The search for my Norwegian ancestors has been a long one, beginning with knowing nothing more than my grandmother's name, her burial location and vague recollection of names of some distant cousins that I met as a very young child. The search began as a walk in the darkness. I was eventually able to find her parents and siblings in Hixton, Jackson County, Wisconsin in 1880 (census), determine that they immigrated in 1867 (naturalization application) and trace the family within the USA. However, the family's Norwegian origins were a mystery until the 1865 Norwegian census was transcribed and published on the internet. From data in the International Genealogical Index (IGI), Norwegian censuses for 1801 and 1865 , and various USA sources, I was able to assemble a partial portrait and family tree of ancestors and their families. Following the ancestral and patronymic naming was especially interesting. I found that they came from the Flisberget Farm, Elverum Parish, Hedmark County, Norway.
In Norway, it is common for family histories to be recorded and published by farm or locality in books known as "bygdebøker". I was able to borrow two that are listed in bibilographic references for Elverum Parish (see below). All the text was in Norwegian but neither appeared to mention Flisberget Farm or names that were recognizable to me.
Subsequently, I received contacts and some extremely helpful information from researchers in Scandanavia who found my web page. The first was from Bo Hansson of Borlaenge, Sweden who supplied information about the early migration, earliest known ancestor, descendants and settlement of Flisberget which was from research done by him and Trond Baekkevold in Elverum. His primary interest seems to be the history of the Forest Finns or "finnskogen". His information confirmed the lineages that I had assembled, added more children whom I was not able to find, traced the lineage back farther from some local sources and provided very interesting history about the Forest-Finns and the origins in Finland.
In September of 2003, I was informed of the website of the Sør-Østerdal Slektshistorielag (Family Historical Society) which is for the communities ("kommune") of Elverum, Engerdal, Stor-Elvdal and Trysil og Åmot. It is mostly in Norwegian. They had posted the Flisberget Farm family history which includes the descendants of the earliest ancestors. This page has moved a few times since, as of October 2011 it is hosted by a website called "Skogfinsk Genealogi" : "Fennia - nettsted for Skogfinsk Genealogi" which I am boldly presuming translates to something like "Fennia - a website (lit. "web-place") for Finn Forest Genealogy" Flisberget i Sørskogbygda - ei 300 år Gammal Historie (Flisberget in "Soerskogbygda" a 300 year old story) by Trond Øivindson Lunde. It is also available as a PDF version: Flisberget i Sørskogbygda - ei 300 år Gammal Historie (PDF) It written entirely in Norwegian. The footnote citations indicate that much of the family data is derived from the Parish Church books (Kirkebøker), not the printed family history books (bygdebøker).
In March of 2007, Jay Nerby sent an English version that was translated by Maarten Dalskjaer which is presented here: Flisberget in "Soerskogbygda" a 300 year old story by Trond Øivindson Lunde It includes the background narrative and covers the family tree down to family IV Mattis Olsson (1796-1867), my great-great grandfather. He was father of my great grandfather Mattis Mattison (1836-1884) who immigrated to the USA in 1867 with his wife and two children. His brother Gunder Mattison (1840-1870/1874) and Gunder's wife and children sailed on the same ship. Subsequently, the Norway-Heritage : Hands across the Sea website came online with their ship and passenger list arriving at the Port of Quebec July 25, 1867 (more later).
The genealogies in the article supplement those that follow here which need to be updated. There is one notable error in the article. It states that "When Mattis Olsson died on February 24, 1867, the two remaining sons of Mattis both emigrated to Montana, U.S.A., and by this was the uninterrupted line of father and sons as users of [was] Flisberget over." However, the two sons did not go to Montana and I am not aware of any other immigrants who initially went to Montana or permanently settled there. The emigrants from Flisberget known by me (Mattis and Gunder, sons of Mattis Olsen (Olsson) (1796-1867)) went first to Wisconsin, then to North Dakota and later to Washington State. There were only two brief residences in Montana that I know about:
It is a possibility that descendants of the siblings of Mattis Olsen (Olsson) (1796-1867)) that I do not know about did emigrate to the USA and go to Montana, so that needs to be researched. I do not have complete information about them. It is also possible that somebody mentioned Montana in a letter "back home" or that someone just guessed wrong.
In April of 2013, I found the third brother, Ole, had also immigrated to the USA. Ole Mattisen was born 29 January 1829 in Elverum and married 26 March 1856 at Nord Odal/Nodre Odalen to Karen Kristoffersdatter, she born 5 June 1834 at Nord Odal/Nodre Odalen to Christopher Jensen and Marthe Schjonnesdr. I had previously been told that another child of Mattis Olsen (Olsson) (1796-1867) had immigrated but no further information. Thanks to the sharp eye of a cousin who identified a photograph of Karen, I was found them in the 1870 and 1880 in Fillmore County, Minnesota in Preston and Lanesboro, respectively. Ole Mattisen/Matheson/Matteson/Matson died 02 May 1881 at Lanesboro Village, Carrolton Twp., Fillmore County, Minnesota according to Minnesota Deaths and Burials 1835-1900 and Minnesota Will Records, 1849-1985 which names Karen as his wife. One child Mattis, born 10 March 1857, who reportedly died in 1868, place unknown. As of April, 2013, I have not been able to find immigration records.
Apparently, it was only these three brothers and sons of Mattis Olsen (Olsson) (1796-1867), Ole, Mattis and Gunder, who survived into adulthood, and all three migrated to the USA.
