Paul Woken was born in Selbu, Norway in 1857. He sometimes went by
the name Paul Eidem, which was the surname his father used. In Norway in those days
your surname was usually the name of the farm or place where you lived. Sometimes
Paul's father used the surname Vokken.
Paul immigrated to America with his parents aboard the Neptunus, under
Captain Hermann Ludvigsen, which departed Trondheim, Norway May 5, 1866, and arrived in
Quebec on June 9. The family settled in Atwater, Minnesota, where other relatives
had already settled.
Kari Aftret was also born in 1859, also in Selbu, Norway. She may
have gone by Kari Krokstad, as her family was connected to both the Aftret and Krokstad
farms in Norway. She immigrated to Decorah, Iowa in 1879. Her parents stayed
in Norway.
Paul married Kari in Atwater in 1881.
In 1883 or 1884 Paul and Kari took a homestead claim near Arvilla, in
Grand Forks County, Dakota Territory.
Paul and Kari Woken, possibly a wedding photo.
Kari Woken about 1940.
