JOHN JOHNSEN SVENHOLT
Utreist med/Emigrated on: the "SALVATOR"
Utreist til/Emigrated to: Oconomowoc township, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin
John Johnsen Svenholt: Why he is called by the name Svenholt, is very uncertain. There is a farm called Svinholt in Gjerpen, but he cannot be seen to have lived there. He is born Sept 12, 1814 on the farm Gromstulen in Luksefjeld in Gjerpen by parents John Torkildsen and Gunhild Rasmusdatter. He may have been the person who earned his living as a farm-hand in 1835 on the farm Løberg søndre in Gjerpen. He married Dec 27, 1842 to Ingeborg Olsdatter, born April 14, 1823 in Siljan. Her father was Ole Engebretsen Sukka and Ingeborg Johnsdatter. They lived in 1845 on the farm Sukka vestre in Gjerpen. John and Ingeborg had the following children: Ingeborg b. Nov 10, 1845 died Aug 11, 1926 She married pastor Even Homme, founder of the village of Wittenberg, Homme Home and other institutions. Jonas Theodor b. Dec 20, 1855 died March 8, 1923 Businessman and sawmill-owner, became register of deeds in Waupaca County, member of the assembly and later game warden. John died July 6, 1880 in Scandinavia, Wisconsin, and Ingeborg died 1908. They are both buried at Scandinavia Luth. Cem. John Svendholt was in 1851 together with Jacob Tollefsen Rosholt, a delegate to a synodical conference held at Luther Valley Church near Orfordville which paved the way for the organisation of the Norwegian Synod in 1853.
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This is all that is left of Gromstulen
today. The place burnt down quite a few years ago, and is now in ruins. |
From April Corinne Schaadt, b. Schaadt, of Santa Rosa, California, I have received a full family tree for the Bestul family. Also photos are included:
Thanks a lot April.
Jan
From Helen Swenholt Barton of Seattle I have received the following information (Thanks very much, Helen: )
<> Emigrated on the "Salvator" to Oconomowoc township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin arriving in New York harbor July 4, 1844. "JJS was a poor man and his brother paid his fare to this country" Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin counties of Waupaca, Portage, etc. <> Church Records: Families of Pine Lake and St. Olof's Church, Town of Merton, Waukesha County, WI 1841-1849 as entered on Church Record books from St. John's Lutheran Church, Stone Bank, WI. by Rev. Gustaf Elias Unionius, appointed in charge of the Scandinavian settlers by Bishop Jackson Kemper. Entry pg. 8 Jonsson, Jon from Norway, Sept. 14, 1845 Pine Lake b. 1814 wife Ingeborg " " " " " " " b. 1827 child Ingeborg born in the settlement of Pine Lake 10 Nov. 1845. <> pg 8 Family seceded from the church August 1847. <> Same church birth records: Pg 4. Jan. 4, 1846 Jonsdatter, Ingeborg Parents Jon Jonsen & Ingeborg Olsdatter b. 10 Nov. 1845 Milwaukie Co., Scandinavia Parish, Pine Lake. God parents: Christoffer Olsen, Ellev Bartul [transcribing error - should be Bestul], Jon Ellevson, Gunild Thorsdatter, Ingeborg Ellevsdatter. Baptized by Rev. Gust. Unionius. <> Same church records for St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery pg. 6 Svinholt, son of Johanson Svinholt dates undeciperable. Headstone at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery actually reads: Hip? piler? [hard to read even enhenced. May be in Norwegian] SON AF Ingeborg ag John JOHANSEN Svinholt [all caps but smaller lettering] (Norwegian inscription across the bottom written very small) [Synopsis of census records to follow. The importance of the headstone discovery is 1) There was another child, probably still born, between Ingeborg and her brother Jonas. But more importantly 2) JJS used the name Svenholt right from the beginning of his emigration to America. He just never used it on official documents. He did use it to distinguish himself from all the other John Johnsons around. I could never confirm usage of the Svenholt name until the census of 1880]. <> [Also in the same St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery Records on pg 4 the following notation, my presumption is that the entry is of JJS's brother and family: Johnson, Ellef b. 1802 - 1/1/1870 ae 68 yrs wife Ingeborg b. 1802 -12/25/1875 ae 75 yrs Edward, son of E. & --- 1867 - 10/6/ 1869 ae 2 yrs 7 mo. Edward O., son of E. & --- 1860 - 7/3/1862 ae 1 yr 9 mo.] <> Born Jonas Theodor Johnson 20 Dec. 1855 Stone Bank, (near Oconomowoc), Waukesha Co., now WI. This could still have been Milwaukie Co. at that point in time. <> 1844 and 1849 two platts of land 160 acres were granted. From the Index to the First Recorded Land Ownership maps, Waukesha Co., WI 1839-1865 compiled by Edith Tallmadge Waukesha WI. Waukesha Historical Museum 1947. Township 8 North, range 17 East of the 4th Principal Meridian- Oconomow Township. 