I have prepared a general list of research sources and notes for Norwegian Genealogical Research.
This website has been assembled very quickly, so the presentation is rough, the organization is not perfect and the narratives are cryptic. It needs reorganization and expansion. However, I believe the information so far is accurate and hope that researchers and unknown cousins will find this website and that it may be useful to descendants or other persons who are researching families in Hedmark County. Hopefully, in the future there will be time to polish the presentation and add more information.
Note that early ancestors were named according to the patronymic naming conventions of the time: children were christened with a given name and the "surname" was the father's name combined with "son" or "sen" for boys and "datter" for girls. Names of individuals may have also included the name of their farm. To further perplex researchers, there was a carefully-followed practice of naming children after their grandparents and earlier ancestors. These naming conventions present good news and bad news to researchers. Patronymic naming makes it much easier to trace the girls. However, patronymic and grandparent naming results in many individuals in the same locality with the same names, making it difficult to distinguish them. Multiple individuals in the same community and county will have exactly the same name!
After immigration to the USA in 1867, all my American relatives adopted Mattison/Mattson as a permanent surname.
Most historical materials are in Norwegian and I am able to only decipher a few words. I attempted to use automated translation websites to decipher the background material, but the results were terrible. I have better success with the genealogical data. Background information here in English will, accordingly, be limited.
The following is, for now, a few very cryptic notes about the history of the area and farms. I hope to add more in the future, depending on time and ability to find material written in English. The history of many farms has been written in the Norwegian Bydgebøk; unfortunately, these are mostly in Norwegian without English translations.
The "farm" in Norway was actually a small community that may have consisted of as few as one family or two, or a number of families and various other individuals and appeared to be collectively a substantial agricultural enterprise. Generally, there was some blood relationship between families on the same (and adjoining) farms, but that was not always the case. Flisberget was one of the smaller farms, with 13 individuals listed in the Flisberget 1865 census.
The Flisberget Farm was, and is, located in the Sørskogbygda ("South Forest Village"), Elverum Parish which is located in Hedmark County, Norway ("Hedmarken" in Norwegian) on the eastern side of Norway, almost touching the border with Sweden. Hedmark is considered a "county." In Norway, there are no geo-political subdivisions equivalent to a "state" in the USA. It is a heavily forested area, and in the 17th century the region of middle Sweden and eastern Norway was settled by migrants from Finnland, known as the "Forest-Finns." The area itself is currently known as the "Finnskogen" or "Finn-Forest" which stretches on the Norwegian side from Trysil in the north to Eidskog in the south. So, culturally and linguistically, the area was strongly Finnish. The inhabitants subsisted by a combination of farming, logging, fishing and hunting.
In recent years, farming in the region has diminished as an economically viable activity, and the forresting business is being run by corporations. The area is sparsely populated. Recent (ca. 2006) activity seems to indicate that the area is being promoted for tourism: hiking, fishing and hunting.
I am aware of one history of the Finnish migration written in English: Finnish Immigration to Middle Scandinavia in the 1600's; Broberg, Richard; 1988.
There is a little background information on the web. Most sites are in Norwegian, except for a few fragments in English, but the information seems to be increasing. See:
One segment of the site does have some material in English for the Genealogical Society of Finland: The Genealogical Society of Finland - Index
Sørskogbygda is a village in the eastern part of Elverum municipality, Hedmark county. Shape Sørskogbygda was added to the speech teacher Sigurd Nergaard at the beginning of the 1900s. Previously, the comment form Synnersko'bygda, and written like Southern Forest village. Sørskogbygda calculated from the river Horna and east to Våler limit. Of older houses [i.e. farms] may be mentioned West Sætre (Hemmer, Sætre), Eastern Sætre, Lia, Værlia, Svea, Lindberget, Borg, Kynnberget, Siljuberget and Tile Mountain [Google translation of "Flisberget"]. The center of Sørskogbygda located at East Sætre, where the church, the grocery store and community center (Sørskogbygda Community).
Elverum seems to be best described as a "regional town" having characteristics of both a center of population, commerce, church and civil administration as well as a region encompassing distributed centers of population and church since its boundaries encompass a larger area than just a typical town or village. It appears similar in concept and jurisdiction to the Township in the US.
Elverum has been referred to as a "clerical district" but I am not sure that term is precisely accurate. "Clerical district" may be a hybrid that can consist of one or more parishes, probably depending on population served, at least as implied by the following quote from Hedmark kirkebøker - parish records. The "Clerical district" (prestegjeld) for the parishes (sokn) this area may be Østerdal, sub-divided as Nord-Østerdal (North) and Sør-Østerdal (South), each listing Parishes in addition to Elverum. It is my understanding that a "Parish" in Norway is today an administrative area of civil government. They may have been derived historically from church districts and retain the same or similar boundaries. It may or may not be precisely equivalent to a "parish" in the USA which usually refers to a territorial subdivision of an ecclesiastical diocese served by a particular church in a more geographically-compact area. But since the region in Norway was much more sparsely populated there may be a central main church (Den Norske Kirke?) and dispersed small chapels. (Note that in the state of Louisiana a "parish" is equivalent to a county in the other 49 states.)
See Wikipedia: Finnskogen
From Hedmark kirkebøker - parish records
Elverum parish records are available on microfilm for the time period 1729 - 1935. Elverum clerical district consists of the following parishes: Elverum parish with Nedreberg (Nordskog- bygda), Sætre (Sørskogbygda), Heradsbygd and Hernes chapels. It also included Trysil parish until 1780 when this parish was separated out to form the new Trysil clerical district.
