Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907 Rosebud County Andrew Andersen from Nordfjord was the first Norwegian in this county. He settled in the vicinity of Decker and has lived there as a hermit between 20 and 30 years. The first at Birney was Tom Salvesen, Tobias Salvesen, T. Larsen and T. Thompson, all from Hitterø near Flekkefjord. They came to Montana in 1890 and occupied themselves with cattle raising. This area lies right by the Custer Battlefield, that is historically renowned. A number of Indians of the Cheyenne tribe still roam the area. They were a part of those Indians who destroyed settlements in Minnesota that escaped westward after the Civil War.

Hi all, I see there is a new Aust Agder mail list if anyone is interested. After I started this list, I thought I should have done for both on one list, but could not change it. The hubby only has ancesters from Vest Agder anyway. You can join here: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/NOR/NOR-AUST-AGDER.html Margit

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Translated by Olaf Kringhaug Lewis and Clark County People often ask me the question, "Who was the greatest Norwegian in America?" I answer that, "There are two who are the greatest," - and both were born to simple, utterly poor but honest people, both have worked very hard and both are modest in their conduct to this very day. As a public figure, naturally Senator Knute Nelson is the greatest among us. The Norwegian who has achieved the most in an industrial and commercial respect, however, is called Anton M. Holter. He lives in Helena, Lewsi & Clark Co., Montana and was the first Norwegian settler in that State, as he had already settled there in 1863. Nelson is spoken of elsewhere. But here I have decided to give a detailed account about Holter (whose biography is otherwise little known to Norwegians) mainly to show what the rest of us (at least partly) can achieve if we pull ourselves together and follow his path. Nor can I ignore what we owe such men - at the very least we owe them thanks and recognition. Then there is another fact that in our own interest we should always remember - the fact that when we honour those who have cast some lustre on us, we gain as a people. On the other side we must remember that envy is the worst illness that we Norwegian-Americans have been prone to and it would be in our best interest to watch out for it in the future. But, back to Holter. His interests are so extensive that he is away most of the time. Unfortunately I have not found him at home during my travels in Montana. Therefore I permit myself to utilize an account about him that appeared some years ago in "Illustrerte Husbibliothek", published by John Anderson Pub. Co., Chicago. The author writes as follows: "On my first visit to Helena, Montana's capitol, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of that place's and the State's most prominent Norwegian and in a couple of later visits I was able to renew and extend that acquaintance. Even though Mr. Holter seems to be that busy city's busiest businesman he still had a few minutes to spare for a chat and in his pleasant home I spent a couple of educational and entertaining evenings. I found this man, who the City's and State's citizens look up to as a leader in all important industrial and public enterprises, so modest and taciturn that, even though I flatter myself that I have considerable skill as an interviewer, I found it difficult to prevail upon him to speak about himself or anything about his life and activities. When I gave him to understand that I wished to collect data for a biographical sketch about him in "Illustrerte Husbibliothek", his normally friendly face took on an offended expression and he suggested tha! t according to Norwegian tradition it would be soon enough to write his biography when he was dead. But when I explained to him the purpose of these biographical sketches was partly to make the readers aware of men who had risen to prominent positions and partly to assemble data for future historians who will write histories about Scandinavians or Norwegians in America, he relented and directed me to 'Magazine of Western History' where I would find a rather reliable, if brief, biography of him. The following is written partly from that source and partly from other sources. Anton M. Holter was born at Moss the 29th June 1831. He had two older brothers and a younger brother and sister. His father, who was a seaman, perished when Anton was just eight years old and since his mother was in poor circumstances he was raised by her brother who was a farmer. After having received the usual schooling in reading, writing and religion in the circuit