Sunday Biography Series -- The Christophersons, Part V

Jonette Kristoffersdatter

Jonette Kristoffersdatter (Jordbaerhaugen) was born 22 August 1853.  She is my great-great grandmother, the third of six children born to Ellen Hansen (Christophersen) and Kristoffer Pedersen; she was also sister to Martin, Hans, and Haagine Christopherson, all of whom became Mormons and left Norway for Salt Lake City, Utah.  Martin, in particular, was an important figure in the LDS church, and there is a lot of information regarding him and his family.  I wish Jonette had as much recorded history about her as her brother does.  Unfortunately for me, although I can fill in her biography with several facts, I will probably never know the personal details about her as I have learned about Martin or even Hans and Haagine.  Jonette's sibilings' Utah descendants have written memories about them for people like me to find.  I am afraid that anything personal about Jonette died with my grandmother and her siblings, and it makes me a little angry to think of the times Jonette's picture was pointed out to me but I didn't think to ask what she was like or what was remembered about her.  Perhaps my grandmother would not have had so much to say as she was not a big talker, but her sister, my tante Astrid, had the gift of gab, and she would probably have had many answers for me.  Moral of the story: Ask your older relatives questions, and ask them deeper questions than "what was her name and where did she live!"

Jonette was born on Burud Farm, but she was raised in Skollerud, in Baerum, with Ellen's sister, Anne Marie.  The 1865 census places her there with Anne Marie and her husband and children.  I am not sure, but I believe that when Ellen and Kristoffer were told to leave Burud Farm that they may have been desperate for a way to care for all their children while trying to find a new living.  In Jonette's case, she was placed with family while Ellen and Kristoffer left for Kristiania.  Jonette's confirmation record on 18 October 1868 states she is still living in Skollerud as does her marriage record.

On 31 October, 1875, Jonette married Olaus Kristensen (1846 - 1915) and left Skollerud for Grini mølle where Olaus was living.  My understanding is that this was the easternmost farm in Baerum, bordering Aker, and is now part of Oslo.  Mølle in Norwegian means mill, and, in fact, until about 1888 Grini had a mill alongside the river.  There was also a sawmill, brickworks, and a lime burner according to Wikipedia (here).  I assume my great-great grandfather Olaus must have worked in one of these industries or, at some point, perhaps all of them. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grini

The timeline I have developed for Jonette suggests that she and Olaus lived at Grini from 1875 to about 1881, which is when they moved to Skollerud, in Baerum, for two or three years.  Although they lived in Grini, in 1875, after their marriage, it seems that during 1876 they may have lived in Østern, which is close to Grini, and then returned to Grini by the time my great-grandfather Kristian was born.  Then, circa 1883, they moved to Jordbaerhaugen Farm where they lived the rest of their lives.

During their time in Østern and Grini, Jonette and Olaus had three children.  Anne Mathilde (1876 - 1877) was their first child (born in Østern), but she sadly died shortly before her first birthday from the flu.  Their second child was Kristian (1878 - 1962), my great-grandfather, born at Grini, and the third was Martin Einar (1879 - ?) also born at Grini.  While living at Skollerud, Kristen (1881 - 1938) was born. The rest of their children were born at Jordbaerhaugen: Anton (1883), Nils (1885 - 1982), Paula (1889), Gunda (1892), Peder (1894), Margit (1895), and Jenny (1899).

Jonette and Olaus did not become Mormons as Jonette's mother, Ellen, and three of her siblings did.  I thought that perhaps she did not have much contact with them because she was raised separately from them; however, there is evidence that Jonette did in fact have contact with her mother and siblings.  One of her brother's children living in Salt Lake City wrote that there was a family living in Norway, in Baerum, and specifically at Jordbaerhaugen Farm.  This can only refer to Jonette.  Furthermore, I have found and had contact (through my father) with Jonette's grandson and his wife in Baerum, Norway.  They have a photo album that belonged to Jonette's daughter Margit, but may actually have originated with Jonette, and in the album is a photo of three children that was taken in Salt Lake City.  I am guessing these are children of Jonette's brother Martin or perhaps Hans.  Jonette's grandson and his wife had no idea where the photo came from, but now they know about the relatives who went to Salt Lake City.  It is more likely that the children in the photograph are Martin's because he traveled several times to Norway from Salt Lake City and back.  This is one album I can't wait to see when I travel to Norway this summer!

