Blended Family Confusion: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Check It Out”

Census Mystery Cleared Up Through Research

Maria Torbjornsdatter Sorheim: 1872-1944

 

Census records can occasionally be misleading. There is far more information on them than many new genealogists realize, so these records deserve a closer analysis. Relationships that appear simple and straightforward on the Ancestry’s transcriptions can become far murkier if you look at the original, handwritten census record. That’s what happened when I was tracing the life of my second cousin once removed Maria Torbjornsdatter Sorheim. The Ancestry transcription showed me what I expected to see, and what every other public tree had accepted at face value: a husband and wife with four children. But looking at the photo of the actual census form led to some significant revisions to my tree.

The transcription of the 1910 census record shows Albert Dallmann as the head of household, age 44, his wife Mary (my ancestor Maria Sorheim), age 38, and four young people, presumably their children: Henry, age 17, John Sorheim, age 13, Martin, age 6, and Anna, age 4. This seems quite simple, quite easy to interpret.

But when you look at the actual written record, some bizarre pieces of information are immediately obvious. First, son John Sorheim is listed as “stepson”, not son. While I might have assumed “Sorheim” was his middle name, it is now obvious that it is his legal surname. But this was John’s mother Maria’s maiden name—this seems to indicate John was born out of wedlock so had her surname.

Second, look at the “Years Married” box: Maria and Albert have only been married for eight years. This means both son Henry and son John were born before the date of this marriage. So who is Henry’s mother? In addition, Maria/Mary states she has borne five children, but only three survive. So only John, Martin and Anna are her children.

We get some clues about the parentage of both young men from the columns asking where their parents were born. Henry’s father and mother were born in Germany. Since Maria was born in Norway, obviously Henry had a different mother. Next, we see that the entry for John shows that his father was born in the United States—so his father isn’t Albert, who was born in Germany, nor was he someone who accompanied Maria when she immigrated from Norway.

By the time John Sorheim fills out his World War I draft card, he is using Dallmann as his surname, and from then on is referred to as Albert Dallmann’s son. This is probably what confused all the other people who have John on their family tree: he eventually became part of the Dallmann family so that’s how they recorded him. It also led several people to record Albert and Maria’s marriage incorrectly—they listed it as 1886 so that it would match the birth year of Henry Dallman. There was a significant problem with that date, however. Maria was still living in Norway at the time of the 1891 Norwegian census. She states on the 1910 and 1920 census that she arrived in the United States in 1892, speaking only Norwegian. There was no way she could have married the German-speaking Albert in 1886.

I wanted to try to make my tree as correct as possible and not perpetuate the errors of others, so I decided to check out the records, looking for John and Henry’s birth records.

Maria Torbjornsdatter Sorheim was born to Torbjorn Hermandsen Sorheim and AnnaMaria Olsdatter Ve in Luster, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway on April 7, 1872. She was their oldest daughter. She was only twenty years old when she immigrated in 1892. It seems unlikely that she would have travelled alone. Several of her brothers immigrated, but all arrived at least two to six years after her. Her sister Bertha supposedly immigrated in either 1891 or 1893 depending on what census record you check—I am speculating that Maria and Bertha actually travelled together in 1892.

The first record I have discovered showing Maria in her new country is the 1900 federal census. Maria is living with and working for a 68 year old carpenter named Philo Brewer. She states that she is 28 and single. Her son, John Sorheim, age three, also lives at the Brewer residence. Here his father’s place of birth is listed as Norway. Maria is obviously a single mother. Given Mr. Brewer’s age, I doubt he was the father, especially since he hadn’t been born in Norway.

According to his World War I draft card, John was born June 17, 1896 in Mankato, Minnesota. So what happened to Maria between her arrival in the United States and John’s conception and birth? It is hard to know. Maria and her sister were faced with the need to learn a new language and support themselves in a strange land. While they had some cousins in the area, it is hard to tell how much assistance those relatives could or did provide.

Maria’s younger sister Brita/Bertha married quite quickly after they arrived in Minnesota. On November 1, 1894, 19-year-old Bertha married a 33-year-old second or third generation American named Allen Weymouth. Perhaps this age gap provides some clues to the risks the young women faced. Were young immigrant girls seen as easy marks by older men? Was Bertha more fortunate in her choice of beau than Maria in that he chose to marry her? Whatever the circumstances, Maria was left alone after Bertha’s marriage, and it appears that within a year after her sister moved out, Maria got pregnant and was left to struggle to support herself and her son alone. She must have been so frightened and probably ashamed. I am sure there was plenty of whispered criticism and finger-pointing among the other Norwegian immigrants that probably left her feeling desperate.