school of that time, he left his uncle's house and was apprenticed to a butcher. As a boy he had a great desire to become a seaman like his father but because of that sad conclusion, his mother and relatives convinced him to give that up. He found the butcher trade so revolting that within a year he left it and went into apprenticeship with a carpenter, who offered him free board and 10 spesiedaler a year for the first three years. The trades apprentices of that time did not seem to have the same opportunity to obtain book learning as later for the only training in arithmetic the boy received was from his b! rother, an hour in the evening for four evenings. At the age of 23 Anton M. Holter decided to go to America - a land to which his thoughts had been directed for it was on a trip to America in 1839 that his father perished in a shipwreck. He arrived in Quebec on a sailship the 25th May 1854. Right after his arrival he received a taste of the many dangers that one is exposed to in this country when the immigrant train had an accident in which five of his fellow passegers were killed. Before the immigrants arrived at their destination of Iowa, cholera broke out among them and at a place near Rock Island they were placed in quarantine. However, Holter was fortunate to ecape with his chest on his shoulder to a nearby steamboat and even though he did not know any English he reached Winneshiek County, where he found many of his countrymen. Here he revealed one of his features to which he attributes much of his later prosperity, namely farsightedness. While other carpenters would rather be unemployed than accept less than the us! ual pay of a dollar a day he decided, against his friends' counsel, to accept an offer of steady work for 20 dollars a month. He put his spare money into real estate that rose so rapidly in price that after a year he had a worth of 3000 dollars. Like many other immigrants who had not lived long enough in the country to begin to feel at home there, but had been fortunate enough to accumulate a small fortune, Holter began to think of going back to his fatherland where he with such an amount in his pocket would be seen as a rich man. But his desire to see more of this great land took over and the next four years he spent alternately working at his trade and making trips to Missouri, western Iowa and northern Minnesota. The latter two areas were occupied at that time by the warlike Sioux Indians. The great depression of 1857 almost completely washed away Holter's fortune and most of 1859 he lay sick with swamp fever and brain fever. By the spring of 1860 he was well enough that he and his brother Martin M. Holter, who had now arrived in the country, could join a company that wished to seek their fortunes in the unknown area that was described by the vague name of Pike's Peak - now Colorado. In the following 21Ž2 years the brothers earned a bit of money here, partly from farming and partly by mine work. It was at this time that the immensely huge gold finds were discovered at a place later called Virginia City, Montana. Mr Holter had already learned that prospecting and digging for gold was an uncertain occupation, but it was exactly because of this uncertainty and the great fortunes that could sometimes suddenly be earned, that it has such an attraction for people and that in every gold camp there are excellent opportunities to earn money in completely secure ventur! es. He decided therefore to go to Virginia City to erect a sawmill there to supply the rapidly growing city with building materials. The 16th September 1863 Mr. Holter left Denver in the company of a man by the name of Evanson and with the most necessary machinery for a sawmill loaded on wagons drawn by oxen, and after innumerable dangers and frightful hardships they arrived on the 1st September at Alder Gulch, 18 miles from Virginia City, where they decided to build their sawmill after having left behind almost everything but the machinery on the way because of the deep snow.. Mr Holter now had an excellent opportunity to show and develop another feature in his character, a spirit and energy that defied opposition and adversity. The great snow mass would have frightened off almost everyone else from taking on any building before the spring, but Mr. Holter undauntedly began the work. A road had to be built through the forest and since the snow was too deep for the oxen, a hand sled had to be constructed and the timber pulled out on it. Then the timber was sawn with a hand saw into planks for the mill. There was no smithy in the area so an axe had to be used as an anvil and the bellows made from a raincoat. That part of the equipment that was used to feed the saw had gone missing on