Peder Johan’s family

Peder Johan war born January 16, 1853 in Beiarn. He was one of the Lillejord children who survived the Atlantic voyage and the first critical period in the new homeland. Dorothy Onstott is a granddaughter of Peder & wife Jorgina, and she has sent us a lot of information of the family. More …

 

Til norske etterkommere

Vi kjører nå en kampanje for å nå flest mulige av våre norske slektninger og invitere dem til slektstreffet 26.-27. juni 2010.

For å gjøre påmeldinger enklest mulig, legger vi nå noen kjerneopplysninger ut her.

Slektstreffet starter lørdag 26. juni fra kl. 11.00 på Trones skole med registrering og lunsj. Kl. 13 starter det offisielle programmet, og kl. 18.00 er det middag som opptakt til den festlige delen av programmet. Festen varer så lenge publikum vil. Søndag er det kirkegang i Beiarn kirke med påfølgende kirkekaffe på bygdetunet, utstillinger og andre kulturinnslag. Som ellers ønsker vi også her å legge til rette for den gode samtalen og anledning til å knytte familie- og vennskapsbånd.

Arrangementet på søndag er åpent for alle, men er sjølsagt hovedsaklig innrettet mot deltakerne på slektstreffet. For å delta på lørdagsarrangementet, må du melde deg på. Påmeldingsskjema finner du her. Nærmere informasjon om utfylling og andre detaljer, finner du her.

Påmeldingsfristen er forlenget i første omgang til utgangen av februar, og vi håper at flest mulige vil melde seg på så snart som mulig. Det gjelder særlig dem som trenger overnatting, siden vi ikke rår over så mange overnattingsplasser.

Spørsmål om påmelding kan du rette via e-post til Lillejordtreffet@online.no

Dersom du er i tvil om du eller ektefelle/samboer er etterkommer til Hans Petter Olsen Lillejord, kan du se om du finner deg selv, foreldre eller besteforeldre i slektstreet på dette nettstedet.

Lykke til og hjertelig velkommen til stor fest.

 

Registration deadline is approaching

Happy new year to all our visitors! And you must be quite a lot. There have been 13 000 views on the web site since it was launched a year ago.

On the other hand we have received just 35 overseas registrations to the Lillejord Descendent Reunion so far, most of them from Canada. We had expected to see at least a hundred American and Canadian Lillejords at the reunion. However, it is still time to registrate, and if any of you need some more time, please tell us and we’ll handle it.

The planning is going on, and we hope we’ll present an interesting program for the reunion and that you will meet people, landscapes and culture that will be a great experience and a memory for life.

See you in June!

 

Registration starts!

The extended Organization Committee. From left: Frigg Ottar Os (secretary & Mayor of Beiarn), Geir Heggmo (co-ordinator), Inge Strand (head), Linda Utheim (reunion program), Thore K. Steen (economy, sign-up), Ellinor Mikalsen (dining), behind the camera: André Kristoffersen (accomodation). Not present: Elin Johannessen (info). Associate members (not present): Terje D. Nilsen (Beiarn History Society), Einar Skomsvoll (minister of the church).

After a nice vacation the committee has met and made the necessary preparations in order to handle the registration forms for the family reunion on behalf of the descendants of Hans Lillejord and wives, Maalfrid Sakariasdatter and Margrethe Nilsdatter.

The committee has noticed that the Lillejord Reunion will gather many Lillejord descendents, domestic as well as relatives from the US and Canada. As previously mentioned, we have limited space, and will therefore use the principle of “first come, first served”, so it is important to send us your registration as fast possible. We reserve the right to close the registration when we are fully booked. We will also balance the number of descendants from Canada, Norway and U.S.A. However, we hope to be able to welcome all relatives who wish to come to Beiarn next summer.

A lot of people will use much money and much time to come to Norway and Beiarn to meet family and see the place where Hans Olsen Lillejord and his wives came from. The committee finds that the great effort from all these people demands a decent reunion arrangement.

Therefore, the reunion will go on for two days. It starts on Saturday, June 26, 2010 by noon and lasts through all the day to late night. We will serve you two meals, there will be exhibitions and presentations of the Beiarn valley and the homestead of Hans and Margrete, and the unveiling of the memorial stone will be a special event; commemorating the emigrants from the Beiarn Valley to the New World in the West. We want to share our history and culture with you, and we want to entertain you with music and other local entertainment, but we also invite our guests to take part in the program. Tell us if you have some contribution of any kind!

The Saturday Program will start formally, but it will be more informal as the day goes on. You will have rich opportunities to get acquainted with cousins of all kinds, and we hope you all will enjoy the day.

