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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
 Posted - 15/02/2007 : 05:07:47
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I am looking for information on the following ancestors:
- Martin C. Haugen (son of Kristian Kristenhaugen and Karen Kinseth, emigration year approx. 1884, later married Inger Olson and settled in Fort Dodge, Iowa USA) - Birth year approx. 1863
- Christaphor Olson (emigration year approx. 1861, later married Susana and settled in Iowa. Father of Inger) - Birth year approx. 1847
Martin and Inger were my Great-Grandparents, and I'd treasure any information on the Haugens and Olsons. I've been doing some extensive work on my ancestry and hit a bit of a wall there. I'd love to know their origins in Norway, region of origin, etc. I can't find anything about Kristian, Karen, Christaphor or Susana prior to their US arrival.
Many thanks for any help!  In the meantime, I'll continue to look through the wonderful lists on this site. |
M. McClellan
North Carolina, USA
Ancestry: Kristenhaugen/Haugen/Christiansen, Olson, Knudsdatter/Kindsæth |
Edited by - matthewmac66 on 15/02/2007 05:14:45 |
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 13:39:12
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Martin's stated destination of 'Bode' makes sense. Bode, Iowa is a little town in Humboldt County, Iowa and was the center of one of the two Norwegian settlements that I know of in that County (around Bode and around Thor). Not far at all from the far bigger 'city' of Fort Dodge.
I think there are/were also Kinseth families in Humboldt County, in the Thor area?. (No, also in the Bode area, I just checked.) But some of them may have spelled the name a little differently through the years - 1900 US census shows the majority of them in Humboldt Co. as 'Kenseth' - born in Norway.
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Edited by - Hopkins on 15/02/2007 13:59:06 |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 14:20:33
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Matthew -
If Christopher Olson came to the US before the 1865 Norwegian census it will be necessary for you to do much more research in the US. In fact, with such a common surname it may be necessary anyway - regardless of the year of immigration.
Where was his daughter Inger born? Where did he marry Susannah? Did they have other children? How many US and/or state censuses have you found the family in? Is it widower Christopher Olson in Delana township of Humboldt Co., Iowa in the 1900 US census?
Have you looked for the Olson family obituaries? Have you investigated where they were church members in US/Iowa? |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 16:28:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Hopkins
Matthew -
If Christopher Olson came to the US before the 1865 Norwegian census it will be necessary for you to do much more research in the US. In fact, with such a common surname it may be necessary anyway - regardless of the year of immigration.
Where was his daughter Inger born? Where did he marry Susannah? Did they have other children? How many US and/or state censuses have you found the family in? Is it widower Christopher Olson in Delana township of Humboldt Co., Iowa in the 1900 US census?
Have you looked for the Olson family obituaries? Have you investigated where they were church members in US/Iowa?
Thank you, Hopkins. I will get going on some new searches with the great data you've provided. I've not yet gone up to Iowa for a physical investigation of church memberships, etc., but hope to be doing that later in the year. Inger Olson was born in Iowa (exact township unknown). I did find the Olsons in the 1880 Census, living in Ellsworth, Hamilton, IA. Children listed in that census include Inger, Oli (Ole) and Abel. There is also a 1920 census entry for a "Chis" (likely a typo) Olson, living in the Beisser household in Fort Dodge as "father in law", so I suspect that either EJ or Anna Beisser could be children had later in life. I'm not sure where he and Susana were married. I thank you for all of your help thus far, and I will check the 1900 Census record this evening. I've not found any obituaries yet. |
M. McClellan
North Carolina, USA
Ancestry: Kristenhaugen/Haugen/Christiansen, Olson, Knudsdatter/Kindsæth |
Edited by - matthewmac66 on 15/02/2007 16:39:21 |
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Jo Anne Sadler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
1100 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 19:28:25
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The ELCA has old church microfilm records available for rental, you can email them to see if they have a particular church or minister:
http://www.elca.org/archives/filmloan.html
Due to storage and archival problems, many churches no longer have the older records in their possesion. Also, many older churches closed down and/or were assimilated into another congregation. |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 19:42:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Jo Anne Sadler
The ELCA has old church microfilm records available for rental, you can email them to see if they have a particular church or minister:
http://www.elca.org/archives/filmloan.html
Due to storage and archival problems, many churches no longer have the older records in their possesion. Also, many older churches closed down and/or were assimilated into another congregation.
Thank you very much, JoAnne. I'll check into it. Would I just need to give them a church name/approx. dates? |
M. McClellan
North Carolina, USA
Ancestry: Kristenhaugen/Haugen/Christiansen, Olson, Knudsdatter/Kindsæth |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2007 : 20:20:35
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Hamilton County, Iowa - Ellsworth township. That puts them near the towns of Jewell or Randall. Hamilton, Story and Hardin counties were locations in central Iowa with larger and EARLIER settlement by Norwegians than most (but probably the largest and earliest was up in the northeastern county in Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties).
The LDS library system has a book about Norwegian-Lutheran congregations in those areas. It lists the churches and their locations and I think it was published about the turn of the last century. It can tell you the names and locations of the churches. I'd think you'd want to know about the churches in the Bode (Humboldt Co.) area and near Jewell and Randall in Hamilton Co. That way you have names of congregations to search for. I might have that film at my nearby LDS Family History Center - but I can't look for it until at least next week or the week after.
