Presented at the Berg Cousins Reunion 2012 by Ken Berg

1. Biography of Gustave Edward Berg
1884-1968
Compiled from biographies of:
Ruby (daughter)
Mae (daughter)
Harold (son)
Shirley (daughter)

2. 3 Generation Berg/Andersen
Pedigree

3. Grandparents Gunder Eriksen Berg
and Ellen Jacobsen

4. Parents
➲John Edward Berg
Born Aug. 30, 1859in
Trondheim, Trondelag,
Norway
➲Anna Eriksen Paulsen
Born Mar. 22, 1860 in
Gausdal, Opland, Norway
➲Both converts

6. Married in Endowment House on Jul.
21, 1881

7. Gustave Edward Berg born Sept. 1,
1884

9. Gustave Edward Berg
➲Proud, even boastful, of his Norwegian heritage
➲Parents taught him well the Gospel of Jesus Christ
➲Only allowed to go through the 4th grade and then
was expected to get a job and bring in some income
➲He was interested in math and mechanical drawing
in school

10. Family Life
➲Lived on the Island (open Google Earth)
½ block from Logan River
2 block SE of Logan Temple
Deseret Flour Mill to north west
SW was a big forest he played in with friends
Stood on bridge and caught fish with a pitch fork
Skated on ponds in nearby cow pasture in winter
Drinking water taken from Logan River
Helped his mother rock the babies, scrub the floors
and wash the dishes

11. Anna Drowned in Logan River 1888
• Gustave never forgot about his sister’s drowning.
• His Mother blamed him for it, saying he should have
jumped in and saved her even though he was only 3 years
old at the time.
• He said his Mother was always reading novels and didn’t
spend enough time watching her children.

12. Father Left for Mission 1890
➲John Edward, his father, was called on a 2 year
mission to Norway
➲His third daughter, Bertha Eleanor, was born shortly
after he left
➲Gustave went to town to get sugar and cocoa
➲On the way home, he fell into a creek and lost the
groceries
➲He cried and prayed he could get more sugar
➲A man came by and asked why he was crying
➲He took him to town and bought him more
groceries. People knew his father was on a mission

13. JE Berg’s Mission 1890-1892
From “Legacy of Sacrifices: Missionaries to Scandinavia, 1872-1894”

14. Father Returned from Mission 1892
➲When he came home, the family was about
$500 in debt for living expenses. John Edward
was re-employed at the Oregon Short Line as
a carpenter and they got along quite nicely
after that.

15. Father Returned from Mission 1892
➲When John Edward, Gustave’s father came
back from his mission he brought back a
➲family of converts with him, and let them live
in two of the rooms of his house.
➲One day Gustave saw the father of the family
dragging one of the children on the floor on top
of a big family Bible with a rope tied into it. He
had borrowed it from Gustave’s father.
➲That family later left the church.
➲When Gustave was 8 years old, in 1892, the
family moved to Salt Lake City

16. His Father’s Work
➲ In1893 there was a panic and he made only
$8.00 a week. He was paid $2.00 a day and
worked four days a week.

17. Gustave’s Brothers
• Because of personality differences, he had
trouble relating to his brothers later in his life

18. Einar Baptized 1904

19. Brother Einar Died-1920

20. Albert Baptized 1904

21. Albert Harriman Ordained a
Teacher 1912

22. Orson Cornelius Born 1893
Orson and his wife, Hattie

23. Misc. Family Temple Records

24. Gustave’s Sisters
• He always got along well with his sisters:
Mary, Nora and Bessie

25. Moved to SLC-1892
➲Family moved to Idaho Falls for a few years
then back to Logan, then to SLC in 1892.

26. Baptized and Confirmed July 2
1894
➲ Gustavewas baptized in the Salt Lake
Tabernacle on Sept. 2, 1892 by Joe
Keddington

27. Aaronic Priesthood Service
➲When Gustave was twelve years old, he was ordained a
Deacon
➲It was the Deacon’s duty to go around and collect for ward
expenses
➲When they went to collect from the grocery man, he said,
“You can take money from the tithing I pay, to help with the
ward expenses.”
➲It was also the Deacon’s job to keep the ward clean and keep
the fires going in the winter, because there was no janitor.
➲They chopped wood for the widows. One time they chopped
wood for one of Lorenzo Snow’s wives
➲When Gustave was Ordained a teacher he had a new
responsibility, he went “block teaching.”
➲When he was a Priest, he blessed the Sacrament.