Fortunately, she met Albert Dallmann. Records show that Albert was a German-speaking farmer who married another German immigrant, Regina Huhle, in November, 1889. They had two children, Henry, born in 1893, and Mary, who was born in 1895 and died shortly after. Tragically, Regina died five years later on March 13, 1900. As a lonely widower with a seven-year-old child, Albert was probably eager to find a new wife and ready to overlook the slightly scandalous nature of Maria’s single-motherhood.

Albert and Maria married April 14, 1902. He was 36, and Maria was 30 years old. They went on to have three children together, Martin, Anna and Oletta, while raising Henry and John. They farmed in the Nicollet area of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Albert died in 1933, and my cousin Maria died June 13, 1944.

1930 Federal Census showing John Sorheim Dallmann living with Dallmanns and half-brother Martin. John is listed as Albert's son.

Although I was never able to identify John Sorheim Dallmann’s birth father, checking out the information provided on the 1910 census form helped to clarify his relationship to his half-siblings and his step-brother. It also revealed an interesting chapter in my ancestors’ immigration experiences. Maria must have had a challenging life for several years, but she seems to have moved past her early struggles to build a secure life for herself and her first-born son.

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.

More Cousins than I Thought: 52 Ancestors 2022 Favorite Find

Discovery Adds Significance to Photo

George Wee: 1888-?
Ole Wee: 1878-1927
Willie Wee: 1898-1981
 

When I first ran across this charming photo on Facebook, I was delighted because it featured an ancestor of mine, cousin Sam Joramo, seated in the middle with the big smile. I had to re-evaluate the photo when I discovered that I am also related to three more of the young men. George Wee (far left), Ole Wee, and Willie Wee (the two gents at the right) are also my cousins. This photo has become one of my favorite finds as a result.

As I described in my previous post, I discovered that my great-grandmother Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve Syverson had two nephews who also immigrated to the same area of southern Minnesota in the 1870s and 1880s. One of these nephews was Anders Olesson Vee.

Anders and his wife Sigrid Olsdatter Hoseter Skaar took the surname “Wee” when they settled in the Hanska, Minnesota area, while Anders’ brother’s family spelled the name “Vee”. Anders and Sigrid had a large family—possibly as many as seven sons and three daughters. Sigrid states in both the 1900 and 1910 census that she has given birth to ten children and all ten are still living. Living or not, some of the sons just disappear: Ingvald, Nils and Henry just don’t appear on census or draft registrations after 1900 so I can’t determine what happened to them.

However, I have found records for the three sons that appear in this photo. Ole was the eldest son, born in 1878. George Wee, christened Karl Jorgen but called George, was the fifth child in the family, born in 1888. Willie Wee, christened Wilhelm, was the youngest in the family, born in 1898. Given that Willie appears to be in his late teens in the photo, I would guess it was taken around 1913 or so, when Willie was about 15, George 25 and Ole, quite the old man at 35 despite his youthful appearance.  The three are all my second cousins once removed.

From the records I’ve found so far, it doesn’t appear that any of the three men had any children. Ole and George don’t appear to have married, although Willie married. I will have to do more research to find out more information about this newly discovered branch of my tree.

In the meantime, I will enjoy this wonderful photo of five young farmers from southern Minnesota mugging for the camera in an auto they may not have been able to drive—it was probably just a photographer’s prop. I wish I knew the story behind the photo. What prompted them to dress up and get their photo taken? I also wonder if the fifth man in the photo, Ole Asleson, will turn out to also be a distant cousin. I’m so happy I stumbled on this photo—a true favorite find!

The Homestead Next Door: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Landed”

The Cousins Next Door: Ragnhild Olsdatter Vee Syverson’s Nephews Ole and Anders Olesson Vee

Ole Olesson Vee: 1850-1917
Anders Olesson Vee: 1853-1903

When I received an email from Ancestry notifying me of a DNA match to a cousin with the surname Vee, I wasn’t too surprised. I recognized the surname from my tiny hometown, Hanska, Minnesota. I was distantly related to a lot of people in the area. However, I was surprised to see how closely I was related to this cousin—we were possibly second or third cousins. Luckily, my cousin had a public tree, and Ancestry had identified a possible shared ancestor between the two of us: my great-grandmother Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve Syverson’s parents. The Vees were descended from one of Ragnhild’s siblings. This was a new connection for me—I hadn’t realized any of Ragnhild’s family members had left Norway, and had no idea they landed in the Hanska area.