Note 1: Elverum clerical districts also included the communities Idre and Särna until 22 March 1644, but these two communities were officially transferred to Sweden under the border treaty (Grensetraktaten) of 2 October 1751.
Note 2: By royal proclamation 30 December 1857 the farms Blikberget and Arndal (now gard nummer - farm numbers 52 and 53 in Åmot) were transferred from Elverum clerical district to Åmot clerical district.
The Flisberget Farm house still stands today, is used as a training subject for carpentry students and is apparently available as a free cabin for hikers. As of 2002, it is owned by the Borregaard Forrest Company. It is far out in the frontier forest near Sweden.
Click on the photo to see a larger image.
Misc. notes:
They have a website at Gravberget Farm. It is all in Norwegian, except for a brief introduction in English which is accessed by clicking on the English (i.e. Union Jack) flag. This Gravberget Farm Introduction in English. includes a brief history and geography of the area including the Finnskogen.
Good Wisconsin maps
My initial research interest was to trace my direct ancestor, Mattis Mattison (1836-1884) back to Norway. I later found that he and his brother Gunder immigrated to the USA together in 1867. Subsequently, I have been learning that other descendants of the Flisberget Farm and nearby area also immigrated to America. There were many descendants of the earlier ancestors, so there are many possibilities. Following are the immigrants for which I was able to find sufficient documentation. There could be more. But given the numbers of potential descendants, common names and gaps in coverage and completeness of various records and their online indexes, research is time-consuming, tedious and not always successful.
After the death of Mattis Olsen (Olsson) (1796-1867) on February 24, 1867, two sons, Mattis (1836-1884) and Gunder (1840-1870/1874) emigrated with their families to the USA, arriving together in August of 1867.
The other surviving son, Ola (Ole) Mattisen (1829-1881) married 26 March 1856 in Norway to Karen Kristoffersdatter (1834-aft1881). She was born 5 June 1834 at Ronningen Farm, Nord-Odal, Hedmark, Norway d/o Christopher Jensen and Martha Schjonnesdr; chr. 15 June 1834 at Nord-Odal. They are found in the 1865 census living in Søndre Odalen. They had one son Mattis Olsen b. 10 March 1857 on Ronningen Farm, Nord-Odal who reportedly died in 1868. Ole and Karen have been found in Fillmore County, Minnesota in 1870 and 1880 with no children. (Update found in April 2013.) Immigration records not yet found. Ole died in Lanesboro, Fillmore County, Minnesota 2 May 1881 and appears in a probate record (have not seen) but is not found in cemetery transcriptions. Search for more on Karen pending as well as immigration, but we do have a photo of her which is inscribed with her name, birth date/location and studio name in Fillmore where she appears to be in her 40's to 50's. Very faintly written on front is "CARRY KIEL".
The other four children of Mattis Olsson (Olsen) (1796-1867) did not survive into adulthood. I had been advised that other descendants of Flisberget Farm and nearby areas immigrated and so far have found at least two (later).
I had previously found Mattis' application for naturalization which stated his immigration date as August, 1867. I was able to trace his origins to Norway through the censuses and determine that he had a brother, Gunder, who also immigrated to the USA about the same time. Mattis' application states that he entered through the "Port of Chicago." However, I was later told by the Chicago Historical Society that Chicago was not an "official" port of immigration and that they more likely entered North America through the Port of Quebec. They would have then gone down the St. Lawrence River on a barge, travelled over land at at least one point, continued through the Great Lakes to Chicago and then to their final destination of Jackson County, Wisconsin in the west-central part of that state. (The St. Lawrence Seaway was not opened until 1959.) They would likely have been "processed" at some point prior to Chicago. However, that was all based on speculation and hearsay. But on November 26, 2005, through pure chance, I found found the vessel and passenger list where they immigrated. The Norway-Heritage : Hands across the Sea website is an incredible resource for those researching Norwegian immigration. It has extensive listings of passenger vessels carrying immigrants from Norway, detailed descriptions and pictures of those vessels and most listings have transcriptions of the passenger lists. And, sure enough, the lists show extensive arrivals through the Port of Quebec.
Mattis, Gunder and families departed from Christiana (now Oslo), Norway on June 6, 1867 on the Erna under command of Capt. M. Baarsrud and arrived at Quebec on July 25. The subsequent journey from Quebec would have put their arrival in Chicago during August of 1867 which confirmed previous data. The subsequent journey from Quebec would have likely have started by barge on the St. Lawrence River and through the Great Lakes (Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan) to arrival at the Port of Chicago. (I have seen other Scandanavian immigrants give port of entry as Milwaukee, Wisconsin.) I presume a short part of the journey would have been over a land bridge, since this was long before the opening in 1958 or 1959 or the St. Lawrence Seaway, but have not found any historical accounts of this immigration route.
The Erna's passenger list has been transcribed, see: Norway-Heritage: Passenger list 1867 - bark Erna (Source: NAC C-4522 list 76.) A "bark" is a type of sailing ship and it appears that this was her maiden voyage. See Norway-Heritage: Bark Erna for information about her. The Norway-Heritage project has also begun a database of immigrants. This is a project in progress. Be sure to read the "Search tips" section! See Norway-Heritage: Norwegian Emigrants 1825-1875.
The individuals I recognize from the passenger list follow. There may be others on the list that are related, particularly those identified as from Graaberget.
