Anders was born on 14 May 1821 in what today is Målselv in the county of Troms, Norway, the third child of Ole Tollefsen & Berit Nilsdatter, residents of the Moen farm in Målselv, first cleared by Berit's father Nils, a pioneer settler in those parts, some 30 years earlier. Today, what was once called Nilsmoen is now a small village and the administrative center of the municipality of Målselv.
On 25 Sep 1842 Anders was united in marriage to Anne Marie, the third child of Ole Gulbrandsen and Marta Johnsdatter, residents of the Brandskognes farm, southward a short distance upstream along the Målselva river from the Moen farm. They made their home at Moen, a part of which Anders shared ownership of with his brothers Nils and Tollef, father Ole, and maternal uncle, Jakob Nilsen.
In 1861 Anders sold his stake in the Moen farm and emigrated "til Amerika" with his wife, six living children, and a dozen or so other families from Målselv, including a few of his siblings and their families. After a long journey by sailboat to North America, they made their way to the eastern part of Dunn county in Wisconsin, settling in 1862 in what today is section 10 of the town of Colfax (then still a part of the town of Red Cedar) where Anders took a homestead, making him one of the pioneer settlers of the town. He was 40 years old. His nearest neighbor at the time was Ole Running more than seven miles away. Over the next eight years there was a rapid influx of new immigrants to the town, the greater majority of whom were Norwegian, and by 1870 there were 48 households enumerated in the town.
Anders played an active role in the organization of the town of Colfax, its school district, and especially in organizing the community of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod church, donating land for an initial cemetery located in Colfax, and supporting the construction of a new church in 1876 a few miles north of Colfax in the town of Grant, in English called Holden Lutheran.
Upon first settling the 160 acre tract of wild land, Anders built a log house and barn, and with the help of his three sons began the hard work of clearing the land and making it productive. Soon after he purchased 40 acres more in section 11, the northwestern corner of which he donated for the aforementioned cemetery.
Anders' property in section 10 was bordered to the east and southeast by a 360 tract of land owned by his nephew, Ole Martin Helgeson, son of Helge Olsen and Marit Olsdatter Moen, an older sister of Anders.
Two of the younger brothers of Anders also lived nearby. His brother John owned several parcels of land that spanned between the towns of Colfax and Howard along the border of Dunn and Chippewa counties. Ole, the other brother, owned a farm that was adjacent to John's. All in all, Anders was surrounded by friends and family that had immigrated with him from Målselv.
Anders was widowed at the age of 63 when his wife passed away on 6 Nov 1884. In his advanced years he rented out his farm in sections 10 and 11 and lived with his son Olai and several orphaned grandchildren. He died at the age of 80 on 10 Sep 1901. His estate was placed in probate and administered by Ole Kinney, the son of Anders' close friend Gunder Kinney. Ole was well known businessman and banker in the village of Colfax and later became a state senator.
Anders was a very tall man and called "Stor" by his friends and close associations or, as it is written on the back of one family photo, "Staar", meaning "big". To English speakers he was more commonly known as Andrew Olson and somewhat more rarely as Andrew Moen.
Anders and Anne Marie were the parents of ten children, the first eight of whom were all born in Moen in Målselv.
The eldest, Ole Bertin, was born 11 Apr 1843 and was 19 when the family immigrated to Colfax. On 20 Nov 1873 he married Anna Karina, daughter of Jacob Trondsen and Mina Halvorsdatter, all three immigrants from Hakadal, Norway. In 1879 Ole moved with his wife and two children to Polk county in Minnesota where they had five more children. Ole died in 1905 in Polk county.
The second child and eldest daughter, Martha, was born on 13 Mar 1845 and was 17 years old when the family settled in Colfax in 1862. She was united in marriage on 1 Apr 1866 to Ole Berntsen, a widower and immigrant from what is now Lund, Norway. They made their home on a 180 acre tract of land in section 16 of the town of Colfax, which today lies in the village of Colfax. Martha and Ole were the parents of 11 children. Martha died on 9 Jan 1900 in Colfax.
