By Michael L. Hogue Hey everyone and welcome back to The Hogue Connection! This post is my first of the year 2026, so I thought it would be interesting to look at the reasons why I believe genealogy is important. Hunting down ancestors and building my family tree is a very enjoyable hobby. Not only for me, but many other folks out there. There are currently about 2500 professional genealogists offering their services in the United States.
There are also millions of us amateurs out there building family trees; estimates indicate that amateur genealogy is a nearly $10 billion industry. Personally, I find it not only fun, but very educational. It also gives me chance to connect with other relatives I never knew about. That’s the main reason I started this blog eight years ago. Not only will you find interesting stories along the way, but you can use the skills to answer questions about local celebrities!
The Story of Ole Torkelson…
I’ve driven by this road in Chimacum, WA many times. We went to a baby shower for our daughter-in-law there. The house was built in 1900 and was being rented by our kid’s friends. We currently live about 6 miles north of this intersection. Anyway, I often wondered who Ole Torkelson was and why he had road named after him. I just assumed that he was an old farmer from the area. I did some digging, using my amateur genealogy skills, and found out quite a bit about Ole.
He was born Ole Torkelson Fidjeland on 16 Dec 1888 in Sirdal, Norway. He got on a ship in Liverpool, England, and, once he arrived in Canada, got on a train that took him to Sault Ste. Marie, MI. His official immigration date was 4 Apr 1909. His older brother Torjus (Tom) had come over around 1905 and acquired 160 acres of land near Cass Lake, MN. Ole lived in Rose Grove, Iowa in 1913 and in Tannton, MN in 1917. On the 1930 Census, he was recorded in Hubbard, MN living with his brother on a farm that they owned.
Other Important Documents Tell More…
On 20 Apr 1936, according to his naturalization papers, Ole and Tom moved to Chimacum and purchased property there, as recorded on the 1940 census. They were listed as owners of a dairy farm. Ole registered for the draft 29 Apr 1942 and became a naturalized citizen on 16 Mar 1943. The 1950 census also lists the brothers in the same location. They lived together and farmed the area for many years, until Tom’s passing in 1958. Only two houses exist on the road that would fit the bill as their home; the one was built in 1900, mentioned above, the other was built in 1928.
Ole Torkelson never married or had children. That is until 19 Feb 1963 when, at the age of 75, he wed Nellie Barton, maiden name Mock. Ole was her fourth husband. Unfortunately, Ole had a major stroke in December of that year. He was moved to a nursing home in Port Townsend, WA until April of 1965, when he was taken to St. John’s Hospital. Ole died there on 6 May 1965. He is buried near his brother in the Greenwood Cemetery in Chimacum. I obtained most of this information from his obituary found in the archives of our local newspaper.
Ole’s Photo From His Naturalization Papers
The Newlyweds Ole and Nellie, 1963
Genealogy is Important
Ole wasn’t a relative, so what’s the point? The point is, if it wasn’t for the genealogical data available to most of us, the story of Ole Torkelson and his road would remain a mystery. You do have to know where to look, but that is part of the fun of it. The amount of information out there is astonishing. Granted, much of it isn’t free, but there are enough free sites available that make it easy enough to get started on your family tree.
There are many websites that go deeper into why genealogy is important. One I found, written by Diane Henriks, a professional genealogist from Southern California, sums things up very well. Here are her bullet points:
- Discover Your Roots and Identity
- Preserve Family History for Future Generations
- Solve Family Mysteries and Break Down “Brick Walls”
- Connect With New Living Relatives
- Gain A Better Understanding of History
I’d also like to add that understanding our genealogy will help you develop a deeper personal identity. Discovering stories about your ancestors will build your cultural heritage and heighten your sense of belonging. Your family tree can become an important historical document that preserves your own legacy and guarantees that these stories will not be forgotten.
It’s Fun and Relatively Inexpensive…
It’s good to have a budget to work with; I spend about $500 annually on my genealogical research. This includes subscriptions to Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com (owned by Ancestry), and any supplies I might need. I go through a ton of yellow legal pads! Included in my budget is about $100 to keep this blog up and running. It’s about $20 for the domain name (hogueconnect.com), $50 for a hosting package (namecheap.com) and other items like an SSL certificate for web security. I also spend about $20 on RootsMagic updates, the program that holds my family tree database.
You really don’t have to spend much at all to get started. FamilySearch.com (the LDS site) and WikiTree.com are both free. Both sites likely have some of your ancestor profiles already in the works. Just remember… start with yourself, work back from there, and trust and verify the information you discover. There are plenty of online resources to assist you. Thank you for checking out my article today here at The Hogue Connection. I look forward to more visits from my cousins soon. Check out Diane Henrik’s blog by following this link. If you would like to return to the Home Page, click here.
Greenwood Cemetery, Chimacum, WA, Sec 1, Row 11
Picture credit to FindAGrave member Larry Linehan.