Maline & Friendship

Maline used postcards to keep in touch with her friends. Some of these friendships were lifelong!

Maline was baptized in 1882, in the Norwegian-speaking Washington Lutheran church in Northwood. On the baptismal record page, in 1883, Gunhild Tufte was baptized in the same church. 24 years later, Maline received a postcard from Gunhild, who went to Larimore, North Dakota and seems to have enjoyed herself.

Lake Shore Boulevard, Devils Lake, Chautauqua, N. Dak.
"Dear friend:- I have been but here a couple of days now and am enjoying myself fine. yours: Gunhild Tufle"

‹›

Another friendship transcended the postcard. Ida Buroos may not seem to have been a particularly close friend of Maline’s– she sent Maline only two postcards with short, impersonal messages.

A blithe New Year be thine
Best Wishes from your Friend Ida Buroos
From your Friend Ida Burood

‹›

However, newspaper evidence shows us that Maline (and her brother Theodore) were both attendants in the wedding! They must have been good friends, even if Ida’s postcards don’t show it.

One writer who stands out in Maline’s postcards is Tillie. Tillie O. Nordby sent Maline ten postcards over four years, each of them filled with cramped text and lots of humor. Tillie addresses Maline as “madame,” “mam,” or “my dear old partner.” She uses abbreviations like “B4” for “before” and “O.K.” When Maline went to Preston, Tillie describes herself as “terrible lonesome” and tells Maline she needs her to come back to eat choke cherries. Maline and Tillie were always visiting and sending letters; Tillie often asks about Maline’s “folks.”

Browse Tillie's postcards (below) and click for a more detailed view. Then, continue on to learn about life on the farm.

"Hello mam:- Your card rec'd thanks for it was waiting patiently to hear from you how has this weather been using you wasn't last wk a hummer oh my oh me, have been waiting for you folks now must also be sure of coming while Albert is home couldn't you try & come here. would like to have you over expect some others also otherwise we'd went out there to be sure. & come health is O.K. hope same over there
Greetings to all Bye Bye call again, B4 long.
from Tillie say my cousin Gilbert is here now"

"Dear Madame- well what you think anyhow me being so slow to drop you a line have been quite steady and busy for the last wks now at house cleaning & serving will be till Xmas arrives I believe so now aint I been good? what about you how goes the rolling skates heard you was going to try haha
Call again Greetings to all expect to see you folks B4 long I remain as ever Tillie
I have also seen how it goes now but didn't venture trying them"

"Hello my dear old partner:- How are you nowadays pretty good I hope, same as every over here goes both good & bad of an thought surely you had vanished from this part of the world by the way I never heard from you. could never imagine where you was back from but was up to see how Northwood was getting along and heard there youd been out threshing again, well Id have a good notion to call you something when are you folks coming this was I hope Ill see you soon now are you folks done with plowing Ole will finish today am going to town tomorrow
Greet the folks from an old thresher
chilly today"

"Greetings to all from Tillie
Good morning Mollie how you feel in the good old summer time although it was cold as in the North pole early today int that fierce. well Miss I have been compelled to do some sewing so as to have something to do. have you? but I have still some more which I don't venture start with till I see you & when are you coming? we are going to Halveson tomorrow L.Aid[?] [?] been to G Forks[?]
Has Albert left yet?"

"Hello madam Is it going to be rain today? I think so, but I hope not as Linda & I intend to go to Aarhus[?] in the afternoon. Think perhaps we will call on your Sun. If nothing happens will drop a card to A.S. too now dont know how we got too late for mailing today.
hufs[?] I have my self. will arrange sursif[?] Do you know him?
Tillie O. Nordby. Hatton"

"Hello there-
How goes everything nowadays? Spose its going first rate its the same on this corner. Expect you'r thru' with thrashing too now for along time ago we pulled thru' yesterday & glad and Say have you seen our threshers lately? Ok I spose. Well this will have to do only we want to tell you to look out for Mon. haha So bye by greet your folks from me call again Tillie N."

"Your postal was recd along time ago was glad to see you intended soon to be on a fly so I'll home soon to see you now, then I'll meet you in Mpls. so you'll know about it if I ever get that far but thats the question you know. greetings from Tillie"

Hello there, As it is along time since I had your card I must now surely send you one wherever I'll find you it's hard telling, as I've heard you was soon to return so I've always delayed in writing but when are you coming how did you spend Xmas? having a great time we expect. I had visitors then, it was my cousins who was up. otherwise I aint been any wheres as I'm too busy. to get around I tell you Im on a jump to home now. havent spoke with any of your folks for ever so long so I dont going over to Halverson to phone but havent happened yet we are waiting there over all the time. best love[?] from me [?] Tillie

"How you do Maline? hope fine, so am I only terrible lonesome of course. thought you was too busy sporting to think of any so far off but thanks for same. you better come up again now help me eat choke-cherries haha. hope to hear from you again I remain yours Should tell you hello from all Tillie
Last Sun we were all out to Aashys[?] had a great time cloudy day [?]"

will like to see you up [...] the holidays [...] yours as ever Tillie

Tillie married Sever P. Spoonheim in July 1911. They moved to Joplin, Montana, and immigrated to Canada in 1919. By 1926, Tillie was living in Saskatchewan with her husband and five children. She died in 1980.

Friendships were obviously important relationships for Maline, but so were romances. Keep reading to find out how love appears in these postcards.