Martin EKUM

1890 - 1978  (87 years)

• Name	Martin EKUM
  Birth	6 Mar 1890	Franklin Twp, Vernon County, Wisconsin
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	15 May 1890	Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin
  	Franklin Lutheran Church
  Social Security Number	394-07-9077 issued in WI before 1951
  Death	3 Mar 1978	Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin
  	Norseland Nursing Home
  Burial	6 Mar 1978	Viroqua Cemetery, Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin
  	funeral Viroqua United Methodist Church
  Notes	Martin registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, in the town of Franklin by registrar Carl B. Fortney. He claimed to be 27, born on March 6, 1890, in the town of Franklin. His home address is shown as Rural Delivery route 4, Viroqua. He claimed to be a self-employed farmer. Regarding anyone “solely dependent on you for support,” he listed “mother and invalid sister.” He is described as tall and of slender build with blue eyes and brown hair. Changed name to Ekum because, according to Dorothy's family stories, there were so many Munsons in the area (after they moved back in 1907) that delivering mail was confusing. Some relatives in northern Wisconsin convinced Martin and Albert and other members of the family to change their name to Ekum, similar to the original family name in Norway. Operated on at the Viroqua hospital for a ruptured appendix in November of 1921. No children. Seven years younger than Albert. In his obituary, it was noted that Martin “for many years operated a filling station in Viroqua.” Pallbearers at Martin’s funeral: Leonard Erickson, Richard Hagun, Robert Miller, Maynard Wedwick, Leland Ekum, and Larry McKittrick. According to Cora’s diary, she, Ron, and Don R. visited Martin during their trip to Viroqua on June 19, 1966. Martin Ekum is shown in the 1910 census as a single, 20 year-old hired man on the Ole Solverson farm. Census-taker Douglas Nelson visited the Anderson/Nundahl/Ekum farms (they were contiguous, apparently, which is consistent with Cora’s memory) on January 11, 1920, and found: Martin Ekum, 29, owner of mortgaged property, farmer in general farming, an employer. Susan, mother, 51, [that must have been 59 or 61] widow, immigrated in 1870, naturalized but no date shown. Rhoda, sister, 24, single, born in Wisconsin, no occupation. At the time of the 1930 census, Martin, 40, his mother Susan, 69, and his sister Rhoda, 33, were living at 165 West Maple in Viroqua in a $3500 house that Martin, presumably, owned. The household did not have a radio. Susan is shown as not being able to read or write and having come to this country in 1866. Martin’s occupation is attendant, service station, and he is employed. Martin was not a veteran. Rhoda and Susan have no occupation. In the 1940 census, he (indexed as Marlin Ekrem), lives with his mother and sister Rhoda at 165 Maple Street in Viroqua. He had a 7th grade education and worked as an attendant at a gasoline filling station. In his World War II draft registration, he gave his mother Susan, 165 Maple Street, as the person who would always know his address. He was employed by Steenson Bros, of South Main Street, Viroqua. In the 1950 census, Martin and Esther lived on W. Maple Street in Viroqua. He is an attendant at a gasoline filling station. In a typed letter to Cora dated December 7, 1968, Theresa Clements says about Martin: “Uncle Martin hasn’t been too good either. He was in the hospital three weeks ago, from Saturday night until Thursday. His heart acted up again and guess it was worse this time. A nurses aide said to Sally that three doctors worked over him for two hours that night and that it was a coronary. But, if it had been that, he wouldn’t have gotten home so soon. He did have oxygen from Saturday night until Tuesday morning but he told me Sunday night that he was feeling fine then. He hasn’t gone back to work though. He tried it a couple of times but didn’t feel good again. He doesn’t work so hard at the station -- just tends the pumps -- but I think he started back too soon and put in too long a day and got over-tired. Then a week ago today he was feeling so good he went out and trimmed some bushes in front of his house and had to have a doctor again. I think the work he does at home is much harder on him. And this past year he has had such an obsession about his lawn that he was mowing it almost every day all summer. He didn’t go to the funeral parlor today {for Carl Nundahl} either but he went up to the funeral parlor last night.” In her Christmas letter of 1973, Theresa said, “Uncle Martin is doing pretty good but his legs bother him a lot. He says they don’t pain him but get so stiff and bothers him to walk some.” In her birthday card to Cora dated Thursday, February 28, 1974, Theresa said, “Uncle Martin just got home yesterday after spending 24 days in the hospital. He had an abscess on a toe and didn’t go to the doctor right away -- he had it several days before he told me about it -- so he ended up with a badly infected foot. Then, after a few days in the hospital he got real sick from all the antibiotics he was getting. His stomach got real upset, he had diarrhea for over two weeks, and had hiccups almost steady for three days. He got so weak, and just didn’t get his appetite back, so we did get a little worried as it hung on so long. He was going to go home on Monday but then he was so dizzy and nauseated again. I think now that part of it was weakness and a lot of it was homesickness. He said he had never been away from home this long in his life. And when I talked to him last night he said he felt stronger already. His foot is fine. As far as that was concerned he could have gone home weeks ago.... I just talked with Uncle Martin and he said he had been weak and dizzy this morning but was feeling fine. He isn’t going to try and drive his car until he gets stronger, though, so Floyd is going to take him to the bank tomorrow.” In a note to Cora after Martin’s funeral, Dorothy McKittrick said that Martin had been in the hospital for a little over a week but had gone back to the nursing home the day before he died. “He had gotten quite thin and was very weak.” The casket-bearers at his funeral: Leonard Erickson, Richard Hagen, Maynard Wedwick, Leland Ekum, Robert Miller, and Larry McKittrick. Cora had two addresses for Martin in her address book: 165 West Maple Street, Viroqua 54665, and Norseland Nursing Home, Room 114, Westby 54667 There was no house at 165 West Maple Street, just a vacant lot, as of August 17, 2003.
  Person ID	I161	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	2 Aug 2022

  
  

  Father	Thomas Monsen EIKUM (MUNSON),   b. 4 Sep 1850, Hafslo, Luster, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway d. 24 Nov 1905, Siskiyou County, California (Age 55 years)
  Mother	Susanna Clausdatter (Susan) BOWE,   b. 18 Dec 1860, Hafslo, Luster, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway d. 9 Aug 1943, Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	8 Mar 1880	Vernon County, Wisconsin
  Family ID	F115	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Esther Leona HILTON,   b. 22 May 1911, Iowa d. 6 Mar 1970, Vernon County, Wisconsin (Age 58 years)
  Marriage	28 Jun 1944	Vernon County, Wisconsin
  	also the date listed in his funeral program
  Family ID	F117	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2006

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Martin and Albert Ekum Probably taken in the later years of the first decade of the 20th century after the Ekums had returned from California. Martin would have been in his late teens and Albert in his mid 20s. The original is an oval picture mounted on heavy paperboard. The studio is "Henry and Jasperson, Viroqua, Wis." On the back Cora wrote "My Cousins Albert & Martin Ekum."
  		Martin Ekum
  		Ekum children and Georgie Probably taken in about 1900, not long before Susan and the younger children moved to California. (Tom, Albert, and Caroline were already out there.) In 1900, Martin would have been 10, Clara would have been 7, Rhoda would have been 4, and Georgie, Martha's son, would have been 2. The original is a print mounted on brown board stock. The studio is Adlington of Viroqua, Wis. On the back Cora wrote across the top "Roada Martin E. Clara." At the bottom she wrote "Georgie."
  		Martin Ekum