The third child and second son, Olai Christian, was born on 26 Mar 1848. He was 14 years old when the family immigrated to Colfax and was among the first of the children to be confirmed in the Lutheran parish of Holden in Dunn county. On 14 Nov 1872, aged 24, he was united in marriage to Christine, a younger sister of his brother-in-law, Ole Berntsen. They made their home on a 63 acre tract of land in section 16, adjacent to the land of her brother Ole, and Olai purchased an additional 80 acre tract of adjoining land to the south in section 21, bordering the land of some of his cousins from Målselv, Gunder Israelson and Ole Fjelsted. Olai and Christine were the parents of no less than eight children.
The fourth child and second daughter, Berit Marie, was born on 30 Nov 1850 and was 12 when the family settled in Colfax. On 20 May 1871 she was united in marriage to Oleus Olsen, the owner of a building firm and furniture factory in the nearby village of Menomonie where the couple made their home. Berit and Oleus were the parents of four children, all born in Menomonie. Berit died there on 24 Dec 1920.
The fifth child and third son, Nels, was born on 29 Mar 1853 and was nine years old when the family settled in Colfax. In 1878, like many others from this area of Dunn county, he set out for the Minnesota side of the Red River valley and landed in the part of Polk county that was later split off to form Norman county. On 12 Feb 1887 he was married in that county to Anna, daughter of Asle Olsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, all three immigrants from the Bjella farm in Ål, Buskerud, Norway. Nels and Anna were the parents of 11 children. Nels died in Norman county on 12 Jan 1933. His farm today is in the hands of one of his direct descendants, making it the only known century farm in the U.S. of any of the descendants of Anders and Anne Marie.
The sixth child and third daughter, Ingeborg, was born on 27 Jun 1855 and came to Colfax when she was seven. She was married at the age of 18 on 20 Nov 1873 to Johan Olsen, a younger brother of her brother-in-law, Oleus Olsen, who had married her older sister Berit. John was a partner in his brother's construction firm in the village of Menomonie, and that is where the newlyweds made their home. Ingeborg and Johan were the parents of seven children. Ingeborg died in Menomonie on 16 Apr 1892. She was 36 years old.
The seventh and eighth children were both daughters and both bore the same name, Anne Pauline. The first was born on 11 Mar 1858. It is not known how long she survived. The second was born on 28 Apr 1861 and is said to have died in Norway, before the family left for the U.S.
The ninth child and sixth daughter, Sirianna, was born on 26 May 1863 in the town of Colfax. As a young woman she split her time between her parents home on the farm in Colfax and the home of her sister, Ingeborg, in the village of Menomonie. Following the death of Ingeborg, she married her widowed brother-in-law, on 23 Dec 1892. Sirianna and Johan had three children. Sirianna died at the age of 36 on 18 Jun 1899 in Menomonie.
The tenth and final child, Ida, was born on 13 Mar 1866 in Colfax. She died on 11 Oct 1878 at the age of 12 years old, allegedly shot by a boy friend.
(Biography written by Marco Scavo, 4th great grandson.)
On 25 Sep 1842 Anders was united in marriage to Anne Marie, the third child of Ole Gulbrandsen and Marta Johnsdatter, residents of the Brandskognes farm, southward a short distance upstream along the Målselva river from the Moen farm. They made their home at Moen, a part of which Anders shared ownership of with his brothers Nils and Tollef, father Ole, and maternal uncle, Jakob Nilsen.
In 1861 Anders sold his stake in the Moen farm and emigrated "til Amerika" with his wife, six living children, and a dozen or so other families from Målselv, including a few of his siblings and their families. After a long journey by sailboat to North America, they made their way to the eastern part of Dunn county in Wisconsin, settling in 1862 in what today is section 10 of the town of Colfax (then still a part of the town of Red Cedar) where Anders took a homestead, making him one of the pioneer settlers of the town. He was 40 years old. His nearest neighbor at the time was Ole Running more than seven miles away. Over the next eight years there was a rapid influx of new immigrants to the town, the greater majority of whom were Norwegian, and by 1870 there were 48 households enumerated in the town.
