CHAPTER XXIII
_Growth of the Jefferson Prairie Settlement from 1841 to 1845. The First Norwegian Land Owners in Rock County._
In an earlier chapter I have given an account of the coming of Norwegians to Jefferson Prairie in 1838-39. We found that a considerable number of persons had located there by 1840, principally immigrants from Numedal. These first settlers located in the southern half of Clinton Township, but others soon came who settled still farther south, so that the settlement soon came to include a portion of the Township of Manchester in Boone County, Illinois. The first settlers here were Tönnes Tolleivson (or Tollefson) from Jæderen, and Svend Larson, both of whom settled in Boone County in 1840; Tollefson had come to America in the fall of 1839, presumably spending the winter of 1839-40 on Jefferson Prairie.
The settlement thus came to be divided into a northern and a southern part, the immigrant settlers in the two representing different provinces in Norway. The Numedalians settled as we have seen, nearer Clinton and in general in the northern end of Jefferson Prairie; in fact they occupied most of the prairie proper. The southern portion, the timber land, come to be settled principally by immigrants from Voss. Very few of these located in the Town of Clinton; they selected homes in the early days, for the most part, just where their descendants now live, on the south side of the state line, in Illinois. The whole settlement extends from about a mile and a half south of Clinton across the prairie and into the timber which began about three miles south of Clinton and extends about four miles down into Illinois.
We have observed above that Ole Nattestad's house became the stopping place of the earliest immigrants to Jefferson Prairie. In a similar way D. B. Egery's place,[178] located four miles southwest of the Nattestad cabin on the trail to Beloit, became the headquarters for many a Norwegian immigrant in that early day. Speaking of him, H. L. Skavlem gives testimony to his kindness and the readiness with which he lent a helping hand to the incoming settlers in his vicinity, who were seeking a place to establish a home in the wilderness. As soon as the immigrants arrived, parties of two or three would fill their knapsacks (skræppe) with provisions and strike out in various directions to "spy out the land."[179]
[178] Situated in section 26 in Turtle Township.
[179] H. L. Skavlem in _Scandinavians in the Early Days of Rock County_, a most interesting and valuable pamphlet, though very brief.
The first Norwegians to buy land on Jefferson Prairie were Ansten Nattestad and Thorstein Nilsen, the date of whose purchase is December 25th, 1839.[180] On January 25, 1840, Anders Jacobson's purchase was recorded, and further in the same year those of Erik Gudbrandson (May 16) and Kittil Newhouse (Nyhus, June 15). The first three purchases were in sections 32, 30 and 22, respectively, while those of Gudbrandson and Newhouse were in section 20, all in Clinton Township. The latter made a further purchase in 1842 in the same section, as did also Tosten Olson. Ole Nattestad's purchase was recorded on November 25, 1842, while in September of that year Ole Newhouse (Nyhus) had bought three forties in sections 15 and 22, and Christoffer Newhouse one in section 30; others were now rapidly moving in and becoming owners of their choice of land on the "Prairie." Among these were Jas. Hilbeitson, Erik Hilbeitson, Tore Helgeson, Erik Gulbeitson, Gulbrand Gulbrandson, and Ole Pederson Bogstrandeiet, all in the fall of 1842.
[180] The first Norwegian land owner in the county was however Gisle Sebjörnson Halland as shown by H. L. Skavlem's researches. The date of Halland's purchase was November 29th.
In this connection it may be noted that Gulleik Gravdal's purchase of land in the Town of Newark (in section 1) was recorded December 12, 1839, and he made additions to his holdings in 1842 in sections 1 and 9. Mrs. Gunnild Ödegaarden purchased land in 1839 and 1840, Lars H. Skavlem in June, 1841, and Gudbrand Olson and Mrs. Gulleik Springen in October, 1841. During September of the latter year four purchases were also recorded in Plymouth Township, namely those of Paul Halvorson Skavlem, Nils Olson Vegli (Wagley) and Gunnel Holgerson, while in May, 1840, Gulleik H. Blakestad Skavlem had become the owner of forty acres in Beloit Township.[181]
[181] In December, 1842, Mrs. Gisle Halland bought forty acres in Beloit Township. Her name appears as Margarett Nutes (Margrit Knutsdatter).