the way, but Holter was inventive enough and arranged a system of ropes to that purpose. Despite all the difficulties the sawmill was erected by the two men with only one other man's help for a short time, and several thousand feet of boards and planks were sawn befo! re the snow left the fields. That these sold for a fantastic price, need not be said. The next summer Evanson returned to Colorado to buy more machinery but instead he bought oxen and wagons that he loaded up with flour, nails and an old planing mill. On his return trip he was snowed in at the Snake River, where the oxen died of starvation and the goods were lost with the exception of a few sacks of flour and several hundred pounds of nails that in the spring of 1865 he brought to Helena, a new mining camp called Last Chance Gulch where he sold the flour for a hundred dollars and the nails for 11Ž2 dollars a pound. But Evanson's unfortunate trip had caused the business such a loss that it was seen as wisest to quit. Mr. A. M. Holter now took his brother Martin, who had recently arrived in the Territory, as a partner in the firm A. M. Holter & Bro. In the meantime A. M. Holter had built a sawmill in Helena and soon after he built the first planing mill in the Territory. In 1867! the brothers opened the first general store in Helena, but one line after another was given up until the business only dealt with hardware. In 1887, Martin Holter withdrew from this branch of the business and A. M. Holter formed the A. M. Holter Hardware Company - the first business of that sort in the State. However, Mr. Holter has not just expanded his lumber business until he now owns large tracts of forest in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, but he has also bought shares and parts in gold, silver, copper and coal mines until he is now one of the largest mine owners in the country. Besides he is owner or part owner of a large number of industrial and commercial enterprises and bank companies. To give the readers an understanding of his extensive business holdings, we can state here that he is a part owner and director of 28 companies that own and operate mines, smelters, stamp mills etc, of 2 lumber companies (as well as partner in the lumber firm A. M. Holter & Bro.), of 2 hardware companies, 3 waterworks and water power companies, 1 brickworks, 1 foundry, 2 land companies, 2 electric light companies, 2 streetcar companies, 1 national bank, 1 sampling works company and 1 gas company. He is president of 16 of the 48 companies and has been the founder of 46 of them. Ev! en though some of the mines are operated at a loss, it is just a trifle compared to the riches that some of them will deliver. When we take into account that it is only a few years since Holter laid the basis for his fortune, its great size must be seen as surprising. As already pointed out, Holter's activities stretch far beyond his State's borders. It has been aptly said, "While the Pacific's waves crash on the banks of his forests in Oregon, the Atlantic sprays its foam on his copper smelter's walls in Bridgeport, Connecticut." About Mr. Holter's life and activities, his biographer C. P. Connolly in the aforementioned article writes, "Mr. Holter is one of those active and tireless spirits and it is to that that any future that families that wish to live in the Northwest, especially Montana, will to a large degree owe to the excellent inheritance that awaits them. He does not possess only the ability to make plans for magnificent projects, but also to complete them. He is one of Helena's pioneers and no one there receives a greater degree of their contemporaries' esteem. As a Republican he has filled several offices with honour to himself and to his voters' satisfaction. He was the first Republican to be elected to any position in Helena. In 1886 he was elected as a member of the school board and served as such for three terms.* He was elected a member of the Territorial Legislature in 1878 and in 1880 elected as a member of the City Council in Helena and was its President. In 1889 he was elected! a member of the State Legislature. For two terms he was President of the Chamber of Commerce. For a long time he was the President of The Montana Pioneer Association and on his resignation of that office he gave a speech at the annual meeting in 1890 that drew much attention. It is just weak praise to say about Mr. Holter that his career, from the instant he fearlessly flung himself agaisnt the inexorable natural forces and the difficulties that meet every young man in a new and unoccupied land, has been honourable and historic. Even though Montana, when Mr. Holter came there, was rich in opportunities, also at that time there was much lawlessness