My research revealed that Ragnhild Syverson, born in 1848, was the youngest daughter of Ragnhild Ve and Ole Gulbrandon Geithus. She had a much older sister, Gjoran Olsdatter Ve, born in 1826. Obviously, Gjoran was out of the house with a family of her own shortly after Ragnhild was born. Gjoran married Ole Torresson Havaardshaugen in October 1850, and they had their first son, Ole Olesson Vee, August 12, 1850. This meant that Ragnhild was only two years older than her nephew, Ole.

Ragnhild married Ove Syverson in Norway in the mid-1860s. Some trees claim they married as early as 1865, but I suspect it was a year or so later. Their first child, also named Ragnhild, was born January 9, 1868, and was baptized that April. The church records show that Ragnhild’s sister Gjoran and husband Ole Thoreson Ve were godparents to little Ragnhild, along with a couple with the surname Moen.

Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve's baptism record. Ole Thoreson Ve and wife Gjoran listed at far right

The young Syverson family set sail for America the next year, arriving in 1869—this arrival year appears on the 1900 census. Their second child, Syver, was born October 23, 1869 in Wisconsin. The family then moved to Linden Township in Brown County, where their third child, Ole, was born in 1871 or 1872.

Ragnhild and Ove must have described their life in America in positive terms when they wrote letters to family back in Norway, for her nephew Ole Olesson Vee and wife Sigri soon followed them to America. According to the information the Vees reported on the 1900 census, they arrived in 1872, and their first child, daughter, Julia Sirina, was born in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin on June 30, 1872. They relocated to Minnesota at some point around 1880, appearing on an 1885 state census living just a few farms away from Ragnhild, who had been widowed just three years earlier.

1885 Minnesota census with Vee brothers' families

Another of Ragnhild’s nephews also appears on that census. Ole Thoreson Vee’s brother Anders Olsson Vee followed his brother and aunt to America in 1882. Anders and his wife appear on the census on a farm between Ragnhild’s and Ole’s properties. Perhaps Ole and Anders settled near Ragnhild in order to help her hold on to her homestead after her husband Ove died; her sons were too young to be of much help with farmwork.

Whatever their motivation, both Vee families acquired land in the Hanska area. By the time the 1905 plat maps were generated for Brown County, Anders and Ole Vee have good sized acreages, and Ragnhild’s son Ole Syverson has taken over the Syverson farm. Ole Vee’s land abuts Ole Syverson’s, so they were next door neighbors. I’m sure the young cousins all grew up together.

1905 Linden plat map. Ole Syverson property in blue, Ole Vee property in orange

From landing in America to becoming landowners in Minnesota, the Vee brothers quickly became part of the Norwegian community in Brown County’s Linden and Lake Hanska Townships. The opportunity to own their own land drew them to America, and they achieved their dream: they “landed”.

1905 Lake Hanska plat map showing Anders Vee property

As for my relationship with my Vee DNA match, his grandfather was Ole Olesson Vee’s youngest son, Theodore Vee, born in 1888. His father was Theodore’s youngest son, Arvid Vee, born in 1926. My cousin was born a year after my birth, so we are close in age. I never knew him because we attended different elementary schools, and never shared high school classes. The DNA prediction of our relationship was fairly accurate: we are actually third cousins once removed.

Peterson/Syverson Land Over the Last Century: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Maps”

Plat Maps Showing Family Farmland Since 1886

Ove Syverson: 1840-1882
Ole Syverson: 1873-1933
Peder Peterson: 1815-1880
Paul Peterson: 1867-1941

 

When my mother died a few years ago, I, along with my brother, inherited farmland in Brown County, Minnesota. Recently, my brother sent me the latest plat maps of Linden and Lake Hanska Townships where my land lies, showing me as the owner. This made me curious about historic plat maps. I wanted to trace the ownership of those lands over the years, seeing where my ancestors first lived and homesteaded, and what farms they eventually settled on, and when those farms changed hands. I knew there were maps from the 1940s, but was pleased to discover maps from 1905 and 1914, with the most exciting discovery a plat map from 1886!

