Our Ancestors Were Tough

Across the Fence #495w (Syttende Mai Extra)

The trip from Norway to America was rough for Anne Larsdatter Korsveien and her family when they left their home near Biri, Norway in 1854. Anne, 51, was accompanied by her son Peder, 25, and daughter, Agnethe, 27, along with Agnethe’s husband, Kristian Goldseth and their two-year old daughter, Anna. After the long trip, Anne was tired, homesick, and wishing they were back on their farm near Lake Mjøsa. Instead they were finally nearing their destination of Coon Prairie in Bad Axe County, Wisconsin, in America.

Anne Larsdatter Korsveien

My maternal great, great, great grandmother

Agnethe Andersdatter and Kristian Goldseth

My maternal great, great, grandparents

They were all looking for a better life and the chance to own their own farm in this wonderful land that earlier immigrants from Biri had written home about.

Anne’s husband, Anders Pederson Fremstad, had left for America two years earlier in 1852, along with other men from Biri. They went to stake out land and start their farms before their families arrived. Anne was looking forward to seeing Anders again.

As the group neared Coon Prairie, they met some people on the trail. Anne asked if they knew where Anders Fremstad lived. They had sad news for Anne and her family. Anders had been struck and killed by lightning a month earlier. They buried him on the land he had begun to clear and farm. The news hit Anne like a kick in the stomach. Here they were in a strange land and her whole world was crumbling around her. Her husband was dead. What was she to do now? 

That same summer of 1854, another family left Fåberg, Norway to seek a new life in America. Hans Olson Rustad, 33, his wife, Martha Knutsdatter Ensrud, 35, and their seven-year old son, Ole Hanson, also headed for Coon Prairie, Wisconsin. Friends who had left earlier had written back to Norway and given glowing reports about the paradise they’d found. There were wide-open prairies where they could own many acres of rich farmland, not the small areas of rocky soil they’d been farming in Norway. In America they could own their own farm, not just be a husmann, a hired hand, with no hope of owning their own land in the future.

During the long voyage to America, cholera broke out on the ship. Martha came down with the disease and died two days after arriving in America. Due to the fear of contracting cholera, she and other victims were hastily buried in unmarked potter’s graves. Hans and Ole were now alone in a strange country where they had no family and couldn’t speak the language. The only thing they could do was keep going and try to find their friends at Coon Prairie. They traveled as far as Koshkonong, a Norwegian settlement in southern Wisconsin, where their money ran out. To earn money so they could get to Coon Prairie, Hans found work on the railroad that was being built near Madison. Ole stayed with a family in Koshkonong. In the fall, Hans took what little money they had and he and Ole continued on to Coon Prairie, where he hoped to find his friends from Norway.

When they finally arrived in the fall of 1854, many men were preparing to leave the area and head north to pineries at Black River Falls, where they would work during the winter months. Hans left Ole in the care of some friends near a place called Bloomingdale. He then joined the other men to work as a lumberjack in order to earn money. 

This was not the life Hans had expected when he left Norway. Instead of a paradise he found himself in his worst nightmare. He wished they’d never left Norway. Martha would still be alive if he hadn’t insisted on seeking a better life for them in America.

  

What was to become of these two families who had begun their journey that summer with great hopes and dreams of a better life in America? Now their dreams were shattered. They had each lost a family member, were starting over with little money, and had no idea what to do next. It wouldn’t be easy, but they had nothing to go back to in Norway either. In order to afford the trip to America, they had sold everything they owned, except what they could pack into steamer trunks and carry on the voyage. Their new life would have to begin in this foreign environment they found themselves in. 

Anne was now the head of her family in this strange land, and felt responsible for their survival. Anne’s husband, Anders, had been one of the early immigrant settlers on Coon Prairie, and had chosen a nice piece of land high on the prairie, where the land was open and easy to work. At least they would have a place to stay. Anders had built a small log cabin on their property, but it would be very crowded for five people to live there. Anders hadn’t planned on Agnethe and her family living with them. A simple outhouse was nearby.  

