from Contributor: Doug Johnson (48808641) :
Inscription on the monument at the site of Ole Larsen's home, Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin:
The home of Ole Larsen, first farmer in Door County, stood here. In 1850 he came to Eagle Island where he supplied the Buffalo steamer with wood on its weekly run to Green Bay. Three years later the timber was consumed and he moved his log house to this spot. He fostered the Ephraim colony and was the founder of the large Scandinavian settlement in the Northern Door Peninsula. In 1957 the house, oldest in Door County, was removed.
Erected 1958
----------
Notes on the monument inscription: This monument was dedicated on July 5, 1959, by the historian Hjalmar Höland and others. Oddly, they seem to have gotten the date of Ole's arrival at Eagle Island wrong. We know for sure that Ole and Rachel were still in Buffalo on May 29, 1850, when their son William was born there. There is evidence that they spent time in both Milwaukee and Fort Howard (Green Bay) after leaving Buffalo. Höland himself tells a different story in his book "History of Door County," page 340, where he states that in the spring of 1852, Ole, along with Even Nelson and Peter Weborg, headed north on Green Bay in a boat to find a good place to start as fishermen. "At Fish Creek they found Increase Claflin, the only settler in the northern part of the peninsula. He told them that the fishing among the islands near by was excellent. Consequently they settled there, Nelson and Weborg taking claims a short distance north of Claflin, while Larsen went a little farther north and settled on Eagle Island." Ole's arrival there in 1852, not 1850, seems more likely. Claflin was obviously the first farmer in Door County, having been at Little Sturgeon Bay from 1835, then at Fish Creek from 1844. Ole was perhaps the second, although apparently Nelson and Weborg started at about the same time. Ole was definitely the founder of the Ephraim colony, where he welcomed a large group of fellow Norwegian Moravians at the beginnning of 1853. Ole and Rachel's second son, Henry, my great-grandfather, was born in the log house at Eagle Island on February 5, 1854.
----------
According to the Solum Kirkebøker (Churchbook), parish register no. 13, 1761-1814, Page 164,
Ole Larsen was baptized 25 May 1806 at Solum (a former municipality now part of Skien), Telemark, Norway. The father is named as Lars Jonsen, the mother Anne Jonsdatter.
The place name "Øya" refers to the island where he was born, a little north of the church at Kilebygda, in what was then the municipality of Solum. His parents' full names were Lars Jonsen Øya and Anne Jonsdatter Stavdal, Stavdal being her home place.
Ole was actually married three times, his first wife having died very young and without children. His second wife was Elisabet Hansdatter Skien, who died around 1848 in Norway. She was the mother of Anne, Hans, Karen Marie, Pauline, Adrine, and Eliza Cornelia. His third wife, and mother of William, Henry, and Otis, was Rachel Weisenberg. The son Hans Laurentius (called Henry Lawrence in America), from the second marriage, was a young circuit riding (Lutheran?) minister who came to his father at Eagle Island in 1853, terminally ill, at about the age of 23. An account of this can be found in Reverend Iverson's diary. Our great-grandfather, the second Henry Lawrence, was born there the following year and named after his deceased half-brother. A daughter from the second marriage, Pauline, is mentioned as the first school teacher at Ephraim. The youngest daughter from the second marriage, Eliza Cornelia, was married to William H. Aldrich, and died in Minneapolis, MN, at the age of about 23.
The soil in Door County was not particularly good for farming, with the limestone generally close to the surface. Ole used various strategies to make a living, including growing fruit. The land was good for apples and cherries. For awhile he was the rural mail carrier in the area. He did a lot of fishing, and was known, in the early years there, to bring his catch to Green Bay for sale, often in winter over the frozen bay with a pony.
The Norwegian "place names" added to a person's family name are a wonderful source of confusion. They seem to change whenever someone changes their residence. For instance, Ole's birth name is Ole Larsen Øya. Later, his marriage record to Elisabet refers to him as Ole Larsen Vold, apparently where he was living at the time. Elisabet was called Elisabet Hansdatter Skien in the marriage record, but later referred to as Elisabet Hansdatter Vold at the baptism of her children.
