her. The way I have heard her speak, she wants very much to go to America, as do I. I long to see you again dear Father. It would have been a great pleasure, a pleasure we may have not treasured before, to once again in this life be gathered around you, because I know you love your children very much. Please show me your kindness and write to me soon if it is your intention to get us to America in the Spring. I'll have to end this letter for now. Dear Father don't forget the necessity to seek the Lord in spirit and in truth.
With kind greetings from your daughter Johanne Hansdatter.
Don't forget to write me soon.
Translation edited by Linda Rawles rawles@usa.net