Haugen Photo's 

Wedding picture of Benjamin Clinton Bowen born July 20, 1881in Levanna, Cayuga County, New York, died February 27, 1963 in Corpos Christi, Nueces County, Texas.   He married Gina Bertine Olsen Haugen born June 12, 1883 in Boyd (Lac qui Parle County) , Minnesota, died July 31, 1905 in Dickinson, Stark County, North Dakota.   They were married on January 13, 1904 in Crookston, Polk County, Minnesota, at the Methodist Parsonage. 

William Wesley Bowen Harden was born to them on August 21, 1904 in St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minnesota.  At the time of his birth Gina was very ill with Intestinal Tuberculosis.  Gina tryed caring for Wes but she was too weak.  Benjamin ask around town (St. Cloud, MN) and found that Albert and Mary Harden took in children some times.  Mary was a sister of his buddies wife.  In September it was clear Gina was never going to be able to care for the baby so Harden adopted Wesley and raised him as their own. 

Left is Gina and the girls she worked with at a hotel in Crookston, MN.   She was a cook.  That is where she would have been working when she met Benjamin.

Picture to the right is Aunt Anna Berg Myron, back left. Anna was Gina's half sister.  Center back is William Wesley Harden and back right is Uncle Oscar Myron, Anna's husband.  The children are Tookie Harden front and Gerald and Muriel Harden behind her.  The dog is Gerald's dog Shep.   The house in the background is 1515 9th Ave. N.E. Brainerd, MN.  The house where I (Wesley R. Bowen Harden) was born.

Daddy (W. Wesley Harden) found Anna and in the 1930's by placing a personal ad in a paper near Boyd, MN.  Daddy knew his mother was born in Boyd so hoped someone there may remember the family.  A woman in Boyd knew that Anna, who lived in Hibbing was a half sister to Gina and sent the ad to Anna.  Uncle Oscar and Aunt Anna showed up at 1515 9th Ave. one day and introduced themselves as Wesley's Aunt and Uncle.  The Myrons were a big part of the Hardens life from then on.  Gerald and family later moved to Hibbing and Oscar helped him build a house on property next to his. 

Picture to the left is - Paul Haugen born April 02, 1878 in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway.  The oldest brother of Gina.  In two years three of the Haugen children died. Ole the youngest, on April 2, 1904, Paul, the oldest, who was living on a claim near Tioga, ND, sickened during bad, cold, rainy weather and died May 15, 1905. Gina, who had married on January 13, 1904, moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, then to Dickinson North Dakota for her health, died on July 31, 1905.

Ole Haugen was Baptised at Our Savior's Lutheran of Baxter near Boyd, MN in 1886