On Sunday there will be a service at our church with both Norwegian and American pastors, and there will be some church coffee after the service. The rest of the day will be open for individual wishes, like seeing people, round trips in the valley, caving, hiking, fishing and what ever you would like to do. We will ask you about your interests in good time before your arrival.

Almost everything is expensive in Norway, but we are trying to keep the cost down as much as possible by using mostly voluntary workers, so the fee is for food and venue rental. We have calculated the cost to NOK 500, approx. USD/CAD 80-100. We will make it possible for you to pay with credit cards, which makes it easier for the overseas participants. However, we need to include a NOK 50 fee to cover the transfer costs.

The participants are registered when we have received the registration form and the reunion fee has been collected. The Registration Form is ready to be filled in.

We are trying to make the registration as easy as possible and can mention a few points:

• The registration form can be downloaded on the Internet in Word format and when completed, sent by e-mail to lillejordtreffet@online.no. You may also print the form and mail it to: Thore Steen, N-8110 Moldjord, Norway.
• You may register several people on the same form, however, one needs to be the main contact person, while the others on the form relate to this person. Children less than 12 years are free, so please specify age on the form.
• We need information about accommodation, please indicate this on the form.
• If you are handling your own accommodation, please indicate this in the box marked “own accommodation”.
• Add up the registration fee for all persons and transfer the money by credit card or to our bank account number, using the contact person’s name. When we have received the money, we will complete the registration.
• If you have any questions, please send us an e-mail, or use the message box below.
• When the registration has been completed, we will send you a form asking if you have special needs, (such as diabetes, gluten allergy, etc.) or, wish special arrangements during your stay. Please also let us know if you wish to contribute with anything to the reunion, such as entertainment, greeting, etc. Our wish is to be able to use all good talents during this festive occasion.
• This registration is for Saturday only. On Sunday there is no registration to the Church service and coffee afterwards.
• The registration deadline is January 31, 2010, and remember; “First Come, First Served”.

 

Nå starter påmeldingene!

Etter en god sommerferie har organisasjonskomiteen hatt møte og gjort de nødvendige forberedelser slik at vi kan begynne å ta imot påmeldinger til slektsstemnet for etterkommerne etter Hans Petter Olsen Lillejord og hustruene Målfrid Sakariasdtr. og Margrete Nilsdtr.

Vi understreker at det ikke blir sendt ut noen personlige innbydelser, og at alle etterkommere er hjertelig velkommen til å melde seg på. Vi får spørsmål om hvordan en kan finne ut om en er etterkommer. Slektstreet som finnes på dette nettstedet, er et godt hjelpemiddel.

Vi registrerer stor interesse for arrangementet, og det kan komme på tale å sette strek for påmeldinger dersom vi ser at antallet blir så stort at vi ikke kan rå med det. Da gjelder prinsippet om at de som først meldte seg på, får førsteretten. Vi må også balansere mellom norske etterkommere og dem fra Canada og USA.

Deltakere regnes som påmeldt når stemneavgifta er innbetalt.

Påmelding skjer ved å fylle ut dette påmeldingsskjemaet. Vi håper det skal være lettfattelig, men vi kan nevne noen forhold:

• Skjemaet lastes ned og fylles ut i Word og lagres på egen maskin. Deretter legges det ved en e-post til Lillejordtreffet@online.no Du kan også skrive det ut og fylle det ut med penn og sende det med vanlig post til: Thore Steen, 8110 Moldjord
• Du kan melde på flere personer på samme skjema. En må være hovedperson, som vi forholder oss til, mens de andre er knyttet til denne personen. Barn under 12 år går gratis. Spesifiser derfor påmeldte med alder ved påmelding.
• Vi ønsker informasjon om evt. ønsker om opphold og overnatting. Kryss av ved det aktuelle ønsket. Dersom du ordner slikt sjøl, krysser du av ved ”Ordner selv”.
• Regn ut den totale stemneavgifta og send den til det oppgitte kontonummer. Merk innbetalinga med hovedpersonens navn. Når vi har mottatt pengene, registrerer vi påmeldinga.
• Dersom du lurer på noe, spør oss per e-post, eller bruk kommentardelen nedenfor.
• Når påmeldinga er avsluttet, vil vi sende et nytt skjema med spørsmål om spesielle behov til mat (cøliaki, diabetes etc.), ønsker om spesielle opplevelser ved besøket, og om du har noe du vil bidra med til stemnet (underholdning, hilsning eller lignende). Vi ønsker nemlig at alle gode krefter skal få komme til uttrykk under festen.

