Family history – Code Break 23

Near the coastal center of Western Norway lies the majestic Sognefjord: Norway’s largest and deepest fjord.

At the heart of the Sognefjord is the scenic region of Ytre Sogn – the ancestral homeland of my maternal great grandmother, Emma Eithun (1900 – 1974).

Ytre Sogn – The highlighted areas are the ancestral villages within my great grandmother’s ancestry

2018 visit to Balestrand on the Esefjord

History of the Region

Sogn was once a petty kingdom with tremendous history of notable Vikings. Among them was King Bele of Sogn – A Viking chieftain who died in battle and was buried in the village of Balestrand (named in his honor).

Statue of King Bele atop of his burial mound

Ingeborg (King Bele’s daughter) married Fridtjof the Bold – A legendary Viking from Vangsnes, across the Sognefjord from Balestrand. Stories of Fridtjof and his family were written in the Icelandic Sagas.

Fridtjof and Ingeborg on the title page of Fridtjof’s Saga

Eithun Family Origins

Nils Johnson Eithun (Emma’s father and my 2nd great grandfather) was born in Balestrand on April 9th, 1861 and was raised by his mother on the Eithun farm. Little is known about the life of Nils’ mother; Britha Nilsdatter Tenningen. She raised Nils as a single parent until her marriage in 1874. She passed away on the Eithun farm in 1885, at the age of 60.

The Eithun farm lies next to the Sognefjord. Nils Eithun was raised on this farm and it bears the namesake of his family

In 1883, Nils (age 22) married Marie Bjørnsdatter Bøyum (age 20) at Tjugum Church in Balestrand. Records indicate that Nils and Marie’s parents were baptized at Tjugum Church, along with ancestors dating back to the 1600’s.

Tjugum Church – Where Nils and Marie were baptized and married

Nils and Marie settled on the Rød farm, where Nils’ estranged father was raised. The Rød farm is nestled on the hillside above the Eithun farm, overlooking the Sognefjord. “A farm way up in the sky, said to be a bishop’s gaard. The view from this farm is magnificent, can see seven churches. Even though located on the face of a small mountain, the farm supported large families.” – Bertha Johannesdatter Sande (1888 – 1992). Emma’s cousin.

The Rød farm, overlooking the Sognefjord

From the Fjords to America

In the late 1800’s, stories began to spread throughout Balestrand about the rich crop fields in America, with opportunity to cultivate farmland of their own. On April 9th, 1891, Nils and Marie immigrated to America, along with their children; Maria (age 5) and Anders (age 2). Their destination was Southeast Minnesota, where several relatives began to settle.

1891 Balestrand emigration list: Nils, Marie, Maria and Anders.

The family moved to Winona County, MN, where most of Marie’s siblings had settled. In 1892, Nils and Marie had a son, Benjamin [Bennie] and in August of 1895, they had a daughter, Julia. Two months later, the family arranged to move back to Norway (for reasons unknown). It was during this second stay in Norway that the family suffered a horrific accident. The eldest son; Anders (age 7), picked up a dynamite cap which exploded in his hand, removing his fingers and also one eye. Soon afterwards, the family made a haste decision to relocate back to America, where Anders would receive more suitable healthcare. In May of 1896, the family traveled back to Minnesota, bringing with them Marie’s parents; Bjørn Olson Bøyum and Marie Friksdatter Fjærestad (both age 72).

The family traveled back to America aboard the steamboat ship: Luciana (above).

Setting Roots

Upon arrival in America (for the second time), the young Eithun family moved back to familiar land in Winona County. In 1898, Nils and Marie had a son, Martin, and in 1900, they welcomed a daughter (my great grandmother), Emma. Three years later, the family moved to the former Ensrud farm, just east of Lanesboro, in the southern adjacent county of Fillmore.

County line between Winona County and Fillmore County

On June 15th, 1912, Marie suddenly passed away from complications during surgery. Two years later, Nils sold the farm and purchased the Lanesboro Hotel property.

Emma Eithun on the family farm (abt. 1914)

In 1915, Nils fell sick and was diagnosed with cancer. On November 11th of the same year, Nils passed away peacefully and was buried next to his wife at Lanesboro Cemetery.

