-----------------------------
Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
My great-great-great grandfather, Ole Olsen Børsheim, was the son of Ole Iversen Børsheim and Synneva Olsdatter Hjelmevoll.
Ole married his first wife, Brita, and they had two sons, Ole (born 1842) and Amund (born 1848). For a time, Ole worked on the Opheim farm owned by his maternal uncle.
Ole immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1850 with Brita and their two young sons. Shortly after arrival, he was widowed. Two years later, Ole married Seborg Tostensdatter (Jørstad) Skildheim, a widow with five children, who had immigrated the year before. The family lived in Dane County, Wisconsin, for a few years before moving and settling in Canoe Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Together, Ole and Seborg had two more children: Tosten (born 1853 in Wisconsin) and Synneva-my great-great grandmother (born 1857 in Iowa).
Research of my Børsheim ancestry was a long and gratifying adventure. It started in 1992, at which time, I only knew that my great grandmother, Alice (Lee) Schliesser was of Norwegian descent and was born on November 21, 1879, and grew up in Ada, Minnesota. To begin, I wrote a letter to the pastor of a Lutheran church in Ada, hoping this had been the church that served the Norwegian community there in the 1800s. The church secretary replied with good news. The old church records included my great grandmother's confirmation record and other records of her family. I obtained her full name, her parents' names (Knute Gulliksen Lien/Lee and Synneva Olsdatter Børsheim/Burshem), their places of birth, and even her grandfathers' names. This allowed me to continue my research, headed in the right direction. Over a period of years, I was able to find nearly every available record for the families of my immigrant Norwegian ancestors. I wanted absolute proof that I was connecting them to the right family in Norway.
In particular, for my immigrant ancestor, Ole Olsen Børsheim (1815-1868) and his family, I left no stone unturned. I will never forget the excitement of finding his microfilmed Norwegian baptismal record giving me his birth date, baptismal date, and confirming the names of his parents. I gathered data from church records (Norwegian and American), bydeboks (Norwegian books), passenger lists, vital records, state and federal censuses, cemetery records, probate records, etc.
Ole's surname, Børsheim, was the name of his parents' farm in Ulvik, Norway. After immigration, Ole tended to use an anglicized version 'Bursem,' saying that is how the Yankees would say it. Census records sometimes listed the family with the easier patronymic name of Olsen or Olson. Ole's son, Amund ('Amos'), used and passed down the name as Bursheim. Ole's youngest son, Tosten ('Thomas') passed down the name as Burshem. Ole's brother, Magnus, used and passed down the name as Borsheim, while Ole's brother Iver's children used their patronymic name of Iversen.
In past centuries, the Børsheim farm had numerous spelling changes. Some of the variations are Byrsae, Byrseim, Børsem, Börsem, Bórsem, and Børseim, which later became Børsheim.
Of Ole's three sons, the youngest, Tosten (Thomas), is the only one to have living descendants who have carried on the name. As indicated above, it has been passed down as 'Burshem.'
-- Research/Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
-----------------------------------
Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
My great-great-great grandfather, Ole Olsen Børsheim, was the son of Ole Iversen Børsheim and Synneva Olsdatter Hjelmevoll.
Ole married his first wife, Brita, and they had two sons, Ole (born 1842) and Amund (born 1848). For a time, Ole worked on the Opheim farm owned by his maternal uncle.
Ole immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1850 with Brita and their two young sons. Shortly after arrival, he was widowed. Two years later, Ole married Seborg Tostensdatter (Jørstad) Skildheim, a widow with five children, who had immigrated the year before. The family lived in Dane County, Wisconsin, for a few years before moving and settling in Canoe Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Together, Ole and Seborg had two more children: Tosten (born 1853 in Wisconsin) and Synneva-my great-great grandmother (born 1857 in Iowa).