Captain | Departure | Arrival | Source |
---|---|---|---|
M. Baarsrud | Christiania June 6 | Quebec July 25 | NAC C-4522 list 76 |
Ref. | Name | Age | Sex | Remarks | Addition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | Mathis !! Flisberget | 31 | m | ||
22 | Andrea !! Flisberget* | 36 | f | wife | |
23 | Martinius Mathisen* Flisberget* | 2-3/4 | m | son* | |
24 | August Mathisen* Flisberget* | 3/4 | m | son* | |
199 | Gunder !! Flisberget | 37 | m | ||
200 | Olea !! Flisberget* | 30 | f | wife | |
201 | Ela Gundersdatter* Flisberget* | 9 | f | daughter* | |
202 | Jacob Gundersen* Flisberget* | 7 | m | son* | |
203 | Martinius Gundersen* Flisberget* | 5 | m | son* | |
204 | Ole Gundersen* Flisberget* | 2-1/2 | m | son* | |
205 | Hanna Gundersdatter* Flisberget* | 1/6 | f | daughter* | |
Mattis Mattson (1836-1884) and family moved to Hixton, Jackson County, Wisconsin where he died 11 September 1884 of cholera. His burial place is unknown. Three children then moved to LaMoure County, North Dakota: August, Emma and Lena. Andrea Andersdatter (1882-aft1892) went with them (showin in a family photo taken about 1892 ) but I do not know further.
Gunder Mattison was born 6 December 1840 at Elverum, Hedmark County, Norway. He married 19 July 1861 at Elverum to Olia Jakobsdatter (1837-aft1900) Seven children, and at least three sons Jacob, Martin and Julius are known to have survived to raise families of their own. I have not been able to find anything further about the other four: Else, Ole, Hanna "Annie" and Abram (Ed?). Gunder's family is found in the 1870 census in Preston, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin (page 247). Gunder apparently died between 1870 and 1873 in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin as his wife, Olia/Olea had remarried about 1873/1874 to an Andrew (Anders) Anderson. Gunder may have been another cholera death; I have found documented outbreaks in 1873 in another midwest state.
Andrew and Olea Anderson are found in the 1880 census in Trempealeau County with three Anderson children ages 6 months to 5 years and Hannah (age 13), Julius (age 9) and Ben (age 17) Matson. Two sons, Jacob G. (Gunderson) Mattson (1860-1834) and Martin G. (Gunderson) Mattson (1862-1927) had moved to North Dakota in 1883, first to LaMoure County and then to Dickey County, which adjoins LaMoure County. Julius G. (Gunderson) Mattson with wife and children also went to Dickey County (1900 census) and is last found in Taylor County, Wisconsin in the 1920 census. I do not know what happened to the other children of Gunder: Else (1858-aft1867), Ole (1864-aft1880), Hannah "Annie" (1867-aft1880), and Abram (1870-aft1870). (Else was included in the July 1867 arriving passenger list but not the 1870 census.) Andrew and Olea Anderson are later found in the 1900 and 1910 census in Chimney Rock, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin but not in 1920, so presumed deceased 1910/1920. There are no remainders of the Mattson's in Trempealeau County; I have not attempted to research the Anderson descendants of Andrew and Olea.
Ole Gundersen (1837-1926) was son of Gunder Olsen (1811-1848); Gunder was brother of Mattis Olsen (1796-1867). I had been advised that some sons of Ole Gundersen (1837-1926) and Gurine Gundersdatter (1840-1923) emigrated to the USA in about 1890 but two returned in 1905. No further details were provided except that at least some adopted the surname of Sveen. (Later found Øversveen also used.)
Of the seven sons of Ole and Gurine (they had no daughters), four have been found in Norway in the 1910 census and burial records found in Norway for two of those. Additionally, Ole Olsen (Sveen) (b. 12 Jan 1876, m. Karen Helene Pladsen) is not being found in the 1900 or 1910 censuses, but died 25 August 1960 and was buried 3 September 1960 at Sørskogbygda Cemetery in Elverum.
Another son was Jens Olsen who is listed in the Elverum Bygdebok but, unlike his siblings, without birth date. No further information. Not finding this Jens Olsen in IGI Christening/birth records in Norway. At the geni.com website, a family tree by Frode Sveen gives this subject as "John Sveen" b. 5 April 1882 in Norway; died 3 April 1951 in Williams Co., North Dakota. I am not convinced. There were other Sveen's in Williams County ca. 1910/1920 who I cannot place and this John may be related to those instead. There was a Jens Sveen b. 24 September 1869 in Elverum and listed in the 1910 census in Elverum. The birth year would fit. As of May 2011 and April 2013, the 1875 census had not been completely transcribed for Elverum, only a 2% sample, which did not show anything. Further follow-up is needed here.
One son, Knute, was born 15 August 1867; immigrated 1887; naturalized 1894; married about 1890 to Hannah ______; had ten children; died in 1944 at Douglas County, Wisconsin; and buried at Riverside Cemetery, Douglas County, Wisconsin. He and his family went by surname Olson.
One son remains unaccounted for in Norway or the USA: Karinus Olsen (Sveen) (b. 18 Nov 1873). He may have been known as Charley Olson or Charley Sveen.
Ola (Ole) Mattison Suroinen (1690-1746) and Marit Pålsdotter Hakkarainen had (1695-1762) had six children of whom four married and had descendants including Mattis Olsen Flisberget (1727-1804) (see later) the only ancestor who had descendants that I have been able to find who migrated to the USA. Other lines are incomplete, so there could be others.
