Motivation

So one of my many hang-ups with genealogy is that I have a lot of time being a stay at home mom but, I just don't seem to find the motivation to do it.  I enjoy it, I like researching and I like putting the puzzle pieces together.  So why do I find it so hard to get anything accomplished?  Part of it is organization.  That is a large downfall for me, I have things scattered all over the place.  I don't have a home office.  I am currently writing from my laptop sitting on my bed!  I have shared this before but it seems that I need to repeat myself just so that I can re-read it and maybe jump start myself into action.
With that said I have to say that one of the many things that I like about Ancestry.com is that I have people contact me from time to time that I am related to in various ways.
Tonight I received an email from a cousin asking if I had any photos or stories about her grandmother's family.  I love this.  Her grandmother is my great grandmother's youngest sister.  The best part, she is local and lives in the town next to my parents!  There are so few people in my family that have an interest in the family history that when I do find someone that does enjoy it I get way over the top excited!  I have been combing through photographs, my ancestry pages and my grandfather's family history book to find any information that I can for her!  She is probably going to run screaming.  It will be worth it because I have a glimmer of motivation and I can actually feel like I accomplished something.

Memorial Day puzzles

I realize that I am a day late on this post but I was trying desperately to do research yesterday with an internet that is slower than syrup!  I just couldn't get anything done.
My ultimate goal would have been to drive to the National Memorial Cemetery in Minnesota.  It isn't close by and I have not convinced my kids that visiting grave sites is a fun and exciting adventure!  My oldest is convinced that it is scary and creepy.  So I have to keep those adventures to myself for now.
I am on Ancestry.com most every week.  Yesterday I wanted to see what kind of military service I had in my past.  I was fortunate that my brother, father and grandfather's never served in the military.  I will not post the names of the living military members for privacy reasons but I will try to piece together those that have gone.
I do not have anyone that has died in the line of service which I am grateful for.  I cannot imagine the pain of waiting for your soldier to come home only to get word that they will not be.
Here is my puzzle for the day.  I have found an Alfred Sorteberg buried in the National Cemetery in Minnesota.  So many things add up but I cannot find the correct one and I cannot find the link that I have to this man who fought and served our country.  I have a never ending trail that I just can't piece together.  Once again I will have to look and look until I can find the right answers!

Matrilineal Monday-SVARTEBERG

One of the things that fascinates me about history is that way back when they didn't follow the rules that we have now about family names.  Although that seems to be changing these days too.
I am not even sure how to pronounce the last name that my mom should have had:  TVEITO
On 29 December 1853 Arne Jakobson Tveito and Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg were married.  The family name of Svarteberg was used because they lived on the Middle Farm (Myljogarden) that was owned by the Svarteberg's.
I am still looking into whether this property below is the homestead.  There is a resort that is called the Svarteberg Fjellgard that is in Al, Norway where the farm is located.  I know that the farm was sold many years ago but I do not have accurate information yet about what happened in the sale.  I have a contact into the owners of this resort to see if they know of the history behind the property.  If this is the property, I would love to go there and stay!


In Norway the name Svarteberg and Sorteberg are interchangeable.  However, the surname Svarteberg is used almost all of the time in Norway.  The Norweian translation of the name (Svarteberg) (Sorteberg) is "Black Mountain".  The Hallingdal Valley is a short distance north of Oslo, Norway.  the home where Aagot Svarteberg was born still stands on the side of the mountain.
Seven of the eight children of Arne Jakobson and Aagot Svarteberg arrived in the USA before their parents imigrated in 1893.  Only the second oldest, Birgit, stayed in Norway.  It is believed that the port of entry into the USA was New York, however some may have entered from Canada.
Aagot Sorteberg Hantho and Jorand Sorteberg Jallo, imigrated in 1880, and settled near Minot, North Dakota.  Later Aagot moved to Louisburg, Minnesota and Jorand moved to Jadis Township, Rouseau, Minnesota.  Jacob Sorteberg, first lived in Nelson County, Lakota, North Dakota, later moving his family to Anoka Township, Anoka, Minnesota.  From Sketchy information it appears that Lars Sorteberg, Birgit Sorteberg Kleppe, and Tosten Sorteberg all settled in Lac Qui Parle County, near Louisburg, Minnesota.