Research of my Børsheim ancestry was a long and gratifying adventure. It started in 1992, at which time, I only knew that my great grandmother, Alice (Lee) Schliesser was of Norwegian descent and was born on November 21, 1879, and grew up in Ada, Minnesota. To begin, I wrote a letter to the pastor of a Lutheran church in Ada, hoping this had been the church that served the Norwegian community there in the 1800s. The church secretary replied with good news. The old church records included my great grandmother's confirmation record and other records of her family. I obtained her full name, her parents' names (Knute Gulliksen Lien/Lee and Synneva Olsdatter Børsheim/Burshem), their places of birth, and even her grandfathers' names. This allowed me to continue my research, headed in the right direction. Over a period of years, I was able to find nearly every available record for the families of my immigrant Norwegian ancestors. I wanted absolute proof that I was connecting them to the right family in Norway.
In particular, for my immigrant ancestor, Ole Olsen Børsheim (1815-1868) and his family, I left no stone unturned. I will never forget the excitement of finding his microfilmed Norwegian baptismal record giving me his birth date, baptismal date, and confirming the names of his parents. I gathered data from church records (Norwegian and American), bydeboks (Norwegian books), passenger lists, vital records, state and federal censuses, cemetery records, probate records, etc.
Ole's surname, Børsheim, was the name of his parents' farm in Ulvik, Norway. After immigration, Ole tended to use an anglicized version 'Bursem,' saying that is how the Yankees would say it. Census records sometimes listed the family with the easier patronymic name of Olsen or Olson. Ole's son, Amund ('Amos'), used and passed down the name as Bursheim. Ole's youngest son, Tosten ('Thomas') passed down the name as Burshem. Ole's brother, Magnus, used and passed down the name as Borsheim, while Ole's brother Iver's children used their patronymic name of Iversen.
In past centuries, the Børsheim farm had numerous spelling changes. Some of the variations are Byrsae, Byrseim, Børsem, Börsem, Bórsem, and Børseim, which later became Børsheim.
Of Ole's three sons, the youngest, Tosten (Thomas), is the only one to have living descendants who have carried on the name. As indicated above, it has been passed down as 'Burshem.'
-- Research/Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------
Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
My great-great-great grandfather, Ole Olsen Børsheim, was the son of Ole Iversen Børsheim and Synneva Olsdatter Hjelmevoll.
Ole married his first wife, Brita, and they had two sons, Ole (born 1842) and Amund (born 1848). For a time, Ole worked on the Opheim farm owned by his maternal uncle.
Ole immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1850 with Brita and their two young sons. Shortly after arrival, he was widowed. Two years later, Ole married Seborg Tostensdatter (Jørstad) Skildheim, a widow with five children, who had immigrated the year before. The family lived in Dane County, Wisconsin, for a few years before moving and settling in Canoe Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Together, Ole and Seborg had two more children: Tosten (born 1853 in Wisconsin) and Synneva-my great-great grandmother (born 1857 in Iowa).
Research of my Børsheim ancestry was a long and gratifying adventure. It started in 1992, at which time, I only knew that my great grandmother, Alice (Lee) Schliesser was of Norwegian descent and was born on November 21, 1879, and grew up in Ada, Minnesota. To begin, I wrote a letter to the pastor of a Lutheran church in Ada, hoping this had been the church that served the Norwegian community there in the 1800s. The church secretary replied with good news. The old church records included my great grandmother's confirmation record and other records of her family. I obtained her full name, her parents' names (Knute Gulliksen Lien/Lee and Synneva Olsdatter Børsheim/Burshem), their places of birth, and even her grandfathers' names. This allowed me to continue my research, headed in the right direction. Over a period of years, I was able to find nearly every available record for the families of my immigrant Norwegian ancestors. I wanted absolute proof that I was connecting them to the right family in Norway.
In particular, for my immigrant ancestor, Ole Olsen Børsheim (1815-1868) and his family, I left no stone unturned. I will never forget the excitement of finding his microfilmed Norwegian baptismal record giving me his birth date, baptismal date, and confirming the names of his parents. I gathered data from church records (Norwegian and American), bydeboks (Norwegian books), passenger lists, vital records, state and federal censuses, cemetery records, probate records, etc.
