Groth, Svend 'Sam' and Sarah Kogerstad Family

GROTH, KOGERSTAD

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 12/21/2021 at 05:40:18

Groth, Svend (Sam) 1846-1932 and Sarah Kogerstad Family

This story was taken from the ‘Rock Valley Records & Recollections’ book written about 1976 in honor of the two hundredth birthday of our nation. It was a revision of the history written by Lottie Thomas in 1955. It was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society and some research notes were added.

In Norway in the year 1846, Svend (Sam) Olsen Groth, son of Ole Halstenson and Gunild Groth, was born. Other family members were a brother, Halsten, and a sister, Rachael. Three years later, in 1849, Ole Halstenson Groth, his wife and family came to America, arriving by boat at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They journeyed to eastern Iowa to Clayton County where the family made their residence.

On growing to manhood, Sam came to western Iowa where he made several homestead claims. His first claims were in Lyon County, northwest of Inwood. Here in Lyon county, Sam and his wife, Sarah Kogerstad (Kettelsome), who had also come from Norway, had two children, Henry and Tolina. This land has remained in the Groth Family. It has been farmed by George and Charles, sons of Sam, by Harold, a grandson of Sam, and now by Terry Groth, son of Harold.

In 1878, Sam made claims in western Sioux County, Settlers Township, Southwest quarter of Southwest quarter of Section 24, and soon after purchased many acres of adjoining land. After settling on this homestead, the Sam Groths had two more children, Charles and George. Sam tilled this land until 1900, then his son, Henry, farmed the land until 1936, then Henry’s son, Harold, took over the operation of the farmland until 1974, and now Darwin and Kent, sons of Harold, are farming the Groth land.

When the Sam Groth family settled in Settlers Township, their neighbors were of the Sioux Indian Tribe, who had their camping grounds there and who hunted and fished along the Big Sioux and Rock Rivers, Indian burial grounds have been found on this land and some graves have been opened and interesting relics have been found. Sam Groth’s brother, Halsten, was killed by the Indians on this farm.

Sometimes in the Groth home, provisions for feeding the family were scarce, but there were plenty of prairie chickens and prairie chicken eggs. One morning Mrs. Groth complained that she did not know what to do for dinner as there was hardly anything in the house to eat. She had no more than said this when she noticed a flock of prairie chickens close to the shanty. (These early houses were referred to as shanties.) Mr. Sam Groth quickly took his gun, and opening the shanty door slightly, shot two chickens and they had a good dinner.

Later, when the chickens were not so tame, and they had not had meat for some time and Mrs. Groth was hungry for some, they saw a weasel killing their only rooster. While the family was sorry about this incident, since they only had eight hens and one rooster and wished the weasel had selected a hen instead, they did have a good meal that day.

The prairie fires were a terror for the early settlers. The flames would leap high from the tall grass. Once when Mrs. Groth was home alone, and went to the field with lunch for the men, a prairie fire came, and a neighbor on horseback came at the critical moment and burned back, thus saving the Groth buildings.

When the grasshoppers came, they took everything. The Groths could not keep hogs because they had no corn to feed them.

Sam was one of the founders of the town of Elm Springs. In 1889, he helped form the Eden Lutheran Congregation at Hudson, South Dakota. He was also on the committee which formed the Sunday School. Silverware belonging to Mrs. Groth, and which she had brought from Norway, was melted down and used in forming the church bell. The bell was cast in New York and the silver was necessary for the “ring” of the bell. Now, Steve, Jill and Shelli Groth attend the church that their great-great-grandfather helped organize.

Sam died in 1932 and was buried in the Fairview cemetery. His lands are now in the hands of his grandson, Harold, and Harold’s sons, whose children make the fifth generation of Groths living on the Sam Groth farms. The Sam Groth farm where Gene Groth (deceased), son of Harold, lived was purchased by his wife, Mary Groth. Recently, ninety acres of the Groth land also became the property of the State of Iowa and are now used as a public game reserve.