Inscription on the monument at the site of Ole Larsen's home, Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin:
The home of Ole Larsen, first farmer in Door County, stood here. In 1850 he came to Eagle Island where he supplied the Buffalo steamer with wood on its weekly run to Green Bay. Three years later the timber was consumed and he moved his log house to this spot. He fostered the Ephraim colony and was the founder of the large Scandinavian settlement in the Northern Door Peninsula. In 1957 the house, oldest in Door County, was removed.
Erected 1958
----------
Notes on the monument inscription: This monument was dedicated on July 5, 1959, by the historian Hjalmar Höland and others. Oddly, they seem to have gotten the date of Ole's arrival at Eagle Island wrong. We know for sure that Ole and Rachel were still in Buffalo on May 29, 1850, when their son William was born there. There is evidence that they spent time in both Milwaukee and Fort Howard (Green Bay) after leaving Buffalo. Höland himself tells a different story in his book "History of Door County," page 340, where he states that in the spring of 1852, Ole, along with Even Nelson and Peter Weborg, headed north on Green Bay in a boat to find a good place to start as fishermen. "At Fish Creek they found Increase Claflin, the only settler in the northern part of the peninsula. He told them that the fishing among the islands near by was excellent. Consequently they settled there, Nelson and Weborg taking claims a short distance north of Claflin, while Larsen went a little farther north and settled on Eagle Island." Ole's arrival there in 1852, not 1850, seems more likely. Claflin was obviously the first farmer in Door County, having been at Little Sturgeon Bay from 1835, then at Fish Creek from 1844. Ole was perhaps the second, although apparently Nelson and Weborg started at about the same time. Ole was definitely the founder of the Ephraim colony, where he welcomed a large group of fellow Norwegian Moravians at the beginnning of 1853. Ole and Rachel's second son, Henry, my great-grandfather, was born in the log house at Eagle Island on February 5, 1854.
----------
According to the Solum Kirkebøker (Churchbook), parish register no. 13, 1761-1814, Page 164,
Ole Larsen was baptized 25 May 1806 at Solum (a former municipality now part of Skien), Telemark, Norway. The father is named as Lars Jonsen, the mother Anne Jonsdatter.
The place name "Øya" refers to the island where he was born, a little north of the church at Kilebygda, in what was then the municipality of Solum. His parents' full names were Lars Jonsen Øya and Anne Jonsdatter Stavdal, Stavdal being her home place.
Ole was actually married three times, his first wife having died very young and without children. His second wife was Elisabet Hansdatter Skien, who died around 1848 in Norway. She was the mother of Anne, Hans, Karen Marie, Pauline, Adrine, and Eliza Cornelia. His third wife, and mother of William, Henry, and Otis, was Rachel Weisenberg. The son Hans Laurentius (called Henry Lawrence in America), from the second marriage, was a young circuit riding (Lutheran?) minister who came to his father at Eagle Island in 1853, terminally ill, at about the age of 23. An account of this can be found in Reverend Iverson's diary. Our great-grandfather, the second Henry Lawrence, was born there the following year and named after his deceased half-brother. A daughter from the second marriage, Pauline, is mentioned as the first school teacher at Ephraim. The youngest daughter from the second marriage, Eliza Cornelia, was married to William H. Aldrich, and died in Minneapolis, MN, at the age of about 23.
The soil in Door County was not particularly good for farming, with the limestone generally close to the surface. Ole used various strategies to make a living, including growing fruit. The land was good for apples and cherries. For awhile he was the rural mail carrier in the area. He did a lot of fishing, and was known, in the early years there, to bring his catch to Green Bay for sale, often in winter over the frozen bay with a pony.
