Notes:

I Hougen-Berge historien fra USA står det om denne legenden: "A legend concerning Anne Olsdatter's lineage has been perpetuated in America by the far-flungMyhre-Berge clan. When the "black death" struck one Norwegian village during the winter of 1349 50, it is said to have left only one survivor, a tiny gir l too young to know her name. Her rescuers called her "Lina", meaning "alone". Many who use the name „Berge" believe that they are descendants of that little girl.

The estate called Berge i Vang dates to the late Middle Ages. *It remaindet undividet until 1627, but by mid-nineteenth century it had been carved into several ga'rd. Anne Olsdatter's father, Ole Gulliksen, was a bonde who owned a division of Berg e called Nordigarden, located in the northwestern part oøf the community of Vang; Nearby loomed the imposing silhouette of Frindane Mountain. Ole Gulliksen's home was at the edge of a beautiful lake called Vangsmjosa, an ancient church standing ne rby."

Dette har selvsagt ingenting med virkeligheten å gjøre, men den er interessant fordi det kan ha noe med gårdene langs Helin å gjøre, og kan være med på å bekrefte sagnet om gårdsdriften der. ----------

Anne Iversdatter must have been deeply affected when her 19-yaer-old namesake informed her that she planned to leave Berge i Vang for America. She presented Anne Olsdatter with a large chest, which had probably been a gift from her own mother man y heras before. Inscribed in rosemaling on its front panels was her name, the farm name, and a date, partially illegible: „Anne Iversdatter Thune, Anno 18-3". The rosemaling had probably been done by Anne Olsdatter's grandmother.

In the spring of 1854, Anne Olsdatter packed her precious chest and other baggage. Emigrants had to carry their own bedding, cooking and eating utensils, and a three-month supply of food. So Anne would have packed nonperishables such as dried por k and mutton, salted meat and herring, dreid peas, grain, potatoes, and flatbread (unleavened and rolled flat.)

Anne Olsdatter probably sailed from Christiania, which was becoming the port most frequently used by emigrants from eastern Norway. And it is likely that she traveled with an emigrant group from Valdres. In any event, family members probably accom panied her to the port for a sad farewell. Her younger sister Berit would follow her to America three years later, but Anne would never again set eyes on her parents, her brother Gullik, or her sister Ambjor.

Anne Olsdatter and her companions entered North America through Quebec. That port had become attractive to shippers because they could profitably haul Canadian lumber to England on the return crossing. Moreover, Canadian regulations governing pass enger movement were less restrictive. To the emigrant's benefit, the price of passage to Quebec was less expensive than to New York, about twelve or fifteen specie dollars.

Typically, emigrants occupied a large common room between decks, with bunks accomodating up to five persons. arranged in rows on port and starboard sides. Anne Olsdatter probably shared a bunk with other adult women. And she would have carried bla nkets and perhaps a sheepskin cover to make sleeping on the straw tick as comfortable as possible. She would have kept her chest with her between decks, living from it and using it as furniture. Indeed, a chest could become a useful table for foo d preparation and eating, serving as a chair at other times. The actual cooking, however, had to be done topside, on the main deck.

Many are the horror stories of the Atlantic passage, but the journey often includet pleasant times. Skippers, for the most part, did their best to encourage cleanliness and healthful habits, such as exercise above decks. If the passengers were luc ky, there would be a physician among them; if not, the skipper would act in that capacity. On holidays, passengers would sometimes don their national costumes (Valdres had distinctive attire.) And if the seas were reasonably calm, out would com e the fiddles and dancing would begin on the main deck.

From Quebec, the immigrants traveled by steamboat and other craft on aroute leading up the St. Lawrence river, across Lake Ontario, through the Welland Canal to Lake Erie, then north through Lake Huron to lake Michigan. The newcomers now ha d to be alert for sharp operators whose business it was to separate them from their money. One such incident occurred in 1853, when a jovial Norwegian, pretending to be Manitowoc pastor Jacob Ottesen, joined a group of immigrants on a canal boat . He conducted religious services and led them in prayer before bilking them out of their money and disappearing.

According to an oral tradition, Anne Olsdatter's passage lasted thirteen weeks. Such an extendet time would have been unlikely in 1854, for ship-owners had rigged larger and faster vessels to accommodate indreased emigrant traffic; thirteen week s would have almost doubled the average time. But if that time included her journey inland, thirteen weeks could be accurate. In any case, she arrived in Manitowoc July 6, 1854.