28. School Years
➲During his school years, drawing and math
were his favorite subjects.
➲He was allowed to only attend school to the
4th grade, then he was expected to work to
bring in income for the family
➲As an adult, he took a correspondence
course in mechanical drawing

29. Books
➲Some of the books Gustave had liked to read are,
Washington Irving’s Works and he enjoyed reading church
books, including the Book of Mormon and the Life of Heber C.
Kimball.
➲As a child his favorite books were wild west and Indian
adventures.

30. A Young Man 1904-1907
➲Hanging in Ken and Cathy Berg’s living room under unique
oval convex glass.

31. A Young Man 1904-1907
➲ Charles Daddley and Chester Knight were
Gustave’s favorite pals.
➲They would often play billiards and bowling and
would dance at the Salt Air Pavilion and also
Waldamer Park.
➲They learned new dance steps at Russell’s Hall.

32. Received Apprenticeship at 18

33. Ordained a Priest-1905

34. Agnes Josephine Anderson
➲At a dance in the 22nd Ward, Gustave met a very
sweet girl, Agnes Andersen.
➲He wanted to take her home but she refused to go
home with strange fellows.
➲ He met her the second time at the 16th Ward’s
dances. After this they became very close friends
➲When Agnes, (his girl friend) went to Wolf Point,
Montana; he went with her as far as Butte.

35. Agnes Josephine Anderson
➲Ca1906, about the time she
emmigrated to America

36. Agnes Josephine Anderson
➲They went together to Lagoon, Salt Air,
Waldamer and different wards.
➲Sometimes they would rent a horse and buggy
from the livery stable and take rides into the
➲Canyons.

37. Married Agnes on Oct. 30, 1907 in
SL Temple
The 30th day of October in 1907, he went to the Salt
Lake Temple and was married to the true and
faithful convert from Norway, Agnes Andersen. She
had been in America only a year.
They paid a lady to make their temple suites.

38. Ordained an Elder-1907
He was ordained an Elder when he was twenty-three years
old, just a few weeks before he was married.

39. First Home at 300 N 300 W

40. Children
They were blessed with a family of seven
children.

41. Homes
➲When Nephi was nine Months old, they moved
from 3rd North and 3rd West to their new home
on 17th South. This was in June 1909.

42. Homes

43. Home at 743 E. 1700 S.-1908
➲Bought this home and moved here in June 1909. Nephi was
9 mos. old
➲Agnes, Florence, Ruby, Mae, Jennie and Harold born here

44. Birth of Ruby Irene 1915

45. Birth of Mae Viola and Jennie Alvera
1918

46. His Dad Retires from Kennecott-ca.
1920

47. Home at 738 Logan Ave.
➲In the summer of 1920, Gustave cut out part of the orchard in
the back yard and began construction of a new home that
faced Logan Ave.

48. Ordained a Seventy 1922

49. Birth of Harold Marcus 1924

50. Birth of Harold Marcus 1924

51. 738 Logan Ave.
➲Moved here in 1924
➲Gustave did all design and construction work except brick
➲First ranch home raised 4 feet above grade (high basement
for protection against water in basement)
➲Hand made all wood trim
➲Front entrance room had double doors with glass on each
side-one to living room and one to dining room
➲Main entrance on west side of home
➲Eaves were unusual 2 foot extension from outside walls
➲Had several features that were ahead of it's time

57. Draft Registration-1924

58. Death of Mother Anna 1927

59. Death of Father John 1929

60. Nephi Married Gertrude 1931

61. ➲Family lived there until Agnes said she wanted to move to
Holladay or she would die in that house

62. Holladay 1937

63. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

64. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

65. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

66. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

67. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

68. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

69. Millcreek Canyon-1930’s

70. Misc. 1930’s

71. Pocatello, ID 1930

72. Ordained High Priest 1933

73. Moved to Holladay 1933
In 1933 they moved out to Holladay, Utah.

75. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

76. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

77. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

78. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

79. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

80. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

81. Death of Wife Agnes 1935

82. 1937

83. Holladay 1937

84. Florence and Andrew Marry 1937

85. Moved to Omaha
• Gustave moved to Omaha to work in the UP
headquarters after Agnes died.
• He met Louise Loertscher at a dance in Salt
Lake City.

