Strands of Pearl

About the Book

The only surviving member of the Snibjorn and Anna Grimson family, Pearl Grimson Lindstrom Bingham, gently and lovingly recounts the memories shared with her by her parents and connects them with her own first-hand experiences.  Thus emerges a family’s history--beginning with a young immigrant couple who claimed a tract of land through the Homestead Act of 1862—to the present-day fourth generation.

Pearl received her higher education in Chicago where she met and married Harry Lindstrom. While she has had a successful banking career, traveled extensively, and enjoyed a full social life, Pearl’s first priority has always been the best interest and the happiness of her children--and her grandchildren--who remain the source of her greatest pride and joy.

In this delightful collection of her most precious “strands” of memory, Pearl reconstructs for her family and friends, life on the Great Plains of Northeastern North Dakota, the paths that led her away from her childhood home, and her journey to the present.

About the Author

Pearl Lindstrom Bingham was born in Milton, North Dakota in 1911; she was the eleventh child of thirteen, born to Icelandic immigrant parents. After high school, she left Milton for Chicago where she met and married Harry Windstorm. Pearl and Harry had two children, Richard and Roger. While raising her sons, caring for their home in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Pearl had a successful twenty-two year career as a banker. In 1972, Pearl and Harry retired in Kimberling City, Missouri. After Harry’s death in 1975, Pearl traveled, became an accomplished artist, and a formidable bridge opponent. In 1997, seven years after the death of her second husband, Donald Bingham, Pearl moved to Springfield, Missouri where she now lives at Manor Care, an assisted living facility. Pearl takes part in resident activities and continues to enjoy the visits of her children, grandchildren, and friends. Eleanor (Ellie) Widmer, a mother and grandmother, holds a BS in Psychology from Southwest Missouri State University. After serving as a missionary in Ghana, West Africa, she returned to Springfield, Missouri where she is fundraiser for The Kitchen, a program of services for the poor. She is a non-fiction writer, and also collaborates in the writing of memoirs; Ellie is presently completing a Master of Arts Degree in creative writing.