Helgeson, Halvorson,Ål parish, Norway

Click here to see the Stave church at Ål in Torpo near where Holge was born.

The first Helgeson was actually a HALVORSON. His name was Holge (or Helge) Halvorson. He and his family--wife Ingeborg Olsdotter and six children--left Bæra farm in Ål parish, traveled by land to the port of Drammen and from there aboard the barque, DRAFNA, to New York, where they arrived on 31 July 1850.

I don't know much about the journey--not even its length, though the average was 6 weeks--but it can't have been easy for 53-year-old Holge and his 44-year old wife. Especially since Ingeborg gave birth to a daughter, Ingeborg, on July 9th.

The children were all named Helgeson (or Helgesdotter for the daughters) in accordance with the Norwegian tradition of patronymics: Ole (born in 1829), Ingrid (born in 1832), Haldis (born in 1834), Anne (born in 1838 ), Rangdi (born in 1841), and Halvor (my great grandfather, born in 1846). But Helgeson stuck then as a surname, even though the family was listed as Bera (from Bæra farm--the third name for Norwegian peasants in those days was the place they lived) on the ship's passenger list. Ole and Halvor's children were also Helgeson.

Click here to see Holge's ancestors.

Click here to see Ingeborg's ancestors.

Ål today spreading up into the hills.

Ål parish was in Hallingdal, in the mountains of eastern Norway--a beautiful land, but the climate was harsh, the land was rocky and poor, and there were too many people at that time for the land to support.

But, neither Ingeborg nor her newest daughter lived to experience the new land. The child died, possibly on route to Rock Prairie, Wisconsin; Ingeborg died at Rock Prairie on 15 September 1850, probably in a cholera epidemic.

Young farmers (1930s) in traditional Hallingdal costume.

Photograph courtesy of Susan Kenyon.

Holge and Ingeborg probably reached Rock Prairie (near present-day Beloit) late in August of 1850. With the death of mother and child in the fall, it must have been a bleak winter for the father and children as they stayed with earlier immigrants--doing odd jobs for money, learning English, and preparing to move on.

Holge and the six children, ranging in age from 4-year old Halvor to Ole who was 18, started out in the spring of 1851 for the Paint Creek settlement in Allamakee County, in northeastern Iowa. Probably they joined a wagon train of other immigrants since both Rock Prairie and Paint Creek were "on the beaten track" for Norwegian immigrants of the time.

They stayed in Paint Creek until 1856 when they moved to Fillmore County, Minnesota where Ole got a homestead and set up as a farmer. Ole had married Ingeborg (Isabel in the US) Olsdatter, also a Norwegian immigrant, in 1855 at the East Paint Creek Church. Ingrid had married Sevat Sevatson in 1851 or 1852 and she stayed with her husband and young family at Paint Creek.

Halvor Helgeson grew up in his brother's household--Holge died in 1860 but little is known about him in Minnesota. At 18 in the summer of 1864, Halvor joined the Grand Army of the Republic and spent the last year of the war in uniform. Discharged he came back to Newberg Township in Fillmore County to be a farm worker.

He married Gina Sophia Olson (born in Wisconsin of Norwegian parents) on 15 December 1871 in Canton (Fillmore County), Minnesota. They had two children, Ina and Herman, before joining a wagon train to Western Minnesota in search of land. They settled, with Sophia's widowed mother (Aagot) and siblings (Ole, Hans, Peter, and Caroline) in Anthony Township, Norman County. There, six other children were born: Oscar, Nora, Alfred who died in childhood, Alta, Ernest and Gerhard. Sophie died in 1894 shortly after the birth of the last child.

Halvor Helgeson at GAR Reunion in Ada, Minnesota

The picture shows Halvor's eldest son (my grandfather Herman Adolph Helgeson) and his family: wife Lora Cornell Helgeson and sons, Robert Cornell and Kenneth Alton.

The Helgesons moved to Minneapolis in the 1920s and then to Chicago. Herman Helgeson died in 1957; his wife, Lora, in 1971. I was born in Chicago in 1941. I'm shown here with my father, Robert C. Helgeson, about 1943 or 44.

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Herman Helgeson moved to Osnabrock, North Dakota in the first decade of the century where his sons were born in 1908 and 1913. He was a banker, real estate salesman, and farm implement dealer. Above is Osnabrock School in 1918--undoubtedly Daddy is in that crowd!

Daddy was a graduate of Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern (he graduated in 1932 and was so poor he couldn't afford the sheepskin diploma until his mother paid for it). He worked as editor and advertising man and later in sales. In 1934, he married Vera Johnson, the daughter of Swedish and Swede Finn emigrants from Duluth.

Robert Helgeson died in 1978.