The Manitowoc County Norwegians

When the first settlers arrived in present Manitowoc County during the mid-1830s, the gently rolling hills supported rich stands of pine and mixed hardwood. Great pine forests grew along the Manitowoc River, which twists and turns its way acros s the northern half of the county, entering Lake Michigan at the site of present Mantitowoc. (Both city and county were named for the river, which translated from the Chippewa language means „habitation of the good spirits.") Winding westward fro m the river mouth across woodet hilltops was the old Winebago Road, a trail trodden by countless gernerations of native Americans in pursuit of primitive commerce and the present route of U.S. Highway 151.

A series of Indian treaties had cleared the way for settlement of the region some fifteen years before the first Norwegians arrived. But Indians still wandered into the county from the Menominee, Stockbridge, and Oneidda reservations north and we st of Green Bay. Some returned on a redular basis to ancient burial grounds. Bands of roving Chippewa also appeared from time to time.

The Indian visitors camped along the rivers and streams, causing no harm, simply hunting and fishing, or gathering berries and wild rice. But the settlers had little understanding of their culture, so their presence was a source of concern. Eve n the proximity of the reservations signalled alarm or panic when rumors of Indian unrest circulated.

Boosted by the demand for lumber, logging and lumber milling quickly became the leading industries, remaining so until after 1865. By the mid-1850s, however, most of the virgin timber had disappeared. In any case, the lumbermen helped prepare th e way for farming. Farmers and speculators lost no time gobling up the best land, which sold at the U.S. Land Office for only $ 1.25 per acre.

The soil of Manitowoc County was prepared for agriculture by glaciation, a process that repeated itself six times in more than a million years. The glacier movements „pulverized" the surface rock into soil. Pulverized soil is richer than soil crea ted by weathering because it retains more of its valuable minerals and salts. The surface rock of the Manitowoc region was lemestone, which produced soil of incomparable fertility. Moreover, the area was favored by a 35-inch annual rainfall an d a 140-day growing season.

Norwegian settlers began to appear in the county during the late 1840s. A census taken in 1846 listed only one name of Scandanavian origin, possibly Norwegian. Another census, taken in 1847, as Wisconsin Territory prepared for statehood, liste d a dozen Scandanavian names, at least three of whom were Norwegian immigrants. Then the number climbed with the 1850 census reflecting some 270 Norwegian residents. And this was only the beginning.

By 1850, the pattern of Norwegian settlement in the county had taken shape and the Norwegian origins of the newcomers were already established. The large majority settled in the countryside, but some made their homes in the city of Manitowoc. Th e pattern of rural settlement follwed the Manitowoc River from Branch, in the town of Manitowoc Rapids, to Clarks Mills in present Cato, spreading south and west into present Liberty, Eaton and Rockland. The majority of settlers came from the Vald res „upper valley" communities of Vang, Ostre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, and Nord-Aurdal. Others hailed from the southern coast, especially Gjerpen and Bamble.

There were settlers of other nationalities too. Norwegian newcomers might well find themselves with neighbors of German origin, for they were most numerous among the foreign-born. But the neighbors might be Bohemian; or perhaps their speech was in toned by English, Scottish, or Irish accents.

To fulfill their spiritual needs, the Norwegians organized a Lutheran congregation. The Rev. Mr. H.A. Stub, of the Norwegian settlement at Muskego, south of Milwaukee, dame to Manitowoc to help. By the early 1850s, three churches were in use: on e was located in the city of Manitowoc; the other two were in the countryside on the old „Winnebago Road." The two rural churches were named for places in Norway: Gjerpen Church, eight miles from the city, served the eastern settlement; Valders Ch ruch, five miles farther west, served the western.

In 1850, the congregation called from Norway the Rev. Mr. Jocob A. Ottesen. The signatures of the Berge brothers appear with those of more than one hundred other men who signed the letter of call. Rev. Otteson arrived in 1852, dividing his time be tween the three churches. The Manitowoc church withdrew from the joint congregation øin 1871, but the farmers living near the Gjerpen and Valders chruches liked the joint arrrangement and stuck with it.

The importance of the Lutheran congregation cannot be overstated, for it providet more than a place to worship and socialize. Indeed, it became a means to preserve the orwegian language and culture, and to pass it on to future generations. Moreove r, the congregation was a bulwark of strength and security in a strange land