According to the research of Bo Hansen, Ola was son of Mattis Mattisen Toerberget (est1760-1704/1712); Mattis was son of Mattis ________ who was reportedly born in Fryksdalen, Sweden and died before 1686 and Berte Pedersdatter who died after 1686. Her parents reportedly were Finnish.
Some descendants of the family are buried in two cemeteries in the vicinity of the town of LaMoure, both with the same name, which makes things confusing. There are two "Saint Ansgar" cemeteries in the LaMoure area: One such cemetery is adjacent to the St. Ansgar Lutheran church in Dickey County; The second, "the old cemetery," is separate in LaMoure County and is at a driving distance of about 1-1/2 miles north/northeast of the church. Descendants of Gunder Mattiasen (1840-1870/1743) and Olia Jakobsdatter (1837-aft1910) are buried at the churchyard which is referred to as "Saint Ansgar Lutheran Cemetery" or "Saint Ansgar Lutheran Church Cemetery" or "Saint Ansgar Lutheran Church and Cemetery." Those of the family of Gunder's brother Mattis Mattison (1836-1884) are buried at the "old cemetery" which is referred to as just "Saint Ansgar Cemetery." The second cemetery might also be referred to as "St. Ansgar Menighed" according to a cemetery book.
Church with adjacent cemetery: FindAGrave.com identifies the cemetery as "Saint Ansgar Lutheran Cemetery" in Dickey County. The church and adjacent cemetery are located on 78 St. SE at its T-intersection with Hwy 60/103rd Ave., on the south side of 78th St. GPS coordinates 46.2821889, -98.2664889 from: http://www.satelliteviews.net/cgi-bin/g.cgi?fid=1033663&state=ND&ftype=church point closest to the church building. GPS coordinates 46.28262, -98.26650 shown on the FindAGrave Map tab point closest to the cemetery.
Various websites including FindaGrave report the address of the church as
10294 78th St SE,
LaMoure ND 58458:
St. Ansgar Lutheran Church
10294 78th St SE
LaMoure ND 58458
701/883-4377
Such as:
lutherans.com/churches/church_info.php?church_id=7641
However, a Google map search on the address (as of November 2013) points this location as about 7.5 miles due east of the actual church building and cemetery, so something is amiss, either the address is wrong or the Google Maps translation of that address on a search is wrong. I suspect the latter? The satellite view shows what appear to be barns, out buildings and a house. The GPS coordinates above are correct. The FindAGrave listing of the Lutheran Church cemetery states it address as LaMoure, Dickey Co., North Dakota. However, the town of LaMoure is in LaMoure County and the county seat. The church and cemetery being on the south side 78th St. are physically in Dickey County, 78 St. apparently being the county boundary, and presumably LaMoure is a mailing/Post Office address of convenience. Google maps "What's here?" gives town as Oakes, ND 58474. Oakes is in Dickey County, and the largest.
Gravestones were photographed and uploaded to "Saint Ansgar Lutheran Cemetery" at Findagrave.com in November of 2013. As of that date, 114 graves listed.
The second, separate, isolated, cemetery is on 77th St. SE at GPS coordinates: 46.2969115 -98.2548222 (marks directly in center of cemetery). Some websites show alternate GPS: 46.2969939 -98.2547490 (marks to east side of cemetery). (Another reported GPS is : 46.178 -98.152 www.grhs.org/research/america/ndakota/LaMoure_county_nd.htm However, this resolves to a much different location, nothing there.) The location is about 1/2 mile east of intersection of Hwy 60/103rd and 77th SE Google maps names and points location as "St. Ansgar Cemetery." FindAGrave.com identifies the cemetery as "Saint Ansgar Cemetery" in LaMoure County. Satellite view shows as an isolated cemetery, a few grave markers on east and west sides, empty in middle. No nearby buildings. It is on the south side of 77th St SE. The town of LaMoure is 4.6 mi. NW. histopolis.com, place ID 881577262, reports it in Ryan Township, LaMoure County, North Dakota / Township 133 North, Range 60 West, Fifth PM It is about 4/5 mile north and 1/2 mile east of the Saint Ansgar Lutheran Church and its adjacent Cemetery.
As described later, the cemeteries and gravestones of LaMoure County were recorded and published in 2005. Saint Ansgar burials are listed in Barron, George L.; Cemeteries of Southern LaMoure County North Dakota; Carrington, ND : James River Genealogy Club, 2005 on pages 16-18. Page 18 shows 30 burials shown only in sexton's records for which there is no surviving gravestone or marker ("ns"). Data other than name was generally not recorded; a couple had burial dates noted as 1902 and 1916 which is probably the general period when the cemetery was most active. The 2005 Cemeteries book shows names in groups of five or six, comprising varying surnames. Those groups may correspond to a physical area of the cemetery, what modern cemetery managers would refer to as a "lot."
Graves with standing stones were photographed and posted at "Saint Ansgar Cemetery at Findagrave.com" in November of 2013. The earliest burial shown is 1889, the last is 1962. In December of 2013 I posted the additional 30 graves from the 2005 publication. As of that month in 2013 there are 86 total listings.