and danger for life and property. Only those who earned that progress that many pioneers have achieved had the courage to throw themselves into these dangers, difficulties and want. Only an undaunted spirit could challenge the adversities that Mr. Holter had to undergo. In his journeys alone in the wild and almost unknown areas of the Rockies he had many a meeting with robbers, from which his courage and resourcefulness saved him. Mr Holter told me about one of those encounters one evening in a manner that suggested that he, in those days, saw it as an everyday occurrence. He had visited a mining camp and had received a lot of money. Accustomed to keeping an eye out for people with a suxpicious appearance, he was soon aware that a man followed on his heels wherever he went. He immediately suspected him of being a robber. When he had gone a short way on his trip home and into some woods, he dismounted at a place where he he could see well back on the trail. He tied his horse and lay down at the side of the road with his revolver in his hand and a log under his head so he could see the road. Quite right! A rider came after him at full gallop. He did not see Holter before he spotted the big revolver and it must have seemed as big as a cannon to him. When the man rode past Holter, he cast a frightened glance back at his lost loot and Holter recognized him as the man who had followed him in the camp. Wh! en the robber had ridden by, Holter mounted his horse and followed him with his revolver aimed at him until he took a side route. From the top of a hill, Holter could see that he had taken a detour back to the camp. In the book 'Vigilante Days and Ways' one can read a detailed account of an encounter that Holter once had with infamous highwayman Ives and one of his comrades. Even though Holter always carried a revolver, he worried so little about robbers that he neglected to keep it in serviceable condition. When he saw the two strangers, he pulled out his revolver to be prepared 'in case of need', he found it was so rusted that it would not revolve. Therefore he had to wait for the robber's arrival unarmed. With his revolver aimed at Holter, Ives demanded his money, he delivered his empty wallet. This did not satisfy the robber, who then asked him to empty his pockets but only in one of them there were a few bills. Exasperated by the poor result the robber threatened to kill Holter if he could not come up with more money, but when Holter began to leave, the robber regretted he had been merciful and shot at him. By looking back at the same instant, Holter noted that the robber was re! ady to shoot him so he dropped suddenly and the bullet went through his hat and creased his head. The robber shot again but it misfired. Holter now took to his heels and before the robber could catch him a rider came into view and therefore they thought it advisable to flee. In the struggle against difficulty, in which Mr. Holter has wrested a rich result from a hard nature for himself and his, he has made resolution and perseverance his most conspicuous feature. His judgement and vision has often been of value to the public and he has always been active to advance the public good. He is a man of modest and straightforward demeanour, a deep and logical thinker and when he expresses his opinion publically or privately, he is listened to with respect. He is a representative of his fatherland's pluck." VorFrelsers Congregation, that was established in Helena in 1890 by Pastor N. N. Bø, belonging to The Norwegian Synod was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Its church was built the same year. The Methodists als have a congregation and church there. 'Montana Folkeblad' was started in Helena in 1890. See the section, 'Norwegian-American newspapers and periodicals' In Madison County there is a place called Norwegian Gulch but no Norwegians - at least not now. *It can be added that he was elected Railroad Commissioner (for Montana Territory) in 1876. And when it says 'he was the first Republican to be elected to any public position in Helena' it should say in Lewis and Clark County instead of Helena and it should be pointed out that Montana was overwhelmingly Democratic at that time so it speaks doubly well for the Norwegian and Republican Holter that he was victorious in the election. -- M.U. ==== NOR-OPPLAND Mailing List ==== Make sure you check out the other lists available here for Norway: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/NOR/ ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Nilsen, Nilssen, Martinsen Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/lcC.2ACI/335 Message Board Post: I am interested in any information regarding Martin & Ingeborg Nillsen, born 1850 & 1852, and their children Didrikke, 1880, Mathilde, 1882, Nils (Martinsen/Nilsen) 1885, Katrine, 1885, Olava, 1888, and Aksel Martinsn, 1891. I already have lineages for Nils and Aksel as well as descendant reports for them. I am most interested in the daughters, Didrikke, Mathilde, Katrine and Olava. Nils was my father's father. He drowned in Brooklyn in 1918 before my father was born. He was married to Anna Thompsen (Thomasen) from Liknaes, Kvinesdal. Thank you for your time.