Anders played an active role in the organization of the town of Colfax, its school district, and especially in organizing the community of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod church, donating land for an initial cemetery located in Colfax, and supporting the construction of a new church in 1876 a few miles north of Colfax in the town of Grant, in English called Holden Lutheran.
Upon first settling the 160 acre tract of wild land, Anders built a log house and barn, and with the help of his three sons began the hard work of clearing the land and making it productive. Soon after he purchased 40 acres more in section 11, the northwestern corner of which he donated for the aforementioned cemetery.
Anders' property in section 10 was bordered to the east and southeast by a 360 tract of land owned by his nephew, Ole Martin Helgeson, son of Helge Olsen and Marit Olsdatter Moen, an older sister of Anders.
Two of the younger brothers of Anders also lived nearby. His brother John owned several parcels of land that spanned between the towns of Colfax and Howard along the border of Dunn and Chippewa counties. Ole, the other brother, owned a farm that was adjacent to John's. All in all, Anders was surrounded by friends and family that had immigrated with him from Målselv.
Anders was widowed at the age of 63 when his wife passed away on 6 Nov 1884. In his advanced years he rented out his farm in sections 10 and 11 and lived with his son Olai and several orphaned grandchildren. He died at the age of 80 on 10 Sep 1901. His estate was placed in probate and administered by Ole Kinney, the son of Anders' close friend Gunder Kinney. Ole was well known businessman and banker in the village of Colfax and later became a state senator.
Anders was a very tall man and called "Stor" by his friends and close associations or, as it is written on the back of one family photo, "Staar", meaning "big". To English speakers he was more commonly known as Andrew Olson and somewhat more rarely as Andrew Moen.
Anders and Anne Marie were the parents of ten children, the first eight of whom were all born in Moen in Målselv.
The eldest, Ole Bertin, was born 11 Apr 1843 and was 19 when the family immigrated to Colfax. On 20 Nov 1873 he married Anna Karina, daughter of Jacob Trondsen and Mina Halvorsdatter, all three immigrants from Hakadal, Norway. In 1879 Ole moved with his wife and two children to Polk county in Minnesota where they had five more children. Ole died in 1905 in Polk county.
The second child and eldest daughter, Martha, was born on 13 Mar 1845 and was 17 years old when the family settled in Colfax in 1862. She was united in marriage on 1 Apr 1866 to Ole Berntsen, a widower and immigrant from what is now Lund, Norway. They made their home on a 180 acre tract of land in section 16 of the town of Colfax, which today lies in the village of Colfax. Martha and Ole were the parents of 11 children. Martha died on 9 Jan 1900 in Colfax.
The third child and second son, Olai Christian, was born on 26 Mar 1848. He was 14 years old when the family immigrated to Colfax and was among the first of the children to be confirmed in the Lutheran parish of Holden in Dunn county. On 14 Nov 1872, aged 24, he was united in marriage to Christine, a younger sister of his brother-in-law, Ole Berntsen. They made their home on a 63 acre tract of land in section 16, adjacent to the land of her brother Ole, and Olai purchased an additional 80 acre tract of adjoining land to the south in section 21, bordering the land of some of his cousins from Målselv, Gunder Israelson and Ole Fjelsted. Olai and Christine were the parents of no less than eight children.
The fourth child and second daughter, Berit Marie, was born on 30 Nov 1850 and was 12 when the family settled in Colfax. On 20 May 1871 she was united in marriage to Oleus Olsen, the owner of a building firm and furniture factory in the nearby village of Menomonie where the couple made their home. Berit and Oleus were the parents of four children, all born in Menomonie. Berit died there on 24 Dec 1920.
