My Life's Story
By Laura Ebbesen Patnoe Kirsch

Many young Danes fled their homeland after the Danish Prussian War of 1804. Many came from Schleswig-Holstein as it had been given to Germany. Both of my grandfathers fled to America to avoid the draft. I am not sure of the date that htey arrived in America. My grandfather, Hans F. Olesen, married Marie Anderson and came to the Dakota Territory in 1889. My mother was born at Wynott, Nebraska, on December 22, 1886. There were seven children in the Olesen family. My grandfather Neils J. Ebbesen married Marianna JOrgensen and they took up a timber claim on the south west quarter of section 25 in what is now Spring Valley Township in Turner County, South Dakota. There they built a sod shanty and my father and his two brothers were born there. My father was born March 15, 1883.

Neither my father nor mother finished the eighth grade. They were needed at home to do the chores and herd the cows. I think my mother went as far as the fifth grade and my father the sixth. They worked for their parents and others whenever they were needed. My mother worked for a dressmaker and learned how to construct patterns. She was a good seamstress.

Mother and dad were married April 18, 1906, and began farming on one of Grandfather Ebbesen's farms called LIttle Jake's Place. They spent their honeymoon sowing oats. I was born November 25, 1906. I was no bigger than what I could lie in the palm of the doctor's hand. They tell me I was a very cross baby. I cried incessantly for the first three months. Then they decided to put me on cow's milk and I shut up. My sister, Eunice, was born January 12, 1908, and Chrystal was born July 25, 1912; my brother Neaph, January 8, 1918; my sister Zeona, March 20, 1921, and my brother Dwight in 1926.

I stayed with my grandmother Olesen the first year I went to school. I went with my Uncle Giles and Aunt Mae. We drove a single horse cart to school. The second year, Eunice and I went to the Buckstead School. One memory that I have of that year was that one day one of the big boys threw an open scissor at the teacher. We finished up that school year attending the Flyger School as it was much more convenient.

In 1917, Grandfather Ebbesen died on May 8. After his death, his property was divided and father received the farm near Center Point, so in August we moved out there and attended the Hanson School. Two years later, father sold that land and bought the James Sherard place, so in the spring of 1919, we moved again. Now I was attending the same school that I had attended when I was a first grader.

In those days, when you were in the seventh and eighth grade, you had to go to the county seat to take your final examination. I remember going to Parker to take those finals under Miss Appleby, the superintendent of schools. The next fall, I entered Freeman Academy and stayed with my Aunt Olivia Dickman. The second semester, I moved into the dormitory. After three years, father decided that we should go to the Faith Home School at Mitchell. He was in hopes that one of us would decide to be a missionary. There I took the first year of Bible school and the last year of high school. The following year, I returned to Freeman to attend the Freeman Junior College, from which I received my first grade teaching certificate. During that summer, my youngest brother was born and I assisted Dr. Sidworhty in his delivery. I must have impressed him because he tried to convince me to take nurse's training. But father had different ideas as he had already spent a lot of money on my education. Anyway, I had wasted time in finding a school near home, so an Uncle and Aunt took me along to White River to Frontier Days in 1926 and I signed a contract to teach in the Blackpipe School District, where I taught six years. The last year, I had 21 pupils and all the grades which included four first graders and three eighth graders.

In the meantime, I had fallen in love with a cowboy, C.J. Patnoe, and we were married August 31, 1932. I had signed a contract with the Runningbird School where I taught for seven years. That was in the days of the depression. We worked hard, but there was no way of getting ahead. So in 1939, Bud, my husband, became interested in politics and was elected to the office of Register of Deeds. He held county offices for the next twelve years.

We moved into White River, bought the Bohannan house and started over. I taught the third and fourth grades the first year I taught in White River. By this time, I had earned a State Certificate, so the second year I taught the ninth grade. For several years, Grandpa and Grandma Patnoe would come to live with Bud while I went to summer school. I finally got my Bachelor's degree and a few years later, my Master's.

Every year, we would have the house full of school children. They boarded with us during the week. One time in 1949, they were stranded in town for six weeks.

During my teaching experiences, I have taught everything from Head Start to college classes as well as being principal and superintendent. We weren't paid for every extra duty. That was just part of the job and we were glad to do it.

In between time, I had a chance to do other things as well as teach school. I was leader of the Happy Farmettes 4-H club for many , many years. I belong to the White River Women's Club; I am a Past Assembly President of the Rebekah Lodge; I am a Past Matron of the Order of Eastern Star; I was the Past State Guardian of Job's Daughters. I have belonged to the County Extension Club and was president of it for six years, as well as a district officer. I am a member of the U.M.W. and have helped organize the Mellette County Historical Society and Museum of which I am Chairman at the present time.

Many, many honors have come my way, for which I am most grateful. In 1979, I was named Honored Homemaker of the Year at the Little International at Brookings. In 1981, I was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Earlier in the 1980's, I was named Teacher of the Year. These three are the most outstanding.

Clarence, "Bud", my husband, passed away in 1955 from a massive heart attack. I have continued to live in White River and have spent many summers traveling. Besides touring most of the United States, I have been to Europe, Candada, Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii.

I remarried in 1959, but after fourteen years, that marriage was dissolved. I am seldom alone, as we have had more than 175 young people live with us while they were going to school or were employed here in town.

Even though I am retired, I try to find something useful to do. I do lots of volunteer work here and there. I enjoy good health and still participate in many school activities. Teaching was indeed a worthwhile job.