And in ths one, I'm with Daddy and sister Ann in 1954. We had just moved to Gull Lake, Michigan where lakes and ice were new to us (we'd come from Southwestern Iowa). It's Christmas Day on the lake outside our house; we'd got skates for Christmas

At left is a photo is the family of Herman and Lora Helgeson about 1954. In the center are Herman and Lora, flanked by their sons, Robert (back right) and Ken (back center), their wives, and their grandchildren. It was Thanksgiving in Chicago and that year we lived in Michigan--close enough to visit for the holiday. The Kenneth Helgesons lived in Chicago. Below is a 1997 photo of 5 of those 6 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

	Click here to see the Stave church at Ål in Torpo near where Holge was born. The first Helgeson was actually a HALVORSON. His name was Holge (or Helge) Halvorson. He and his family--wife Ingeborg Olsdotter and six children--left Bæra farm in Ål parish, traveled by land to the port of Drammen and from there aboard the barque, DRAFNA, to New York, where they arrived on 31 July 1850.
I don't know much about the journey--not even its length, though the average was 6 weeks--but it can't have been easy for 53-year-old Holge and his 44-year old wife. Especially since Ingeborg gave birth to a daughter, Ingeborg, on July 9th. The children were all named Helgeson (or Helgesdotter for the daughters) in accordance with the Norwegian tradition of patronymics: Ole (born in 1829), Ingrid (born in 1832), Haldis (born in 1834), Anne (born in 1838 ), Rangdi (born in 1841), and Halvor (my great grandfather, born in 1846). But Helgeson stuck then as a surname, even though the family was listed as Bera (from Bæra farm--the third name for Norwegian peasants in those days was the place they lived) on the ship's passenger list. Ole and Halvor's children were also Helgeson. Click here to see Holge's ancestors. Click here to see Ingeborg's ancestors.
	Ål today spreading up into the hills. Ål parish was in Hallingdal, in the mountains of eastern Norway--a beautiful land, but the climate was harsh, the land was rocky and poor, and there were too many people at that time for the land to support. But, neither Ingeborg nor her newest daughter lived to experience the new land. The child died, possibly on route to Rock Prairie, Wisconsin; Ingeborg died at Rock Prairie on 15 September 1850, probably in a cholera epidemic. Young farmers (1930s) in traditional Hallingdal costume.
Photograph courtesy of Susan Kenyon.	Holge and Ingeborg probably reached Rock Prairie (near present-day Beloit) late in August of 1850. With the death of mother and child in the fall, it must have been a bleak winter for the father and children as they stayed with earlier immigrants--doing odd jobs for money, learning English, and preparing to move on. Holge and the six children, ranging in age from 4-year old Halvor to Ole who was 18, started out in the spring of 1851 for the Paint Creek settlement in Allamakee County, in northeastern Iowa. Probably they joined a wagon train of other immigrants since both Rock Prairie and Paint Creek were "on the beaten track" for Norwegian immigrants of the time. They stayed in Paint Creek until 1856 when they moved to Fillmore County, Minnesota where Ole got a homestead and set up as a farmer. Ole had married Ingeborg (Isabel in the US) Olsdatter, also a Norwegian immigrant, in 1855 at the East Paint Creek Church. Ingrid had married Sevat Sevatson in 1851 or 1852 and she stayed with her husband and young family at Paint Creek.
Halvor Helgeson grew up in his brother's household--Holge died in 1860 but little is known about him in Minnesota. At 18 in the summer of 1864, Halvor joined the Grand Army of the Republic and spent the last year of the war in uniform. Discharged he came back to Newberg Township in Fillmore County to be a farm worker. He married Gina Sophia Olson (born in Wisconsin of Norwegian parents) on 15 December 1871 in Canton (Fillmore County), Minnesota. They had two children, Ina and Herman, before joining a wagon train to Western Minnesota in search of land. They settled, with Sophia's widowed mother (Aagot) and siblings (Ole, Hans, Peter, and Caroline) in Anthony Township, Norman County. There, six other children were born: Oscar, Nora, Alfred who died in childhood, Alta, Ernest and Gerhard. Sophie died in 1894 shortly after the birth of the last child.	Halvor Helgeson at GAR Reunion in Ada, Minnesota
	The picture shows Halvor's eldest son (my grandfather Herman Adolph Helgeson) and his family: wife Lora Cornell Helgeson and sons, Robert Cornell and Kenneth Alton.
	The Helgesons moved to Minneapolis in the 1920s and then to Chicago. Herman Helgeson died in 1957; his wife, Lora, in 1971. I was born in Chicago in 1941. I'm shown here with my father, Robert C. Helgeson, about 1943 or 44. .
Herman Helgeson moved to Osnabrock, North Dakota in the first decade of the century where his sons were born in 1908 and 1913. He was a banker, real estate salesman, and farm implement dealer. Above is Osnabrock School in 1918--undoubtedly Daddy is in that crowd! Daddy was a graduate of Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern (he graduated in 1932 and was so poor he couldn't afford the sheepskin diploma until his mother paid for it). He worked as editor and advertising man and later in sales. In 1934, he married Vera Johnson, the daughter of Swedish and Swede Finn emigrants from Duluth. Robert Helgeson died in 1978.	And in ths one, I'm with Daddy and sister Ann in 1954. We had just moved to Gull Lake, Michigan where lakes and ice were new to us (we'd come from Southwestern Iowa). It's Christmas Day on the lake outside our house; we'd got skates for Christmas
	At left is a photo is the family of Herman and Lora Helgeson about 1954. In the center are Herman and Lora, flanked by their sons, Robert (back right) and Ken (back center), their wives, and their grandchildren. It was Thanksgiving in Chicago and that year we lived in Michigan--close enough to visit for the holiday. The Kenneth Helgesons lived in Chicago. Below is a 1997 photo of 5 of those 6 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.