The fifth child and third son, Nels, was born on 29 Mar 1853 and was nine years old when the family settled in Colfax. In 1878, like many others from this area of Dunn county, he set out for the Minnesota side of the Red River valley and landed in the part of Polk county that was later split off to form Norman county. On 12 Feb 1887 he was married in that county to Anna, daughter of Asle Olsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, all three immigrants from the Bjella farm in Ål, Buskerud, Norway. Nels and Anna were the parents of 11 children. Nels died in Norman county on 12 Jan 1933. His farm today is in the hands of one of his direct descendants, making it the only known century farm in the U.S. of any of the descendants of Anders and Anne Marie.
The sixth child and third daughter, Ingeborg, was born on 27 Jun 1855 and came to Colfax when she was seven. She was married at the age of 18 on 20 Nov 1873 to Johan Olsen, a younger brother of her brother-in-law, Oleus Olsen, who had married her older sister Berit. John was a partner in his brother's construction firm in the village of Menomonie, and that is where the newlyweds made their home. Ingeborg and Johan were the parents of seven children. Ingeborg died in Menomonie on 16 Apr 1892. She was 36 years old.
The seventh and eighth children were both daughters and both bore the same name, Anne Pauline. The first was born on 11 Mar 1858. It is not known how long she survived. The second was born on 28 Apr 1861 and is said to have died in Norway, before the family left for the U.S.
The ninth child and sixth daughter, Sirianna, was born on 26 May 1863 in the town of Colfax. As a young woman she split her time between her parents home on the farm in Colfax and the home of her sister, Ingeborg, in the village of Menomonie. Following the death of Ingeborg, she married her widowed brother-in-law, on 23 Dec 1892. Sirianna and Johan had three children. Sirianna died at the age of 36 on 18 Jun 1899 in Menomonie.
The tenth and final child, Ida, was born on 13 Mar 1866 in Colfax. She died on 11 Oct 1878 at the age of 12 years old, allegedly shot by a boy friend.
(Biography written by Marco Scavo, 4th great grandson.)
Anders was born on 14 May 1821 in what today is Målselv in the county of Troms, Norway, the third child of Ole Tollefsen & Berit Nilsdatter, residents of the Moen farm in Målselv, first cleared by Berit's father Nils, a pioneer settler in those parts, some 30 years earlier. Today, what was once called Nilsmoen is now a small village and the administrative center of the municipality of Målselv.
On 25 Sep 1842 Anders was united in marriage to Anne Marie, the third child of Ole Gulbrandsen and Marta Johnsdatter, residents of the Brandskognes farm, southward a short distance upstream along the Målselva river from the Moen farm. They made their home at Moen, a part of which Anders shared ownership of with his brothers Nils and Tollef, father Ole, and maternal uncle, Jakob Nilsen.
In 1861 Anders sold his stake in the Moen farm and emigrated "til Amerika" with his wife, six living children, and a dozen or so other families from Målselv, including a few of his siblings and their families. After a long journey by sailboat to North America, they made their way to the eastern part of Dunn county in Wisconsin, settling in 1862 in what today is section 10 of the town of Colfax (then still a part of the town of Red Cedar) where Anders took a homestead, making him one of the pioneer settlers of the town. He was 40 years old. His nearest neighbor at the time was Ole Running more than seven miles away. Over the next eight years there was a rapid influx of new immigrants to the town, the greater majority of whom were Norwegian, and by 1870 there were 48 households enumerated in the town.
Anders played an active role in the organization of the town of Colfax, its school district, and especially in organizing the community of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod church, donating land for an initial cemetery located in Colfax, and supporting the construction of a new church in 1876 a few miles north of Colfax in the town of Grant, in English called Holden Lutheran.
Upon first settling the 160 acre tract of wild land, Anders built a log house and barn, and with the help of his three sons began the hard work of clearing the land and making it productive. Soon after he purchased 40 acres more in section 11, the northwestern corner of which he donated for the aforementioned cemetery.
