KITTLESON, John 1830-1898
KITTLESON, HOLTAN
Posted By: Karen L. Robertson (email)
Date: 3/23/2011 at 19:46:32
#1:
DEATH OF JOHN KITTLESON
The ringing of the Norwegian church bell Tuesday evening mournfully announced to the people of St. Ansgar and vicinity that another of the early settlers and universally respected citizens of St. Ansgar township, Mr. John Kittleson, had passed to the great beyond. This was startling news to many who had not even heard of his brief serious illness.
John Kittleson, the subject of this sketch, was born in Kongsberg, Norway, June 18, 1830 and died at his residence near St. Ansgar, Iowa, May 24, 1898, his age being therefore 67 years, 11 months and 6 days.
He grew to manhood at his native place and there resided until he was 23 years of age when in 1853 he emigrated to America and settled in Dane Co., Wisconsin. In 1862 he was united in marriage to Miss Betsy Holtan at Utica, Wisconsin. She was also a native of Norway. Four children were born to this union. Charles and Louisa who reside at home, Martin who died in January of the present year and one who died in infancy. In 1863 they removed to Iowa, settling in Mitchell County on a farm near the village of St. Ansgar upon which place he resided until the time of his death. Mr. Kittleson suffered from poor health the last nine years of his life. During haying of 1898 he met with a serious accident, a team and mower running over him and breaking several ribs and otherwide several injuries.
[St. Ansgar Enterprise]
(Credit: K. Robertson)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#2:John F. Kittleson
Johanes F. Kittleson, was born June 18, 1830 in Flesberg, Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Kittil Johanesen Fjosemoen and Kari Knudsdatter.
John came to America about 1857 and purchased land near Christiana, Dane County, Wisconsin. About 1863 he came to St. Ansgar, Iowa. He built a log cabin on a knoll above the Cedar River about two miles south of St. Ansgar. He became a U.S. citizen on November 1, 1864.
John married Berith (or Betsy) Holtan, daughter of Gullick Halvorson Holtan and Anna Ledvorsdatter, in 1862. Berith was born in Flesberg, Norway on March 20, 1836 just a few miles from where John was born. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 1846. They also settled in Dane County, Wisconsin. John and Berith were probably married while still in Wisconsin.
Their four children were born in the little log cabin near St. Ansgar. Their first child was Charles Edward, born December 5, 1864. Then came Gullick Martinus, who was also known as Martin, born June 13, 1867. He died in Grand Falls, Texas on January 5, 1898 and was buried in First Lutheran Cemetery, St. Ansgar. The last two children were twins, born August 5, 1869. They were Andreas and Carrie Louise. Andreas died October 30, 1870. Louise married Carl Otto Kittilsen in 1898 and they spent most of their married life in Yakima, Washington, except for a few years gold mining in Alaska about 1904. They had no children.
Berith would carry laundry down the slope to the Cedar River and rub them on a large rock to get the clothes clean. Then she would carry the clothes back up the hill to dry.
John and Berith continued to farm until John died of kidney disease on May 24, 1898. He was buried in the First Lutheran Cemetery, St. Ansgar.
Berith died on November 14, 1936 in Yakima, Washington and was buried beside her husband at St. Ansgar.
Of John's four children, only Charles had offspring. They were: Julius, Carl, Clara (Mrs. Maurice Haugen) and Laura Kittleson (Mrs. Andrew Lund).
NOTE: See photos of John and Berith's tombstones on IaGenWeb's GPP collection.
IaGenWeb GPP - Tombstone Photo
Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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