On June 8, 1983, six of the descendants of Arne Sorteberg, arrived in Aal, Hallingdal, Norway.  The visitors found the descendants to Brigit Svarteberg to be very hospitable and friendly people.  It did not take very long for them to feel a definite kinship to the families in Norway.  During the visit they were thrilled to see the farm on which their grandfather, Arne Sorteberg was born in 1868, as well as being the birthplace of their great grandmother, Aagot Svarteberg in 1829.
Svarteberg was made up of three farms.  On farm now belongs to Torlien Svarteberg.  The middle Farm, on which the grand parents were born belongs to Sevat Svarteberg; both of these people are grandsons of Birgit Svarteberg.  All of the buildings stand as they did in the 1800's, with the exception of a house added some years later.  The present ownership of the third farm was unknown to the visitors.

Svarteberg Fjellgard http://svarteberg.com/gallery.php

Information prepared in December 1983 by Leland Sorteberg, Muriel Hagen, Earl Hansen, Asbjorn Baklien

Generational Mother's day

me and mom

Of course everyone is going to talk about their mom's on Mother's day.  I am on a similar wagon train.
 I was a rotten teenager and I am sure that I caused my mom many sleepless nights.  She was always there for me when I made the effort to reach out to her for help.   Now as an adult she is my go to when my days are great and the ones that are filled with mothering anxiety!
The gift of being a mother is such a wonderful thing.  I had no idea what to think when I became a mom myself.  We don't have a big family so little kids were not the norm in my life.  I held my little one and tried to do all the "mom" things and I felt like I was failing before I even stated!
Is there a natural instinct to be a mom?  Do we learn from our past generations on what to do and what not to do?  My ancestors came from across the ocean on a boat.  Some of them came alone, some of them came with husbands, some of them came with children.  How do you parent little ones on a boat across the ocean to a land that you know nothing about?  How do you calm your baby when you can't even see land or know when you will see it again.  There was disease, there were food shortages, so many things that I thankfully know nothing about as a mom.
When they arrived they had to find land.  In those times the women had to raise the children, tend to the husbands, keep the house and help out in the fields.  It was truly a group effort to being a family and making it work.
Wars happened and Mother's had to fend for themselves wondering if their husbands and sons would be coming home all while taking care of the farm, the businesses and the other children in the home. 
Progress started to happen and a whole new world of mothering came about.  Our mom's went outside the home to help support the family.  Good or bad, right or wrong that is the reality of the world at that time.
My generation seems to be split on the mom role.  Do you have a career?  Do you stay at home?  Do you do both?  I am fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom and work part time.  I never thought that would be the case for me.  Staying home was a daunting idea for me.  I don't like cooking, I really don't like cleaning but I do love my kids and I have found that we love to find adventures with each other. It is a rewarding career path for me.  As I sat up worrying about the fever that my little one had last night I have to reflect and remind myself that this is were I need and want to be. 
Through all the things I have learned from generation to generation I hope to pass along some great skills to my girls so that someday if they are lucky enough to have kids of their own they may not feel so overwhelmed!
On this mother's day I am so thankful for the knowledge and the loving care that I have gotten from all of the many women in my life.  Whether they are friends, or relatives I am fortunate enough to gain little tidbits from them on how to be a better mom.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue, she watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all"
Psalm 31:26-29

publications bring questions-Kleppe vs. Kleppo

Today I have been searching for information in google books.  Just typing in last names and seeing what comes up.  I didn't find a great deal in my initial search but did come up with a question.
The husband of one of my ancestors was listed in a book called Norwegians, Swedes and More book 3 by Loren H. Amundson 2005
It had his family lineage.  My problem is that I have the Ancestors with the last name of Kleppe and in this publication they have it as Kleppo with a family farm in Norway which is the information that I have as well.
How do I figure out when and where the family name was changed. 
I am going to try to find out information from the author but wanted to find a quicker way to determine this information.  I know a lot of names were changed to be more Americanized.  I am not sure if it is just a Norwegian translation issue or if they just changed it when they came over. 
I have the year that they came over from Norway but not the port of origin:  1881 and eventually got themselves to Appleton, Minnesota.
Is there an easy way to find ship transfer information?

