Copyright 2008 - Linda Tollefson Therkelsen
The story of this diary is even more steeped in a remarkable Norwegian-American history than is obvious from the diary itself, if you know all the background. The diary is more one of the later chapters of a larger story.
There were three related Gilbert Gilbertsons who were pioneers in St. Ansgar – but they were first pioneers in Rock County, Wisconsin. Let’s go back to Norway to begin.
Two sons of Gulbrand Erickson Kjerre or Kierra in Veggli in the Numedal valley of Norway were working on the nearby farm Myhra. Gulbrand Gulbrandson (born 1810) and Jens Gulbrandson (1812), both born on Kjerre farm, were younger sons of the second marriage (to Aase Torsteinsdatter Haugerud) of their father Gulbrand Erickson, and not going to inherit any of their father’s farms. These included Myhra, Kierra or Kjerre, and Skavlem farms. They lived near another farm named Nattestad (sometimes Natterstad) farm.
A younger son of that nearby farm, Ole Nattestad, had gone to Stavanger to buy some sheep and heard about America. He convinced his brother Ansten to leave in 1837. If you know your Norwegian-American history, yes, that is, indeed, THOSE brothers. The Nattestad brothers went with a third man, and traveled around the midwest, including Chicago and the Beaver Creek Norwegian settlement in Illinois. Ole wrote a narrative of their travels. Ansten took that, ran into Ole Rynning in Chicago, and also took Rynning’s book back with him to return to Norway, Ole Nattestad remaining in Chicago.
Ansten returned to Numedal, and in the winter of 1838-1839, many came to hear the stories of America. Rynning’s book, True Account of America, was published, beginning “America fever” in Norway. By spring of 1839, Ansten had 100 people ready to leave to immigrate to America, most from the nearby farms.
Gulbrand Gulbrandson and Jens Gulbrandson, both using the farm name Myhra as in Norwegian tradition, were determined to go. Ansten’s main group was limited to 100, as they were converting a ship to carry the immigrants – the Emilie became the first Norwegian immigrant ship to leave the port of Drammen. These 100 included quite a few of Jens’ and Gulbrand’s relatives, including their older half-brother Erick Gulbrandson Skavlem and his family, brother Lars Gulbrandson and his wife, sister Ragnild and her husband Tosten Nielson and family; and also the young women who would be their future wives and many of THEIR relatives. As young single men, Jens and Gulbrand traveled on a different ship, which were undoubtedly rougher quarters, as it was a cargo ship. They were two of only ten passengers on the Uranus, and they actually landed in America in July, before the main Nattestad party, which arrived in August.
When the Nattestad party reached Chicago (after traveling by ship on the Hudson River, canal boat on the Erie Canal and steamship on the Great Lakes), they found Ole Nattestad had moved on to Rock County, Wisconsin, and they followed. Jens and Gulbrand took up claims there, Jens becoming a founder of the Jefferson Prairie Norwegian settlement. Gulbrand went slightly farther west, becoming a founder of the Rock Prairie colony, later renamed Luther Valley by Rev. Claus Clausen.
Both men married within a short time. Both had a son and a daughter, whom they named in the Norwegian tradition, the first of each after their parents: so both had an oldest son named Gulbrand and an oldest daughter named Aase. Curiously, each only had these two children survive. However, in the English language records, the fathers began to become Gilbert Gilbertson and James Gilbertson, even though in Norwegian-language records they still used their Norwegian names (Gulbrand and Jens Gulbrandson Myhra). Their sons had been baptized with the Norwegian patronymic (Gulbrandson and Jenson, Jensdatter), however, as the names became further adapted, the children’s patronymics became middle initials. Thus, Gilbert G. Gilbertson was the son of Gilbert/Gulbrand and Gilbert J. Gilbertson was the son of Jens.
Both families were quite close to Claus Clausen, who gave the first Lutheran church services in both their colonies, and became pastor of both congregations. Both were among the first listed on membership lists, and Gulbrand was a trustee of the Luther Valley church. When Clausen went looking for new lands for the many more Norwegian immigrants in 1852, Gulbrand accompanied him when they came across the land in Mitchell County that would be St. Ansgar. However, Gulbrand still had quite a lot of property back in Rock County; he was kind of a land dealer, buying and selling many smaller acreages. He was still selling off some of this in 1854. He finally immigrated to St. Ansgar in 1854, and was not part of the wagon train from Luther Valley. He must have made some land claims back in 1852, though, since Gulbrand/Gilbert had 1,280.39 acres of original land patents in Mitchell County, a very large amount for those times. He continued to buy and sell land in Mitchell County quite actively.
