Amundsons, part I

Inar Amundson’s homestead was just one mile north of Oscar’s and Isaac’s. As cousin Lois pointed out in a comment the other day, the Amundsons and Larsons are “related” by marriage, specifically the marriages of Oscar Larson to Mary Hart, and of Inar Amundson to Emily Hart, Mary’s sister. It seems increasingly likely that there are Amundsons in those crowd pictures from Aunt Lucy. I even found Inar and Emily’s wedding notice on the Web.

The Beach Advance, Beach, Golden Valley Co, North Dakota, April 24th, 1914

Inar Amundson and Miss Emily Hart were united in marriage in this city Monday noon, April 20th, by Judge R. O. Zollinger in the presence of the bride’s sister and Ernie Hatch. The young couple reside about 45 miles north of here and left for their home Tuesday morning. The Advance extends congratulations to the newlyweds.

Thus, Larry and Neva Larson are biological first cousins of the Amundson boys, including Glenn and Ray. Those are the two who ended up around Longview, Washington, and whose daughters (two each) were close childhood friends and playmates of mine.

I’m hoping for some input from Millie Amundson before I post my personal remembrances. Meanwhile, I worked backwards into the old country. So far, I have located primary sources, requiring only very likely assumptions, for the birth of Inar Amundson and both of his parents.

Somewhere on the Internet I found a birth date and place for Inar: 20 May 1884, Drammen, Norway. That agrees roughly with his age in the 1920 US census, which also lists that he immigrated in 1893. From there, I found my way to the churchbooks at Norway’s digitalarkivet, with help from the FamilySearch indexes.

Einar (Inar Amundson*),
b. 20 May 1884 Jensvoldstranden farm, Lier parish, Buskerud, Norway
Christened 20 July 1884, Frogner church, Lier parish, Buskerud, Norway.
Father: Ole Amundsen, born 1846;
Mother: Petronelle Rasmussen, born 1844
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* Surname not noted in churchbook; in the old country tradition, it would have been Olsen, not Amundson. It was unusual to find the parents’ ages in a birth record, but helpful – even though they are only approximate.

Ole Amundsen of Drammen age 26-1/2,
Petrinelle Rasmusdatter Linnonvolden (Linne?) age 31
Married 05 Sept 1872, Lier, Buskerud, Norway; Residence: Jensvold
Groom’s father: Amund Olsen, bride’s father: Rasmus Pedersen*
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*Those fathers’ names were crucial in finding both Ole’s and Petronelle’s birth records. The 1865 census data was also needed to connect the dots. By the 1860’s, more people moved in and out of parishes, thanks to railroads and steam-powered vessels. For the most part, they were attracted to the urban areas like Drammen, thanks to the Industrial Revolution. Country or city, these are mostly very poor people, like nearly all who emigrated.

Ole Amundsen b. 15 Apr. 1846,
Strømsnaes farm, Grue parish, Hedmark, Norway
chr. 31 May 1846, Grue, Hedmark, Norway*
Father: Amund Olsen; Mother: Thore Eriksdatter
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*1865 census lists Ole Amundsen, age 20, living in Drammen; his birthplace is Grue.

Petronelle Rasmusdatter b. 23 Sep. 1841,
Ljaastad Eie*, Lier, Buskerud, Norway
Christened 31 Oct. 1841, Lylling church, Lier, Buskerud, Norway
Father: (husmann) Rasmus Pedersen; Mother: Marte Olsdatter Ljaastad
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* The “eie” after the farm name is the suffix for “belonging to,” indicating a tenant farm, where the farmer had no ownership and limited rights. These farmers were called husmenn.

1865 Census summary:

Local Parish: Frogner, Parish: Lier, Farm: Lian nordre*
Amund Olsen, widower, Housefather, Renter, Day-laborer,
age 46, birthplace Grue.
Ole Amundsen, son, age 20; three female siblings 17, 11, 8.
*”farm” by this era did not necessarily mean a rural subsistence property, but also a suburban or urban land holding.

Local Parish: Braegernes, Municipality: Drammen, instead of a farm name is an individuals name: [Signature of?] Wilh(elm?) Gutzeit. Must be a German?
Petronelle Rasmusdatter, unmarried, age 26, servant (on large staff) under Wilh. Gutzeit, age 60: wholesaler, exporter, and head of Portugese Wine Council (!! “gute Zeit” is German for – literally – “good time!”) But besides his interest in Portugese wine, Gutzeit was involved in the forest products and mining industries.

Stay tuned for later, and possibly earlier, generations.