Påmeldinga gjelder stemnet på lørdag. På søndag er det ingen påmelding til gudstjenesten eller til kirkekaffen.

Påmeldingsfristen er 31.1.2010, men som sagt; først til mølla får først malt.

 

Sign up for the Lillejord Descendent Reunion today!

The descendents of Hans Petter Lillejord in Beiarn, Norway, and Beiarn History Society, are organizing a family reunion on June 26 and 27, 2010.

2010 is the year that would mark Hans’ 200 birthday. We are hoping to have his descendents from Canada, USA, and Norway participate in this exciting event. As part of the reunion we plan to explore the valley and surroundings areas where Hans P Lillejord lived until he left for America. The festivities will include traditional Norwegian food, a lot of fascinating history about the Lillejords, as well as insights into the conditions in Norway, and in Beiarn in particular, at the time the different members of the family left Norway.

We are also planning to develop a multimedia presentation and perhaps dedicate a memorial stone at Hans’ homestead, commemorating his descendants who emigrated from Beiarn. Ultimately we would like people to visit and get acquainted with each other in hopes of creating ties for future.

In conjunction with this reunion, we may be able to give travel advise to participants who wish to extend their stay and visit other places in Norway. The event will be taking place in Beiarn, summer 2010.

The organizing  committee consists of Frigg-Ottar Os, Inge Strand and Geir Heggmo. Feel free to contact the members of the group if you have any questions. Do also let us know in case you know anything about the Lillejord family, and want to share it with us.

 

Peder Johan’s family

This handsome couple, Dorothy writes, were my grandparents in their younger years with 2 of  their children.

Peder Johan Hansen Lillejord and Jorgina Arneson married in November 1881. Jorgine was also born in Norway in the village of Kongsvinger, in March 1864.

Peder passed away in 1937 at the age of 84. Jorgina passed away a couple of years later at the age of 75.

In the union of their marriage eight children were born. The sadness they must have endured as three of their oldest girls passed away in a short period of July 1885 to December 1886. They all died during the flu epidemic of those years. I believe it was diptheria. Then in 1899 they lost a son, Peder Julius, just 8 years of age.

They homesteaded in the Township of Madison, Minnesota in the early 1880’s. The prairie land of Minnesota was mostly homesteaded land. In the 1880’s Norwegian migration peaked. There were large colonies of settlers from Norway in the area, including Peder and Jorgina.

The old homestead home just before it was torn down approx. 100  years after it was built.

It survived several tornados and I wonder how many additions were added to the original homestead house prior to this photo.

The aerial shot shows the Lillejord farm as it looks now and is presently being occupied by the fourth generation of Lillejords. The last tornado that went thru that area was in 1958 and it took all the buildings except the house and the old garage. So the barn and all the out buildings in this photo were rebuilt after that storm. The newer house was built approximately 10 years later.

Peder and Jorgina with their four living children. From left: Lilly, Hjalmar, Gina, Henry, Melvin and Pete.

Dorothy is the daughter of the youngest son, Melvin, and she remebers her grandparents as old people.

‘Theese  pictures are the way I remenber them. “Pete” with his beard and cane and grandma “Gina” always in a hurry and rushing to go somewhere.

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Below is a casual photo of Pete and Gina taken in the yard at their homestead farm in Madison township, Lac Qui Parle county, Minnesota.

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Three of Pete and Gina’s children as grown ups with spouses. From left: Melvin and Bernice, Henri and Milda, Lillie and Robert. The picture is from a family reunion in Madison, Minnesota in October 1960.

The ‘child’ Hjalmer and his wife was absent. This photo of him and wife Elsie is taken in the fall of 1971.

We thank Dorothy for the photos and the information on the Peder Johan family. Maybe there will be more?

And so it was. Here is a photo of Dorothy’s family in Hawaii, celebrating her and husband Jerry’s 50th wedding Aniversary.  From left: son Mark (44) Dorothy (74) Jerry (76) and daughter Linda (49).

 

The Kleven/Luneng line

Debbie Booth writes:

- I am a direct descendent of Hans P. Lillejord through the Lars Stabel Line. I hope the information on Hanna and Wilhelm Kleven will update your information. Hanna Otelie was the third child of Lars Stabel and Maren Lillejord. Hanna was my great-grandma! Her daughter Esther Luneng was my grandmother and her son Einar Luneng was my father.

We thank Debbie for pictures and text. Some of the new family information we have put into the Family Report. The pictures and some text we publish here.