Jordbaerhaugen House

Jonette Kristoffersdatter Jordbaerhaugen died 21 April 1921 from heart failure.  As one can see, I have quite a bit of knowledge based on facts, but I would have liked to know more about her personally.  Was she musical as some of her siblings were?  Was she artistic?  What was her personality like?  What did she like to do? So many questions I may never have any answers to because I waited too long before realizing the need to ask the questions.  But I hope that I will meet one of her descendants who might know something.  Perhaps her grandson who is still living, although it did not seem like he had much insight; but one phone call is not enough to determine this, and I hope a face-to-face meeting may spur some information.  The problem is that he is the son of the next to youngest child and Jonette was dead by the time he was born.

If anyone reads this, and you believe you descend from Jonette and Olaus Jordbaerhaugen, please enlighten me with any information you may have.

Sunday Biography Series -- The Christophersons, Part IV

Ellen Hansdatter Christopherson


Ellen Hansdatter (27 Aug 1822 - 24 Mar 1899) was born on Løken Farm, Lommedalen, Baerum in Norway and baptized in the old Tanum Kirke on 8 September 1822.  She was the sixth child of eight born to Hans Andersen and Marthe Nilsdatter.  Unfortunately, her mother died at the age of 32 from pneumonia when Ellen was only 5 years old.  However, Ellen seems to have been raised with her father and probably other family, as she and her siblings continued to live on Løken Farm.  On the 9th of October in 1836, Ellen was confirmed in the Lutheran Tanum Kirke, and in 1850 she married her deceased sister's (Maren Hansdatter) husband, Kristoffer Pedersen.  She was still living in Løken when she married him.  Once married she moved to Burud Farm where her husband and several generations before him had lived.


In my last post, I explained a bit about how Ellen came to move to Kristiania (now known as Oslo).  Apparently, Kristoffer had not perfomed his duties appropriately and was asked to leave Burud Farm.  Kristoffer died in Kristiania a few years later, leaving Ellen widowed with several children.  (In all, she and Kristoffer had 7 children.) Alone, Ellen may have been forced to have some or all of her children raised by family and friends, at least temporarily.  Her daughter, my gg-grandmother, Jonette Kristoffersdatter, was in fact raised by Ellen's sister, Anne Marie, in Skollerud, Lommedalen, in Baerum.  Furthermore, in the 1865 census, I have found only one Ellen Hansdatter living in Oslo (9 Jernbanetorvet Street) who was born in Baerum in the right year.  Although it is possible the woman is not my Ellen, I feel it is likely that it is. The woman is listed as widowed, which fits; she is also living with other people -- none of them her children --and her occupation is as a worker in a steam factory.  I have yet to figure out what type of factory this is, so if anyone knows, please enlighten me. 


Ellen was obviously down on her luck once she was widowed.  But her children, at least some of them, seem to have been close by, as Martin and Hans worked as gardners at the King's castle in Oslo.  We also know from a tale that was passed down to her descendants that when her son Martin converted to Mormonism she followed him to a meeting to see what this new religion was about.  She hid in a corner and listened and was so impressed she felt compelled to become a Mormon herself.  A few years after her son Martin left for Salt Lake City, Utah, she followed, arriving circa 1876.


I don't know too much about Ellen's life in Salt Lake City.  A year ago, I didn't even know who she was, nor did I know I had Mormons in the family, and I certainly didn't expect to have a ggg-grandmother buried in the United States when as far as I knew, I was a first-generation American.  Wow!  What a journey this has been!  Since then, I have accumulated documentation on the lives of her children in Salt Lake City and also a little bit about her life.  I learned she became a Mormon along with three of her children and possibly a brother.  Her daughter, my gg-grandmother Jonette, remained Lutheran and never left Norway.  I assume the other children who remained in Norway also did not convert.  I also know that when her son, Martin, left Utah for Norway on one of his early missions as president -- a mission that would take him away for about two years -- that Ellen moved in with his wife and children to help out.  The next point in her timeline is her death in 1899.  I found her obituary, which stated that she died in the home of her son, Martin Christopherson.  No cause of death is mentioned.  She is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  I would very much like to know if there are any other stories about her between her dates of 1822 and 1899.  In the mean time, I am happy to have learned so much about an ancestor I had never heard of just one year ago.

Note: By Norwegian tradition, Ellen would not have been a "Christopherson."  Her children were Christophersons by patriarchal tradition, but Ellen must have wanted to avoid confusion in the United States and chose to use the same surname as that of her children.