Relationship of St. Ansgar Cemetery (LaMoure County) and
St. Ansgar Lutheran Church and Cemetery (Dickey County):
The cemeteries and gravestones of LaMoure County were recorded and published in 2005 in two books:
The family of Mattis Mattison (1836-1884) who are buried at Saint Ansgar in LaMoure County are Minda A. Mattison (1867-1900) (wife of August) who has a gravestone and "Grandma", "Baby" and Martin who are recorded in the sexton's records only. "Grandma" is probably Andrea Andersdatter Mattison (1832-aft1891); "Baby" is probably the infant of August Mattson (1866-1930/1940) and Minnie (Martinus) Mattson (1867-1900); and Martin is probably born 17 January 1864 near Elverum, Norway, died 1880/1900, son of Mattis Mattison (1836-1884) and Andrea Andersdatter Mattison (1832-aft1891).
A few general local geography and naming notes about the area where the cemeteries are located:
Following from A History of Dickey County, North Dakota;The Dickey County Historical Society; 1930; Paperback; 333 Pages, synopsis provided October 2007 by a look-up volunteer:
The 1801 census Elverum, Flisberget Farm, lists Mathias Olsen age 74 and Marthe Pedersdtr age 69 and identifies them as parents of the male head of household Ole Mathiasen age 31 and wife Marthe Mortensdtr age 27. Per and Maria (she married 13 October 1785 at Elverum to Jon Andersen Bekken) show long lines of descendants, not shown on this webpage but on the separate descendants chart later. I do not know if any of those descendants migrated to the USA.
The 1801 census Elverum, Flisberget Farm gives 3 children of Ole Mathiasen and Marthe Mortensdtr, including Mathias Olsen age 5 (born Cal 1796). Probably more born later. Pending further analysis of IGI data.
Of (1865) Flisberget Farm, Elverum Parish, Hedmark Fylke, Norway. The IGI has christening records of six children of 'Mathis Olsen' and 'Else Mathisdr' that I could find. Possibly more. The child christened 11 Jul 1847 is listed in the IGI, but the given name is blank. The 1865 census of Flisberget Farm, Elverum where 'Mattis Ols.' age 70 (born Cal 1795) is listed identifies, on the next line, 'Mattis Mattiss.' age 29 (b. Cal 1836) as 'hans Son' followed by 'Andrea Andersd.' as 'hans Kone' (wife) and 'Martinus Matiss.' as 'deres Son'. Else Mathisdatter is not listed, so she is presumed deceased by then.
Ole Mattisen born 29 January 1829; chr. 5 April 1829 at Elverum; died 2 May 1881 at Fillmore County, Minnesota; married 26 March 1856 at Nord Ordalen to Karen Kristoffersdatter, she born 5 June 1834; chr. 15 june 1834 at Nord Ordalen; last May 1881 at Lanesboro, Fillmore County, Minnesota. One child Mattis b. 10 March 1857 at Ronnigen Farm, Nord Ordalen; chr. 12 July 1857 at Elverum; apparently died 1868. No other apparent children. Immigration date or place not found. NFI
Of (1865) Flisberget Farm, Elverum Parish, Hedmark Fylke, Norway, 1865 census (above). Marriage record from IGI - in Elverum. Christening of Martin (Martinus) from IGI -in Våler. August born in Norway but no christening record in IGI. Various USA records including US censuses and church records in Wisconsin.
The family immigrated to the United States, arriving in August 1867 at Chicago. Sailed on the Bark "Erna" which arrived at the Port of Quebec on July 25, 1867. Mattis came with his wife Andrea (Andrine) Andersdatter and sons Martin and August. He was accompanied on the same ship by his brother Gunder and family. Mattis settled at Jackson County, Wisconsin near Hixton. Two daughters born there: Emma and Olena (Lena).
Mattis died in 11 September 1884 at Hixton of the cholera. He was survived by his wife Andrea Andersdatter. The family migrated to La Moure County, North Dakota by 1894 and were still there in 1900. Andrea is presumed to be the "Grandma Mattson" buried at Saint Ansgar Cemetery, La Moure County, North Dakota from Sexton's records, no date. Martin is presumed to be the "Martin Mattison" buried at Saint Ansgar Cemetery, La Moure County, North Dakota from Sexton's records, no date or grave marker. By 1910/1920 some in Spokane, Washington and by 1930 all descendants living there. August Mattson married abt 1889 to Minda "Minnie" Martinus, she born August 1868 in Norway, apparently died 1900/1920. Three children, one who died as an infant or very young child. August last found in 1930 census in Spokane. Emma married 1 Feb 1894 at La Moure, La Moure County, North Dakota to Henry Arthur Underwood (1868-1943); divorced. One child, deceased. Lena married about 1895 to Paul John Gady (1873/4-1944) who was born in Settin, Germany. I have names of four children, all deceased.
More To Be Added later ...
Of (1865) Braenden Farm, Elverum Parish, Hedmark Fylke, Norway, 1865 census (above). Marriage record from IGI - 19 July 1861 in Elverum. In 1870 (census) in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin family of Gunder Mattson, so they all migrated together between 1865 and 1870.
After Gunder died, Oila remarried 1873/1874 to Andrew (Anders) Anderson and had three more children: Amanda, Maurice "Mike" and Ole.
Martin and Jacob migrated to North Dakota in 1883.
These sons adopted the surname Mattson by the 1870 census, dropping Gunderson as a surname and using Gunder or Gunderson as a middle name, hence the middle initial 'G'.
If these connections and conclusions are correct, then:
Born 14 April 1858 at Elverum, Hedmark, Norway per (Norway website). Can't find in IGI for Elverum. Not listed in 1865 census (Norway, abt age 7), 1870 census (Wisconsin USA, abt age 12) or 1880 census (Wisconsin, abt age 22).