Anders' property in section 10 was bordered to the east and southeast by a 360 tract of land owned by his nephew, Ole Martin Helgeson, son of Helge Olsen and Marit Olsdatter Moen, an older sister of Anders.
Two of the younger brothers of Anders also lived nearby. His brother John owned several parcels of land that spanned between the towns of Colfax and Howard along the border of Dunn and Chippewa counties. Ole, the other brother, owned a farm that was adjacent to John's. All in all, Anders was surrounded by friends and family that had immigrated with him from Målselv.
Anders was widowed at the age of 63 when his wife passed away on 6 Nov 1884. In his advanced years he rented out his farm in sections 10 and 11 and lived with his son Olai and several orphaned grandchildren. He died at the age of 80 on 10 Sep 1901. His estate was placed in probate and administered by Ole Kinney, the son of Anders' close friend Gunder Kinney. Ole was well known businessman and banker in the village of Colfax and later became a state senator.
Anders was a very tall man and called "Stor" by his friends and close associations or, as it is written on the back of one family photo, "Staar", meaning "big". To English speakers he was more commonly known as Andrew Olson and somewhat more rarely as Andrew Moen.
Anders and Anne Marie were the parents of ten children, the first eight of whom were all born in Moen in Målselv.
The eldest, Ole Bertin, was born 11 Apr 1843 and was 19 when the family immigrated to Colfax. On 20 Nov 1873 he married Anna Karina, daughter of Jacob Trondsen and Mina Halvorsdatter, all three immigrants from Hakadal, Norway. In 1879 Ole moved with his wife and two children to Polk county in Minnesota where they had five more children. Ole died in 1905 in Polk county.
The second child and eldest daughter, Martha, was born on 13 Mar 1845 and was 17 years old when the family settled in Colfax in 1862. She was united in marriage on 1 Apr 1866 to Ole Berntsen, a widower and immigrant from what is now Lund, Norway. They made their home on a 180 acre tract of land in section 16 of the town of Colfax, which today lies in the village of Colfax. Martha and Ole were the parents of 11 children. Martha died on 9 Jan 1900 in Colfax.
The third child and second son, Olai Christian, was born on 26 Mar 1848. He was 14 years old when the family immigrated to Colfax and was among the first of the children to be confirmed in the Lutheran parish of Holden in Dunn county. On 14 Nov 1872, aged 24, he was united in marriage to Christine, a younger sister of his brother-in-law, Ole Berntsen. They made their home on a 63 acre tract of land in section 16, adjacent to the land of her brother Ole, and Olai purchased an additional 80 acre tract of adjoining land to the south in section 21, bordering the land of some of his cousins from Målselv, Gunder Israelson and Ole Fjelsted. Olai and Christine were the parents of no less than eight children.
The fourth child and second daughter, Berit Marie, was born on 30 Nov 1850 and was 12 when the family settled in Colfax. On 20 May 1871 she was united in marriage to Oleus Olsen, the owner of a building firm and furniture factory in the nearby village of Menomonie where the couple made their home. Berit and Oleus were the parents of four children, all born in Menomonie. Berit died there on 24 Dec 1920.
The fifth child and third son, Nels, was born on 29 Mar 1853 and was nine years old when the family settled in Colfax. In 1878, like many others from this area of Dunn county, he set out for the Minnesota side of the Red River valley and landed in the part of Polk county that was later split off to form Norman county. On 12 Feb 1887 he was married in that county to Anna, daughter of Asle Olsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, all three immigrants from the Bjella farm in Ål, Buskerud, Norway. Nels and Anna were the parents of 11 children. Nels died in Norman county on 12 Jan 1933. His farm today is in the hands of one of his direct descendants, making it the only known century farm in the U.S. of any of the descendants of Anders and Anne Marie.