Here is the present-day plat map, showing my two parcels, one near Nora Unitarian Church just west of Linden Lake, and one southeast of our family’s home place, which my brother owns.

To go back to the very beginning, here are the 1886 plat maps for Lake Hanska and Linden Townships. To provide some background, my paternal great-grandparents, Peder and Anna Pederson Joramo, had immigrated from Norway in 1870. They moved around a bit before settling along the border of Lake Hanska and Linden Townships. They were residents by 1875, but probably arrived a couple of years earlier. Tragically, Peder was killed in a farm accident involving a horse in 1880, so by the time this plat map was made, Peder’s eldest son Jacob, who used the surname Joramo or Joramoe, was farming and homesteading with his mother and younger brother Paul. Jacob’s holding appears at the lower right hand corner. Land that became my dad’s farm is above, owned in 1886 by a man named Quale. The land I eventually would own is at the bottom right, owned in 1886 by a man named Johnson.

The Linden Township 1886 map is even more interesting. My grandmother Regina Syverson’s parents, Ove Syverson and Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve had immigrated in 1869, settling in Linden Township by 1872. Ove also died in a farm accident involving a horse (showing how hazardous farm work was in the 1800s) in 1882, leaving his wife Ragnhild and eldest son Ole, who was barely nine years old, to run their farm. Just four years after this tragedy, Ragnhild and Ole are listed as owner of a combined 120 acres (R. Siverson and O. Siverson) just down the road from P. Peterson, who was probably my grandfather Paul. My Linden Township land is just off the top of the map, owned in 1886 by a W. Bruce.

The 1905 plat map reflects the changes of a nearly twenty year time span. The Lake Hanska map shows Paul Peterson, my grandfather, on the 80 acre parcel of land that my father would farm. His brother, Jacob Joramo, now has two large parcels totaling 160 acres. My land, marked with a dot, is owned by a farmer named Andrew Oren.

The Linden 1905 map now shows Ole Syverson, my great-uncle, as the sole owner of the 160 acres of land. Ragnhild is still living with him, but has turned over the farm to him. What is now my land, marked with a dot, is owned by an Iver Johnson.

The 1914 plat has few changes—just a little more detail. Paul Peterson and Jacob Joramo still own the same parcels in Lake Hanska Township as in 1905. The Linden plat shows that Ole Syverson (now spelled Silverson) owns nearly 200 acres—the same parcels, but better measurements. Interestingly, this map confirms that the land labeled as “P. Peterson” on the previous plats did belong to my grandfather, Paul Peterson. His full name is now written on the forty acres. The land I will eventually own still belongs to Andrew Oren and Iver Johnson.

The 1949 plat maps move up a generation: now my father Juhl Peterson and his brother Oscar have taken over from their father Paul, and Sam Joramo, Jacob’s son, appears on the Lake Hanska map. My father has also purchased the forty acres I now own. 

The Linden map shows that either Paul or my father Juhl has sold the 40 acres they had owned at the far left corner; perhaps it was a trade for the forty acre parcel my father now owned across the township border. In addition, Ole Syverson had sold all his land around 1930; he and his mother had moved into Hanska due to his declining health. He died in 1933 at the age of sixty. His land was owned in 1949 by Mikel Mikelson. However, there is a sixty acre property just north of the old Syverson farm owned by a Siver O Syverson. This may have been Ole’s brother Siver, another of my granduncles. He lived until 1956, so could have owned land. Perhaps Ole had shared the proceeds from the farm with his brother, enabling him to buy property of his own. The map also shows that my Linden land was owned by Hans Knuth in 1949.

The final map shows Linden Township in 1969. The main item to note is that my father, Juhl Peterson, had bought the Knuth property following the death of the last Knuth family member. In the 1970s, my father tore down the house that remained on the property, and my brother and I grew cucumbers for the Gedney pickle company on about one-third acre of the property as a way to earn money.

It was very instructive to trace the ownership of my ancestor’s farmland over the years through these plat maps. I enjoyed discovering when my family acquired the two parcels I now own.