Surname Sunday: Svarteberg

So, I looked for the last half hour on surname information about Svarteberg or as it became in America Sorteberg.  I found nothing.  So, I went back to grandpa's research and found all the information that I needed about our family name.  Not sure why I bother doing my own research some days!  And his was all done before the age of computers and Google!
To condense what he knew:  the Svarteberg farm had been in the family since 1640.  The Svarteberg name was used as the family name when Arne Jakobson Tveito married Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg in 1853. 


Arne Jakobson Tveito (1827-1905)
Born on the Arne Farm --- (nordre Votndalen i Al Av. Foreldre)
Parents:  Jakob Arneson Arnegard (1795- )
 Birgit Embriksdtr Arnegard

Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg (1829-1907)
Parents:  Lars Torsteinson Svarteberg (1795-1858)
Jorand Tolleivsdtr Varaberg (1795-)
Lars Svarteberg was killed in the Springhouse in 1858.  The farm where Aagot was born had been in the relationship since 1640.  The farm was known as the Middle Farm (myljogarden).
In 1855 the farm was sold to Thorstein Larsson, brother of Aagot.
Arne Jakobson Tveito and Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg were married on December 29, 1853, in Aal, Hallingdah, Norway.  The family name of Svarteberg was used because they lived on the Middle Farm owned by the Svarteberg's.
In Norway the name Svarteberg and Sorteberg are interchangeable.  However, the surname Svarteberg is used almost all of the time in Norway.  The Norwegian translation of the name (Svarteberg) (Sorteberg) is "Black Mountain".  The Hallingdal Valley is a short distance north of Olslo, Norway.  The home where Aagot Svarteberg was born still stands on the side of the mountain.
Seven of the eight children of Arne Jakobson and Aagot Svarteberg arrived in the USA before their parents immigrated in 1893.  Only the second oldest, Birgit, stayed in Norway.  It is believed that the port of entry into the USA was New York, however some may have entered from Canada.

Svarteberg was made up of three farms.  One farm now belongs to Torlien Svarteberg.  The Middle Farm, on which the grand parents were born belongs to Sevat Svarteberg; both of these people are grandsons of Birgit Svarteberg.  All of the buildings stand as they did in the 1800's, with the exception of a house added some years later.  The present ownership of the third farm was unknown to the visitors.
The Norwegian dialect was very much like the Norwegian spoken by those in the USA, and they were pleased that they understood the relatives as most of them spoke only Norwegian.  They also noted that there were many similarities in looks and mannerisms between those relatives living in Norway and those living in the USA.

This first edition of the Sorteberg history was prepared in December 1983.  We are truly indebted to many, many people who have provided information about thier relatives to make this book possible.  We are aware that the information, in some cases, is incomplete; either because of errors in facts received from family members, or because of typographical errors.
Leland Sortberg, Muriel Hagen, Olga Hansen, Asbjorn Baklien

Madness Monday-John Peter Swanson, Sweden 1857

John Peter Swanson's parents are the people that frustrate me from my family history.  It drives me crazy that I cannot find anything significant.  I have a lot of information on John Swanson but cannot go any farther.  My hope is that some day someone will find this and be able to shed some light on who they were.
Here is what I do know about John and Carrie Clausen Swanson.  It was compiled by my Grandfather Leland Sorteberg from Princeton, Minnesota in the 1980s.

History of John Peter Swanson
Our paternal ancestor was born on May 20, 1857 in the area of Dalsland, Varmland, Sweden.  He came to America in the early 1880s.  Very little is known about his first years in Minnesota, except that he worked in the woods in Northern Minnesota.

John's father died when he was sixteen, and a brother and sister died when they were young.  John is the only member of his family to have emigrated to America.  It is believed that his mother came to Minnesota for a period of time but did not like it in Minnesota and returned to Sweden.  Up to this time record searches can not provide more details.

John Swanson met Carrie Clausen in a restaurant in Elk river, Minnesota, where she was employed.  They were married on June 18, 1884.  They first lived in Anoka, Minnesota where he was employed by the Pillsbury Flour Mill.