The sixth child and third daughter, Ingeborg, was born on 27 Jun 1855 and came to Colfax when she was seven. She was married at the age of 18 on 20 Nov 1873 to Johan Olsen, a younger brother of her brother-in-law, Oleus Olsen, who had married her older sister Berit. John was a partner in his brother's construction firm in the village of Menomonie, and that is where the newlyweds made their home. Ingeborg and Johan were the parents of seven children. Ingeborg died in Menomonie on 16 Apr 1892. She was 36 years old.
The seventh and eighth children were both daughters and both bore the same name, Anne Pauline. The first was born on 11 Mar 1858. It is not known how long she survived. The second was born on 28 Apr 1861 and is said to have died in Norway, before the family left for the U.S.
The ninth child and sixth daughter, Sirianna, was born on 26 May 1863 in the town of Colfax. As a young woman she split her time between her parents home on the farm in Colfax and the home of her sister, Ingeborg, in the village of Menomonie. Following the death of Ingeborg, she married her widowed brother-in-law, on 23 Dec 1892. Sirianna and Johan had three children. Sirianna died at the age of 36 on 18 Jun 1899 in Menomonie.
The tenth and final child, Ida, was born on 13 Mar 1866 in Colfax. She died on 11 Oct 1878 at the age of 12 years old, allegedly shot by a boy friend.
(Biography written by Marco Scavo, 4th great grandson.)
On 25 Sep 1842 Anders was united in marriage to Anne Marie, the third child of Ole Gulbrandsen and Marta Johnsdatter, residents of the Brandskognes farm, southward a short distance upstream along the Målselva river from the Moen farm. They made their home at Moen, a part of which Anders shared ownership of with his brothers Nils and Tollef, father Ole, and maternal uncle, Jakob Nilsen.
In 1861 Anders sold his stake in the Moen farm and emigrated "til Amerika" with his wife, six living children, and a dozen or so other families from Målselv, including a few of his siblings and their families. After a long journey by sailboat to North America, they made their way to the eastern part of Dunn county in Wisconsin, settling in 1862 in what today is section 10 of the town of Colfax (then still a part of the town of Red Cedar) where Anders took a homestead, making him one of the pioneer settlers of the town. He was 40 years old. His nearest neighbor at the time was Ole Running more than seven miles away. Over the next eight years there was a rapid influx of new immigrants to the town, the greater majority of whom were Norwegian, and by 1870 there were 48 households enumerated in the town.
Anders played an active role in the organization of the town of Colfax, its school district, and especially in organizing the community of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod church, donating land for an initial cemetery located in Colfax, and supporting the construction of a new church in 1876 a few miles north of Colfax in the town of Grant, in English called Holden Lutheran.
Upon first settling the 160 acre tract of wild land, Anders built a log house and barn, and with the help of his three sons began the hard work of clearing the land and making it productive. Soon after he purchased 40 acres more in section 11, the northwestern corner of which he donated for the aforementioned cemetery.
Anders' property in section 10 was bordered to the east and southeast by a 360 tract of land owned by his nephew, Ole Martin Helgeson, son of Helge Olsen and Marit Olsdatter Moen, an older sister of Anders.
Two of the younger brothers of Anders also lived nearby. His brother John owned several parcels of land that spanned between the towns of Colfax and Howard along the border of Dunn and Chippewa counties. Ole, the other brother, owned a farm that was adjacent to John's. All in all, Anders was surrounded by friends and family that had immigrated with him from Målselv.
Anders was widowed at the age of 63 when his wife passed away on 6 Nov 1884. In his advanced years he rented out his farm in sections 10 and 11 and lived with his son Olai and several orphaned grandchildren. He died at the age of 80 on 10 Sep 1901. His estate was placed in probate and administered by Ole Kinney, the son of Anders' close friend Gunder Kinney. Ole was well known businessman and banker in the village of Colfax and later became a state senator.
Anders was a very tall man and called "Stor" by his friends and close associations or, as it is written on the back of one family photo, "Staar", meaning "big". To English speakers he was more commonly known as Andrew Olson and somewhat more rarely as Andrew Moen.
Anders and Anne Marie were the parents of ten children, the first eight of whom were all born in Moen in Målselv.
