I am looking for information on my great grandparents - Andrew Oleson was born about 1815 and Martha was born about 1817. They emigrated to Minnieska, MN from Norway in about 1852 bringing with them 4 children, Ole born about 1845, Bertha born about 1847, Albert born about 1849 and Johanna born about 1851. These dates are estimated ones as taken from the MN censuses. I have all the censuses on them in the United States, but cannot seem to locate them in Norway in the censuses there. Does anyone have any information or suggestions that would be helpful in pinpointing them in Norway?
Andrew and Martha were born well after the 1801 Norwegian census. They and their children left Norway before the 1865 census. Therefore you won't find them a Norwegian census. Check records around Minnieska, MN. Look for church records where they were members - Lutheran ministers often made notes of the baptismal and/or confirmation parish of members. Read any published histories for whatever the appropriate Minnesota county would be for Minnieska, any towns nearby, the Lutheran churches - I've seen listings of what part of Norway early residents came from in such books. Look for death records, obituaries and especially check will ALL your cousins and other common descendants - someone may already know but never have considered the information of interest to others. Check for other Norwegians who lived in that immediate area of Minnesota - the published histories or even online postings about their families may give clues to what parts of Norway others there came from. Often groups travelled to areas where old friends and/or family had already settled.
Andrew (Anders) and Martha Oleson
Posted - 31/07/2005 : 02:03:07
