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I was also a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge in Negaunee. I also had to discontinue my membership there due to my inability to get more money. It so happened that my neighbor, Niels Christoffersen wanted to sell his farm and I bought 40 acres off of him for $500. However, I only paid $100 in cash and owed the other $400 as a loan at a 6% interest rate. The deal was sealed on the 24th of April 1886 and I took immediate ownership of the property, with the stipulation that payments wouldn't start until the 1st of October 1886. That way I'd havesix months worth of income from the land which came in the shape of grassing grounds, firewood and 32 bushels of rye. All together probably worth about $50 so I would really only end up paying $450 for everything.

When I bought this land I started feeling better because now I finally had something I could call my own. However, it wasn't long before I realized that I had made yet another foolish move. I say that because now my wife would receive her dowry part off of my property while I still didn't receive any ownership in hers.

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However, after much pondering she one day tells me that I have no need to worry too much about it because she was more than willing to relinquish all rights to said land. So one day we walked together to see Peter Christensen who was a justice and we demanded that he write up a document that would fit our particular needs. He then tells us that he can't help us in this matter since a woman's rights don't go into effect until her husbands death. So she actually had no case to relinquish said land. He proceeds to tell us that we could just sell the land and pocket the money. At least that way she can't get at it. However, I didn't want to sell that land since that way I'd be back to having nothing that I could call my own.

He then suggested that I sell it to one of my sons and that's exactly what I did. I sold it to Jørgen for $25.00, at least that's what the paperwork said, truth be told no money changed hands. To ensure that he wouldn't turn around and sell it, I got him to lease it to me for the remainder of my life, which in return made me feel a lot better about the entire affair.