Headstones of Nils and Marie Eithun at Lanesboro Cemetery

The Next Generation

On April 25th, 1918, Emma Eithun (age 17) married Temmen Johnson (age 22) at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lanesboro. One month later, Temmen was deployed overseas during World War I and was stationed in France and in Spain.

1918 Wedding portrait of Temmen and Emma Johnson. The witnesses were Bennie Eithun (Emma’s brother) and Cora Johnson (Temmen’s sister). Four months later, Bennie and Cora were married.

While Temmen was serving overseas, Emma was tending to the property they owned in the village of Whalan, just east of Lanesboro. Emma was pregnant and on November 15th, 1918, she gave birth to their firstborn son, Loren (my mother’s father).

1919 – Emma holding Loren on the family farm in Whalan

In the summer of 1919, Temmen returned home safely from the war. Soon afterwards, he went back to work for Milwaukee Railroad as a section foremen.

The Johnson family expanded over the next several years, having Wesley in 1921 and Gene in 1927.

Temmen and Emma had a large strawberry field on their property. Emma would can the strawberries and sell them at the local market. It is worth noting that “Emma hated strawberries”.

1930’s photo of Temmen and Emma’s strawberry field. The boy on the front-left is their son, Gene.

Gene Johnson (Temmen and Emma’s youngest son) eventually took over the property, where he established a profitable mink farm and a baseball field, used for fastpitch softball tournaments. In 2017, the Whalan Baseball Field was inducted in the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame.

Cedar Valley Resort in Whalan, Minnesota

In 2001, the property was redesigned for the purpose of commercial lodging. Known as Ceder Valley Resort, the lodge is acclaimed as one of the top resorts in all of the Midwest, and remains family owned and operated by Temmen and Emma (Eithun) Johnson’s descendants.

Verified through documented research, my mother’s Erickson ancestry traces back several centuries in the Stavanger region of Rogaland County, located in Southwestern Norway.

2018 visit to Rogaland County, Norway

Ragnhild is an Old Norse name: ragn (advice) + hildr (battle) meaning “advisor in battle”. Ragnhild Iversdatter (my mother’s 3rd great grandmother) was born in 1796 on the Helland farm in Strand, Rogaland, Norway. She was the youngest of six children born to Iver Torsteinson Lyse and Marthe Eriksdatter Underberge. Ragnhild’s parents shared deep rooted ancestry (est. 1400’s) in the village of Lysebotn, located at the head of the Lysefjord.

Lysebotn, Rogaland, Norway (photo courtesy of Band of Climbers)

In 1820, Ragnhild married Tollef Torgerson and settled in a flat terrain section on the Helland farm known as Hellandsmoen. Between 1820 to 1825, they had four children; Martha, Helga, (a second Helga) and Iver. In the summer of 1826, tragedy happened when Tollef drowned while fishing at sea. A few years pass by before Ragnhild married her second husband; Erik Olson, on April 9th, 1829 at Strand Church.

Rogaland County, Norway

Erik Olson (my mother’s 3rd great grandfather) was born in May of 1800 in a section of the Nedre Fjelde farm known as Grøtnæs. Nedre Fjelde is one mile southeast of the Helland farm, located in the town of Jørpeland. Erik was the youngest of three children born to Ole Erikson Barkved and his fourth wife, Marthe Olsdatter Birkeland.

(click-view all images)

In Norwegian tradition, it is customary to name the firstborn son in a second marriage after the deceased husband (and vice versa for a deceased wife) from the first marriage. On August 2nd, 1829, Erik and Ragnhild had their firstborn son and named him Tollef (in homage to Ragnhild’s late husband). Between 1831 to 1838, they had four children; Jonas, Elen, Marthe and Berthe.

Erik Olson (age 29) married Ragnhild Iversdatter (age 32) in 1829 at Strand Church

Tollef Erikson married Ingeborg Svendsdatter on March 24th, 1854 at Strand Church. Ingeborg was born on February 14th, 1824 on the Nedre Fjelde farm. She was the middle child of three children born to Svend Endreson Erevik and his second wife, Berthe Knudsdatter Nedre Fjelde.

Tollef Erikson (age 24) married Ingeborg Svendsdatter (age 29) in 1854 at Strand Church

Less than two weeks after their marriage, Tollef and Ingeborg (along with Tollef’s younger sister, Marthe) traveled a short distance by boat across the Idsefjord to the port of Stavanger; Where on April 4th, 1854, they immigrated to America.