Born 12 Feb 1860 at Elverum, Hedmark, Norway; died 1934 at Dickey Co., ND, buried at St. Ansgar Cemetery, LaMoure Co., ND. Married 1881/2 to Martha Erickson. Eight children. Citizenship _____
All records in Norway and USA agree. (1865 Norway census, 1900 Dickey Co. ND census, 1885 DT census, gravestone, ...)
Born 27 Aug 1864 at Elverum, Hedmark, Norway. Last record 1880 at Trempealeau Co., Wisconsin. No further information. May have been known as "Ben".
Born 9 April 1867 in Norway. Last seen in 1880 census in Trempealeau Co., Wisconsin.
Born 1 December 1869 in Preston, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin; chr. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America 17 April 1870 [ECLA church records via Ancestry.com]. Listed in 1870 census as "Abram", age 5/12, which was apparently a misunderstanding by the census taker or his name was subsequently changed. May have been known as "Ed" since in the 1920 census of household of Julius Mattson in Taylor County, Wisconsin, a "brother" "Ed" Mattson, age 50 born Wisconsin is shown.
Born 16 March 1871 in Wisconsin; chr. 2 July 1871 Evangelical Lutheran Church of America [ECLA church records via Ancestry.com]; died 12 July 1921; buried Evergreen Cemetery ("Lutheran Cemetery"), Stanley, Chippewa County, Wisconsin. Married 1896/7 to Minnie Lee (Lee is surname); nine children. Minnie born August 1872; died 6 June 1935 at Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin at the home of her daughter; buried Evergreen Cemetery ("Lutheran Cemetery"), Stanley, Chippewa County, Wisconsin.
More To Be Added later ...
Genealogy website for the Finn Forest area. It's all in Norwegian. Have fun.
Detail ancient history of settlement of area. Focuses on Trysil, but applies to the wider area.
Various family history books (bygdebøker) (technically "village book") relating to Elverum families exist, which are listed in the following section.
In March of 2007, Jay Nerby sent an English translation of a section from one of the books for the history of the Flisberget Farm in Elverum. The title is Flisberget i Sørskogbygda - ei 300 år gammal historie (Flisberget in a South Forest Village - a 300 Year Old History) by Trond Øivindson Lunde and was translated by Maarten Dalskjaer. It was begun in 1993/1994, first published as an article in 2002 and updated February 2007. The translation is presented here: Flisberget in a South Forest Village - a 300 Year Old History by Trond Øivindson Lunde A copy in Norwegian is online at: Flisberget i Sørskogbygda - ei 300 år gammal historie This can be translated by Google, a direct link is: Wood Mountain in Sørskogbygda - a 300 years old history The online translations by Google are continually and significantly improving so periodically checking back may be helpful. It appears that "Flisberget" is translated (at least by Google in 2011) as "Wood Mountain" but the proper Norwegian designation remains "Flisberget."
Sidenote:
Following are the citations to apparent Elverum family history books (bygdebøker)
Finne-Grønn, S. H. (1869-1953): Elverum en Bygdebeskrivelse. Kristiania: Forlagt AF Cammermeyers Boghandel, 1909. Bd. I & II - Gaardhistorie med Ættetavler Call No. DL/596/.E53/F56/1909/v.1-2 [@U-NDAK] LDS Call #'s: 948.23/E1 H2f FHL INTL Book 948.23/E1 H2f v.2 FHL INTL Book Parts (separate books). 1 Tillegg til Finne-Grønns bøk om Elverum 1958 2 Gaardhistorie med ættetavler 1909 3 Bygdens almindelige historie, institutioner og embedsmænd 1921 Elverom [db] NN: Gammalt frå Elverom og deromkring. 1974. Elverum [db] NN: Elverum bygdebok. Vestad til 1940 ; Midtskogen ; Øksna ; Rustad. 1984. [Prob. one of the 6-vol. series below] Elverum bygdebok; Skirbekk, Håvard; Stener, Magne and Lintoft, Kari (authors); Elverum: Utgitt av Elverum Kommone; 1983-; in six volumes. b. 1. Bjøolset og Hagen / Håvard Skirbekk b. 2. Vestad til 1940, Midtskogen, Grundset, Øksna, Rustad/ Håvard Skirbekk b. 3. Strandbygda / Magne Stener b. 4. Heradsbygda I / Magne Stener b. 5. Heradsbygda II / Magne Stener b. 6. Jømna, Melåsberget / Kan Lintoft LDS has all 6 volumes, starting call # 948.23/E1 D2s FHL INTL Book Nordfløter-slekten Smith fra Elverum; Krohn-Holm, D; (no date shown); Genealogy of the Smith family from Elverum; LDS Call No. 929.2481 A1 no. 31
Elverum:
S. H. Finne-Grønn: Elverum - en bygdebeskrivelse I.1.halvbind 1909
S. H. Finne-Grønn: Elverum - en bygdebeskrivelse I.2.halvbind 1914 (også kalt bind 2)
S. H. Finne-Grønn: Elverum - en bygdebeskrivelse II. 1922 (også kalt bind 3)
M. Skrede: Elverum IV -Tillegg til Finne-Grønns bøk om Elverum 1958
H. Skirbekk: Elverum bygdebok, bind 1, Bjølset og Hagen 1983
H. Skirbekk: Elverum bygdebok, bind 2, Vestad,Midtskogen,Grundset,Øksna og Rustad 1984
M. Stener: Elverum bygdebok, bind 3, Strandbygda 1985
M. Stener: Elverum bygdebok, bind 4-5, Heradsbygda 1988
K. Lintoft: Elverum bygdebok 6, Jømna og Melåsberget 1990
K. Lintoft: Elverum bygdebok 7 Del I: Østre Hernes og Horndalen 2002
K. Lintoft: Elverum bygdebok 7 Del II: Vestre Hernes 2002
T. Lunde: Flisberget i Sørskogbygda, 1994
I have seen only the two books published in 1909 and 1974. The 1909 book was lent by the University of North Dakota; I don't remember where the other came from. Neither appeared to have anything on this Mattson line.
