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Alyson
Starting member
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - 16/08/2008 : 22:24:59
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Hopkins, I saw somewhere that you have 14 Ole Olsons in your tree. I recently found a listing of Humboldt Co cemeteries from St Olaf in Northfield MN that has two Ole Olsons, an Olena, an Olaus, and an Olava. (I am counting Olson and Olsen; the transcriber apparently had corrected at least one.)
Would you be interested in any more information on any of these people? |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 17/08/2008 : 01:38:47
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Thank you for remembering me. I don't think I'll need what you found though.
My "Olsons" in Humboldt County are buried in the Ullensvang East and Ullensvang West Cemeteries in Norway township of Humboldt County very near the little town of Thor. I've walked those cemeteries myself on past visits and I copied listings of those buried there that the County Historical Society did in the 1970's and allowed the LDS to copy to microfilm.
I have family links to almost 1/2 of the persons buried in those cemeteries, including Hansons, Pedersons, Olsons, Larsons, and some that used farm names.
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Alyson
Starting member
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 17/08/2008 : 01:59:26
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These are from Ullensvang East and West near Thor...oh, and one was in Norway Cemetery.
I had high hopes for finding the burial place of Harry Lee (Halfdan Lie) and his family (they lived on the Lehman farm in Thor) but all I could find were a couple of his siblings.
I also got listings for Willicksen Cemetery and Norway Lake Cemetery. All five of these may be a tad more recent than those from the 70's, as there are dates and additional information from 1982 and 1979.
Finally, I got listings for West Paint Creek in Waterville and Stavanger Lutheran in Ossian, Iowa. I have no idea why these last two were with the Humboldt County ones; in fact, I suspect these are somewhere halfway accross the state...
Thanks for mentioning the LDS listings; I'll have to check those out. I envy you being able to actually walk them yourself; it would be a lot better than depending on online information!
Sioux City is not that far from Thor...someday I'd like to go and just see all the places these folks lived.
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Edited by - Alyson on 17/08/2008 02:01:27 |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 17/08/2008 : 12:53:07
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I went back and re-read some of the previous postings about Harry Lee here. He was found in Beaver township in one census we discussed. The history book about the town of Thor that I mentioned a while back includes faded reductions of plat maps for Norway, Beaver and Lake townships (ca. 1895?). A plot of land is labelled Lehman near Beaver township's far southeastern corner (Range 25), just east across the township border is Norway township and just south is Webster County. When you get those Humboldt Co. cemetery listings (LDS #1412140) also check for those in Beaver township and consider checking in northeastern Webster County.
Harry Lee might have lived about mid-way between towns of Thor in Humboldt County and Badger in Webster County and I don't know which might have the closest church he would choose to attend. (I'm unfamiliar with townships names or layout in Webster Co.)
My mother's cousin (now deceased) used to go to Humboldt and Dakota City and review information in the County courthouse - but she also used to search old copies of the Humboldt newspaper while in that town and find interesting items. Iowa Historical Library is reputed to have excellent collection of old Iowa newspapers.
Before Thor had at least 3 different Norwegian-Lutheran churches nearby, in the earliest days of settlement by Norwegian emigrants, they shared a "circuit preacher" with Badger. I'm not familiar with Norwegian-Lutheran churches that may have also existed later in the Badger area but you might check "Norsk Lutherske menigheter i Amerika 1843-1916" [Norwegian Lutheran Congregations in America 1843-1916] by O. Norlie, pub. ca. 1918 (LDS # 1035697 Items 1-2).
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Alyson
Starting member
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 17/08/2008 : 15:11:54
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Wow, thank you so much! That gives me a lot to work on.
I think Harry Lee attended a church named St Olaf in or near Thor, but I am not certain of that.
While looking for published info on Thor, I found the book The History of the City of Humboldt, by Oliver DeGroote, hoping it would have some general county information in it too, but while it was fascinating reading, it was all about the city. Same with Humboldt, Iowa 1863-1988.
Would you mind posting more info on the Thor history book that you mentioned? I'd sure love to see it...
Thanks again! |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 17/08/2008 : 18:36:53
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My last visit to Thor and surrounding area was several years ago (I now live half a country away). I had made prior arrangements with the Pastor and Church Council to be able to see and study the oldest church books and that was the main purpose of my visit. While I was cosy in the Pastor's study there with the books and one member of the congregation to watch and make sure their old documents were not harmed in any way, my husband walked down to the bank and purchased two copies of the Thor history book that we'd heard about. I donated one copy to the Salt Lake City Family History Library.
The book does not contain any name index so is not an easy read for detail of who might be mentioned within its 196 pages. I did previously give you a citing to the only reference to Isaac Lee that I had noticed.
There is also a 100 yr anniversary book published by the Thor Lutheran church that I inherited when my mother died. I didn't ask at the Thor church if more copies were still available of that since I already have a copy. It is a smaller soft-cover publication.
Although I lived many years in Humboldt County when I was much younger I hadn't yet been bitten by the genealogy bug. From my now distant location I've probably used most every microfilm in the LDS collection that has to do with Humboldt Co. history, vital records, etc. and a fair number of those concerning Wright Co. Iowa too. The Thor area has close ties to the town of Eagle Grove and the Wright county line is very close. Webster County is also close but my extended family doesn't seem to have ranged in that direction.
St. Olafs is/was a popular Lutheran church name in that part of Iowa but the Norwegian book I mentioned above about Norwegian-Lutheran US congregations might help you identify which you might be most interested in. I don't have any information about a St. Olafs in Thor or very nearby - it must have been further away. I think there was a St. Olafs on the other side of Humboldt County - in or near Bode - but check in the Badger area too.
A published history book of Humboldt County was the first solid clue I found about my "Olson" family origins within Norway. Early in that book's descriptive chapter about Norway township were several helpful items about the earliest of the Norwegian settlers that the township was named for. Yes, I also used that book from LDS microfilm.
When I returned to the area for a close relative's funeral I gave an impromptu walking tour of the cemetery and all the family that were buried all around us. I could also point to another small cemetery across the fields less than a mile away and tell about the family buried there. Few of my relatives were aware of the many years of history our family had in that rural area. Honestly, I hadn't known either until I started researching from this distance. |
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Ole Olsons in Humboldt IA for Hopkins