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/lcC.2ACI/333.1 Message Board Post: Gesine, born 22.05.1862, baptised 08.06.1862 was the daughter of Gabriel Evertsen, Brækne and his wife Janniken Berntsdtr., who were married 26-11.1859 at Vanse. Gabriel was the son of Evert Gundersen and Janniken the daughter of Bernt Christiansen Atlaksen. If you are interested in more details you can write to me at derek.murphy@c2i.net. Derek

Hi List! South Dakota is now complete and you will find it here: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~maggiebakke/ulvestad.html There has been some editing and corrections on it and a couple of other States and there is more to come. Wade Anderson has kindly volunteered to do that good work. Actually he was dragooned into it and I consider him the Lord High Executioner! I'm not sure, but I think it is only South Dakota and Michigan where the editing is complete. Again, I urge you that if you find any errors, let me know. Olaf

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Stanley County One of the first settlers in this county was Iver Monsen who settled at Bad River, not so far from Fort Pierre. The year he came there is not known. But it is known that he recently lost everything he owns in a flood. His house went down the river (Bad River) and became stuck in some trees, where it stayed for two days and a night. The family had to chop a hole through the roof to get out, and the house sank shortly after. This family, that eluded death, consisted of a man, wife and three children. ==== NOR-OPPLAND Mailing List ==== Make sure you check out the other lists available here for Norway: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/NOR/ ============================== Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Yankton County Christian Pedersen Marindahl from Ringsaker is given as the first Norwegian settler in this county. He settled at a place that now bears his name (Marindahl) in 1860. The Indians were his neighbours there for a time. Next after Christian Pedersen came Ole Pedersen, M. J. Minde, John J. Aalseth, C. H. Brurud, Frans Shager, Gulbrand Levorson, Haldor Bryngelsen Løen, Lars Olsen, Simon Petersen, Torger Nelson, T. Aalseth, Mathias Larsen, Peder Einarsen and Torbjørn Torbjørnsen. They were also sort of soldiers against the Indians. They received carbines and saddles from the government. The first Norwegian immigration to Yankton County went from and through the neighbouring Clay County, where a longer account is given. But here in Yankton County we find South Dakota's first Norwegian church. It was built by Vangen Congregation at Mission Hill in 1869. For information about this (Vangen) congregation's origin and staffing, see Clay County. Now there are 11 Norwegian congregations and 9 churches in Yankton County, 3 belong to The Norwegian Synod, 3 to The United Church, 3 to Hauge's Synod and 2 to Independent Lutheran. In the section 'Norwegians in public positions in America' can be found more information - from Yankton County also. Townships and post offices with Norwegian names: Brudvig, Marindahl, Hansen and Norway.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Walworth County B. J. Olsen and Simon Olsen, both from Østerøen near Bergen, Paul Carlson from Garshol, Søndmøre and Jacob Førde and Martin Olsen from Leganger, Søndmøre as well as Jacob Førde and Hans Ness from Volden, Søndmøre were the first Norwegian settlers in this county. They settled in the vicinity of Flora on the Missouri River in 1880. To the nearest marketplaces, Pierre, S.D. and Bismarck, N.D. it was almost 120 miles. Cattle raising was the first settlers' main source of income. They also shot buffalo and other game for which there was a demand. It was full of Indians along the Sioux River but no whites at that time, except at Fort Yates, ca. 60 miles from the Norwegian settlement. There was there (at Fort Yates) a number of soldiers who were to keep an eye on the Redskins. Bergen Congregation, that was established at Flora in 1884 by Pastor A. L. Lobben, belonging to The Norwegian Synod, was the first Norwegian congregation in the county. Now ther are 6 congregations, 3 belong to The United Church and 3 to The Lutheran Free Church. Selby Post Office in Walworth County gets its name from the Norwegians.