The homes built by the Groth family are of special interest. The first dwelling of Sam Groth was a dug-out, until a log cabin could be built. Later a house, built with square nails, was attached to the log one, which then became the kitchen for the new home. This house had a basement made of rocks taken from the farm. When this structure was no longer used for the home, the log part was moved to another location, and the other portion became the granary and is still being used for that purpose. Plans in the near future are to move the log house back to a location near the original one.

The next house Sam built was made of brick, and a brick layer from Norway helped in the construction of it. Rocks from the farm were used for the foundation, some of them being more than three feet across. It took four days to haul the brick from Sioux City in horse-drawn wagons. The lime and cement used for the mortar were buried in the ground for three years to cure. This house, which is ninety to ninety-five years old, is now the home of the Harold Groth’s.

The Groth house, which is made of cement block, was built sixty years ago by Henry Groth. He made the blocks on rainy days when he and his hired help couldn’t do other farm work. The materials, sand and gravel, for making the blocks were taken from the river. It took two years to make the blocks, which were pressed by hand into a mold. This is now the home of the Darwin Groth’s.

The fifth generation of Sam Groth’s descendents are: Steve, Shelli, and Jill, children of Gene and Mary Groth; Eileen, Jay, and Kathy; children of Darwin Groth; Negan, Haley, Troy, and Cory, children of Terry Groth; and Darin, son of Kent Groth.

(Groth family members and Sioux County History)

OBITUARY OF SVEND (SAM) GROTH (No obituary was found in the local papers)
Iowa Death Record lists Samuel Olson Groth born about 1846 died 7 Jul 1932 buried in Fairview lived in (Settlers Tsp.) IA of senility. .

OBITUARY OF SARAH KOGERSTAD (Mrs. Sam Groth)
From the Rock Valley Bee, July 30, 1926:
PIONEER OF SETTLERS TOWNSHIP DEAD
Mrs. S.O. Groth, a pioneer resident of Settlers township, Sioux county, five miles north of Hudson, died at her home on the farm at six o’clock on Wednesday morning, after an illness of some duration, being 82 years and one week old at the time of her death.
She leaves to mourn her loss her husband, one daughter, Mrs. Will Paulson, of Fairview and three sons, Henry, Charles, and George, all of this vicinity.
She was a member of the Lutheran church at Fairview and funeral services will be held at that church on Saturday afternoon, and she will be laid to rest in the Lutheran cemetery east of Fairview.
She and her husband came to the farm where she died in 1880 and they have resided there ever since. She was a fine Christian woman, most highly esteemed by all who knew her. Hers was a long and useful life, full of kindly deeds, and her passing will bring sorrow to a large circle of relatives and friends. The sadly bereaved ones have the sincere sympathy of all in their loss. – Hudsonite.
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RESEARCH NOTES
Her death certificate has her as Sarah Kogerstad (or Kogerstod) Groth, wife of S.O. Groth; born July 13, 1844 in Norway; father Swen Kogerstad, mother’s name unknown to the informant, Chas. Groth; died at 5:45 a.m. July 21, 1926; cause, “senility.”
FindaGrave.com has her as Sarah Kettleson Groth, born 13 July 1844 in Buskerud fylke, Norway, died 21 July 1926 in Sioux Center, Iowa; buried in Bethany Cemetery, Fairview, Lincoln County, South Dakota. There is also an entry for Samuel Groth (1846-1932), no other information but with photos of the same family stone and the same style of headstone; he is undoubtedly her husband.
The 1920 U.S. census for Settlers Township has Samuel O. (age 73) and Sara (age 75) Groth living with their son Charles (age 42, single, head of house, born Iowa) and boarders William (53) and Tolene[?] (46) Paulson and John Nottleson[?](40). Charles’ occupation is farmer, and John is a farm laborer; Paulson and the elder Groths are noted as having no occupations. Samuel O. Groth immigrated in 1850 and was naturalized in 1856. Sara Groth immigrated in 1860 and was naturalized in 1866. They can read, write, and speak English.

No family picture was found of the pioneer Groth famly. If anyone has a picture please send a scan of it to our page coordinator to add to this BIOS.