The Jefferson Prairie Settlement received considerable accessions during the next four years. Lena Sondal came in 1841, Haakon Paulson from Sigdal and his wife Inger came in 1842, Ole Severtson and family from Numedal, including a daughter, Petra, who is now Mrs. Henry Jacobson (Oppedal)[182] of Clinton, came in 1843, as did also Brynild L. Lie and wife from Voss, Lars O. Lie from Hallingdal[183] and Edwin O. Wilson Næshaug. The last of these settled in Boone County, Illinois, where he bought land in 1846, but removed to Filmore County, Minnesota, in 1854. Gunder Vedfald and family, including the sons, Ole and Halvor, from Telemarken also came in 1843. In the year 1844 there was a considerable influx of settlers from Voss;[184] among them were: Sjur K. Kvarma wife and four children from Voss, Brynild Dugstad,[185] wife and five children, Erik K. Dugstad, wife and child, Lewis Severts, Ole Shipley and wife Guri, Lars Grane, Sjur Grane, Elling Ellingson and wife Magela, Ole Skutle,[186] Peder Bere and wife Britha. Also the following came about the same time (1844 or the following year): Lars Baarson and wife Gudve, Guru Isakson, Sjur A. Grönlien, wife and two children, and Erik E. Slæen. Nearly all those here enumerated followed the lead of Clas Isakson and settled near or south of the state line. From Vik, Sogn, Norway, there was a single settler, namely, Ole O. Train. From Hardanger also there was, it seems, only one immigrant among those who came during this earliest period, Anna Tollefson, wife of Tönnes Tollefson, who, as we have seen, came to America in 1839. From Telemarken there were about twelve persons, among them Steinar E. Hadland, wife and son, Guldmond; Gunder O. Vedfald, wife and daughter; Even Haatvedt and Ole A. Haatvedt and wife, besides the Vedfald family spoken of above. From Næs in Hallingdal we find Knud R. Væterud, a widower, and his two daughters, Ingeborg and Rönnau, besides Lars O. Lie, and from Modum, Thov Modum and wife Karen; finally Krödsherred is represented by Even Fingerson Foslien.
[182] Henry Jacobson is a son of Jacob J. Oppedal, who came from Hardanger in 1850.
[183] Frederik Frederikson's wife, who was Martha Larson, also came in 1843. Frederikson came some years later.
[184] We have seen that Clas Isakson had immigrated from Voss in 1840. He was the first Vossing to settle on Jefferson Prairie.
[185] Brynild Dugstad located in the northern part of the settlement. A son, Knut B. Dugstad, died at Clinton, Wis., in April, 1905, age 80.
[186] Ole Skutle later married Lena Sondal, who had come in 1841; see above.
Among the earliest purchasers of land (1842) I have mentioned Ole C. Newhouse. He was a brother of Kristoffer and Kittil Newhouse who had come in 1839. The original name, Nyhus, was in the early days changed to Newhouse, which is a translation of the Norwegian. Ole Newhouse married Helen Stabæk, daughter of Klemet Stabæk, who has been spoken of as the founder of the Rock Run Settlement in Stephenson County, Illinois, in 1839.
Sjur Kvarme's children included a son, Kolbein (born 1831); he lived on Jefferson Prairie from 1844-1854, in which latter year he joined the gold-seekers in California. With the proceeds of three years' work in the gold mines he came east again in 1857 and bought a farm near St. Ansgar, Iowa, where he lived till his death in October, 1906. Olav Vedfald, son of Gunder Vedfald, remained with his parents on Jefferson Prairie till 1850, when he purchased land and settled on Bonnet Prairie in Columbia County, Wisconsin.[187]
[187] Of those who come in 1844 from Numedal were Gulleik Svensrud and family, who however removed to Blue Mounds, Dane County, in 1847. In 1860 he married Ingeborg Lohn who died in 1903; there are five living children.
Among the pioneers of Jefferson Prairie are also particularly to be named Reverend O. Andrewson and wife, Ragnild Paulson, both of whom came to America in 1841, but did not settle in Clinton Township before 1855; in that year Rev. Andrewson accepted a call as pastor of the congregation which he had organized there in 1850. Mrs. Andrewson, who is now eighty-five years old, is still living there.
In the above survey of the growth of the Jefferson Prairie Settlement during these years many names have been omitted because of the uncertainty among my informants as to the year of their arrival. In a subsequent chapter I shall also outline the subsequent growth of the settlement. I shall here merely note the fact that Reverend J. W. C. Dietrichson speaks of the congregation in 1844 as numbering 150 members.