He had acquired a few animals that were kept in a simple log barn he’d built. Chickens were in a small enclosure attached to the barn. After Anders was killed, neighbors had taken the animals because there was no one to care for them. They returned the animals to Anne. There was a wooded area nearby, where deer and other wild animals could be hunted for food, and timber could be cut for heating and cooking. 

Unfortunately, the farm was far from a water source, and too high on the prairie to dig a well and hit a water table. At first Anders and his neighbors had built a dam across a small ravine where water ran during heavy rains and during the spring thaw. That stagnant water was all right for the cattle, but wasn’t fit for people to drink. It also tended to dry up during the summer if there wasn’t enough rain. 

Drinking water and water to cook with was collected in rain barrels or carried from the nearest creek. To reach the creek they made their way down a steep, wooded hill into the coulee where a creek ran that emptied into the meandering Kickapoo River. That journey to get water was a tough round trip. 

Anne quickly realized that lack of a convenient water supply was going to be a problem. Anne and Agnethe even had to wash their clothes in the creek. Clean clothes became a luxury, not a necessity. 

At least there was food available. The cow produced enough milk to drink and make butter. The chickens provided them with eggs and an occasional meal when they butchered one. The sheep provided wool that Anne could weave on her spinning wheel to make yarn for clothes. Anders had planted wheat, corn, and a vegetable garden. Agnethe’s husband, Kristian, would have to learn to use Ander’s gun and hunt for deer and other wild animals for food. He had a lot to learn. He’d been a cobbler in Norway. He could make shoes, but knew nothing about farming and hunting. 

Another problem was getting supplies that couldn’t be grown on the farm. The closest general store was in Prairie du Chien, 50-60 miles south of Coon Prairie, situated along the Mississippi River. It was a long trip over rough country, with big hills and valleys, and numerous streams and waterways to cross. Roads were converted Indian trails and there were no bridges. The journey took several days for the early settlers. Many didn’t have access to a horse and buggy, or wagon. They walked to Prairie du Chien and back, carrying their supplies, like coffee, sugar, salt, syrup, flour, and other items on their backs. It would be several years before a store opened in La Crosse, cutting the trip in half.

That first winter was a tough one for Anne and her family. Her son, Peder, left in the fall with men from the area to walk to Black River Falls, where they worked as lumberjacks in the pineries during the winter months. Many men headed north in the winter to make money working in the woods. The women and children were left at home to take care of the farm and animals.

Life in the lumber camps was hard work with long hours, working in the freezing cold. They headed into the woods before sunrise and didn’t return until dark. Those were depressing days for immigrant families.

Lumber Camp: My grandfather, Oscar Hanson, 

Ole and Anna Hanson's son, seated front center

Back on Coon Prairie, the freezing weather arrived, along with snow and howling winds. Deep snowdrifts hindered their trips for water. They resorted to melting snow in a large kettle in the fireplace. They provided water for the cattle the same way. When the wind blew, snow came right through cracks between the logs where Anders hadn’t done a very good job of filling in the gaps. They were cold, miserable, and felt trapped and isolated, far from other humanity. It was a horrible, long winter. 

To add to their problems, the wolves were having problems finding food too. They resorted to raiding their chickenhouse and killed many chickens. They also lost sheep to the wolves. It seemed like things were going from bad to worse. They were even running out of firewood and Kristian had to cut up downed trees in the woods to get through the winter. Everyone was happy when spring finally arrived and they had survived their first winter in Wisconsin.

When Peder arrived home from the lumber camp, he and Kristian planted crops. They were able to replace the chickens and sheep that had been killed with money Peder had earned that winter.

Farming in the 1890's. This is Jonas Ostrem, my great grandfather. 

One day while Pedar and Kristian were working in the fields, a group of dark strangers approached the house. Anne had heard about the Indians who lived in the area, but had never seen one before. Anne told Agnethe to overturn the large cooking pot and hide Anna under it. People said that Indians and gypsies would try to steal their chickens and children. 