The Norwegian "place names" added to a person's family name are a wonderful source of confusion. They seem to change whenever someone changes their residence. For instance, Ole's birth name is Ole Larsen Øya. Later, his marriage record to Elisabet refers to him as Ole Larsen Vold, apparently where he was living at the time. Elisabet was called Elisabet Hansdatter Skien in the marriage record, but later referred to as Elisabet Hansdatter Vold at the baptism of her children.
from Contributor: Doug Johnson (48808641) :
Inscription on the monument at the site of Ole Larsen's home, Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin:
The home of Ole Larsen, first farmer in Door County, stood here. In 1850 he came to Eagle Island where he supplied the Buffalo steamer with wood on its weekly run to Green Bay. Three years later the timber was consumed and he moved his log house to this spot. He fostered the Ephraim colony and was the founder of the large Scandinavian settlement in the Northern Door Peninsula. In 1957 the house, oldest in Door County, was removed.
Erected 1958
----------
Notes on the monument inscription: This monument was dedicated on July 5, 1959, by the historian Hjalmar Höland and others. Oddly, they seem to have gotten the date of Ole's arrival at Eagle Island wrong. We know for sure that Ole and Rachel were still in Buffalo on May 29, 1850, when their son William was born there. There is evidence that they spent time in both Milwaukee and Fort Howard (Green Bay) after leaving Buffalo. Höland himself tells a different story in his book "History of Door County," page 340, where he states that in the spring of 1852, Ole, along with Even Nelson and Peter Weborg, headed north on Green Bay in a boat to find a good place to start as fishermen. "At Fish Creek they found Increase Claflin, the only settler in the northern part of the peninsula. He told them that the fishing among the islands near by was excellent. Consequently they settled there, Nelson and Weborg taking claims a short distance north of Claflin, while Larsen went a little farther north and settled on Eagle Island." Ole's arrival there in 1852, not 1850, seems more likely. Claflin was obviously the first farmer in Door County, having been at Little Sturgeon Bay from 1835, then at Fish Creek from 1844. Ole was perhaps the second, although apparently Nelson and Weborg started at about the same time. Ole was definitely the founder of the Ephraim colony, where he welcomed a large group of fellow Norwegian Moravians at the beginnning of 1853. Ole and Rachel's second son, Henry, my great-grandfather, was born in the log house at Eagle Island on February 5, 1854.
----------
According to the Solum Kirkebøker (Churchbook), parish register no. 13, 1761-1814, Page 164,
Ole Larsen was baptized 25 May 1806 at Solum (a former municipality now part of Skien), Telemark, Norway. The father is named as Lars Jonsen, the mother Anne Jonsdatter.
The place name "Øya" refers to the island where he was born, a little north of the church at Kilebygda, in what was then the municipality of Solum. His parents' full names were Lars Jonsen Øya and Anne Jonsdatter Stavdal, Stavdal being her home place.
Ole was actually married three times, his first wife having died very young and without children. His second wife was Elisabet Hansdatter Skien, who died around 1848 in Norway. She was the mother of Anne, Hans, Karen Marie, Pauline, Adrine, and Eliza Cornelia. His third wife, and mother of William, Henry, and Otis, was Rachel Weisenberg. The son Hans Laurentius (called Henry Lawrence in America), from the second marriage, was a young circuit riding (Lutheran?) minister who came to his father at Eagle Island in 1853, terminally ill, at about the age of 23. An account of this can be found in Reverend Iverson's diary. Our great-grandfather, the second Henry Lawrence, was born there the following year and named after his deceased half-brother. A daughter from the second marriage, Pauline, is mentioned as the first school teacher at Ephraim. The youngest daughter from the second marriage, Eliza Cornelia, was married to William H. Aldrich, and died in Minneapolis, MN, at the age of about 23.
The soil in Door County was not particularly good for farming, with the limestone generally close to the surface. Ole used various strategies to make a living, including growing fruit. The land was good for apples and cherries. For awhile he was the rural mail carrier in the area. He did a lot of fishing, and was known, in the early years there, to bring his catch to Green Bay for sale, often in winter over the frozen bay with a pony.
The Norwegian "place names" added to a person's family name are a wonderful source of confusion. They seem to change whenever someone changes their residence. For instance, Ole's birth name is Ole Larsen Øya. Later, his marriage record to Elisabet refers to him as Ole Larsen Vold, apparently where he was living at the time. Elisabet was called Elisabet Hansdatter Skien in the marriage record, but later referred to as Elisabet Hansdatter Vold at the baptism of her children.
