Syklisten Ryder Hesjedal

English version here:

Ingen har vel unngått å få med seg dei norske triumfane i Tour de France med Thor Hushovd og Edvald Boasson Hagen, men alle er ikkje klar over at den kanadiske syklisten Ryder Hesjedal også er mykje norsk.

Kvifor skrive om det her, spør du kanskje? Men det har seg slik – som vi har vore inn på før – at Ryder Hesjedal er av “vårres folk”. Oldemora hans var dotterdotter til Hans Petter Olsen Lillejord. Ho heitte Hanna Ingebrigtsdtr. og utvandra frå Beiarn tidleg på 1900-talet og kom til slektningar i Minnesota. Der møtte ho Mons Hesjedal frå Stamnes litt nord for Bergen, og dei gifta seg i 1908 og flytta seinare til Saskatchevan i Canada der dei fekk sju ungar. Blant dei var Reuben f. 1919 som i 1950 fekk ein son med namnet Leonhard. Han er faren til Eric Ryder, f. 1980, som no herjar i Tour de France saman med “landsmennene” Hushovd og Boasson Hagen.

Vi har hatt meir enn 20 søk etter “Ryder Hesjedal Norway” på nettstaden vår dei siste dagane, så vi fann å ville informere om tilknytinga til Lillejord-slekta.

 

Descendant report for Hans P. Lillejord and his wives, Maalfrid Sakariasdatter and Margrete Nilsdatter,

Since the Lillejord Reunion last summer we have received some more information on the Lillejord family. We have tried to examine the information and get it confirmed, and we thank all good assistants.

The last delivery came from Inez Marie Lillejord with corrections and new information on the Elling and Ella Family

A new version of the report is now (May 22, 2011) available.

We still accept complementary family information and thank for every contribution.

 

Ryder Hesjedal – the cyclist

Hardly anyone in Norway could avoid hearing about the Norwegian triumphs in Tour de France with athletes such as Thor Hushovd and Edvald Boasson Hagen. However, many people may be unaware that Canadian cyclist, Ryder Hesjedal, also is of Norwegian heritage.

You may ask, why write about this here? But, Ryder Hesjedal is one of “our people” and here is the rest of the story: His great-grandmother was Hans Petter Olsen Lillejord’s grand-daughter. Her name was Hanna Ingebriktsdtr. She emigrated from Beiarn in the early 1900′s and joined relatives in Minnesota. There, she met Mons Hesjedal, he was from Stamnes, just north of the Norwegian city of Bergen. They married in 1909 and later moved to Saskatchewan in Canada, where they had 7 children. One of them was Ruben, born in 1919. His son, Leonard, was born in 1950. Leonard’s son, Eric Ryder, was born in 1980 and he is racing in Tour de France with his fellow Norwegians, Hushovd and Boasson Hagen.

The last few days we have had more than 30 hits on our website for “Ryder Hesjedal Norway” or similar key words, so we wanted to tell the story and let you know the connection to the Lillejord family.

 

Milda Hofstad Lillejord teaching school

Another photos from Minnesota Historical Society’s collection. Milda Otevia Hoftad was married to Henry Lillejord in 1915. Henry was son of Peder Johan and Jorgina Lillejord, living in Madison Township, Lac Qui Parle County.

The photos are from 1913-14 and before Milda married. She was teaching school near Louisburg, in District 64. We are not sure where she and Henry exactly lived, and if she continued teaching school. Maybe someone know more about that? Please tell us.

Milda Hofstad Lillejord teaching school near Louisburg. Photo from Minnesota Historical Society.

School picnic, District 64, Lac qui Parle County. Milda at the end of the cloth. Photo from Minnesota Historical Society.