I have written several times about my “step-great-grandmother,” Helene Olsdatter. You can find those posts using this link. Some of their assertions are outdated, and I am working on a “page” to update and consolidate them. This weekend, stimulated by conversations with cousin Sheila Geier, I did some work on a new thread.
Helene was mother to the youngest seven of Ole Larson’s 13 children. In addition, she was said to have a older daughter, named Kari Hanson. Larsons and Slettens 1985, in most cases very complete on dates and names, gives only the sketchiest outline of this, on page 62:
No dates nor any further info. When I studied this earlier, I tried starting from the beginning. I searched for any possible record of this child in Norway with Helene, and in Wisconsin after her immigration. All blanks. This time, I decided to work from the other end, and soon found the family of Frank and Julia Polzin, with their first four children, in the 1940 US Census, in Dover Township, Olmsted County, Minnesota:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSV2-T7
| Household | Role | Gender | Age | Birthplace |
| Frank F Polzin | Head | M | 40 | Minnesota |
| Julia M Polzin | Wife | F | 39 | Minnesota |
| Luther W Polzin | Son | M | 11 | Minnesota |
| Etta Mae R Polzin | Daughter | F | 9 | Minnesota |
| Jessie Ann M Polzin | Daughter | F | 6 | Minnesota |
| Orvilla C Polzin | Daughter | F | 0 | Minnesota |
“Orvilla” is simply a mistranscription of “Arvilla.” Same family in 1930 census, with only their first child, in Elmira Township, same county:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X38V-N6K
| Household | Role | Gender | Age | Birthplace |
| Frank Polzin | Head | M | 30 | Minnesota |
| Julia Polzin | Wife | F | 28 | Minnesota |
| Luther F Polzin | Son | M | 1 | Minnesota |
Now, here is a Julia Steadman (alt. Stedman, the maiden name of Julia Polzin), four years old, in the Minnesota state census of 1905:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-159387-209078-98?cc=1503056
One interesting thing about this record is, there is no apparent mother for four-year-old Julia. Ben and Julia, both 72 years old, may be her grandparents, and either George or Luther may be her father, but not necessarily. Household roles were not included in this state census. So, how about this death record:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDZX-Y93
| Name: | Carrie Steadman | |||
| Gender: | Female | |||
| Burial Place: | Saratoga | |||
| Death Date: | 12 Jul 1903 | |||
| Death Place: | Chatfield | |||
| Age: | 25 | |||
| Birth Date: | 24 Nov 1877 | |||
| Birthplace: | Wis | |||
| Occupation: | House Wife | |||
| Race: | White | |||
| Marital Status: | Married | |||
| Father’s Name: | Hanson | |||
Note her age at death: 25, and two years before the above census. “Carrie” is an American variant of “Kari,” so this pretty much matches the Kari Hanson Stedman in Aline’s book. We’ll try to verify that later. But what is to say that she is the mother of Julia Steadman, born approx. 1901? I have so far found no marriage record for either George or Luther Steadman (potential fathers of Julia). But I did find a death record for George Stedman.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FD65-PHX
| Name: | George Stedman | |||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Death Date: | 21 Nov 1946 | |||
| Death Place: | Elmira, Olmstead, Minnesota | |||
| Age: | 74 | |||
| Birth Date: | 1872 | |||
| Marital Status: | Married | |||
| Spouse’s Name: | Carrie Stedman | |||
| Father’s Name: | Benjamin Stedman | |||
| Mother’s Name: | Julia Stonell | |||
We know this is the same George as in the 1905 census, because of his parents’ names and his age. I was skeptical of the spouse name at first. “Our” Carrie had been dead for 43 years, time enough for another marriage, so maybe this spouse was some other “Carrie.” But then I found this entry in the 1900 US Census:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11850-46881-2?cc=1325221
Together in the employ of the Patrick Burke family are Carrie Hanson, servant, and George Stedman, laborer. Well, that settled that! Just the year before Julia’s birth, these are surely mom and dad. In this record it states that Carrie’s birth date was Sept. 1877 (compared to Nov. 24 on the death record), and further, that she was born in Wisconsin, while both of her parents were born in Norway. Hmmm … this is a wrinkle to iron out later.
Another five years back, the trail peters out, for now. In the 1895 Minnesota state census, Carrie Hanson appears as a servant in a different household. Again, it states she was born in Wisconsin.
That’s it. I haven’t found a trace of Carrie (or Kari) prior to age 17, and nothing to corroborate the idea that she was Helen Olsdatter’s daughter, so far. But we have surely found the very family referred to in Aline’s book. Stay tuned.