The Family of Hanna Otelie and Wilhelm Kleven

Hanna Otelie Larsdtr. was born April 10, 1878 in Beiarn. While working as a cook at the judge of Alstahaug in Nordland, Norway, she met Wilhelm Heitman Johannesen.  They were married on May 19, 1902. They settled at his father’s farm and got three children while living there: Esther, Jenny and Victor. In 1910 they made up their minds to join Hanna’s parents and siblings in Canada, and they left for Canada August 10, 1910. Arriving Canada they changed the surname to Kleven, the name of Wilhelm’s home place. They homesteaded in the MacVille district, where their family of six grew up. The homestead was 12 miles south of Bengough. During those years many violent wind and electrical storms and cyclones occured throughout the hot summer season. On the open prairie one could see a storm approaching miles away.

Hanna and Wilhelm built a storm shelter for protection in the side of a hill not far from their house.

Wilhelm died February 9, 1943. Hanna bought a house and lived in Bengough. She also lived a year or so with Esther and David (daughter&son in law) at Rose Valley. She died August 11, 1968 at the age of 90. They are both buried in the Zion Lutheran cemetery south of Bengough.

Hanna and Wilhelm’s oldest daughter Esther was born in Alstahaug, Norway. She was born January 31, 1903. Esther married David Luneng on July 8, 1923. They lived on David’s homestead near Coronach, Saskatchevan. In 1924 they sold the homestead and bought a farm at Hitchcock, a little closer to town. On this farm grain crops were good for 3 or 4 years. Then came crop failures, the drought that was felt across the southern Saskatchevan prairies was terrible. Nothing grew and cattle were starving, along with the people that depended on their farm. Also there were grasshoppers and hail storms that ruined the crops year after year. A cyclone destroyed David’s barn. Like many of the other people David and Esther and their family decided to  leave the prairies and move north, where there were many trees and green grass to feed the cattle.

They arrived at Rose Valley approximately 400 km north in July 1934. They bought their third farm and started all over again. David built a small saw mill and over time he built a bigger two-storey house and a barn on the Luneng Farm. Esther and David spent the rest of their lives on the farm. David died March 31, 1974 and Esther spent her last years with her youngest son, Ludwig ‘Lou’, on the family farm. After Esther’s passing February 10, 1982, Lou owns the Luneng farm and lives there.

Esther and David’s second eldest son, Einar, was born December 7, 1925. He married Alice Sather, born December 7, 1934. They had a daughter, Debbie, born April 7, 1955, and the supplier of all this information. She has a brother Darrell, born October 19, 1958. Debbie married Doug Booth on Norway’s National Day, May 17, 1980.

Alice and Einar celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary before Einar’s passing away on July 15, 2004.

Pictures of the Kleven/Luneng family (Descendents after Hanna & Wilhelm Kleven)

Hanna Kleven’s 80th birthday April 10, 1958.

From left: Otto Strand (cousin from Beiarn), Bill Bonner, Agnes Kleven, Esther Luneng, Lily Kleven, Alice Luneng, David Luneng, Debbie Luneng, Emil Kleven, Tilda Strand, Hanna Kleven, Annie Kleven, Shirley Kleven, Victor Kleven, Katherine Kleven, Anne Bonner (Hanna’s sister)

Below: The marriage of Esther and David Luneng July 8, 1923.

David and Esther Luneng with children. From left: Ludvig ‘Lou’, David jr., Johnny, Einar, Hjalmar, David sr., Esther and Hulda.

Below: The Luneng family some years later.

Debbie and Doug’s wedding picture May 17, 1980. In front: Einar, Debbie and Alice. Back: Doug, the groom, and Darrell, Debbie’s brother.

Some information of Hanna’s siblings:

1: Lorense Marie: A widow with two children when she came to Canada. Later she married Pete Andersson and they lived north of Buffalo Gap, Saskachevan township 2, range 25.

2: Elen Petronelle: 1876-1901

4: Hans Petter Lillejord & Hannah Hals: 16 children were born, they raised a family of 11. Helmer was the oldest and he and his wife Connie farmed at Hendon, Saskatchevan, Canada. No children. Other children were: Mary, Edwin, Leonard, Helen, Melvin, Carl, Mabel, Albert, Bennie and Hans. Hans & Hannah farmed at Sisseton, South Dakota, and was also in the butcher business in South Dakota. They sold their interests in 1912 and went to Khedive, Saskatchevan, Canada. But there was no land to be had to homestead, where his father Lars and three brothers had already settled. Hans and Hannah located and settled ten miles south-west of Bengough. Some of the children had already married when Hans bought the land. He built their home very near Garville school and here stent their remaining years. Son Albert took over the farm February 1957.