Agnethe kept the gun handy while Anne went outside to see what they wanted. She couldn’t understand their language and they couldn’t understand her Norwegian. Anne kept an eye on them as they left and headed in the direction of Bloomingdale. When she was sure they were safe, they lifted the pot off a bewildered and frightened Anna, who was now four years old. It was the first of many friendly encounters with Indians passing through the area. They learned over time not to fear them. 

Life that summer was hard as they struggled with the crops and animals. The water supply was a constant problem. Anne decided she needed to sell the farm and buy one closer to water. They would need more money to do that. Peder would need to work in the lumber camps each winter to make extra money.

Hans Olson also spent that winter back in the camp. While talking to Peder he learned that his father had been killed just before their family arrived at Coon Prairie. Peder learned that Hans had lost his wife on the voyage and still had no permanent place to go back to in the spring when the other men returned to their farms. He’d been working as a hired man for a family the past summer. Hans told Peder his young son was living with friends until he could get established and provide a home for him. 

Peder said his mother wanted to buy a farm near Bloomingdale. She’d been a weaver in Norway and felt she’d have a better chance to earn a living doing weaving closer to a thriving community. She didn’t know how to run a farm and Peder wanted to head west in the spring with other young, single men and seek his fortune. Her cobbler son-in-law didn’t know anything about farming, but he and his family would have to live with Anne until they could afford their own place. Plus, Anne was sick and tired of carrying water up those steep hills.  

Peder asked Hans if he would like to be his mother’s hired man when they returned in the spring. Hans had no other options at the moment, and no place to live, so he accepted the offer. Thus began an alliance between the two families to try and salvage something out of the horrible journey they found themselves on.

Anne found a piece of land near Bloomingdale. A creek ran through the property and would be a convenient water supply for them and the cattle. There was even a house and barn on the property. The owner was selling the property and heading west with Peder and the others to a place called Dakota, where there was an abundance of land for farming and no steep hills and valleys to deal with. 

Hans began working as a hired man for Anne and did all the farming. He built a small shack on the property to live in and ate his meals with Anne and her family. Ole, Hans’ son, continued to live with friends and helped them on their farm until he was confirmed at age 16. 

Hans worked hard, clearing the land to make more room for crops. Much of the land had steep hills, but he was able to grub out the flater areas. It was similar to what he was used to doing in Norway. He still headed north to the pineries in the winter months, while Anne and Agnethe took care of the cattle. 

The years passed, Ole was confirmed and came to live with his father. He was able to put in more crops with Ole helping him. Anne taught Agnethe how to weave and they were able to keep busy and make a living. Kristian left for La Crosse one day to get supplies and never returned. They knew he had been unhappy living in the wilderness and helping with the farming, but didn’t know if he had been killed or just kept going. 

Ole and Anna grew up together on the Korsveien farm. Their friendship blossomed into romance. In 1871 when Ole Hanson was 24 and Anna Goldseth was 19, they were married in the Coon Prairie Church. 

 Ole Hanson and Anna (Goldseth) Hanson,
my maternal great grandparents

By that time Hans and Ole had purchased a small farm in nearby Knapp Valley. They continued to farm together and buy more land until their farm extended up onto the ridge above the valley. The log house and an old log barn that Ole and Hans built in the valley still stands today. The land Ole and his father cleared and farmed during those early years from 1870 through the early 1900s was owned and farmed by descendants of Hans Olson Rustad and Anne Larsdatter Korsveien for many years.

Barn that Ole Hanson built in Knapp Valley. It still stands.

Hans Olson Rustad was my great-great-grandfather. Anne Larsdatter Korsveien was my great-great-great-grandmother. Ole Hanson and Anna Goldseth had a son, Oscar Hanson, who was my maternal grandfather. This is their story. Two pioneer immigrant families from Norway who had a rough beginning in America, but thanks to their perseverance and never giving up, they paved the way for their descendants and provided us a great path to follow. 

*