Notes:

Han leste mye og var veldig religøs. Da han ble pensjonert flyttet han til søsteren Emma Hougen Marken og bodde der til han døde.

Occupation:
Industriarbeider, ugift

Notes:

Deltok i borgerkrigen Compaies E og H. 19th Regt. WI 1864-1865. When Torger Knudsen reached confirmation age (a time of passage in the old Norwegian culture) he aspired to be a farmer, but as fourth son his chances of bedoming a bonde by inheritance were remote. According to one source, he left the Ostre Slidr e ga'rd to work on a commercial fishing vessel.

But 20-year-old Torger Knudsen soon decidet to try his luck in America. He filed for permission to emigrate, receiving it on April 1, 1853, with thirteen other Valdres men. Torger made the long Atlantic passage, entering North America through Queb ec. He stepped ashore at Manitowoc on June 18, 1853, buying land in the present town of Liberty some fifteen months later. His letters home were apparently enthusiastic, for his brother Ole Knudsen followed in 1857.

Torger Knudsen and Anne Olsdatter left Valdres, a mountain vallez in Norway, to join a growing Norwegian settlement in Manitowoc Country, arriving in 1853 and 1854, respectively. Perhaps they knew one another in Norway, for they came from neighbor ing communities. They married in 1857, then created from wilderness a prosperous farm and raised a remarkable family of ten children. Their success was influenced by habits of mind and behavior acquired in Norway, so we begin our account with a br ief look at the elders* native country.

Land of the Midnigth Sun

Norway occupies the western side ot the Scandinavian peninsula, extending about 1,100 miles from north to south, but the length of the rugged coastline, following the fjords, is an astounding, 12,000 miles. There are about 150,000 coastal islands , onlz 2,000 of them inhabited. The western islands provide a barrier that protects the navigable north-south coastal waterway from which Norway draws its name. On the extreme northeast, above the long eastern boundary with Sweden, Norway joins Ru ssia and Finland. The country's northern and southern extremes compare in latitude with Point Barrow and Juneau, Alaska.

Norway covers 125,181 square miles, an area comparable to that of New Mexiko. Approximately 70 percent of the surface consist of rugged, mountainous terrain. while nearly a quarter is covered by timber and about five percent by lakes and rivers , with only about three percent suitable for agriculture. The northern third of the country lies within the arctic circle. But, thanks to the Gulf Stream and west-east atmospheric circulation, the climate is relatively mild, with humiditzy compara tively low.

In the extreme north, a portion of the sun can be seen above the horiyont for twenty-four hours ech day from mid- May to August; in the south, there is twilight but no real night from the end of April to mid-August. The reverse is true in winter , with the sun in the north staying below the horizon for more than two months, while in the south midwinter nights last about seventeen hours.

During the three centuries after A.D. 750, Norwegian „vikings" conducted successful conquests in the British Isles and in Europe. Norwegians unified their country in the ninth century, adopted Christianity and sent expeditions to Vinland (North Am erica) during the tenth and eleventh, and by the thirteenth century had acquired an empire that includet the Shetland and Orkney islands, off the Scottish coast, and reched westward to colonies on Greenland and Iceland. Then, in the summer of 1349 , a British merchant ship docked in Bergen, bringing with it an oriental plague known as "black death" that was already rampant alsewhere in Europe.

The "black death" swept through Norway during the fall and winter of 1349-50, wiping out at least a third of the people. Thinly populated to begin with, Norway was now severely crippled. The clergy had been decimated and the nobility declined fro m some 300 families to about sixty, most of whom were impoverished and relatively powerless. As a result, many Norwegian nobles sought marriage with foreigners of their class.

One consequence of the situation caused by the "black death" was the end of the old Norwegian royal dynasty and loss of national independence. In 1363, King Haakon VI of Norway married Margaret of Denmark. Their son Olaf (last of Norway's royal li ne and already King of Denmark) succeeded Haakon in 1380. After Olaf died in 1387, his mother ruled Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Thus, the Norwegian royal line was endet, and the weakened Norwegian nobility was easily manipulated by Margaret.