In 1895 the family homesteaded 40 acres of land in Anoka Township in an area just west of the Great Northern railroad tracks and about one mile south of Main Street.  (this is now the city of Coon Rapids and the homestead would be the land south of 121 Ave. and on the west side of Xeon Street)
John Swanson, was in stature a man of 5' 10" tall and weighed about 185 pounds.  He was a strong, determined, hard working, kind man.  For several years he continued working at the Pillsbury Mill in Anoka even though it was 5 miles to Anoka.  His first horse was a bronco named Betsy and it used to take about 30 minutes to make the trip from home to Anoka.  John was reputed to be the strongest man ever to work at the Mill, being able to carry a barrel of flour from the first floor to the top of the Mill.  This along with building a home and breaking the land was a very difficult time for the Swanson family, but because of the character of this family they were able to complete the tasks before them.

In March 1910, a fire started by a Great Northern and Northern Pacific train just below the Coon Creek Junction caused extreme havoc to the farms along the right-of-way.  The fire destroyed all of the barns and outbuildings on the farm, however, the family and neighbors were able to save the home.

John Swanson was a civic minded person and served for many years on the township board.  He was one of the original church founders of the Joyce Chapel Methodist Church, serving on the first administrative board.  John Swanson served on the District #50 School Board until the schools were consolidated in 1920.  The consolidated district was known as Coon Rapids Independent Consolidated District #2.  Also, he was one of the founders of the Coon Creek Rural Telephone Company.

From the Anoka, Herald, Tuesday, June 13, 1922, Obituary---
"It is with deep regret that we are obliged to chronicle, this week, the death of John P. Swanson, which occurred June 8th at two o'clock a.m. at the old farm home, Willow Lane, Anoka Township.  He had not been well for some time suffering from leakage of the heart, but more than this in his unselfishness he was more desirous of leaving this world than being a burden to anyone.  No fear was in his thoughts of passing over for he knew whom he had believed and was persuaded that He was abundantly able to keep that which committed unto Him against that day.  In a few words it is impossible to tell what place he held in the community and in the hearts of his neighbors.  He had lived in the neighborhood for 27 years and on the old home place for 26 years and during all that time had lived a life of thrift, honesty, unselfishness and kindness that might well be exemplified.  During these he had held many prominent positions in the community and was a trustee of Joyce Chapel from the time of its dedication 20 years ago.  John P. Swanson was born in Dalsland, Sweden in 1857 coming to this country in 1882.  At Anoka on June 28, 1884, he was married to Carrie Clausen and to this happy union were born 12 children.  Three of these died in infancy.  Mrs. Swanson, who had been his faithful nurse through the long, weary weeks of his illness, and their two sons Emil and Leslie, and daughter Geneva are left in the old home.  The remaining six children are married and reside in the community Anna, (Mrs. Wm. Tigue) Clara, (Mrs. Ed Greenlun) Ida, (Mrs. Peter Sorteberg) Oscar, Henry and Edwin.  The funeral was held at Joyce Chapel on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, Rev. E. E. Shawl officiating.  Mrs. Roy Hodson sand "The City Foursquare," "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" and "The Sweet bye and Buy".  Interment was made in the Chapel Cemetery.  The community extends its sympathy to the loved ones, but all those who knew him morn his death."

John Peter Swanson died on June 8, 1922.  Both he and his wife Carrie are buried in the Joyce Chapel Cemetery in Lots 19/1-2.  This cemetery has now been designated as a Minnesota Historical Site.

Oh!, there are so many stories about the early life of this family and the things they had to endure might be almost unbelievable in this day and age but how would you like to do things like this?

For about 15 years they hauled potatoes, butter and eggs to Minneapolis every two weeks and peddled to regular customers on the route.  John always put the money collected in a gunny sack and put it in the back of the wagon.  One time he was stopped by two men who attempted to rob him but he was able to get away from them by putting the whip to the horse Maude and outrun them.

Doctors and the hospital were in Anoka.  About 1900, while raking hay John ran into a nest of bumble bees.  The team of broncs, Betsy and Maude started to run and the rake tongue broke and the rake tipped over and John received a severe gash on his head.  This meant a trip to the Kline Hospital in Anoka by horse and buggy and he almost bled to death!

Regardless of all the trials of life of the Swanson family that was raised by John and Carrie Swanson it was a very loving close knit group.