Hello Owen Anderson, I also have connections to the Bear Creek community; Hans Anderson Gamelmoen and w. Ragnhild Jonasdtr were my GGgrandparents. Their son Andrew Anderson was my Ggrandfather. Any chance this could be your connection? Sincerely, Clarine Anderson Andresen P.S. thanks for scanning the history. -----Original Message----- From: Owen Anderson <oanders@ptd.net> To: VALDRES-L@rootsweb.com <VALDRES-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 7:42 AM Subject: [VALDRES-L] A History of the Bear Creek Community; Part 1 of 5 A brief History of the Bear Creek Community Sometime in the mid 1980’s, planning on a trip to Norway, I went to the library to see if they had anything on the Norwegian-American immigration and found a couple of books; Odd Lovoll's “Promise of America” and a little pamphlet (80 pages, soft cover), called “Norwegians to America,” published by Universitetsforlaget in 1984. It has a striking front cover that I saw again as a poster at the Stavanger Emigration Center. It seems to have no author, though there are some credits for text and photos at the ends of each section. On p. 50 there was a discussion of Settlements and Townships which began: "The story of Bear Creek can serve as an example of a typical Norwegian settlement…"; I was startled since two of my grandparents were born in that community. While there were no footnotes, the list of suggested readings included: Hanson, Lars G., “A Brief History of the Bear Creek Community,” Mower County, Minnesota (1915). I made a few attempts to find the book but to no avail, but I assumed that there was at least one copy in Norway that the authors had used. You can imagine my surprise and delight several years later when I found among my mother’s things a copy of the book, and when we cleaned out her house in preparation for selling it in the summer of 1988, we found a second copy in my Grandfather’s desk. The book is about twenty pages long and describes the first 60 years of the community (1854-1914) including the names and dates of all of the settlers during the first ten years. It also contains extended descriptions of early life in the community and of the church. I have made a few copies of the book and given them to appropriate organizations: Vesterheim in Madison, NAHA at St. Olaf, Emigration Museum in Hamar and in Stavanger, FHL in Salt Lake City. I also thought it would be appropriate to make it available on the internet, now that I have a scanner. I am posting this to the Norway-L list as well but it will probably be of special interest to this list since most of the settlers were from Valdres. Owen Anderson ************************************************* A Brief History of the BEAR CREEK COMMUNITY, Mower County, Minnesota Ole 0. Finhart was born January 7, 1824., in Southern Aardal, Valders, Norway, coming to Dane county, Wis., in 1848. He came to the township of Frankford, Mower county, Minn., inl July 1854. He served in Third Battery Light Artillery in the Civil War, also in the House of Representatives, 15th Legislature. He took an active part in political affairs and showed his interest in the advancement of religion and community betterment by donating a corner of his homestead for the location of the Bear Creek Lutheran church and cemetery. He died January 28, 1898. Kari 0. Hovda Finhart was born in Valders, Norway, March 25, 1833, coming to Dane county, Wis., in 1852. She made the journey to Frankford township, Mower county, Minn., by ox team with a colony of 37 souls in July, 1854. As the wagons were full she walked most of the way from Milwaukee. She was married to Ole 0. Finhart in 1855 and was the first Norwegian bride in Mower County. She had a family of eight children, 0le, 0laus, Caroline, Martin, Matilda, Adolf, Syver and Sorina. She died February 18, 1913. On the Fourth of July, 1914, the people of Norwegian birth and descent met at the home of Syver Hovda in memory of the sixtieth anniversary of the arrival of the first Norwegian settlers in the townships 103, Range 14, 104, Range 14, and Township 104, Range 15, Mower County, Minnesota, now known as Frankford, Racine and Grand Meadow. By a unanimous vote of the assembled people, Lars G. Hanson and Ole Jorgens were requested to collect data and write a history of the early life in the settlement. The present pages is our attempt to comply with the request. This early settlement being largely along a small stream of water called Bear Creek, the