The aranngement between Norway and Denmark began as a union under a common ruler, but in 1537 the Danish sovereign made Norway a province of Denmark. Norway¨s empire now dissolved: the islands off the British coast reverted to England and Scotland , and the Iceland colony was taken by Denmark; the settlement in Greenland simply died out.

Norway¨s Danish period endet in 1814, shattered by the Napoleonic upheaval. Denmark had sidet with France against Britain, paying for that mistake by losing Norway to Sweden in the Treaty of Kiel, Januray 1814. Norway balked at the terms of the tr aty, delaying union with Sweden until November. Meanwhile, the Norwegians formulated a constitution (subsequently adopted) that providet for a representative legislature (the storthing) and ambraced democratic principles borrowed from the Unite d States, France, and Britain.

Norway now asserted its independence by electing as king Prince Christian Fredrick of Denmark. The Danish prince accepted the crown, but when Sweden intervened militarily he promptly yieldet. The Norwegians now saved face by electing the Swedis h king as their ruler, managing to enter into the union as a constiutional monarchy with virtual independence in all matters except foreign affairs. The tense arrangement with Sweden was destined to last until 1905, when Sweden acquiesced to Norwa y's demand for independence.

Norwegian society was strified. The upper class consisted of nobility, clergy, professionals, officials, and wealthy burghers; it was sharply divided from the rest of the people. Bills abolishing titles of nobility, passed by the storting in 181 5 and 1818, were vetoed by the Swedish king. But when a third successive storting passed a similar bill in 1821 he reluctantly sanctioned it, making Norway the only nation in Western Europe to have abandoned that relic of feudalism. The cleavag e between clases persisted, however, with the upper class demanding defernce from ordinary people.

The bondekultur of rural Norway was deeply rooted in the past, having evolved over some two thousand years. It developed arount the bonde , the hardy landowning farmer, an exalted figure in Norwegian literature. Scholarly research reveals how th e bondekultur developed in the interior valleys, so we will sketch in the lines of development, with Valdres being the case in point.

Valdres is one of several great mountain valleys which contain most of Norway's arable land; it is situated some 140 miles northwest of present Oslo. In prehistoric times, during the Age of Migration, unorganized tribesmen filtered into Valdres , sustaining themselves by hunting, fishing, and gathering; later, by grazing and primitive agriculture. The erlaiest ga'rd (farms) appeared in natural clearings on the heavily forested hillsides. With farmland scarce, cattle were driven to pastur es above the timberline for summer grazing. Customarily, a family of several generations lived in a long, norrow dwelling, partitioned into rooms and including shelter for animlas at one end.

The ancient Valdres bonder (pl.) found big iron in the soil of sshallow lake bottoms and marshes, and lerned to produce it. The timber operations were expedited by axes and tools of iron, which resluted in waste, but the cleared land could be pu t under the plow. Smelting thus accelerated agricultural development. It endured as a cottage industry into the late Middle Ages, taking its place with other seasonal occupations on the ga¨rd.

Comunity development dates to ancient times. A remarkably democratic organ of government called the things was organized to settle disputes and maintain the peace, but it ultimately acquired legislative functions. (Storting means „great thing." ) The hov, a place for pre-Christian worship, met the community's religious needs, while people traded goods at the kaupang (market place). Typically, the hov,kaupang,and a meeting place for the thing were centrally located in a district organize d within natural boundaries. To protect the people from bands of marauding warrios, the Valdres districts united under a bonde chieftain in the fifth or sixth century, remaining a „bonde republix" through the Viking Era (A.D. 780-1030).

The bondekultur includet, at various times, several classes. Bonder were always foremost, with other classes growing or declining in importance with changing conditions. At the bottom, was the „thrall", or serf, who was indeed a slave. Serfdom fad ed with the spread of Christianity, however, for Norwegians found it incompatible with religious doctrines. It disappeared altogether by the thirteenth century. Above the thrall were free laborers of various origins; then the hussmenn (crofters) , peasants who farmed land on large estates, paying rent by laboring for the bonde landlord; and above the hussmenn were other tenant farmers of more comfortable means.

