_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.