Sunday Biography Series -- The Christophersons, Part III

Last week, I recounted a bit about my ggg-grandfather Kristoffer (Christopher) Pedersen (here).  Today, I will tell you a bit about his wife, Ellen, and two of his children, Hans and Martin Christopherson.  I will tell you how they came to become Mormons and move to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Last spring, my parents travelled to Salt Lake City and met with other descendants of Kristoffer Pedersen and Ellen Hansdatter (Christopherson in the U.S.). They were extremely lucky to receive copies of family history stories that had been written in the 60's and 70's.  I will share parts of what was written by Kristoffer and Ellen's granddaughter, Gertrude Christopherson (daughter of Hans Christopherson).  She wrote a life story of her father Hans on 7 April, 1963 -- this date would have marked Hans' 107th birthday. 

Gertrude's Memories as Written 7 April, 1963

... Our father's parents were Christopher Pedersen and Ellen Hansen, who had 7 children, Hans being their fourth.  His first wife was Ellen's sister, who had only one child, Peder Christopherson, before her death. As a small child, Hans lived with his parents on a farm which was a section of a great estate.  This estate was under the Feudal System and was divided into sections with a family living on each section.  Hans' father's job was to go to the city and bring back the necessary supplies for all those who lived on the large estate.  All the tenants were required to give a certain amount to the land owner, and as long as things were properly taken care of, they were permitted to remain on their property...

...After his father Christopher Pedersen died, his mother Ellen, who had 7 children, some of whom were very young, had a difficult time to raise her family.  She took her family and moved to Oslo, then called Christiania (note: this is incorrect. Christopher was dismissed from Burud and he moved the family to Oslo a few years before his death). It was here that her sons, Martin and Hans, learned the florist and gardening trade when they worked at the King's gardens at the Palace.

Martin, who was six years older than Hans, became real interested in the new religion, Mormonism, and he told his mother about the missionaries.  She did not scold him but went to their meeting place and hid behind a door where she could not be seen.  There she listened to the missionaries and became so thrilled and impressed.  A little later she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When her family heard about her actions they were greatly upset, but at the very next meeting she saw her brother there, who was greatly impressed that he wouldn't leave until he had been baptized that very night.  It is not hard to understand why Hans' posterity are of Ephraim, a wonderful blessing and heritage.

Our father's brother, Martin, who was first converted to the Gospel, came to Utah in 1871, and then about five years later he sent for his mother, Ellen, and Hans.  Their sister, Haagina also came to America.  Other members of the family remained in Norway...

Picture of the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, where Martin and Hans worked.  www.milestonestours.com.

Sunday Biography Series -- The Christophersons, Part II

Kristoffer Pedersen of Burud Farm -- my Great-Great-Great Grandfather

Kristoffer Pedersen (22 June 1821 - 31 October 1862) was born on Burud Farm, in Baerum, Norway, and represented the fourth generation as a leilending or tenant farmer there.  He married Maren Hansdatter (17 November 1820 - 22 February 1849) from Loeken Farm on 20 November 1846.  They had one child, Peder Kristoffersen, born 01 November 1847.  Unfortunately, Maren developed a nerve fever, according to her death record, and died on 22 February 1849.  Kristoffer Pedersen married again, exactly one year after Maren's death, to Maren's sister, Ellen (27 August 1822 - 24 March 1899).  Together with Ellen, they had seven children -- Martin, Hans, Haagine, Jonette, Kristian, Nicoline, and Line.  The first four children were born on Burud farm, and the others were born in Kristiania (Oslo) because, in 1857, Kristoffer Pedersen was dismissed from his position as a tenant farmer. 

I obtained the information of my ggg-grandfather's dismissal from a Bygdebok -- books that provide a wealth of genealogical information by giving brief histories of communities and the farms and people in that community. The bygdebok did not specify the reason for the dismissal, so I can only speculate.  In order to do this, though, I need to understand the leilending system of the time.  John Follesdal wrote a very nice article about Norwegian farms, and he explains how tenant farmers rented the land to work it and pay the landskyld, which was based on the productivity of the farm and not directly on the size of the farm.  The landskyld was payable in goods produced by the tenant farmer; this could include cow hides, butter, fish, etc.  John Follesdal believes the landskyld was originally set at 1/6th of the gross annual production of the farm.  Originally, farms were leased for one year, but later on the term of the leases increased to three years. This did not mean that a tenant farmer would have to move every three years; it meant that the landlord could take the farm back at the end of the lease term.  I imagine that Kristoffer Pedersen could not pay what he owed, for one reason or another, and was evicted, along with his family, for this reason. 