Dapper Young Gents: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Favorite Photo”

Siver Syverson and Friends Strike a Dashing Pose

Siver Syverson: 1882-1953 (Paternal Great-Uncle)
 

I don’t know much about my granduncle Siver Syverson. He was my paternal grandmother Regina Syverson Peterson’s youngest brother, ten years younger than Regina. He never married or had children, and seems to have been a bit of a rolling stone, moving from job to job, and from southern to northern Minnesota and back again. He was a bit of a mystery—I even had trouble finding his death record and place of burial. So I was delighted when my brother showed me this delightful photo of Siver and two friends. Until then, I didn’t know what Siver looked like. Now I can see a family resemblance to my father, and I can see that Siver had a sense of humor.

Siver was born January 21, 1882 to Ragnhild and Ove Syverson in Linden Township, a farming area in Brown County, Minnesota. He was the last of their eight children; two of their children had already died before Siver’s birth. Siver never had a chance to know his father; Ove died in a farming accident when Siver was just six months old.

Siver—also spelled at times as Sever and Syver, with the surname also showing variations on various records—worked as a farm hand on several different farms over the years. He even worked for his sister Regina following her husband’s death.

Siver's draft registration showing 3 different spellings of his name on a single document!

I’m not sure when this photograph was taken. Sever doesn’t look that old—probably out of his teens, but still in his early twenties. The man in the center of the photo looks like he was the oldest of the three men, but even he probably isn’t over thirty, and the man on the right looks very youthful.  I wish I knew who the other two men were—did they also live in Linden Township? Were they related or just friends?  

I love the photo’s details—all three men were obviously dressed in their best clothes: suits, white shirts and ties. Siver’s tie is so pale that it nearly blends in with his shirt—what color was it? A silvery grey or a pale blue? Yellow? His shoes are carefully shined; they aren’t as fancy as those of his seated friend—are those spats?—but are more polished and cared for than the third young man’s.

And look at those hats! I love the jaunty angle of Siver’s hat—it seems to suit the mood of the mens’ poses. They look proud, a little cocky and a little self-mocking. I get the feeling that the photo was a bit of a lark, and was meant to be amusing. Where did they get those amazing pipes? The bowl of the left-most gent’s pipe bowl appears to feature a carved rooster. Siver’s pipe reminds me of the mouthpiece of a set of bagpipes. Were the pipes props the photographer used? They were certainly functional, as we can see from the smoke wreathing from them.

Siver was born in 1882, so if the photo was taken when he was in his early twenties, that would be around 1902-1907. The clothing seems fairly appropriate for that era, based on wedding photos from that time period.

As I already mentioned, there is a definite family resemblance between Siver and his nephew, my father Juhl. The shape of the eyes and their light color, the shape of the jawline, and the nose are all similar. My father’s eyes were bright, light blue. According to Siver’s draft card, his were grey, and his hair brown, while my dad’s was darker, nearly black.

Siver at left, my dad in late teens in center, my dad in his thirties at right, with a heavier face and bad angle...

This photo was made into a postcard. The back reads, “From Oliver and Alfred” and the address portion  just includes Siver’s name—in this case spelled Siver Siverson. I am assuming Oliver and Alfred are the other two gents in the photo. The names suggest several possibilities for their identities that I will have to explore in the future.

I am so glad that my brother brought this marvelous, funny photo to my attention.

First School: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “Foundations”

Hanska Schools: Foundation of My Education

I belong to a Facebook group called “At Home in Hanska.”  Hanska is my hometown, and the Facebook page is a place for people connected to the community to post historic photos of their ancestors and of buildings around the area. I was so excited when someone posted some photos of the old Hanska High School. My first school experience was at the Hanska school. I see education as the foundation of my life, and that school laid the first stones of that foundation.

I am going to post a photo that was shared on the website, along with one I took about 15 years ago, and some vintage photos from Hanska High yearbooks from 1954 and 1956 I found on Ancestry. 

Campus from the air in 1956

Campus with Elementary wing partly visible through trees--circa 2006?

I attended kindergarten through sixth grade in Hanska. Most of my time was spent in the school’s elementary wing, which had been built more recently than the original high school building. However, I went to gym class and music class in the high school building, so I have fond memories of the place.

School photos from 1954 Yearbook

I appreciate all the teachers who patiently taught us and guided us: Mrs. Anderson in kindergarten; Mrs. Stadig in first grade; Mrs. Froland in second grade; Miss Eide in third grade; Mrs. Brudelie in fourth; Mr. Hammero in fifth; and Mrs. Yarger in sixth grade. I was a shy, quiet little thing, but all of those teachers made an effort to draw me out and help me to excel.

Old Hanska High School, now boarded up and standing empty....