Jens had also not gone to Mitchell County earlier with Clausen, but his 80 acres in Rock County must have begun to look quite small. He finally came to Mitchell County, as shown in the diary of his son, first to build a cabin in the fall of 1860 – on some of the property of his brother, Gulbrand/Gilbert. Jens purchased land from his brother Gulbrand, Colbjorn Seavor, Ole Oleson, and Ingebret Knudsen to make his farm of more than 240 acres.
Now we can turn to the diary and understand quite a bit more of the trip.
Jens and Gilbert J. were starting out from Clinton Twp., quite close to the little town of Clinton, in Rock County, Wisconsin -- the Jefferson Prairie settlement. First they borrowed money from Ole Newhouse (also Nyhus), who farmed right next to Jens. They were leaving behind Gilbert J.’s grandfather, Nels Bentson. Nels was the father of Bergit Nelsdatter (Brekke – Kallerud), wife of Jens and mother of Gilbert J., who also lived there. However, there were more relatives around to take care of him (he died in 1864). Jens’ and Gulbrand’s brother Erick Gulbrandson Skavlem also remained in Jefferson Prairie, along with their sister Ragnild.
Sept. 19 - they came to Gulick Springen. This was Gullick Gullicksen, another pioneer in Rock County. He lived by a spring, both he and the place became known as Gulick Springen.
Sept. 20, they came to Lars, MY far bror. This is Norwegian for “father’s brother,” his uncle Lars Gulbrandson, who lived farther west in Rock County in Spring Valley Twp. (by Luther Valley). Lars was also on the Emilie.
Sept. 22, they came to Beint, his mor bror – his mother’s brother, Bent Nelson, who lived near Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and also immigrated on the Emilie. Apparently he went along to help build the cabin, as did Gulick Springen.
Sept. 25 – McGregor was the noted provisioning place for westward travel.
Sept. 30 – he’s picking grapes with his cousin, Gilbert G. Gilbertson, son of his uncle Gilbert/Gulbrand (Gilbert G. became the man known for his onion and ginseng farms in St. Ansgar).
Oct. 15 – his uncle Gilbert/Gulbrand was with them.
Nov. 15 – that’s got to really be Ole Kittlesland, from the same area in Norway. Ole Tollefson Kittilsland was married to Gilbert J.’s mother’s sister, Sigri, so Ole was also an uncle by marriage. They pioneered in Clayton County, Iowa.
Nov. 20 – back to uncle Bent.
Nov. 21 – back to uncle Lars. (He specifies his father’s brother here probably because he also had an uncle Lars who was his mother’s brother, in Jefferson Prairie in Rock County.)
Nov. 22 – Ole Loftus was also from Veggli in Norway.
When they set out again in June 1861, Jens and Gilbert J. were bringing Gilbert J.’s mother Bergit (Betsy) and his sister, Aase. Aase married T.M. Tollefson -- Tollef Mikkelson, son of Mikkel Tollefson Rust (born on Golberg farm). Aase and T.M. are my great-grandparents.
1868, Sept. 4 – he married Ragnhild Torsteinsdatter Haugerud, his first cousin from Norway.
1869, Sept. 16 – the child born was Louise, later Mrs. M.O. Lebacken, moved to Reynolds, North Dakota.
1871, Nov. 6 – Mina Bertine born, later married Lars Nelson.
1874, Jan. 15 – Nellie born
1876, June 25 – James Bernhard born; a barber in St. Ansgar.
1877, Jan. 29 – Peter Benson was related to Gilbert J. through his mother; Peter’s father Hellik Benson Brekke was her half-uncle. Hellek had also pioneered in Rock County and in St. Ansgar.
1879, Aug. 25 – Theodor George Gilbertson born.
1881, Dec. 20 – Louis Adolph born.
1884, Nov. 6 – Anne Elina born, a musician and teacher who studied in Albert Lea, Minn.
1910, Oct. 16 – his sister Aase died, Mrs. T.M. Tollefson.
1911, June 11 – G.G. was his cousin Gilbert G.
1912, March 6 – Ann Bentson died -- I think that may be sister of Peter Benson, daughter of Hellik.
Gilbert J. Gilbertson died Jan. 12, 1923. His wife Ragnhild died in 1919; his cousin Gilbert G. in 1931; his cousin Aase (daughter of Gulbrand) died in 1867 as a young woman. His father had died in 1896, his uncle Gilbert/Gulbrand in 1867.
Linda's Email address - lindat06@comcast.net
Webization by K.L. Kittleson, 4/2013