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Union County The first Norwegian in this county was Peder Pedersen† from Sogn. He settled at Richland in the beginning of the 60s. Next after him came C. Larsen Haagen from Trondhjem, Lars Johannessen Rud from Gudbrandsdalen and K. P. Rønne from Røraas. However, the first Norwegian settlements in Union and Clay Counties are connected so closely one cannot separate them in an historical account. See Clay County. In the northern part of Union County, Erik Rønning, was the first. People lived in dugouts in the first years. The nearest marketplace was Sioux City, ca. 40 miles away. But they had little to sell the first years since the grasshoppers destroyed their crops, especially the wheat. It was quite hard for the newcomers to survive. Brule Creek Congregtion of The Norwegian Synod was the first in this area. (Further information about it under Clay County). Now there are 8 Norwegian congregations and 6 churches in this (Union) county, 3 belong to The United Church, 3 to The Norwegian Synod and 2 to Hauge's Synod. Civil War veteran Gilbert Larsen was the first Norwegian to hold public office in Union County. He was elecetd County Commissioner in 1872. South Dakota's first Secretary of State, the Norwegian A. O. Ringsrud is also from here. Bethesda Children's Home, belonging to Hauge's Synod was erected at Beresford in 1897. Post offices with Norwegian names: Alsen and Nora.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Turner County Torbjørn O. Ostrem from Skjold parish and his sons Ole and Tom, who came from La Salle Co., Ill. and settled in the vicinity of Centerville in 1872, were the first Norwegian settlers in the county. Later in the year came J. Groseth, L. O. Skotvold and J. O. Skotvold. They were Trønders, at least most of them. Right after, Albert R. Apland, Erik Eriksen, Martin E. Westad and Ole E. Lie came to the vicinity of Swan Lake. Gustav Gilbert from Hakedalen established the first store in the county. That was at Swan Lake in 1874. Iver Skotvold writes, "My wife came by oxteam (over 100 miles) from a town in Iowa by the name of Bonsboro. I say oxteam, but the fact is she walked almost the whole way. There were 32 persons in her group and a large number of them were sick. This was when she was a girl." Stephen Pedersen Solem, who died in Turner County in 1899 was the first or at least one of the very first emigrants from Hornningdal, Nordfjord. He came with his family by sailship in the 50s. When, after a long and arduous journey they reached Illinois, they were infected with cholera and no one would give them accomodation. They turned therefore to the river boats which they travelled on and slept under - 6 or 7 persons together. A boy and a girl died there and Solem himself was near death. A few years later he went to Califiornia where he worked as a gold digger but instead of finding gold, he became sick and every time he called a doctor it cost $10.00 so he soon became moneyless. He did not have enough money to buy food just once. One Christmas Eve he and two comrades only had 5 potatoes to share. However, he did get sufficienly well that he could begin his return to South Dakota - about the same way he had gone west - on foot and on occasion with an oxteam. That was! in that way they travelled in those days. A traveller who did not have oxen himself often met someone who did and thus worked his way across the immense continent. He finally got home, without money but rich in experience. In the course of a few years he became a prosperous farmer. Melhus Congregation, thet was established at Turner P.O. in the middle of the 70s, was the first Norwegian congregation in Turner County. Its first priest was G. Graven of Hauge's Synod. Elling Eielsen also worked among the newcomers here. The first Norwegian church in the county was built by the aforementioned congregation in 1882. Now there are 7 Norwegian congregations and 6 churches, 3 belonging to Hauge's Synod, 1 to Elling Eielsen's Society, 1 to The United Church, 1 to The Methodist Church and 1 to The Baptist Church. O. C. Stuart (Stuhaug), who was elected Probate Judge in 1883, was the first Norwegian official here. Albert Apland was the first Norwegian to represent this county in the State Legislature, he was elected in 1893. Norwegian place names: Norway and Freya.