The Hussmenn were badly disadvantaged, with little opportunity to improve their station. They existed in the bondekultur from ancient times, but before the eighteenth century never in significant numbers. Then, with the population of the countr y rapidly increasing, the Danish sovereign ordered more land put under the plow and offered tax incentives to encourage cooperation. The bonder now brought in thousands of hussmenn to clear the forest and till the soil. By the 1840s, the hussmen n had become a huge rural underclass, constituting a majority of farmers and a quarter of the nation¨s population.

The bonde owned his ga'rd under a system of freehold known as odelsrett (alodial right). As government extendet itself, families having used the land from „time immemorial" were granted title to it. The vonde was lord over his family and dependent s, but to sell his real estate he needet the approval of potential heirs, property within a reasonable time. In early times, many of the ga'rd were large estates, which as the centuries passed were subdivided into smaller plats for the benefi t of heirs. When further division was impractical, inheritance became the privilege of eldest sons.

It was customary to name the ga'rd; the names of some date to medieval times and eralier. When large estates were divided, the ga'rd carved from them were named, but the name of the original estate was retainded too; hence two names. One must unde rstand this tradition, for ga'rd names were also used to identify the people who lived on them.

The naming of persons was governed by ancient custom. People received a „giben" name and a „patronymic". All persons, male and female were identified by a patronymic. There were no surnames, per se. If identification beyond given name and patronym ic was necessary, the name of the ga'rd was used.

A consideration of Torger Knudsen's and Anne Olsdatter's families should clarify customs concerning names. Knud Nilsen, Torger Knudsen's father, was a bonde who lived in the community of Ostre Slidre. Knud was his given name, Nilsen, his patronymi c, meaning „son of Nils." ------- The Hougens and Berges

By the time Torger Knudsen and Anne Olsdatter arrived in Manitowoc, it had become a port of call for many ships carrying immigrants on the final leg of their journey from Quebec. Manitowoc was the likely destination of Torger Knudsen, but he ma y have investigated other places. The Norwegian settlements at Koshkonong and Muskego, for instance, were still attracting many immigrants.

The details of Torger Knudsen's life during the fifteen months follwing his arrival are a mystery. But it can be assumed that he sougth gainful employment. According to one source, he worked at least some of the time on commercial fishing vessel s based in Manitowoc. But he may have worked in logging or lumber milling, or perhaps in one of the building trades. There were plenty of jobs for able young men.

Torger Knudsen pruchased his first forty-acres of land on October 13, 1854 at the U.S. Land Office in Menasha, paying the going rate of $1.25 per acre. He recordet the deed unter the surname „Knudsen." In fact, he also bought subsequent parcels un der that name.

Torger Knudsen emigrated as „Jorstad", a farm name; He bought land as „Knudsen, his patronymic; and he would soon enter military service aus „Hougen" another farm name. Most norwegian-americans simply adopted theri patronymic as a surnaem; hence , the endless listings of Nelsens, Andersens, Larsens, etc. But others chose farm names, eg.g. Berge. And some, like Torger Knudsen, came form farms that had more than one name. Norwegians viewed the American requirement for surnames with a goo d deal of flexibility.

Torger Knudsens's forty acres, still thickly wooded, was located about three miles sosouth and a mile east of the Valders Church. The first structure to appear on the new farmstead would have been a small log cabin. The walls of such a dwelling co uld be thrown up in a day by the farmer, assisted by a half-doyen neighbors and an ox team. By dusk, the cabin would be finished - all but the roof, which was left for the owner to build. Boards and shingles were sometimes hewn by the farmer, a ti me-consuming process, but inexpensive building materials could be purchased from sawmills.

Torger nudsen must have found youth an assset as he began the imposing task of converting forest to farmland. He would have cleared as much land as possible during the winter of 1854-55, so he could plant grain in the spring. The stumps remainin g in the fields were only a minor obstacle to planting and harvesting, which was done with hand tools. The grain was readily shipped from the port at Manitowoc, which enabled farmers to pocket money that might have gone to pay for expensive overla nd transportation.

In the summer of 1854, as Torger Knudsen prepared to buy his farm, Anne Olsdatter arrived in Manitowoc. We must guess at the details of her early days in the county. Most likely, she made her home with her sister Marit Olsdatter, wife of ve Yachar iassen, who bought land in the present town of Liberty in 1853. Her brothers also farmed in Liberty, but were still unmarried; living conditions in their homes may have been rustic.