There isn't too much information regarding Kristoffer Pedersen once he moved to Kristiania with his family.  He lived on Trondhjemeveien in Oslo, a road that runs through the old section of Oslo today.  In 1862, just 5 years after leaving Burud Farm, he died, but the record does not state the cause of his demise.  I imagine his death must have been very difficult for his wife and children to accept and that they must have endured extreme hardship because of it.  But the Kristoffersen children and their mother, Ellen, were not easily intimidated.  Several of them would soon embark on a quest to quench their spiritual thirst and end up in a new world -- one they called Zion.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Christopherson saga!

*Picture from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28329/28329-h/images/thor042.png

Sunday Biography Series -- The Christophersons, Part I

I have decided to emulate Scripture and start this biography series with a genealogy report.  The Christopherson line is one I have traced back the farthest and contains a number of people I have studied in depth and found so interesting.  Please note that the spelling for "Christopherson" varies depending on whether it is the Norwegian, Danish, or anglicized version. 

This is what the Christopherson tree looks like:




Generation 1

1. Daniel Stokker -1 was born in 1577 in Bærum, Norway (Stokker Farm).
Daniel Stokker and unknown spouse married. They had the following child:

2. i. Peder Danielsen was born in 1609 in Bærum, Norway (Stokker Farm). He died in 1670 in Bærum, Norway.

Generation 2

2. Peder Danielsen-2 (Daniel-1) was born in 1609 in Bærum, Norway (Stokker Farm). He died in 1670 in Bærum, Norway.

Johanna Thoresdatter, daughter of Thore Larsen and Barbra Christoffersdatter, was born in 1618 in Bærum, Norway. She died in 1664 in Bærum, Norway.

Peder Danielsen and Johanna Thoresdatter married. They had the following child:

3. i. Aase Pedersdatter was born in 1635 in Bærum, Norway (Stokker Farm). She died in 1717 in Bærum, Norway.

Generation 3

3. Aase Pedersdatter-3 (Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born in 1635 in Bærum, Norway (Stokker Farm). She died in 1717 in Bærum, Norway.

Peder Christoffersen, son of Christoffer Andersen and Ingeborg Pedersen, was born in 1633 in Bærum, Norway. He died in Jan 1727 in Bærum, Norway.

Peder Christoffersen and Aase Pedersdatter married. They had the following child:

4. i. Kristoffer Pedersen was born in 1679 (Stokker Farm). He died in 1745 in Bærum, Norway (Bryn Farm).

Generation 4

4. Kristoffer Pedersen-4 (Aase-3, Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born in 1679 (Stokker Farm). He died in 1745 in Bærum, Norway (Bryn Farm).

Maren Nilsdatter, daughter of Nils Asbjornsen and Anna Johannesdatter, was born in 1677 in Bærum, Norway. She died in 1753 in Bærum, Norway.

Kristoffer Pedersen and Maren Nilsdatter married. They had the following children:

5. i. Peder Kristoffersen was born in 1719 in Bærum, Norway. He died in 1760 in Bærum, Norway.
ii. Helge Kristoffersdatter.
iii. Nils Kristoffersen.
iv. Kari Kristoffersdatter.
v. Johanne Kristoffersdatter.
vi. Mari Kristoffersdatter.
vii. Anna Kristoffersdatter.

Generation 5

5. Peder Kristoffersen-5 (Kristoffer-4, Aase-3, Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born in 1719 in Bærum, Norway (Bryn Farm). He died in 1760 in Bærum, Norway.

Anne Mikkelsdatter was born in 1719 in Bærum, Norway. She died in Bærum, Norway. Peder Kristoffersen and Anne Mikkelsdatter married. They had the following children:

6. i. Kristoffer Pedersen was born in 1752 in Bærum, Norway (Bryn Farm). He died on 12 Nov 1826 in Bærum, Norway.
ii. Jacob Pedersen was born in Bærum, Norway. He died in Bærum, Norway.

Generation 6

6. Kristoffer Pedersen-6 (Peder-5, Kristoffer-4, Aase-3, Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born in 1752 in Bærum, Norway (Bryn Farm). He died on 12 Nov 1826 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm).

Haagine Hellesdatter, daughter of Helge Christensen and Marte Haagensdatter, was born on 19 Dec 1756 in Bærum, Norway (Rud Farm). She died on 19 Mar 1818 in Bærum, Norway.