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Sanborn County Erick Rockney from Voss, H. Marthin and S. Marthin from Hallingdal, Nils Johnson and Mikael Mathiasen from Helgeland as well as Hellick Thompson, who all settled in the vicinity of Woonsocket in 1880, were the county's first Norwegian settlers. Next after them came T. Strand, L. Strand, O. Strand, Ivar Strand, Martin Thompson, B. Dahl, Theodor Thompson, Per Larsen, O. Helgesen, L. Christensen, A. D. Andersen, Claus Jacobsen, Anders Moe, Daniel Johnson, Peder Larsen, G. D. Fønebø, L. Halvorsen, Noranus Aas, Jørgen Aas and Herbjørn Ostensen. The aforementioned are farmers. K. Stakke, O. Hauge, K. Kittelsen as well as ? Amundsen and ? Holt are businessmen in Woonsocket. Sand Creek Congregation, that was established at Woonsocket in 1881 by Pastor Ole Tjomsland, belonging to The Augustana Synod, was he first Norwegian congregation in the county. Now there are 7 Norwegian congregations and 3 churches, 3 of them belong to The United Church, 2 to The Norwegian Synod and 2 to Hauge's Synod.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Roberts County Ole Andersen Sætre† from Bredheim, Nordfjord was the first Norwegian settler in Roberts County. He came from Swift or Pope County, Minn. and settled in the vicinity of Wilmot in 1875. As far as is known the next were Martin Mikkelsen and L. S. Haugen from Telemarken and Anton Foss, who seems to have been from Lillehammer. Here as in many other places the new settlers had to be satisfied with sod huts. They began mainly with wheat and cattle raising. They had no nearer marketplace than Ortonville, Minn. and had to drive there with oxen. The first Norwegian who settled among the Indians at White Rock was Martin Selnes from Namsos. He came there in 1876. The first at Vernon was Sam Abrahamsen. The first who settled among the Indians in the vicinity of Wist was Andreas M. Johnstad from Naustdal, Søndfjord. And the first who risked conflict with the redskins in the vicinity of Bethel was J. E. Kringen from Trondhjem. A young Norwegian by the name of Edward Petersen recently lost his life out there. The Sheriff's Deputy and Mr. Petersen went to an Indian's home to seize some mortgaged goods and during the conduct of their duty they were shot dead on the spot. But Roberts County is no longer a wilderness. The Indians' dominion is curtailed. The white settlers, among whom the Norwegians play a leading role, have changed the hunting and battle fields at Sisseton to a "land of milk and honey" - to use a pretty expression from the old days. That there is now law and order speaks for itself. Bø Congregation, the was established at Wilmot in 1881, was the first Norwegian congregation in Roberts County. Its first priest was H. A. Gjevre, then of The Norwegian Synod. The first Norwegian church in the county was built at Winans P.O. (Harmon Township) in 1897 by the Trondhjem Congregation, belonging to The United Church. There are now 20 Norwegian congregations and 11 churches in this county, 12 belong to The United Church, 4 to The Norwegian Synod and 4 to The Lutheran Free Church. Hans H. Hauge†, who was elected Probate Judge in1884, was the first Norwegian county official. Norwegian names in Roberts County: Vig, Lien, Norway, Nora, Alsen, Lohre (Løhre) and Otto.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Potter County Ed O. Eliassen from Odalen and Ole Swansen from Hallingdal were the first Norwegian settlers in this county. They settled among the Sioux Indians in the vicinity of Forest City in 1883 and began mixed farming. Ther is a post office called Hoven (in Potter County). It is possible that the name is of Norwegian origin.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. McCook County Andreas Larson from Texe, Stavanger Amt and John, Christian and Luther Larson, who came from Crawford Co., Wis. and settled in the vicinity of Bridgewater in 1875, were the first Norwegian settlers in this county. Later in the year came pharmacist A. Wettergren, who was also from the Stavanger area. Stationmaster E. L. Hunskaar from Bergen was the first in Spencer City and its area. He writes, "I have also tried the new settler life even though it was different than what the others had to undergo. It was in 1887 when I received a friendly request from the operations manager to take over the command of this station. He told me in a polite tone, even if the railroad still had not gotten that far and there were no station buildings here, that until later I should arrange things as best I could without a home or neighbours and without means of communication other than the work trains. A boxcar was provided for my use. It then did service as a warehouse, office, kitchen and bedroom. I understood that I had arrived at the outermost limits of civilisation. There were, furthermore, neither civilised nor uncivilised people nearby. There were only a couple of claim shanties a few miles away. But I was there as civilisation's herald and had to be tolerant for a while (even thou! gh it was often terribly cold , lonesome and dreary). After the rail line was completed, neighbours also came and it is now good to live here. It is long since I threw my office furniture (a pair of rough packing boxes) out the door" There is a Norwegian church in the vicinity of Bridgewater. The congregation belongs to The United Church.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lcC.2ACI/334.1.1 Message Board Post: Thank you Harald--I appreciate your reply. It will help me a great deal.Hilsen,Joanne