1) Northwest 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 13 John Johnson Aug. 3, 1844. 2) Southeast 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 13 - John Johnson Oct. 4, 1849. <> Naturalization: Dec. 3, 1956 from the Certificates of Naturalizations, Waukesha County Vol. 2, pg. 27: Dec. 3, 1856 John Johnson, a native of Norway, declared his intention to become a U.S. citizen before the U. S. District Court for the County of Milwaukie and the Territory of Wisconsin on Aug. 3 1844. Witnesses: Hans Rasmuson and Ole Nelson. (1 page). [Can not locate a certificate of completion.] <> In 1851 John Johnson and Jacob Tollefsen Rosholt were delegates to a synodical conference held at Luther Valley? near Orfordville, WI ? which would pave the way for the organization of the Norwegian Synod in 1853. <> Census Reports: 1) 1855 Oconomowoc Township pg. 6 John Johnson (white) # Males 1; # Females 2; Foreign born 2. 2) 1860 Federal Census: Township Oconomowoc 533 Johnson, John ae 46 farmer 2500-500 Norway Ingeborg ae 37 Norway Ingeborg ae 14 WI Jonas ae 5 WI 3) 1870 Federal Census: Scandinavia, Waupaca Co., WI 140 Johnsen, John ae 55 farmer Norway Ingeber ae 47 Norway Jonas ae 14 WI Mary ae 13 [who this is I do not know] 4) 1880 Federal Census: Scandinavia, Waupaca Co., WI 72 73 Svindholt*, John ae 65 farmer etc. Ingeborg ae 57 [notice the official name switch] 5) 1880 Federal Census: Seneca, Shawano Co., WI Svenholt, Jonas wh, m. ae 24 merchant <> In 1863 JJS and family removed to Scandinavia, Waupaca Co., WI to a new farm where 8 year old Jonas pursued his studies at the district schools. Jonas grew up in the usual manner of farm boys. As a young man, he engaged in hunting timber land and traveled over Shawano county and northern Waupaca county. <> In 1869 Rev. Evan Johnson Homme (usually written as Rev. E.J. Homme) married Ingeborg Swenholt. ['Commemorative Biographical Records of the Upper Wisconsin counties of Waupaca, ----']. Rev. E. J. Homme had met Ingeborg a few years before when he was a traveling minister. He had stayed at JJS home on one of his visits. It was reported that the home of JJS and his wife Ingeborg was a comfortable home open to all travellers of the time. E. J. Homme and family settled in Wittenberg, WI. <> Jonas married Miss Anna Lysne of Amherst, Portage Co., WI July 18, 1883 at the Norwegian Lutheran Church at New Hope. Her parents were Hendrik Ola Lysne and Kisti Evansdatter of Moe. <> John Johnson Swenholt died July 6, 1880 in Waupaca Councy, WI. and is buried at Scandinavia Lutheran Cemetery, Section 2 Row 37. [Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletters Vol. 23 #3 Jan. 1977 Waupaca Co. pg 9. The cemetery records were copied by Wayne and Alta Guyant. The cemetery itself is located Section 10 Township of Scandinavia on County Trunk G. Vol. 24 No. 2 Sept 1977 Waupaca Co. pg. 16 includes actual mention of this particular gravesite.] Head stone inscription reads: John Johnson Svendholt F O D Sept 12, 1814 D O D Juli 6, 1880 Salige [Norwegian script which I can not see well enough to copy accurately.] <> After JJS's death his wife Ingeborg went to live with her son Jonas. [as written in 'Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families.' Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1895. <> JJS was reported to be a Democrat in his political views until the organization of the Republican party in 1856. <> Ingeborg Svendholt died 1908 and is reported to be buried next to her husband in Scandinavia Lutheran Cemetery. There appear to be no confirming records but the suspicion is sufficiently strong to suggest that is the case. [There are vacant spaces, ground with no headstones, on either side of JJS. The Cemetery Association has decided not to bury anyone in these spots because it is assumed that there really are people already occupying these locations. Mr. Guyant could not confirm her burial with his records. This information came from Mr. Naeseth of the Vesteheim Genealogical Center.]
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