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edits April 24 2013 and August 30 2017
Mathias Gauer was b. 23 Feb 1864 in Dubuque IA and d. 4 Sep 1923 in East Lake Lillian MN
Magdalena Finger as b. 24 Jul 1869 in Kankakee IL and d. 4 Dec 1923 in East Lake Lillian MN
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Matt Gauer, age 29, and Lena Finger, age 23, were married in Grundy County Iowa on 21 Mar 1893. The Finger farm was 6 miles east of Ackley, IA. They started a family and farmed near Ackley.
In 1900 they moved to East Lake Lillian township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
This family photo may have been after Lena's stroke in November 1920.
They attended the nearest church, known in those days as the Norwegian Baptist Church in Lake Lillian. It was located 3 miles east of Lake Lillian and 1.3 miles north of hwy 7. The (first) church was there from 1898 to 1933. Matt and Lena are buried there as well as some of my cousins, many of the Anderstroms and many neighbors.
The above church was destroyed by a Tornado in May 1933 and replaced by Dec 1933 with the following structure.
My dad and his siblings attended school at the Riverside School, district 89, on the south side of section 23. It was located 1 mile south of hwy #7 and 4.5 miles east of Lake Lillian. There is no trace of it now as the Crow River ditch was widened through there some years ago. The school is as it looked in 1915.
Matt Gauer had land along todays MN Hwy #7 on section 15 and 23.
The farm house is on section 15, East Lake Lillian.
Eleanor and Clarence on sled made by Clarence.
~ 1917 
Eleanor and Otto walked to school District 89 in ~1917.
Grandma Lena had a stroke in November 1920 and needed a wheel chair for her last 3 years.
Clarence, Leo, Glen, Otto. photo most likely from 1924 after their parents died in 1923.
Last group photo of the Gauer 8 in December 1966.
BR Glen, Otto, Clarence, Leo.
FR Lilllian. Elizabeth, Rose, Eleanor.
1966 As above with spouses.
Rose's husband Axel Linden died in 1942, Clarence's wife LaVaughn did not make the trip from Montana. Glen's wife Esther not present.
Lillian and Allie Anderstrom, Jeanette and Otto, Elizabeth and Roy Watson (in wheel chair), Glen, Clarence, Leo and Ellen, Rudy and Eleanor Strand.
I (Gary) lived in the farm house with my parents in 1941. 
The farm was visited in 2002 by cousins: Gary, Warren and Evelyn, Verlene, Bob, Ruby, Lowell, Nona, Dorothy.
