Johan & Anna Gjerkin

GJERKIN SEVERSON GJARKEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/27/2010 at 22:40:15

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Johan and Anna (Severson) Gjerkin
By Judy Olson Crawford

Johan (Gjarken) Gjerkin was born in Bergen, Norway, 15 May 1829, where he was a baker. (The name is spelled on his naturalization papers, in possession of this author, ‘Gjarken’. Evidently that is the Norwegian spelling.) He married Anna Marie Severson 29 Spetember 1855 in Bergen. She was born 26 April 1833 in Bergen. They were both of the Lutheran faith.

They came to the United States and to Sloan, Iowa, in 1881. In 1882, they bought a house on Lot 7, Block 16 in Sloan for $80. (Document dated 18 October 1882 is in this author’s possession.)

Johan was naturalized 28 March 1895 (Book 1, page 123, Woodbury County Court House).

He had two sisters: Anna and Barbara.

Johan and Anna had thirteen children; eight died before leaving Norway and one died shortly after coming to Slan. His obituary states when he died 3 February 1908, four children survived: 1-Mrs S J (Johanne Andrea) Oliver of Sloan, Iowa; 2-Johan Gjerkin of Bergen, Norway; 3-George Gjerkin of Sioxu City, Iowa; and 4-Mrs O (Mathilde Ovida) Christianson of New England, North Daktoa; and a sister, Mrs O Christianson of Sioux City, Iowa.

Johanne Andrea Gjerkin was born 23 December 1856. She married Stephen J Oliver, born 13 May 1855 in Bergen, Norway, on 31 December 1882, at Sloan, Iowa. Stephen was Justice of the Peace and Night Watchman at Sloan for many years and was highly respected. Their children were: Olga Joanna, Alma Mathilda, William John, Stella Alexandria, and Cora Amanda.

Olga Joanna Oliver, born 17 December 1883 in Michigan, married Frank Bennett and they had no children. She later married Laurence Warren Huff. Olga died 23 February 1973.

Alma Mathilda, born 21 November 1885 at Sloan, Iowa, married John Stephen Olson, born 27 October 1884, died 18 May 1962, on 24 June 1909 at Sloan. He graduated from the Polk School of Piano Tuning in Valpariso, Indiana, around 1908 and was a piano tuner. They had four children: John starl, my father; Donald Francis; Lyle Robert; and Oliver Lynn.

William John Oliver, born 4 July 1888 at Sloan, Iowa, married Hazel Albright. Bill served n World War I in France and was a barber. They had one son, Jack. Jack, born 13 December 1924, married Jean Arends, 10 May 1946 at Onawa. Jack was a flier in the army. They had two children: Susan Laurie, born 14 June 1951, at Sparta, Wisconsin; and Steven Lewis, born 17 September 1955 at Rapids City, South Dakota. Jack is retired form the service and lives at Savannah, Georgia.

Stella Alexandria Oliver, born 22 April 1890 at Sloan, married Owen Pope, 27 September 1910. They had three children: Arthur, born 13 September 1911, was married and had one daughter, Patsy and died in an auto accident; Evelyn, bron 10 April 1913, has no children and runs a health food store in California; and Howard, who with his wife, Lois (Watson) lives on the home place in Sloan, Iowa, and has two sons, Richard and Robert.

Cora Amanda Oliver, born 24 July 1892, at Sloan, married Laurence Warren Huff. They had three children: Charles Oliver, Robert and Louise. Cora died in 1918 in the flu epidemic.

John Starl Olson, son of Alma Mathilda (Oliver) and John Stephen Olson was born 2 April 1911 at Sloan. (I asked my grandmotehr where she got the name of ‘Starl’ and she said she had a neighbor boy named Starling Driggs and she thougt the name was so pretty so she shortened it to ‘Starl’.) Starl was married Clara Belle Rita Burdick, 26 February 1939, and they later divorced. They had one child, Judith Elaine, born 30 October 1941. She married Glen D ‘Dean’ Crawford, born 22 September 1938, 20 July 1962. They have one son, Jamie Dean, born 17 June 1963. Jamie attends the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. Judy and family live in Sioux City. Starl married Rosalie Ring. He was an accomplished saxophone player around the Siouxland area. He died 23 December 1968 of a heart attack after shoveling snow.

Donald Francis ‘Bud’ Olson, son of Alma and John, was born 7 February 1913 at Little Sioux, Iowa. He married Hazel Coons. ‘Bud’ was killed in action on Leyte in World War II, 5 Decembe 1944. They had two childen: Andrea ‘Drea’ and Donald Stanley. Drea married Denny Hughey and they divorced. They have four children: Deanna, David, DeLynne, and Denice. Drea lives in Westminister, Colorado, and works for the telephone compnay. Donald Stanley ‘Stan’ married Sue Pope, is the father of two sons, is an engineer for Du Pont, and lives in Wilmington, Delaware.

Lyle Robert Olson was born 6 December 1922 at Sloan and died 12 March 1936. Oliver Lynn ‘Dick’ Olson, born 15 December 1923 at Sloan, worked at Carlson’s Drug Store in Sloan and never married. He died 14 August 1976 at home in Sloan.