I can give examples - in the Thor, Norway township area of Humboldt Co. there were three early Norwegian-Lutheran churches (earliest Norwegian settlers there didn't arrive until about 1872). Today they have all merged into one Lutheran church and the old records for all three are kept in the pastor's study safe. Permission to view them has to be given by the church council in advance of a visit. I know this - because I took a summer vacation trip a few years ago to do exactly that. In another Iowa County (Buena Vista) the Norwegian-Lutheran church records that I REALLY wanted to study for another family line were available copied to microfilm by the LDS library! That was wonderful and I was able to order and study them from my current location. So I recommend that you check for what can be obtained from where you are first. Check with local historical and genealogical societies in those Iowa locations as to whether the records are available and IF someone might be willing to do some 'lookups' for you. (Remember it has to be someone who hopefully has some experience with reading the old Norwegian church records - not hard to learn how to do - but not what you can really ask a stranger to be willing to learn for you.)
I see Christopher and Susana in the 1880 US census. If the census info is accurate we'd expect Christopher to be born about 1847 in Norway. Susana born about 1848. All three children born in Iowa and the oldest boy is 9 - so they've been in Iowa (and married probably) since at least 1871.
Iowa did state censuses in 1885,1895,1905,1915 and 1925. (The 1925 Iowa state census is GREAT - even lists peoples parents names and birthplaces - including mother's maiden name - if you look up Inger Olson it might have some additional info for you.) All of those state censuses can be ordered on LDS microfilm.
Check all genealogy related websites for Hamilton and Humboldt Iowa - see if you find any more information or repositories for old records. |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
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matthewmac66
Junior member
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 16/02/2007 : 04:20:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Hopkins
Under LINKS on this website you'll find good help with translating columns on a number of Norwegian forms we often use.
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~norway/articles.html
Also under LINKS is another very helpful list just for translating.
http://home.online.no/%7Eotjoerge/files/word.htm
And to learn to use the Digitalarkivet website (you will enjoy) -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~norway/DigitalArchives.html
You asked 'Did all three Kindsæth farms list a "Karen" living there?' -- No.
Thank you all sincerely for your patience and help thus far in adding these really fascinating new dimensions to my research. I'll check over these resources. I was concerned about Karen as with her being reported as 6 years of age in 1865, she'd not be old enough to have borne Martin. |
M. McClellan
North Carolina, USA
Ancestry: Kristenhaugen/Haugen/Christiansen, Olson, Knudsdatter/Kindsæth |
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 16/02/2007 : 09:10:54
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| Hi Matthew, i find only one Karen: Karen M. Larsdatter Kindsæth age 6 in 1865, daugher of Lars Knudsen and Olia Andersdatter, both age 39 and free farrmers. Both the names Kristenshaugen and Kindseth are not commen names, it´s my first time watching these names and both in Søndre Land and Martin Haugen (Kristenshaugen) born in Søndre Land, it seems convincing to me, but.. Digitalarkivet has an English version : http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/WebFront.exe?slag=vis&tekst=meldingar&spraak=e. When Hopkins find Bode in Iowa and Kindseth´s in Humbolt County it semms ti be a right track. Martin Kr. Haugen knew where to go when he emigrated, others he knew well had send for him. only church records can prove the final evidence, these are not available online yet from this area and periode yet. |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 16/02/2007 : 15:30:30
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Matthew - That Karen does seem too young to be Martin's mother. But another woman named Karen could have either come from one of the Kinseth farms earlier and just not be living there at the exact time of the 1865 census. OR another Karen could have moved to one of the Kinseth farms after the 1865 and therefore been called Karen Kinseth just a little later. It should be made clear when you finally see Martin's birth record - you can be fairly sure of that. But sometimes it can take a bit more detective work - a parish marriage record will usually list at least the fathers of each the bride and groom.
Martin's birth record isn't available in the scanned records online (YET -- it is a pretty new option available to us and more scanned records are added almost daily). The parish church records are available on microfilm from your local LDS Family History Center - this is the option that I've used for years and I highly recommend it. The cost to order a specific microfilm sent to the local center is low and if you are lucky you might find one or two others there who have some experience in researching their own Norwegian ancestors. Many local Family History Centers have copiers/scanners for making paper or scanned copies of microfilm images you find 'essential' to collect. You can browse their library catalog online from home first (familysearch.org) to determine what they have available for Søndre Land in Oppland. While you do that remember to check what materials they might have for Hamilton County, Iowa? Humboldt Co., Iowa? (Tip - when using LDS catalog Place Search option - type in 'Hamilton' and in Part Of entry place 'Iowa' -- don't type in word County.)
When you've looked at what the LDS have for Humboldt Co. I'm available here to discuss those items with you. I've done lots of searching for Humboldt Co. resources through the same library catalog and have some familiarity with those listings, even though my area of specific interest was in the tiny town of Thor on the other side of the county. I know that few if any church records for that county were allowed to be filmed by the LDS but the cemetery listings are very complete for years up to 1976, death and marriage records are pretty good and the published history book of the county was very interesting for me.
There is a nice website about Norwegians in Central Iowa, that includes Hamilton Co., you'll want to check out. They might have good information about what old documents are still available for that area of your interest -
http://genloc.com/NorStory/
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Jo Anne Sadler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
1100 Posts |
Posted - 16/02/2007 : 18:25:38
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I highly recommend joining a Bygdelag for your area:
http://www.landingslag.org/
These regional lags are great organizations; newsletters, help with geneology, annual Stevnes and occasional Heritage trips to Norway.
As far as ELCA, just give them all the information you have about where and when they settled if you do not know the name of the church they attended. Even if the church still has it's records, they most likely would have been microfilmed for the Archives so they wouldn't be lost in case of a fire, whatever. |
Edited by - Jo Anne Sadler on 16/02/2007 18:34:28 |
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Seeking information on Haugens and Olsons