Ole's surname, Børsheim, was the name of his parents' farm in Ulvik, Norway. After immigration, Ole tended to use an anglicized version 'Bursem,' saying that is how the Yankees would say it. Census records sometimes listed the family with the easier patronymic name of Olsen or Olson. Ole's son, Amund ('Amos'), used and passed down the name as Bursheim. Ole's youngest son, Tosten ('Thomas') passed down the name as Burshem. Ole's brother, Magnus, used and passed down the name as Borsheim, while Ole's brother Iver's children used their patronymic name of Iversen.
In past centuries, the Børsheim farm had numerous spelling changes. Some of the variations are Byrsae, Byrseim, Børsem, Börsem, Bórsem, and Børseim, which later became Børsheim.
Of Ole's three sons, the youngest, Tosten (Thomas), is the only one to have living descendants who have carried on the name. As indicated above, it has been passed down as 'Burshem.'
-- Research/Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
-----------------------------------
Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
My great-great-great grandfather, Ole Olsen Børsheim, was the son of Ole Iversen Børsheim and Synneva Olsdatter Hjelmevoll.
Ole married his first wife, Brita, and they had two sons, Ole (born 1842) and Amund (born 1848). For a time, Ole worked on the Opheim farm owned by his maternal uncle.
Ole immigrated to the U.S.A. in 1850 with Brita and their two young sons. Shortly after arrival, he was widowed. Two years later, Ole married Seborg Tostensdatter (Jørstad) Skildheim, a widow with five children, who had immigrated the year before. The family lived in Dane County, Wisconsin, for a few years before moving and settling in Canoe Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Together, Ole and Seborg had two more children: Tosten (born 1853 in Wisconsin) and Synneva-my great-great grandmother (born 1857 in Iowa).
Research of my Børsheim ancestry was a long and gratifying adventure. It started in 1992, at which time, I only knew that my great grandmother, Alice (Lee) Schliesser was of Norwegian descent and was born on November 21, 1879, and grew up in Ada, Minnesota. To begin, I wrote a letter to the pastor of a Lutheran church in Ada, hoping this had been the church that served the Norwegian community there in the 1800s. The church secretary replied with good news. The old church records included my great grandmother's confirmation record and other records of her family. I obtained her full name, her parents' names (Knute Gulliksen Lien/Lee and Synneva Olsdatter Børsheim/Burshem), their places of birth, and even her grandfathers' names. This allowed me to continue my research, headed in the right direction. Over a period of years, I was able to find nearly every available record for the families of my immigrant Norwegian ancestors. I wanted absolute proof that I was connecting them to the right family in Norway.
In particular, for my immigrant ancestor, Ole Olsen Børsheim (1815-1868) and his family, I left no stone unturned. I will never forget the excitement of finding his microfilmed Norwegian baptismal record giving me his birth date, baptismal date, and confirming the names of his parents. I gathered data from church records (Norwegian and American), bydeboks (Norwegian books), passenger lists, vital records, state and federal censuses, cemetery records, probate records, etc.
Ole's surname, Børsheim, was the name of his parents' farm in Ulvik, Norway. After immigration, Ole tended to use an anglicized version 'Bursem,' saying that is how the Yankees would say it. Census records sometimes listed the family with the easier patronymic name of Olsen or Olson. Ole's son, Amund ('Amos'), used and passed down the name as Bursheim. Ole's youngest son, Tosten ('Thomas') passed down the name as Burshem. Ole's brother, Magnus, used and passed down the name as Borsheim, while Ole's brother Iver's children used their patronymic name of Iversen.
In past centuries, the Børsheim farm had numerous spelling changes. Some of the variations are Byrsae, Byrseim, Børsem, Börsem, Bórsem, and Børseim, which later became Børsheim.
Of Ole's three sons, the youngest, Tosten (Thomas), is the only one to have living descendants who have carried on the name. As indicated above, it has been passed down as 'Burshem.'
-- Research/Biography by:
Martha Jane (Schliesser) Hicks
-----------------------------------
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