LaSalle County, Illinois

Tollef’s older half-brother; Iver, was the first in the family to immigrate to America, in 1848. He went to work and lived in one of the earliest Norwegian settlements in America; LaSalle County, Illinois. Iver sent letters back to Norway, describing his livelihood in America. During the summer harvest, he earned 50 cents a day swinging the cradle and scythe throughout the rich crop fields while in the fall, he traveled down the Mississippi River and cut cordwood for 50 cents a cord, including room and board.

Tollef, Ingeborg and Marthe arrived at Ellis Island in late Spring of 1854. Following Iver’s path, their destination was La Salle County, Ill. During the 1850’s, the journey from New York to Chicago took one month, which was accomplished by traversing the riverway with boats drawn by horses on land.

In 1855, Tollef and Ingeborg had their second child; a daughter named Rachel Marie Erickson. Their firstborn son; Erick, died during infancy.

Fillmore County, Minnesota

The first Norwegian settlement in the territory of Minnesota was established in Fillmore County and therefore, this county is mentioned in connection with the first settlers. The first Norwegian American child born in Minnesota was in 1852, also in Fillmore County. Prospectors from LaSalle County, Illinois described the climate and terrain as similar to their homeland in Norway. In 1853, a small influx of Norwegian immigrants came to settle in Fillmore Co. Some of the early pioneer families came by way of LaSalle County, including Christian Christopherson and his wife, Helga (Tollef’s older half-sister).

Cedar Valley Resort in Fillmore County, MN

In 1856, Tollef moved his family to Fillmore County, MN. He acquired 60 acres of farmland in the village of Highland in Holt Township, and named his farm: Vindhaug [Windy Hill]. Iver Thompson (Tollef’s older half-brother) moved here as well and acquired 120 acres of farmland, just two tracts to the north of the Erickson’s. Tollef and Ingeborg’s third child; Betsey, was born on May 27th, 1858 (just two weeks after the state of Minnesota joined the Union). By 1860, all of Tollef’s siblings, including his parents, had immigrated to America and would eventually settle in Fillmore County.

Erik Olson (Tollef’s father) was buried at North Highland Cemetery in 1874. Transcription at the bottom reads: Fred med din støv. Velsigne være din minde – Peace with your remains (dust). Blessed be your memory

Between 1860 to 1868, Tollef and his wife would have four more children; Elen Serine, Elias, Sven and Ellen Sorine (the latter named in homage of Elen Serine, who died in 1863).

1870 census – Holt, Fillmore, MN. Thomas [Tollef] and Isabel [Ingeborg] Erickson with their children

The neighbors to the west of the Erickson’s were Osmund and Barbro Johnson. Osmund Johnson was a local Civil War hero who served in the Wisconsin Scandinavian Regiment and was once a prisoner of war who was fortunate to survive an eight month sentence at the infamous Andersonville Prison.

1870 plat of Holt Township. Tollef Erickson’s property (highlighted) with neighbors; Osmund Johnson and Tollef’s older half-brother, Iver Thompson [Tollefson]

On July 4th, 1893, Osmund’s daughter; Clara, and his nephew, John Paul Johnson, took part in a double wedding in La Crosse, Wisconsin. John married his aunt & uncle’s next door neighbor, Betsey Erickson. John’s mother; Kirsti Reierson, was the younger sister of Barbro Johnson. The Erickson’s, Johnson’s and Reierson’s were not only family, but close friends and pioneer members of Elstad: The second oldest Norwegian Lutheran congregation in Minnesota.

1893 Double wedding – On the left: BRIDE Clara Johnson and her husband, Ervin Keifer. In the middle: WITNESSES Ellen (Erickson) Vaaler and her brother, Elias Erickson. On the right: BRIDE Betsey Erickson and her husband, John P. Johnson. *Note- Clara Johnson was John P. Johnson’s first cousin, and the witnesses were Betsey Erickson’s siblings.

John and Betsey (Erickson) Johnson were my mother’s great grandparents.

Tollef Erickson died from heart disease on January 1st, 1890 in Highland. He was 60 years of age. His wife; Ingeborg, passed away at their daughter (Ellen)’s house in nearby Whalan on March 2nd, 1913. They were buried at Elstad Cemetery.

sources; Elstad Lutheran Church records, the Digitalarkivet and family obituaries