Inscription on the monument at the site of Ole Larsen's home, Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin:
The home of Ole Larsen, first farmer in Door County, stood here. In 1850 he came to Eagle Island where he supplied the Buffalo steamer with wood on its weekly run to Green Bay. Three years later the timber was consumed and he moved his log house to this spot. He fostered the Ephraim colony and was the founder of the large Scandinavian settlement in the Northern Door Peninsula. In 1957 the house, oldest in Door County, was removed.
Erected 1958
----------
Notes on the monument inscription: This monument was dedicated on July 5, 1959, by the historian Hjalmar Höland and others. Oddly, they seem to have gotten the date of Ole's arrival at Eagle Island wrong. We know for sure that Ole and Rachel were still in Buffalo on May 29, 1850, when their son William was born there. There is evidence that they spent time in both Milwaukee and Fort Howard (Green Bay) after leaving Buffalo. Höland himself tells a different story in his book "History of Door County," page 340, where he states that in the spring of 1852, Ole, along with Even Nelson and Peter Weborg, headed north on Green Bay in a boat to find a good place to start as fishermen. "At Fish Creek they found Increase Claflin, the only settler in the northern part of the peninsula. He told them that the fishing among the islands near by was excellent. Consequently they settled there, Nelson and Weborg taking claims a short distance north of Claflin, while Larsen went a little farther north and settled on Eagle Island." Ole's arrival there in 1852, not 1850, seems more likely. Claflin was obviously the first farmer in Door County, having been at Little Sturgeon Bay from 1835, then at Fish Creek from 1844. Ole was perhaps the second, although apparently Nelson and Weborg started at about the same time. Ole was definitely the founder of the Ephraim colony, where he welcomed a large group of fellow Norwegian Moravians at the beginnning of 1853. Ole and Rachel's second son, Henry, my great-grandfather, was born in the log house at Eagle Island on February 5, 1854.
----------
According to the Solum Kirkebøker (Churchbook), parish register no. 13, 1761-1814, Page 164,
Ole Larsen was baptized 25 May 1806 at Solum (a former municipality now part of Skien), Telemark, Norway. The father is named as Lars Jonsen, the mother Anne Jonsdatter.
The place name "Øya" refers to the island where he was born, a little north of the church at Kilebygda, in what was then the municipality of Solum. His parents' full names were Lars Jonsen Øya and Anne Jonsdatter Stavdal, Stavdal being her home place.
Ole was actually married three times, his first wife having died very young and without children. His second wife was Elisabet Hansdatter Skien, who died around 1848 in Norway. She was the mother of Anne, Hans, Karen Marie, Pauline, Adrine, and Eliza Cornelia. His third wife, and mother of William, Henry, and Otis, was Rachel Weisenberg. The son Hans Laurentius (called Henry Lawrence in America), from the second marriage, was a young circuit riding (Lutheran?) minister who came to his father at Eagle Island in 1853, terminally ill, at about the age of 23. An account of this can be found in Reverend Iverson's diary. Our great-grandfather, the second Henry Lawrence, was born there the following year and named after his deceased half-brother. A daughter from the second marriage, Pauline, is mentioned as the first school teacher at Ephraim. The youngest daughter from the second marriage, Eliza Cornelia, was married to William H. Aldrich, and died in Minneapolis, MN, at the age of about 23.
The soil in Door County was not particularly good for farming, with the limestone generally close to the surface. Ole used various strategies to make a living, including growing fruit. The land was good for apples and cherries. For awhile he was the rural mail carrier in the area. He did a lot of fishing, and was known, in the early years there, to bring his catch to Green Bay for sale, often in winter over the frozen bay with a pony.
The Norwegian "place names" added to a person's family name are a wonderful source of confusion. They seem to change whenever someone changes their residence. For instance, Ole's birth name is Ole Larsen Øya. Later, his marriage record to Elisabet refers to him as Ole Larsen Vold, apparently where he was living at the time. Elisabet was called Elisabet Hansdatter Skien in the marriage record, but later referred to as Elisabet Hansdatter Vold at the baptism of her children.
Inscription
FATHER
Family Members
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