settlement people adopted the name "Bear Creek Settlement" and it has always been recognized by this name by other Norwegian settlements in Minnesota. and this name was legally established in the organization of the Lutheran Church Association by the adoption of the name "Bear Creek Norwegian Lutheran Church" as the incorporated name of the congregation. The first party of colonists were nearly all native Norwegians -except a few young children-and all born in the church parishes, Aurdal south and Aurdal north. in the judicial district name Valdris, and at that time, Christiana stift (state), at this it is called Hamars stift-it is a part of the old Christiana stift. All these first colonists or settlers left Norway as emigrants for America during the years between 1840 and 1853. All came across the Atlantic Ocean in sailing vessels and nearly all of them temporarily made their homes in Wisconsin. in Dane County. Following are the names of the first arrivals in Bear Creek : Ole Olsen Finhart from Bang-, Aurdal South. Ole Simonson Jobraaten and wife. Liv, and children. Simon. Beret and Syver. from Begne dalen, Aurdal South. Ole Olsen Hovda and wife, Kari, born on the Gaard Boen and children, Ole, Kari, Syver, Hermand, Arne, Engebret and Guri, all born Reinli, Aurdal South ; Amund Lindelien and wife, Marit, born Bang, Aurdal south, and a child, Beret, born in Wisconsin : Anders A. Lybeck and wife, Sigri. and child. Kari, born Bang, Aurdal South. Ole Olsen Sjurud, born Etendalen, Aurdal South and wife, Magdalena, born Reinli, and children, Trond and Anne, born in Wisconsin. Hans Andersen. born Gamlemoen, Begnedalen and wife. Ragnhild, born Berg, Etnedalen, Aurdal South. Nils Syversen (Moen), born Bang, Aurdal and wife, Elen, born in Lands parish. Amund Johnson (Klastolen) and wife, Anne, born Etnedalen, Aurdal South, Ole Julsen, and a young woman engaged for marriage but dissolved-her name is not know to the writer. Knud Nilsen (Haugerstuen), Aurdal North. Syver Olsen Skalshaugen and brother, Erland, both born Bang, Aurdal South. This body of first settlers, thirty-six in number, arrived in township 103, Range 14-this township was in organization given the name Frankford-on the first of July, 1854. From Wisconsin and to the point of first camping ground, the colonists moved in two separate bodies, all in tented wagons drawn by oxen and bringing with them household goods and a few carpenters and blacksmith tools. Nearly all single persons and families brought one or more milking cows, some sheep and hens and small pigs in boxes attached to the wagon boxes. The two moving caravans arrived in Frankford Township on the same day and constructed their camp on Section 9, in town 103, Range 14. >From this point or camping ground the colonists, individual or the head of families, started out in search of lands for his future home. All the lands within the townships now called Racine, Grand Meadow and Frankford was government land except a few quarter sections claimed by land speculators under soldier warrants. In Frahkford, including the new arrivals, so far as known, there were only fifty white persons stopping or camping on this date, within the borders of the last named townships. In a few days, all persons entitled to preempt public land had each selected his prospective homestead. However, Ole Simonsen was by common consent allowed to make his home on the southeast quarter of section five in Township one hundred and three in range fourteen. For the sake of getting a temporary dwelling shanty ready as quickly as possible, four men, heads of families, joined hands in building a log house twenty-two feet by sixteen and twelve feet high. The roof was thatched with pieces of bark and over the bark was square pieces of sod carefully laid. In this house the four allied families lived the first winter. In this house on November 2, 1854, the first child of the colonists--a girl--was born to the parents Nils Syverson Moen and his wife, Elen. The next summer, 1855, the three families who had over the winter lived together, with Ole Simonson, moved on their own claims and during the next winter the first English school was held in this said family dwelling house, one Mrs. Henry Moore, was the teacher. ==== VALDRES Mailing List ==== VALDRES SAMBAND web page at http://www.valdressamband.org Future Stevne's June 22-24, 2000 - Kelly Inn - St. Cloud, MN June 14-16, 2001 - Decorah, IA June 20-22, 2002 - Oaks Hotel - Sioux Falls, SD