Mrs. Lillejord went for a trip to Winipeg with son Bud, daugter Mabel and her two sons Douglas (5 yrs) and Randy (14 mnts). On their return trip home they were hit by a train at Hargreaves, Manitoba. Mrs Lillejord, Bud and Doug were killed instantly. Mabel passed away two days later. Randy, the only survivor, had two broken legs. This took place on the Lillejords 49^th Wedding Anniversary, February 20, 1957.

Hans Petter, born March 13 / 1880, died 1960, married Hannah Hals February 20 /1908 at Sisseton, South Dakota, USA.

5: Anna Julie Lillejord: Married William (Bill) Bonner. They were farmers and ranchers near Bengough. Also known as horse trader. They are buried at Bengough cemetery. No children. Anna Julie born December 30, 1881. Died September 6, 1959.

6: Olav Pareli Lillejord: Married Mabel Olson, 9 children, Gustave, Hattie, Lillie, Melvin, Alice, Alan, Mandy, Alfred and Ernie. Came to Khedive 1906 from the US with his father Lars and two brothers. They obtained homesteads. Married and made their homes there.

7: Berntine Amanda Lillejord. Born February 8 / 1886. Married Charles Walker. Lived in the USA. 10 children. Died October 1, 1963.

8: Lars Kristian Lillejord: Born November 12, 1887. He lived with his parents and two brothers. Obtained a homestead at Khedive in 1906. Lars was fatally burned a few days before he was to be married in 1919. Died March 22, 1919.

9: Kristian Dreier Lillejord: Born March 14, 1890. Married Hattie Olson, b: 1898, d: 1919.

Kristian married Dagny Olsson 1922. They had 7 children, 6 grew up. Homesteaded at Khedive in 1906, at the same time as his father and brothers Olav and Lars jr. Died July 2, 1967.

10: Frikka Kalmanda Lillejord: Born August 7, 1892 in Beiarn, Norway. Died March 3, 1893.

11: Matilde Louise Lillejord: Born July 27, 1895. Married John Soloy in 1912 and lived ten or twelve miles south west of Bengough. They had two children. Matilde died of the Spanish flu in October 1918 and is buried in the Lutheran cemetary, six miles south of Bengough.

Her husband John was depressed at the loss of his wife. He took the children to Norway and left them in the care of his sister. The daughter Mildred remained in Norway. John  married again and came back to Canada.

 

When was Hans Petter Olsen Lillejord born?

We have earlier stated that Hans Petter was born in 1810. The source is the official history book of Rana (where he was born); however, we didn’t know the exact date. The Family Report on this site states that he was born on March 24, 1811. According to the census of 1865 he then was 56 years old, and on the passenger list of the Atlantic voyage in 1866 it also states that he was 56 years. When he remarried in 1855 he is said to be a 45-year-old man. We have no information of his confirmation, and the age of the wedding couple is missing in the church book registration of his first marriage in 1834.

From recent research we can conclude: there is no source of Hans Petter’s birth. The only available information is the date of his baptism, November 20, 1811. The custom was to bring the babies to baptism as soon as possible after the birth. It depended on circumstances like distance to the church, season of the year and the baby’s health. Weak babies used to be baptized immediately at home, and the church visit might be postponed.

We have no reason to believe that Hans Petter was a weak baby. Even if the distance to the church was 40 miles walking distance, we can’t see any circumstances indicating that he was more than 2 or 3 months at baptism. If he was born earlier than May 2011, there would be no reason to postpone the church visit until late autumn. The summer and early autumn was definitely the best time for making a trip like that.

It seems that Hans Petter was born in August or September 1811. We don’t know for sure, but the circumstantial evidences are strong.

However, we know for sure that we are going to celebrate him this summer!

 

More pictures from Lars Stabel’s family

The diligent member of the Lillejord family, Terry Bell from Regina, Saskatchevan, has given us a lot of information about the descedents of Lars Stabel and Maren Lillejord. The last contribution is photos from the Khedive Cemetary, where a lot of the family have  their graves. You will find the pictures in the Lars Stabel’s family section.

Tusen takk, Terry!

 

More pictures of Nels’ family

Diane Olson, who is a relative of Nels Lillejord’s wife, Bergit, has sent us two photos. She writes:

‘After seeing the photo (on this web site) of my great grandmother’s sister (Bergit Sorteberg) and her family , I have identified two photos.  In one photo, Bergit is sitting on an ostrich!  I can only think this would have happened at the Minnesota State Fair since they lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota according to the census.  Maybe someone knows the history of this strange photo!’

The other photo shows two girls with kittens and a well dressed little boy. Diane says the children are Gertie, Leonore and Arthur. You may see the photos here.