One Nation, Under God

The garment that keeps on giving

In a day and age when most clothing has a limited shelf life, a garment in Phillips County has been in use, in one fashion or another, for the past 103 years.

On October 26, 1915, Ella Johanson, originally from Norway, married Jens Hammond in Westby, Mont., wearing an elegant wedding dress on a special day. Ella and Jens’ first child, Howard Woodrow Hammond, was born some two years later and one year later, on baby Howard’s first birthday, Jens passed away from the flu epidemic. Ella remarried a few years after Jens’ death to Alvin Olsen and he moved Ella and baby Howard to the farm in Whitewater, Mont. As for the wedding dress that Ella wore when she married Jens in 1915, it sat, untouched and unused, for the next 31 years.

“When my grandma (Ella) remarried, she wanted grandpa (Howard) to keep the last name Hammond because Jens was such a good man,” said Shane Anderson, Ella’s great-grandson. “Alvin was the only dad Howard ever knew, but he kept (Jens’) the last name. Grandpa Howard had three younger half-siblings, Milton, Rinehart, and Beverly, all Olsens.

Howard Hammond grew up and married Ella Dees from Kremlin, Mont., (yep, another Ella in the family) and the couple’s first son, Mike, was born in 1946 and when it was time for him to be baptized, Ella (elder Ella’s daughter in law) took her mother-in-law’s wedding dress which she wore in 1915 to marry Jens and fashioned it into a baptismal gown.

“Mike, Howie, and Patty are their three children,” Shane said. “All of my Grandpa Hammond’s kids and grandkids have been baptized in that gown and most of his great grandkids, Jens was the most recent one.”

Jens Woodrow Anderson was born December 29, 2017, to Shane and Jenifer, and is the namesake of the Jens who married Ella in 1915 in the wedding dress that is now a baptismal gown. Jens was baptized in the gown a few weeks ago, on October 14, 2018.

“That dress was almost exactly 103-years-old when Jens was baptized in it,” Anderson said. “Grandma Hammond just shrunk it down and it has been a tradition ever since.”

Many of the children who have worn the gown still reside in Phillips County residents, and beyond.

Howard and Ella’s son Mike, had his three children, Nate, Haley, and Tricia, all baptized in the gown and Nate (Dawson and Hadley), Haley (Madden and Mykal), and Tricia (Kora, Shelby, and Keenan); Howard’s son Howie had his three daughters (Aimee, Ashley, and Andrea) all baptized in the gown and Ashley’s daughter, Emree, and Aimee’s daughter, Signee, were as well. Howard and Ella’s Daughter, Patty, had their three children (Shane, Ella, and Tanner) all baptized in the gown and Ella’s son Rhett, Tanner’s children Tryan, and Toas; and Shane’s children, Addy, Elly, and most recently, Jens, have all been baptized in the gown. Milton and Marjorie Olsen’s children Allie, Nancy, and Carolyn and most of their grandchildren were also baptized in the gown. Allie, had two of his children, Mandy and Carli baptized in the gown and Mandy (Thyus, Tatum, and Terryn), and Carli (Trax and Gray). Nancy had daughter Tessa baptized in the gown. Rhinehart and Beverly have also had their children and many grandchildren wear the gown.

“Jens was the 44th child to be baptized in the gown,” Shane said. “There have been some children in the family not baptized in it, but many have and there will be many more in the future.”

 

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