Kristoffer Pedersen and Haagine Hellesdatter married. They had the following children:

i. Helle Kristoffersdatter was born in 1782 in Bærum, Norway. She died in 1859 in Bærum, Norway.
7. ii. Peder Kristoffersen was born on 09 Aug 1785 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He married Anne Nilsdatter in 1811 (Wensaas Farm). He died on 23 Mar 1845 in Bærum, Norway.
iii. Mari Kristoffersdatter was born in 1788. She married Lars Henriksen in Baerum, Norway (Skollerud Farm).
iv. Marte Kristoffersdatter was born in 1790 in Bærum, Norway. She married Peder Svendsen in Baerum, Norway (Kirkeby Farm).
v. Anne Kristoffersdatter was born in 1800 in Bærum, Norway. She died in 1864 in Bærum, Norway. She married Soeren Muserud in Baerum, Norway.

Generation 7

7. Peder Kristoffersen-7 (Kristoffer-6, Peder-5, Kristoffer-4, Aase-3, Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born on 09 Aug 1785 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He died on 23 Mar 1845 in Bærum, Norway.

Peder Kristoffersen married the first time with Anne Nilsdatter (Wensaas Farm) in 1811. They had no children.

Haagine Kristensdatter, daughter of Kristen Mikkelsen and Mari Jensdatter, was born on 15 Jan 1786 in Bærum, Norway (Berger Farm). She died on 02 Apr 1849 in Bærum, Norway.

Peder Kristoffersen married a second time to Haagine Kristensdatter (Berger Farm) on 1818 in Baerum, Norway. They had the following children:

8. i. Kristoffer Pedersen was born on 22 Jun 1821 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He died on 31 Oct 1862 in Oestre Aker, Oslo.
ii. Haagine Pedersdatter was born in 1823 in Bærum, Norway.
iii. Anne Marie Pedersdatter was born on 30 Apr 1825 in Bærum, Norway. She died in 1909 in Bærum, Norway.
iv. Martine Pedersdatter was born in 1829 in Bærum, Norway.

Generation 8

8. Kristoffer Pedersen-8 (Peder-7, Kristoffer-6, Peder-5, Kristoffer-4, Aase-3, Peder-2, Daniel-1) was born on 22 Jun 1821 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He died on 31 Oct 1862 in Oestre Aker, Oslo.

Maren Hansdatter, daughter of Hans Andersen and Marthe Marie Nilsdatter, was born on 17 Nov 1820 in Bærum, Norway (Loeken Farm). She died on 28 Feb 1849 in Bærum, Norway.

Kristoffer Pedersen married the first time to Maren Hansdatter on 20 Nov 1846 in Bærum, Norway.  They had the following child:

i. Peder Kristoffersen was born in 1847 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm).

Kristoffer Pedersen was widowed and married a second time to Maren's sister, Ellen Hansdatter, on 22 Feb 1850 in Baerum, Akershus, Norway.  Ellen was born on 27 Aug 1822 in Bærum, Norway (Løken Farm). She died on 24 Mar 1899 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA. They had the following children:

i. Martin Christophersen was born on 13 Apr 1850 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He married Janet Farquhar Ledingham on 27 Dec 1874 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA. He died on 28 Aug 1927 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA.
ii. Haagine Kristoffersdatter was born on 25 Aug 1851 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). She married Oscar Rydvall in 1879 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She died on 09 Aug 1929 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
iii. Jonette Kristoffersdatter was born on 22 Aug 1853 in Bærum, Norway (born in Burud Farm but raised in Skollerud Farm by aunt, Anne Hansdatter (Ellen's sister). She married Olaus Kristensen on 31 Oct 1875 in Baerum, Norway. She died on 21 Apr 1921 in Bærum, Norway (Jordbaerhaugen Farm).
iv. Hans Christophersen was born on 07 Jun 1856 in Bærum, Norway (Burud Farm). He died on 30 Jan 1938 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA.
v. Nicoline Kristoffersdatter was born on 24 Feb 1858 in Kristiania, Norway. She died on 24 Oct 1885. She married Anton Eriksen, a Kjoepmann.
vi. Line Kristoffersdatter was born in 1862 in Oslo, Norway.
vii. Kristian Kristoffersen was born on 28 Jan 1862 in Oslo, Oslo, Norway. He died on 19 Sep 1879 in Norway.

From here, it is 4 more generations to me.  In a nutshell, Jonette Kristoffersdatter and Olaus Kristensen Jordbaerhaugen had son Kristian Olausen Jordbaerhaugen who married Gustava Jonsdatter Bye; they had my grandmother, Gyda Kristiansen who married Thorolf Johannes Haugen. 

Next week on the Sunday Biography series, I will start recounting the stories of Kristoffer Perdersen and Ellen Hansdatter (Generation 8).  So stay tuned!