Anne married Torger Knutsen HOUGEN on 30 Nov 1857 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA. Torger (son of Knut Nilsen JØRSTAD and Marit Knutsdtr ONSTAD) was born on 24 Mar 1833 in Jørstadhaugen 36/8 Øs; died on 15 Feb 1916 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Mariane Torgersdtr HOUGEN was born on 5 Jan 1859 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 6 Jun 1956 in Kaukauna, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA.
2. Knute Torgeirson HOUGEN was born on 31 Jan 1861 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 10 Jan 1918 in Wausau, WI., USA; was buried in Eveergreen, Manitowoc.
3. Ole Torgersen HOUGEN was born on 22 Sep 1862 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 13 May 1913 in Chicago, IL., USA; was buried in Forest Hill. Wisc., Rapid, WI.
4. Nels Torgersen HOUGEN was born on 7 Dec 1864 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 29 Nov 1946 in Valdres, WI. USA.
5. Gulick Torgersen HOUGEN was born on 20 Jan 1867 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 19 Dec 1950 in Portland, OR, USA.
6. Emma Maria HOUGEN was born on 4 May 1869 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 2 Feb 1955 in Valdres, WI. USA.
7. Edward HOUGEN was born on 19 Mar 1871 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 21 Jun 1953 in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA.
8. Albert L. HOUGEN was born on 12 Jun 1873 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 28 Mar 1949 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA.
9. Martin Augustine HOUGEN was born on 6 Feb 1877 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 27 Apr 1968 in Hawthorne, CA.
10. Evelyn HOUGEN was born on 15 Nov 1878 in Liberty, WI., USA; died on 12 Sep 1957 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Berge 22/4

Notes:

Ola og Anne hadde barna: Marit (1821-), Ivar (1824-) til USA i 1849 sammen med broren Gudbrand (1826-), Torstein (1829- ) Anne (1835- ) til USA i 1854 og Berit (1837- ), Gullik (1817-) og Ambjørg (1819-) Våren 1825 var det utpanting hos Ola for gjeld til madam Hansen i Lærdal, med renter og kostnad 302 rd, og høsten 1833 ga han pantebrev til frk Susanne Hansen i Lærdal for gjeld på 279 sps. Dette er forfedrene til Hougen-Berge slekta i USA som Harvey Richard haougen har skrevet to bøker om. Den andre boka er skrevet sammen med Janie Hougen Peak. I den første boka finnes det et bilde av Ola og Anne:

"The majority of Norwegian emigrants left home with adequate funds, enough to enable them to gain to toehold in the new land. Passage alone was expensive, about 35 specie dollars to New York, the equivalent of about three years wages for a hired farm laborer. The persons who are subjects of this study paid for their passage and the trip inland, and bought land soon after arriving in America.Departures continued at several hundred per year after 1836, before jumping to 1600 in 1843. During the depression years of 1849-50 departures leaped to 4,000 a year. Then, during the 1850s, ranged between 1,600 and 6,000, reaching a new high of 8,000 in 1861, before the Civil War imposes a moratorium.

Most of the emigrants came from rural areas, especially the interior valleys. Many welcomed emigration as an alternative to leaving the ge'rd and submitting to urbanization. During the years 1846-1861, two-thirds of all emigrants came from the dis tricts of Valdres, Land, and Gudbrandsdal.

The first member of Anne Olsdatter's family to emigrate was an uncle, a halfbrother of Ole Gulliksen called Gulbrand Gulbrandsen. He took passage with his wife Marit and an infant daughter in 1848; the child died during the voyage and was buried at sea. The Gulbrandesn family bought choice land in the present town of Liberty, but had too little money to establish their farm. So Gulbrand took a job near Port Washington, on Lake Michigan, a short distance north of Milwaukee. He would save some money, then return to start his farm.

It is likely that Ole Gulliksen helped his children financially, for six of the eigth chose emigration. Only Gullik, the eldest son, who inherited the farm and daughter Ambjor, who married a husmann, stayed in Valdres. A brother and two more half-brothers of Ole Gulliksen would also find their way to Manitowoc County.

Occupation:
grb sjekk "Haugen-Berge"

Ola married Anne Ivarsdtr TUNE in 1816. Anne (daughter of Ivar Andrisson TUNE and Ambjørg Olsdtr KVIEN) was born in 1795 in Tune 36/2 Nørre, Nordigarden; died in 1880. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also Gullicksen's wife, Anne Iversdatter, came from a bonde family who owned for many generations a nearby ga'rd called Thune. Ole Gullicksen and Anne Iversdatter had eight children, the seventh being Anne Olsdatter, probably named for her mother . Anne had been preceded by Gullik, Ambjor, Marit, Iver, Gulbrand,and Ole; followed by Berit.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Berge 22/4

Notes:

Han var postkarfør han giftet seg. Han ble bruker i 1790 da han giftet seg med odelsjenta Marit. Marit var stedatteren til broren Nils, som hadde drevet gården en tid.

Gullik og Marit hadde også barna: Arnfinn (1794-1801) Ivar (1796-) gift i 1831 med Ambjørg Torsdtr Dal, de var på Skeie under nerre Kattevold omkring 1841-1846. I 1850 dro de til USA med sønnen sønnen Gullik som da var 18 år, altså han var født i 1832. Berit (1798-) gift med Jøger Andrisson nørre Kvam Andris (født og død 1801) Arnfinn ( 1802-1815) han ble 12 år og 8 mnd.