The Family History Library lists the 1984 bygdebok as six volumes, so it appears extensive and significant. Unfortunately, it is not available on microfilm; they have the set in the Salt Lake library. Also, their catalog shows "Gaardhistorie med ættetavler" (1909) as Part 1 of Finne-Grønn's work and "Bygdens almindelige historie, institutioner og embedsmænd" (1921) is part 2. They have copies at Salt Lake and on microfilm. The catalog doesn't show "Tillegg til Finne-Grønns bøk om Elverum" (1958).
Batch numbers for Elverum and vicinity include the following. A prefix of "C" indicates christening records; a prefix of "M" indicates marriage records. "Kirkebøker" translates to "church books" or records.
C423403 ... C423411 1751-1829 0124281 Kirkebøker, 1729-1935 Den Norske Kirke, Elverum prestegjeld (Hedmark) C423412 1830-1842 0124283 Kirkebøker, 1729-1935 Den Norske Kirke, Elverum prestegjeld (Hedmark) C423413 1843-1844 0307250 Kirkebøker, 1729-1935 Den Norske Kirke, Elverum prestegjeld (Hedmark) C423414 1845-1874 0124282 Kirkebøker, 1729-1935 Den Norske kirke, Elverum prestegjeld (Hedmark) M423411 1751-1830 0124281 ...
Elverum is a muncipality with a population of about 18,000 and is surrounded by villages Heradsbygd, Jomna, Sørskogbygda and Hernes being the most significant. Tourism seems to be an important element of the local economy including such outdoor activities as hiking, skiing, fishing and hunting.
Elverum Tourist Office Solorveien 151, Elverum 2407, Norway +47 (+ 47) 62 40 90 45 mail@elverum-turistinfo.com http://www.visitelverum.no/http://visiter.no
Name Country Feature Latitude Longitude Dist. Dist. Bearing Direction (km) (mi) Bastuknappen Sweden Populated place 60.98306 12.25 8.31 5.17 257° WSW Gaaskjölen Norway Populated place 60.88333 11.98333 14.44 8.97 206° SSW Gravberget Norway Populated place 60.86667 12.25 16.91 10.51 209° SSW Midskogberget Norway Populated place 61.11667 12.06667 13.11 8.15 8° N Siljuberget Norway Populated place 60.9 11.96667 13.26 8.24 213° SSW Storsveen Norway Populated place 61.1 12.1 11.13 6.92 0° N Tørberget Norway Populated place 61.13333 12.1 14.84 9.22 0° N Bækkesæter Norway Farm 61.05 12.03333 6.63 4.12 33° NNE Bastberget Norway Farm 61.11667 12.13333 13.11 8.15 8° N Bekkesæter Norway Farm 61.05 12.03333 6.63 4.12 33° NNE Enberget Norway Farm 61.01667 12.13333 2.58 1.61 44° NE Flisberget Norway Farm 61 12.1 0 0 Haaberget Norway Farm 61.05 12.06667 5.85 3.63 18° NNE Hemberget Norway Hill 60.91667 12.18333 10.31 6.41 206° SSW Hestberget Norway Hill 60.96667 12.18333 5.83 3.62 231° SW Høljebakken Norway Farm 61.06667 12.1 7.42 4.61 0° N Høljesjø Norway Lake 61.06667 12.16667 8.25 5.12 26° NNE Kjølberget Norway Hill 61.03333 12.23333 8.09 5.03 63° ENE Klintsæter Norway Farm 60.95 12.1 5.57 3.46 180° S Knølen Norway Farm 61.08333 12.15 9.66 6 16° NNE Kvitsten Norway Farm 61.13333 11.95 16.9 10.5 28° NNE Onsjöen Norway Lake 61.13333 12.15 15.08 9.37 10° N Rækkesæter Norway Farm 61.05 12.03333 6.63 4.12 33° NNE Rysjøbergsæter Norway Farm 61.08333 12.23333 11.73 7.29 38° NE Siljubergåsen Norway Farm 60.91667 12.01667 10.31 6.41 206° SSW Smalberget Norway Hill 60.93333 12.2 9.18 5.7 216° SW Stordigerheden Norway Hill 60.86667 12.18333 15.51 9.64 197° SSW Stygberg Norway Hill 61.08333 12.06667 9.45 5.87 11° N Tonberg Norway Hill 61.1 12.18333 12 7.46 22° NNE Tørbergsjøen Norway Lake 61.13333 12.15 15.08 9.37 10° N Varahollsæter Norway Farm 61.13333 12.23333 16.49 10.25 26° NNE Vesleflisa Norway Stream 60.91667 12.13333 9.45 5.87 191° S
Updated 16 April 2013
Updated 10 June 2013.
Updated 20 Nov. 2013.
Updated 30 April 2014.
Updated 29 May 2016.
© Copyright 1997-2016. All rights reserved.