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Lyman County An O. G. Johnson, who is now dead, was the first Norwegian settler in this county. He settled in the vicinity of Presho, but the year is not known. Next after him came Nels Haagensen from Aal, Hallingdal and Gudmund P. Hillmoe from Tydalen. The county's most significant source of income was cattle raising. Teacher Svein Halvorsgaard from Aal, Hallingdal, now living in Cavite, writes that they were in Chicago on their way from Norway, when everything they owned was stolen - even the liitle boys' caps. From his cash ($19.00) he had loaned a friend money so he could get a railway ticket and continue the trip with them from New York to Dakota. So now the whole group was short of money and everything else. They had nothing to eat on the way from Chicago to Canton, S.Dak. where they also spent a night on an empty stomach, since they did not have the courage to beg - and they did not wish to try the credit system, strangers as they were. The first Norwegian congregation in Lyman county was established at Presho in 1893 by Pastor O. O. Landbo of The Norwegian Synod. The first - and until now the only - church was built at Presho in 1896 by the White River Congregation, established in 1894 by Pastor Henry Solem, belonging to The United Church. Now there are 4 congregations and 2 churches, 2 of them belong to The Norwegian Synod and 2 to The United Church. Norwegian C. Myhre of Oacoma has been a County Judge. Lund post office has possibly gotten its name from Norwegians.

Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad. 1907. Lawrence County The first Norwegian settler in this county was Ole Green from Værdalen. He settled as a farmer and prospector at Rockford in 1878. He writes, "We were 10 Norwegians who traveled in a horse train of 40 wagons from Bismarck, N.D. We wished to go to the Black Hills to seek gold but our path was not so long. After 18 days we reached the place where Deadwood City now lies. When we got there we met two other Norwegians, Ulrik Ekkelo from Værdalen and a Mr. Petersen, who was also from the Trondhjem area, they had just arrived there from Yankton. They were thus the very first Norwegians who visited the wilderness out west. We went in various directions but the gold was difficult to find. Most became disheartened and went back. Now it is only Sefanias Ekkelo and me who live in this area." The first permanent Norwegians in Lead City were, where nearby there are many mines, were M. L. Magnussen, Ole Danielsen, Nels Brække and Andrew Langtwaet. They and probably several other countrymen have held foreman positions there. There are three Norwegian congregations in this county, all belonging to Hauge's Synod, and there is one Norwegian church. Nasby (Næsby) post office has probably gotten its name from the Norwegians. At that place we also have a countryman, J. Petersen, who has represented his county in the State Legislature.

I have all the Spangereid bygdeboks if it would help you any. Also Spind. Vivian Moulder --- rubyjo32@aol.com wrote: > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to > this mailing list. > > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lcC.2ACI/334 > > Message Board Post: > > In the 1900 census,Spangereid is listed, in the 1865 > census,Herred is listed, but in the 1801 census,in > what prestegjeld would these inhabitants be listed > under. > I am looking for people from Spind and Spangereid in > the 1700-1800 's. > > > ==== NOR-VEST-AGDER Mailing List ==== > Visit http://www.fellesraad.com/ > Norwegian-American Bygdelagenes Fellesraad > > ============================== > View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about > your ancestors, find > marriage announcements and more. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/lcC.2ACI/334.1 Message Board Post: Spind and Herad parishes were in 1801 under Vanse parish: http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f11041&spraak=e&metanr=306 Spangreid was under Valle parish: http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f11029&spraak=n&metanr=302 A useful source showing photoes of probate records: http://va.disnorge.no/kilder/skifter.htm