I Want to Know More Than Just the Facts

When I started doing genealogy, I didn't realize just how much these "people" would mean to me. They became more than just a name on a family group sheet or pedigree chart. There had to be more to them than just a birth date, marriage date and death date. I really wanted to know their stories, learn how they lived and see what they looked like.
Even as a little girl, I loved to have my mom tell me stories about when she was a little girl but I never thought to ask my Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles about their lives. By the time I realized the importance of the stories, it was too late to ask those who could tell me. They had either died or were lost in the darkness of dementia. Just like most of us, I had thought they would always be around. It didn't dawn on me, until I was almost 50, and becoming the oldest generation, that I didn't know a lot about my ancestors.
As I became more interested in genealogy, I met wonderful friends who had beautiful pictures and stories of their ancestors. They had more than just the facts and it made me also want to know more than just the facts about my family. That is why this blog has become--I want to connect with others who are related and share what I know with them and learn what they know and want to share with me and others.
I know that this life is just part of a long journey and that we knew each other before we were born. Life goes on, even after death, and I am grateful that I will one day again see my family. I will be able to really "get the facts" and learn about their lives.
I once read a beautiful poem that showed that there is indeed more to a person's life than just the dates on their tombstone. The dash between the birth date and death date represents much more than the space it takes up. It encompasses all of life's experiences—good and bad, happy and sad. It is important what we do between our birth and death. The 36-line poem touches on other subjects but it really got me thinking about what that dash represents in my ancestor's lives.

          The Dash by Linda Ellis
Here is a link to the author's website. A short video illustrates the poem. I hope you enjoy it!

Marie's Poem

I was given a copy of a poem that Marie wrote. It tells of her life from the cradle to the grave. It is very special and my heart is deeply touched each time I read it. She lived a very hard life, just like everyone else during that time. She was born in 1827 and died in 1879, just three short years after arriving in America. Seven of their nine children were still in Norway, two of them were resting in graves.She suffered several years from consumption (tuberculosis) and it eventually took her life.
The last two stanzas were written shortly before her death.

Far from the place where my cradle stood
My widowed mother struggled and strove
Against heavy odds with children three,
But patient and trusting in God was she.

Want and work was our daily bread;
We children oft went hungry to bed.
She early in life sickened and died
Thus ending her struggles.  She was sorely tired.

I, young as I was, found a faithful friend;
Tried and true to the very end,
We had many children and trials too
And had to make shift as poor folk do.

All too soon my youth took flight
Like the roses in spring that die in the night.
Life's bright morning soon changed to gloom
Dark clouds arose with threatening doom.

Thus passed the weary years away
With labor and changing toil each day.
Then came the Gospel's welcome sound
We heard it gladly and happiness found.

But the towers of darkness can stand
The light that shines and brings joy to man.
With children eight we were driven from home
Into a cheerless world to roam.

An industrious man soon finds his place
This also happened in my husband's case.
We found a living and were satisfied
Though work was hard, it had its reward.

Hope springs ever and laughs at want
We stove to reach the Promised Land
Where God could our labor approve and bless
And we might live in happiness.

Now I have reached my life's great goal
But have also tasted the bitter cup
Of parting from those I have loved best
Yet through it all I was greatly blest.

Now my dear children, who alone must stand
Without your parents helping hand,
Keep faith with him who all power is given
He will erase your burden and grant you Heaven.

Listen, my children, to my last few words
Think not that on earth only roses grow.
No, thither beyond, on the Blessed Shore
Neither trial nor thorns will hurt anymore. 

The Passing Years by David C. Jensen

A few years ago I decided to do a "Google Search" on Ole and Maria. Boy, was I surprised when I found a website with histories and pictures. I could hardly believe it. The information was part of a website that has since been shut down and has been moved to this blog.
Some of the information was quoted from The Passing Years by David C. Jensen. It took me a long time and many phone calls to find a copy of the "book". It is not a published book but a typewritten manuscript that had been copied for family members. I was able to connect with David's son and he so graciously sent me a copy. I am not going to post the names of living individuals but I would be more than happy to share information if contacted.
David C. Jensen was the son on Antone H. Jensen the son of David Jensen, Ole's younger brother. I am going to quote some of the book that tells about Ole.