One challenge facing the newcomer was to learn English, a task that Anne Olsdatter took seriously. She developed her vocabulary and reading skills by studying an English language edition ot the Holy Bible, using a Norwegian edition to translate . Reading in both languages was a source of pleasure to her, one that she taught her children to enjoy.

Most of the young Norwegians in the Manitowoc settlement led busy lives, but fount time for romance. Indeed, marriage and family were essential to a farmer's success. Accordingly, the Gjerpen and Valders churches served as social centers-places fo r the young people to meet and become acquainted.

Torger Knudsen and Anne Olsdatter probably met at Gjerpen Church. It is likely that their betrothal lasted about one year, so their courtship would have begun in 1855 or 1856. On November 27, 1857, with relatives and friends gathered in Gjerpen Ch urch, Rev. Ottesen performed the marriage. The happy couple now began an industrious life that would be blessed with eleven children, one of whom died in infancy. The ten who survived went separate ways, each enjoying encouragement from their pare nts in respective fields of endeavor. Eight of the ten raised families; consequently, descendants of Anne and Torger are numerous.

Occupation:
farmer sjekk Hougen boka

Torger married Anne Olsdtr BERGE on 30 Nov 1857 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA. Anne (daughter of Ola Gullikson BERGE and Anne Ivarsdtr TUNE) was born on 12 Feb 1835 in Berge 22/4; died on 24 Oct 1931 in Manitowoc Co., WI. USA; was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Jørstadhaugen 36/8 Øs

Notes:

Knut og Marit hadde 8 barn: Nils, Knut, Ola, Torgeir, Gullik, Knut, Valgjerd og Ingebjørg. Knut overtok gården i 1818 og brukte den til 1854. Da han ga den til sønnen Nils, skilte han ut Molor og de den delen til den nest eldste sønnen Knut. Knud Nilsen's ga'rd was located on a large (and very old) estate called Jorstad. In about 1680, Jorstad was split into northern and southern divisions, with the southern division (Sore Jorstad) later divided into three ga'rd, one of which was call ed Hougen (or Haugen, or Jorstadhaugen). Knud Nilsens' family could use either "Jorstad" or "Hougen" as identification, but it appers that Jorstad was preferred. This custom applied to hussmenn as well as bonder. When people moved from one ga'r d to another, they did not take the name with them.

Occupation:
grb sjekk

Knut married Marit Knutsdtr ONSTAD. Marit (daughter of Knut Torgeirson WINDINGSTAD and Marit Gulliksdtr ALFSTAD) was born in 1794 in Onstad 35/2 Nordre Øs; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Jørstadhaugen 36/8 Øs

Notes:

Knud Nilsen married Marit Torgeirsdtr. Marit's father, named Knut, was a bonde on an Ostre Slidre ga'rd called Onstad. The marriage of Knud and Marit produced eight children. Torger Knudsen, born March 24, 1833, was preceded by Nils, Knud, and Ole ; followed by Gullik, Knud, Valgjer, and Ingeborg.

It was customary for the first two sons to be given names honring paternal and maternal grandfathers, in that order; hence, Nils and Knud. The names of the two daughters were giben in like manner, for their grandmothers. Subsequent children wer e named in honor of other relatives in no prescribed order. Note that "Knud" was used twice, perhaps to honor another realtive. Or the first Knud may have died, and the second named for the same relative. I Hauge-Berge boka står det at hun er født i 1812,

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: Jørstadhaugen 36/8 Øs

Notes:

Han overtok i 1790, da hadde stefaren Nils Mattiassen drevet gården.

Occupation:
grb sjekk

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Onstad 35/2 Nordre Øs

Notes:

Han kalles også Reien

Knut married Marit Gulliksdtr ALFSTAD. Marit (daughter of Gullik Rønjusson NORDTORP and Marit Johannesdtr ULVESTAD) was born in 1749 in Alfstad 24/ Øs; died in 1823 in Onstad 35/2 Nordre Øs. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: Onstad 35/2 Nordre Øs

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