The Two Jorgines: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Females”

The Two Wives of Hans Ahlness: Cousins Named Jorgine

Jorgine Syverson: 1879-1908
Ida Jorgine Vee: 1889-1960

I knew that some of the people around Hanska, Minnesota named Ahlness were my cousins. My grandmother, Regina Syverson Peterson, had a sister Jorgine who married Hans Ahlness and had several children, but she died tragically young. Hans remarried and had several more children with his second wife. The situation seems simple enough: some of Hans Ahlness’ children and grandchildren are my first-cousins-once removed and second cousins, and some—the children and grandchildren from the second marriage—are not. But this week I discovered I was wrong. It turns out that all of Hans Ahlness’ children were related to me. Hans’ second wife was his first wife Jorgine’s cousin!

To provide some background, Jorgine Syverson was the daughter of Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve and Ove Syverson. Ragnhild’s nephews Ole and Anders Olesson Vee also immigrated and settled in the Hanska area. This meant that Jorgine Syverson and Anders Vee (also called Wee) were first cousins, and Anders’ children were Jorgine’s first cousins once removed. Ida Jorgine Vee/Wee was Anders’ daughter, and may have even been named for her older cousin Jorgine Syverson.

Jorgine Syverson married Hans Ahlness on December 8, 1898. Jorgine was 21 and Hans was 25. Hans owned a farm quite near the Syverson farm, and near the land that Anders Vee’s brother Ole owned.

Hans Ahlness, from a family-group photo

By 1908 Hans and Jorgine had five children, the youngest born in April of that year. Jorgine had developed tuberculosis, and her condition worsened following the birth of the last baby. She died on December 13, 1908 at age 29, and was buried in the Linden Lutheran Cemetery.

Hans was left in a difficult situation, with five young children under the age of ten in the house. The little infant son didn’t survive long without his mother; Harry Joseph died March 18, 1909 just a month before his first birthday.

Jorgine's headstone

Perhaps Jorgine’s cousin, Ida Jorgine Vee, was able to help with her cousin’s young children. Even if she didn’t spend time caring for the children, Hans and Ida certainly would have been acquainted. After all, her great-aunt Ragnhild Syverson and uncle Ole Vee lived so close to the Ahlness farm, and the families all probably attended the same Lutheran church.

After four years as a widower, Hans married Ida Jorgine Vee on June 19, 1913. He was 39 years old, while Ida was only 23. They had another seven children over a ten year span from 1913 to 1923. These children are my third cousins, while their half-siblings are my second cousins.

Hans died July 24, 1951 at age 77. Ida died October 28, 1960 at age 70. They are buried at Linden Lutheran Cemetery.

Jorgine and Ida Jorgine shared a name, shared a husband, and shared ancestors. And now that I understand my relationship to Hans Ahlness’ second wife, I too share a relationship to both Jorgine and Ida and all their descendants. I’m so glad I made this discovery of the relationship between these two female ancestors. It has enriched my understanding of my family’s history and demonstrated the interconnectedness of the families living in and around my hometown.