Margit’s Life

A short biography of a farm wife who also painted

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Here is an overview of important dates in Margit’s life. For more details, see her memoir.

  • 1899 (Feb 4) — Born in Norway Township, Fillmore County, MN, and is christened Margit Helene Landsverk.

    Margit is the first child of Tarkjel Landsverk and Helga (Oian) Landsverk. She is later joined by siblings Ole, Gunhild, Halvor, and Frieda (who dies very young).

  • 1921 (Dec 2) — Marries Palmer Milton Mindrum, a young man from the area that she had known from their Highland Prairie church.

    Palmer had lost his mother at an early age and had been raised by relatives after his father left him and his sister. Palmer lost his sister as a teenager — and a previous fiancée to TB.

  • 1923 — Gives birth to her first child Paul, who is followed by Alf and Arne, all born at home.

  • 1928 — Buys an 80-acre farm (called Rorhella) just north of Bratsberg on Highland Prairie.

  • 1931 — Gives birth to twins Ellert and Ellen.

  • 1933 — Gives birth to her sixth (and last) child Frieda, in the Spring Grove (MN) hospital. See The arrival of Margit’s last born.

  • 1936 — Loses the Rorhella farm when the bank calls in the mortgage (asks for it to be paid in full) and forecloses when Palmer and Margit can’t pay it off.

    The family starts a series of moves as renters, starting with a farm on Oak Ridge, between Rushford and Houston. The family relocates roughly every three years, going from Highland Prairie to Money Creek to Cushion Peak and then back to Oak Ridge (see map).

  • 1945 — Loses her father, Tarkjel Halvorson Landsverk.

    1948 — Loses her mother, Helga (Oian) Landsverk.

  • 1951 and 1952 — Starts painting after her youngest child, Frieda, leaves home.

  • 1954 — Moves to a small house at the southern edge of Houston MN, which she calls Broadview Acres because of its view of the Root River valley.

    Her painting takes a hiatus for years as they fix up the place.

  • 1956 — Finishes writing what would become Part I (the first half) of her book “No Change My Heart Shall Fear”.

  • 1959 — Resumes painting in earnest. In the next 15 years she’ll produce over 600 paintings.

  • 1972 (Aug) — Margit has her first (and only) “art show”, held in her hometown’s community center.

    Note: Margit makes no mention of this event in her memoir, whereas she talks glowingly about their 50th anniversary celebration the year before.

  • 1972 (Sept) — Moves down into the town of Houston.

  • 1974 (summer) — Asks her daughter Frieda if she would type up and photocopy her story for the grandchildren’s benefit.

  • 1975 (March) — Dies at age 76 in La Crosse (St. Francis Hospital) of heart failure just a few hours after being taken there.
    Her husband Palmer dies later that year (August 23) at the nursing home in Houston, also age 76.

  • 1975 (November) — Her daughter Frieda publishes Margit’s memoir “No Change My Heart Shall Fear”.