The Ellsons in Norway and America

    

The Ellson home in Norcross circa 1895

 Ellef Ellson was born in 1842 in the valley of Gudbrandsdalen near Lillehammer, Norway in the parish of Ostre Gausdal (East).  His birth name was Ellef Erlandsen Skogun (farm in the woods).  As I previously explained, the farm name where they were born was  tacked on to Norwegian names, but could change later if they moved.  When Ellef left for America, his name was listed as Ellef Erlandsen Torgersrud as he had been living on the Torgersrud farm with Rena's parents.  James W. Ellson, a descendant, wrote in the summer of 1981, that Ellef had eleven brothers, and two of them emigrated to America besides Ellef.  One took the name of Skaug and settled in Sioux Falls, SD and another brother took the name of Nelson and lived in North Dakota. In Norway Ellef hunted young eagles for bounty by hanging over the edge of a cliff and plucking them out of their nests, while watching out for mama eagle who was very unhappy with the intruders.

     Ronnaug, who became Rena in America, was born August 12, 1841, also in Gausdal, to Hans Oleson Torgersrud and Marte Hansdatter.  Ellef and Rena were married on 27 July 1861.  Rena came from a family of University professors and four of her brother Johan's sons became doctors and his four daughters were nurses. 

     On Easter Sunday 1868 Ellef and Rena set sail on the Hannah Parr for America, leaving with three daughters and arriving with only one, Mathea, having lost two daughters on the voyage.  (See the previous blog on the ship Hannah Parr). When they arrived in America Ellef, Rena, Mathea and Hans Oleson traveled by train from New York to Wisconsin where they settled in the north central part of  Vernon County.  They lived in Wisconsin until 1880 when they moved to Norcross, Minnesota.

    Ellef and Rena lived in Norcross until 1918.  I have heard two different accounts of what happened that year.  One is that Rena hit herself in the head with an axe while chopping wood and it affected her mind so she could no longer take care of herself. Another is  that she had been let off the train a short distance from their house, and while walking home she fell down the embankment and injured her head. 

     Regardless of which story is true, and maybe neither, in the fall of 1918 Ellef and Rena moved to Gary, Minnesota to live with their son Martin and his wife Elfrieda so they could help take care of Rena.  Rena died on December 2, 1918 and Ellef remained in Gary with his son until his death on February 23, 1921.  According to the narrative by Jim Ellson, when Ellef and Rena came to live with Martin he assigned Ellef the job of  feeding the hogs.  Ellef  was very independent minded and would get quite irate with anyone who tried to help him the slightest bit.  He was also a master at building dead-fall rat traps and he never tired of designing and re-designing these contraptions.

The Ellson grave was hidden away in tall grass in the long-neglected private Luchau Cemetery

in Gary Minnesota when I found it in June 2011. Rena and Ellef had left Norcross

to live with their son Martin Ellson in rural Gary in their older years.



     Ellef and Rena are buried in a small private cemetery called "Luchau Cemetery" in Green Meadow Township near Martin's home in Gary.  More about that later when I write about my Gravehopping Trip in northern Minnesota in the summer of 2011.

     In Rena's obituary it states:  "To them (Rena and Ellef) were born 14 children. One died in Norway, two on the voyage to America and five others at Norcross."  Jim Ellson gives the names as follows:  Born in Norway,  Mathea 1862; Even 1863?; Christine 1865; Hanna 1867; and in America, Hanna and Alma, twins 1869; Edwin 1872; Carrie 1873; Otto 1875; Martin 1877; Clara 1878; Thilda 1880; Eva 1885; and Hjelmar 1887.  I am not sure the names and dates are all correct, as on a register of deaths in Gorton Township, Grant County, Minnesota, I also found twin girls, Alma and Clara, daughters of Ellef and Rena Ellson, who died one day apart on Aug. 27 and 28, 1882 of cholera.  They were just two months old, and on the same register was recorded the death of Hans Olson on Sept. 18, 1882 at age 85, no cause of death given. My grandma Hannah tol me that the Ellsons also raised two adopted children that had been orphaned.   

   Rena's obituary attributes her thus:  "There never was a better mother, neighbor or friend and she was highly respected and loved by all who knew her. She lived a good Christian life, was a member of the Norwegian Lutheran Church, where she attended services when possible. The bible was her source of strength and comfort in time of sorrow." (Gary Graphic, Dec. 1918)

   In Ellef's obituary it states:  "He was a man of fine character, of a quiet disposition, but he made friends with whomever he came in contact.  He went through much hardship during his pioneer days in this state, but he mastered the difficulties and prospered.  He was a man for fine character and a manly man in every way." (Gary Republic, Feb. 25, 1921)

There were two small wooden crosses in the Pioneer Cemetery #23 at Norcross

which made me wonder if they might be the two Ellson babies that died a day apart.

In the same cemetery was Otto, one of the Ellson sons. I did not find Hans Oleson

or any of the other Ellson children.

That's all for now!  Next time:  The Larson clan and the marriage of Mattie Ellson and Martin Larson