The eldest, Ole Bertin, was born 11 Apr 1843 and was 19 when the family immigrated to Colfax. On 20 Nov 1873 he married Anna Karina, daughter of Jacob Trondsen and Mina Halvorsdatter, all three immigrants from Hakadal, Norway. In 1879 Ole moved with his wife and two children to Polk county in Minnesota where they had five more children. Ole died in 1905 in Polk county.
The second child and eldest daughter, Martha, was born on 13 Mar 1845 and was 17 years old when the family settled in Colfax in 1862. She was united in marriage on 1 Apr 1866 to Ole Berntsen, a widower and immigrant from what is now Lund, Norway. They made their home on a 180 acre tract of land in section 16 of the town of Colfax, which today lies in the village of Colfax. Martha and Ole were the parents of 11 children. Martha died on 9 Jan 1900 in Colfax.
The third child and second son, Olai Christian, was born on 26 Mar 1848. He was 14 years old when the family immigrated to Colfax and was among the first of the children to be confirmed in the Lutheran parish of Holden in Dunn county. On 14 Nov 1872, aged 24, he was united in marriage to Christine, a younger sister of his brother-in-law, Ole Berntsen. They made their home on a 63 acre tract of land in section 16, adjacent to the land of her brother Ole, and Olai purchased an additional 80 acre tract of adjoining land to the south in section 21, bordering the land of some of his cousins from Målselv, Gunder Israelson and Ole Fjelsted. Olai and Christine were the parents of no less than eight children.
The fourth child and second daughter, Berit Marie, was born on 30 Nov 1850 and was 12 when the family settled in Colfax. On 20 May 1871 she was united in marriage to Oleus Olsen, the owner of a building firm and furniture factory in the nearby village of Menomonie where the couple made their home. Berit and Oleus were the parents of four children, all born in Menomonie. Berit died there on 24 Dec 1920.
The fifth child and third son, Nels, was born on 29 Mar 1853 and was nine years old when the family settled in Colfax. In 1878, like many others from this area of Dunn county, he set out for the Minnesota side of the Red River valley and landed in the part of Polk county that was later split off to form Norman county. On 12 Feb 1887 he was married in that county to Anna, daughter of Asle Olsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, all three immigrants from the Bjella farm in Ål, Buskerud, Norway. Nels and Anna were the parents of 11 children. Nels died in Norman county on 12 Jan 1933. His farm today is in the hands of one of his direct descendants, making it the only known century farm in the U.S. of any of the descendants of Anders and Anne Marie.
The sixth child and third daughter, Ingeborg, was born on 27 Jun 1855 and came to Colfax when she was seven. She was married at the age of 18 on 20 Nov 1873 to Johan Olsen, a younger brother of her brother-in-law, Oleus Olsen, who had married her older sister Berit. John was a partner in his brother's construction firm in the village of Menomonie, and that is where the newlyweds made their home. Ingeborg and Johan were the parents of seven children. Ingeborg died in Menomonie on 16 Apr 1892. She was 36 years old.
The seventh and eighth children were both daughters and both bore the same name, Anne Pauline. The first was born on 11 Mar 1858. It is not known how long she survived. The second was born on 28 Apr 1861 and is said to have died in Norway, before the family left for the U.S.
The ninth child and sixth daughter, Sirianna, was born on 26 May 1863 in the town of Colfax. As a young woman she split her time between her parents home on the farm in Colfax and the home of her sister, Ingeborg, in the village of Menomonie. Following the death of Ingeborg, she married her widowed brother-in-law, on 23 Dec 1892. Sirianna and Johan had three children. Sirianna died at the age of 36 on 18 Jun 1899 in Menomonie.
The tenth and final child, Ida, was born on 13 Mar 1866 in Colfax. She died on 11 Oct 1878 at the age of 12 years old, allegedly shot by a boy friend.
(Biography written by Marco Scavo, 4th great grandson.)
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