Lester articles in the Heritage Review

Lester's articles in the Heritage Review show his thoroughness in genealogy research as well as his great depth of knowledge about the history and culture of the areas he was most interested in -the Dobrudscha and North Dakota. "Lester & Vern's Korner" will include his articles from theHeritage Review Issues 21 and 22 (1978) on the Seibold family and the Dobrudscha area.

Lester was born in 1929, son of Emanuel and Anne Blumhagen Seibold. He was born and lived his entire life in North Dakota, along with one brother and lots of nearby cousins. Lester grew up part of a close-knit family group. Each Sunday all the Seibold families gathered together for dinner after church, each family alternating as the host for that week.

In 1950, Lester married Violet Meier and they had three children. He took over the family farm in 1961 when his father passed away. In addition to his interests in genealogy, he was also involved in community groups, state politics, and agricultural organizations.

With Lester's death, we lose a giant in our German-Russian community - one who exemplified a love of our heritage and a generosity in sharing his knowledge with the next generation; someone who had a deep understanding of the connection between our past heritage, with the present and future. In Lester's own words: "We have looked back to many aspects of our heritage. Certainly, it has not been a pursuit in vain. In North Dakota, on land I farm, the first furrow was turned with a team of a milk cow and a horse. Today it is with a four-wheel-drive tractor. Many contrasts can be drawn. We can see a turning under of our culture and an exposure of new ground. This is nothing new, it has gone on for ages."