86. Married Louise in Council Bluffs, IA
1939
Louise Loertscher-age 20. She was 41, he
was 55 when they married.

87. Birth of Ray George - 1940
Ray was born in 1940 when they lived on
Chicago St. in Omaha.

88. Shirley Born in 1942
They had moved to Corby St. when Shirley
was born.

89. Corby St., Omaha- 1942

90. Corby St., Omaha- 1942

91. Corby St., Omaha- 1942
Shortly after Shirley’s birth, Florence, Louise’s
daughter from a previous marriage, visited
them. They told her they were naming their
daughter “Anna” after Gustave’s mother’s
name. She suggested they name her “Shirley”
instead, and they did.

92. Moved to 2411 Washington St.,
Bellevue, NE in 1943

93. Moved to 2411 Washington St.,
Bellevue, NE in 1943

94. Bellevue, NE 1947
They had many friends in Bellevue. Best friends
were the Slaters who a furniture store in town
and the Hansens who owned a auto repair
shop. Another family, the Otto’s were friends,
and lived about a block away. The Otto family
had several tragedies. Mr. Otto was
incarcerated for drinking. The family home
burned to the ground, on a cold, snowy, winter
night, killing 3 of their 6 children. The mother,
Anna, survived but was severely burned. After
spending months in the hospital she recovered
but had severe facial scarring. The was a
tragic loss for Gustave and Louise. They later
donated many things to the surviving family

95. Bellevue, NE 1947
members. It was later determined that the fire
had been caused by the landlady plugging the
oil heater chimney with snow.

96. Bellevue, NE 1947

97. Bellevue, NE 1947

98. Bellevue Street Directory 1943

99. Moved to SLC at 1020 Ramona
Ave.-Aug. 1947
Gustave loved this location. It was only a block
from Sugarhouse business district. He would walk
there to by a paper when not working out of town.
He had a free pass on the UP. He would leave
Omaha after work on Friday afternoon and get to
SLC on Sat. night. On Sunday morning he would
board the train and be back to work in Omaha on
Monday morning.

100. Sugar House
He continued working in Omaha for a few years until
he retired.
Gustave took his family with him to Omaha
occasionally to spend the summers. The also
travelled to Sedro-Woolley, WA, where Gustave
worked making patterns. They also enjoyed many
trips to Los Angeles, CA and Spokane, WA.

101. Sugar House 1948

102. Sugar House

103. Sugar House ca 1949
The family had many summer picnics in the large
backyard in Sugar House. Gustave made outdoor
furniture for these occassions.

104. SugarHouse ca 1949
Gustave remodeled the
bathroom and
kitchen here. He
also put new
supports in the
basement and
shored up the
house’s sagging
structure.

105. SugarHouse ca 1949

106. Sugar House 1948

107. Sugar House 1948-51

108. N. Logan, 1948?

109. N. Logan 1948

110. N. Logan 1948

111. Shirley’s Misc. Pix
N. Logan?

112. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

113. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

114. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

115. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

116. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

117. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

118. Shirley’s Misc.

119. Shirley’s Misc. Pix

120. Granger/WV Homes ?

121. Building the Shop
When he retired from UP he started construction of
his wood pattern shop. He did all the work
himself, except the electrical, which Nephi did.
Main

122. Building the Shop

123. Building The Shop-ca 1948

124. Building The Shop-ca 1948

125. Building The Shop-ca 1948

127. 1st Pattern Out in 1953

128. 1948

129. Travelling
Gustave always enjoyed hiking, dancing, and
traveling. He has been to Los Angeles
several times, to Stockton, California; San
Francisco; Yellow Stone National Park;
Kansas City’
Independence, Missouri; Omaha. When
Agnes, (his girl friend) went to Wolf Point,
Montana; he
went with her as far as Butte. He as also been
to Pocatello, Idaho several times on
business trips.

130. Leaving Sedro Wooley, WA Fall
1951

131. Omaha Greeter 1945

132. RR Passes-1940

133. UP Timetable

134. Seattle 1951

135. Seattle 1951

136. Christmas 1962
Gustave enjoyed playing
checkers, especially at
Chrismas time. He was
good at it and was seldom
defeated.

137. Louise at Organ ca 1960’s?

138. With children ca. 1965

139. 80th Birthday Party 1964

140. 80th Birthday Party 1964

141. 80th Birthday Party 1964

142. Death 1967