Odelsgodset var verdt 320 rd og hele boet var verdsatt til 489 rd på skiftet etter Gullik 7.7.1803, men netto var det bare ca 194 rd, for Helge O Leine hadde tilgode 200 rd og Arnfinn N Leineøydegarden hadde et krav på 40 rd i gården. Helge var formynder for enken og barna.

Occupation:
grb

Gullik married Marit Arnfinnsdtr BERGE in 1790. Marit (daughter of Arnfinn Person BERGE and Marit Andrisdtr KVIEN) was born in 1773 in Berge 22/4; died in 1848. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Berge 22/4

Notes:

Det var ingen tvil om at hun hadde odelsretten Til Berge, men de kan ikke ha vært nøye med å skrive det ned, for på skiftet etter Gullik den 7.juli 1803 kunne hun ikke vise til noe skjøte eller annet hjemmelsbrev. Marit giftet seg igjen i 1804 med GUDBRAN GUDBRANDSON NØRSVIN (Nordsveen) (1778-1847). Gudbrand ga skjøte til stesønnen Ola den 14.6.1819 for 160 spd. Han forbeholdt seg retten til å drive halve gården så lange Marit levde eller eller til yngste barnet deres (Arnfinn) var 16 år. siden skulle de ha livaure etter en kontrakt som ble satt opp i 1820. Gudbrand og Marit barna: Gullik (1805-) gikk smedlære i Bergen og ble i 1851 gift med Anne Margrete Persdtr Berge. De reise til US i 1852. Gullikk fikk rett før han giftet seg, datteren Randi med Sigrid Olsdtr Berge. Sigrid (1807-1808), Marit (1810-1811) Gudbrand (1812- ) gi 1845 med Anne Knutsdtr fra Prestegården. De dro til USA i 1848, med datteren Dorte (1847- ) Helge (1814- ) Andris (1818-)

Occupation:
oppvokst på Leine 56/

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Tune 36/2 Nørre, Nordigarden

Notes:

Ambjørg og Ivar hadde også barna Ingrid I Tune (1789-) gm Ola E Bø på Sørre Bø. og Dorte I Tune (1805-) gm Ola T Myre på Myre.

Occupation:
grb

Ivar married Ambjørg Olsdtr KVIEN in 1788. Ambjørg (daughter of Ola Kristoffersen KVIEN and Anne Eiriksdtr KJØS) was born in 1765 in Kvien 96/1; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Tune 36/2 Nørre, Nordigarden

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Leine 56/1 Sørre

Notes:

Ola married Anne Josefsdotter Eltun in 1737, but she died the same year two months after giving birth to a son Nils.

Occupation:
grb

Ola married Berit Knutsdtr JEVNE in 1741. Berit (daughter of Knut Olsson MO and Guri Gulliksdtr JEVNE) was born in 1718 in Jevne 88/1; died in 1793. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Leine 56/1 Sørre

Notes:

She and her second husband Ivar had no children.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Berge 22/4

Notes:

Occupation:
grb soldat fra 1764

Arnfinn married Marit Andrisdtr KVIEN in 1772. Marit (daughter of Andris Øysteinson KVIEN and Sigrid Jøgersdtr REMMISBREKKUN) was born in 1748 in Vang i Valdres, Oppland Fylke, Norway; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Berge 22/4

Notes:

Så til Leine-Øydegarden 56/, hvor hun ble gift med den veikhelsa Nils O Leine Om barna deres se merknad under ham. Nils Leine drev først Berge 22/4, en tid etter at han giftet seg med Marit, men overlot bruket til boren til første mannen hennes , Knut P Berge, som senere flyttet til Nordre Kvam. Broren til Nils, Gullik giftet seg med niesen til Marit og de overtok senere Berge.

Occupation:
sjekk

Notes:

Occupation:
grb

Andris married Ingebjørg Jonsdtr ELLINGBØ in 1760. Ingebjørg (daughter of Jon Trondsen STEINDE and Berit Embriksdtr ELLINGBØ) was born in 1734 in Bøkkadn 33/3 Av Ellingbø; died in 1832. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Kvien 96/1

Notes:

De var også en tid på Røvang i VS. Ola ble postbonde 1.10.1971. Han etterfulgte Ola Thomassen Kvien.

Occupation:
1762-1792

Ola married Anne Eiriksdtr KJØS in 1750. Anne (daughter of Erik Einarson KJØS and Marit Olsdtr KVÅLE) was born in 1728 in Kjøs 94/1, Nerre, Lalim; died in 1795. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Kvien 96/1