Ole Petterborg was born August 15, 1825 in Toten, Norway. He was the son of Ole Olsen and Gulline Olsen. Ole had two half-brothers, David and Antone Jensen. Ole came to America in 1873.

Ole changed his name from Olsen to Petterborg. The name Olsen was common in Ole's section of Norway. The various Olsens were identified by the place they lived. So it was with Ole. He was called Ole of Petterborg. Ole liked Petterborg better than Olsen.

Ole married Marie Eriksen. Marie was born November 6, 1827 in Norway. She died January 24, 1878. To this union were born nine children. The children were born in Norway. There names are Gine, John, Matilda, Emil, Even, Beate, who died in 1862, Beate who was born in 1864, Christine, and Oliane.

Even did not marry. He drank considerably during his life time which caused him to be hospitalized. He died in Walla Walla, Washington at the age of 78. He was brought back to Preston to be buried.

Two of the children died, but the rest married and had families. John Olsen settled in Ohio. He married twice and had two families. He and two boys were killed in a saw mill.

Emil settled in Preston. He is the only one who retained the name Petterborg, so he is the main root of the Petterborgs.

Ole homesteaded the place across from the Fifth Ward church. His place ran one mile north and was 1/4 mile wide. Christensen owned the place were Ole's house sat.

Ole was tall and thin. While he was in Norway, he did some drinking. He was mean during this time and would beat his wife. He was good otherwise. He was very close on money matters.

Ole lived a very quiet life. He did not take an active part in the affairs of the day. He accepted the gospel in April 1866. He was the type of man who tended his own business in a very mild mannered way.

Ole died in December 1885. He is buried in the Preston cemetery.

The name Petterborg is becoming common in the West. Ole left to his kin a unique name. The name started with him and will grow and grow. (from page 49)

 This information and a family group sheet is what I used to help me get started on my research for Ole and Maria. A few things are different than what I have since learned but it was such a thrill to have this information about MY family.
Below is a little more information from The Passing Years. It was written about David but since David and Ole are half-brothers, it also gives a good insight into Ole's life.

David Jensen's father, Jen Johansen, was a miller. Jens operated a small water power mill on the river that runs through the central part of what is called East and West Toten [Norway].

David's mother, Gulline Olsen Johansen, was a very large woman. She was tall and stately. Her hands and feet were very large for a woman. She was known among the people of Toten as Gulline Grotten. Grotten was the name of the place or house that she lived in after her husband, Jens, died. Jens was sixty-four years old when he married Gulline. Gulline was thirty-seven when she married.

Gulline had a child, before her marriage to Jens, who was named Ole Olsen. The records show that Ole's father's name was Ole Olsen. Ole went by the name of Ole Petterborg in America. Ole was born August 15, 1825.

Jens had been married before he married Gulline, and had raised a large family. Jens' first wife was Dorthe Gudmunsen Johansen. David's seven half sisters names were Marie, Agnethe, Johanne, Gulline, Hellene, Elline, and one name unknown.

Jens and Gulline had three children: David, Johannes who lived just a few hours and, Antone.   (from page 3)

Two Brothers with Completely Different Names

It seems that many of these beginning posts have dealt with names and their differences. As a genealogist, I have become aware of the importance of knowing a person's name or even names and the variations there may be. I have already written about patronymics in the Scandinavian countries but the practice really does make a big difference in knowing who to search for.
I decided, a couple of years ago, to try and find others who are related to Ole and Maria so that I could gather and share information with as many people as possible. I thought it might be a good idea to start doing collateral research--looking for Ole and Maria's brothers and sisters and their descendants.
It had not dawned on me that Ole's siblings had a different surname but they did. Ole was the illegitimate child of Ole Olsen and Gulline Olsdatter. His parents never married but when he was almost 11 years old, his mother married Jens Johansen. Jens and Gulline had 3 children, David, Johannes and Antone. David and Anton's surname was Jensen and Johannes' was Jensdatter.
A bell went off in my head--I had see a David Jensen also living in the Preston, Idaho area. Preston is where Ole and Maria settled in America. It ended up that this David Jensen was indeed Ole's younger brother. I have been blessed to find contacts on that side of Ole's family and they have shared wonderful information.
David moved to Franklin, Idaho in 1867 and Ole arrived in the area in 1876.
I am glad there was family waiting for them in this strange new country of America!