Mirton (Merton) Alvin Caswell was born in Wisconsin in 1879. His parents were Merrimond Deloss Caswell and Sarah Elizabeth Smith. Most people just called him "Mirt".
Mirt moved to Beardsley, Minnesota, near the south tip of Lake Traverse. He probably stayed with his uncle, Peter Caswell. (Peter owned a farm in Arthur Township, north of Beardsley.) Mirt may have met Christine Haanen while staying with his Uncle Peter. Mirt and Christine married in 1902. They were married in Beardsley by a Catholic priest. Peter and Lida Haanen were witnesses.
Christine’s parents were John and Christine Haanen, who came to America from Holland. It appears the whole family was Catholic. John and Christine Haanen are buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Beardsley, Minnesota, with many of their descendants. Haanens still farm around the Beardsley - Browns Valley, Minnesota area.
Mirt and Christine's first child, John, was born in Beardsley in 1903. Their second child (my grandfather), Edward, was born in Beardsley in 1904. Through the years five more children were born: Willie (abt 1906), Margaret (1908), Florence (abt 1909), Louis (1911) and Lorance (1916). Around 1912, Mirt and Christine moved their family to Timber Lake, South Dakota. They farmed there. Christine died in 1922 and is buried in the Timber Lake Cemetery. Mirt moved to Bremerton, Washington. He died there in 1953. His body was moved back to South Dakota and buried next to Christine’s at Timber Lake.
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