Lars Jordal - property

Here are photos of the present day property which used to belong to Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson's eldest son, Lars Jordal in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Looking northeast from Hermann Road and County Line Road toward DeKalb county.   The left side of the street is Lee County.

The house located on the southern portion of Lars' property on the east side of the road.

A closeup of the house on County Line Road.   

Another home is situated on the northern portion of Lars' property.   This one is listed on the plat map and may have been the home in which the Jordal family lived.

Here is a shot of the home on the northern portion of his property along with the outlying buildings.

Here is a photo looking southeast from the northern end of Lars Jordal's property on County Line Road facing DeKalb County.

1905 Milan township plat map

By 1905 the Jordal brothers, Lars, Gunder and Omund had increased their land holdings and were farming property they had acquired in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Lars' property was located in the upper left quadrant of section 31 as well as the lower left quadrant of section 30.  

Gunder's property was located in the upper left quadrant of section 30, north of Lars.

Omund's property was located in the upper right quadrant of section 29, east of his two brothers.

Gunder Jordal - property

Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson's son Gunder Jordal purchased farm land in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois in 1904 from H.A. Willison for $4495.00.

From the Sycamore True Republican, September 28, 1904 edition.

1900 US Census - Susanna (Jordal) Johnson

Here is the 1900 US Census for Susanna (Annie) Jordal, the first of Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson's grandchildren to marry.

Susanna had married Arthur Johnson on December 15, 1898.   Both Susanna and Arthur were living in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois at the time of the 1900 census.    Arthur was employed as a farmer.

1900 US Census - Omund Jordal

Here is the 1900 US census for my great grandfather, Omund Jordal, the youngest child of Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson.

Omund, wife Ingeborg and the first 3 of their 12 children, Celia, Olai and Harvey were living in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.   Also living in the household working as farm labor for the Jordal family was Clarence Knutelson.

1900 US Census - Lars and Gunder Jordal

Here is the 1900 US Census for two of Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson's sons, Lars Jordal and his younger brother, Gunder Jordal.

Gunder, wife Anna (Jossendal) and the first of their 4 children,  Sylvia, Mabel, Marie and Gilbert were living in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Lars, his wife Isabelle (Halverson) and 4 of their children, Ole, Simon, Alfred and Mrytle were living next door.   Their daughter Susanna (Annie) had already married and was living with her husband (their census record will be posted at a later date).   Lars and Isabelle's other child, Lars Jr had passed away twelve years earlier in 1888.

Both Gunder and Lars were farming the land they had purchased a few years earlier.

1900 Norwegian Census - Torbjor Olsdatter

Here is the 1900 Norwegian Census for Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson's daughter, Torbor Olsdatter and husband Gunnar Olsen who were living in Sandven, south of the Jordal farm.

The abbreviation "hf" for "husfar" means husband and the abbreviation "hm" for "husmor" means housewife.    "Veiarbeider skomager" translates to shoemaker.

Here is a map showing the locations of Jordal and Sandven (I've seen it also spelled Sandvin).

Here is another map of the area.

1900 Norwegian Census - Sigri Gunnersdatter

By 1900, my great great grandmother, Sigri Gunnersdatter had moved south of the Jordal farm to Strond sometime following the death of my great great grandfather, Ole Larson.    Here is the 1900 Norwegian census for Sigri (spelled Sigrid Gunnarsdatter).

Sigri's family status is listed as "el" the abbreviation for "enslig losjerende" which translates to "single lodger, not related to the family".     The abbreviation for occupation was listed as "Inderst, underholdes af sine børn" which translates to "entertained their children", essentially a nanny for the household's children.    Sigri's marital status is listed as "e" the abbreviation for "enke" which translates to "widow".

Here is a map showing the location of Strond south of the Jordal farm.

 

Omund Jordal - property

In 1899, my great grandfather, Omund Jordal purchased 160 acres of farm land from J Lambert for $10,400 in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

From the March 11, 1899 Sycamore True Republican.

Martin Lars Jordal - death

Lars Jordal, the fifth child of Isabelle (Halvorson) and Lars Olson Jordal and the grandson of Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson died of diphtheria on August 25, 1888 in Lee County, Illinois.

Here is the First Lutheran Church death record* for 1888.   Lars (#8) was 4 years old at the time of his death.

*First Lutheran Church records provided by Pastor Steve Dow, Faith Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Illinois.

Isabelle (Halvorson) and Lars Olson Jordal - church marriage record

Here is the April 8, 1875 from First Lutheran Church of Lee, Illinois marriage record* for Isabelle (Halvorson) and Lars Olson Jordal.

*First Lutheran Church records provided by Pastor Steve Dow, Faith Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Illinois.

Isabelle (Halvorson) and Lars Olson Jordal - wedding photo

And going a little further back.....

Lars Olson Jordal, the eldest child of Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson was the first of their children to marry.

Here is a photo* of Isabelle Halvorson and Lars Olson Jordal taken on their wedding day,  April 8, 1875 in Lee County, Illinois.

Isabelle was 23 and Lars was 25 at the time they were married.

*Photo provided by Dave Jordal, the great grandson of Isabelle and Lars Jordal.

Martha Olsdatter Jordal - immigration passenger list

The passenger list for Marta's arrival in the United States had eluded me, even though I had located those of her siblings, Lars, Gunder and Omund (my great grandfather) Jordal.

After tracking down her marriage record, I then located the baptism record for her husband, Ingebrigt Knudtsen to verify his date of birth and potential spellings of his father's name as well as their farm name.    His baptism record was located in the Odda parish, Hordaland County, Norway.    Ingebrigt is entry #9, though no mention of his farm.   His father, Knud Larson apparently was born or had lived in Strand, Rogaland county.

The handwriting on the baptism record wasn't too clear, so I located the Norwegian 1865 census record for the Knudtson family, (which did match the marriage record) as Knudts (abbreviated).   The complete spelling has a few variations including Knudtson, Knudtsen, Knutson, Knutsen Knudson, Knudsen and for daughters, Knudtsdatter, etc.   It was also easier to read the transcription of the unusual name given his mother which matched the First Lutheran Church marriage record.

I then located Ingebrigt's emigration record (entry #51) from the Odda parish dated April 13, 1881, which was the page prior to the Marta's.

Then I found the transcribed 'Emigration from Bergen' record for Ingebright (#8401).

At this point it became clear that Marta and Ingebright were possibly traveling on the same ship to the United States.

Cross-referencing with other passengers having left on May 5, 1881 from Bergen, I located the SS Abyssinia which left Liverpool, England and arrived in New York on May 28, 1881.

Marta is listed as entry as 8205 "Martha Olsdatter" and Ingebrigt is listed at entry 8207 as "I Knudsen".
Martha is listed as a 25 year old "spinster" and Ingebrigt a 21 year old laborer.   Again, like the marriage record, Martha was not 25, but rather had turned 26 fifteen days earlier on May 13, 1881, prior to the arrival in New York harbor.

More about the SS Abyssinia can be found here.     Below is a drawing of the ship.

Martha Jordal - marriage

 Backtracking a bit......

The third child born to Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson, Martha Jordal was married on January 27, 1882 to Ingebrigt Knudtsen at First Lutheran Church* in Lee, Lee County, Illinois.

(It appears Martha was no longer spelling her name as Marta)

The marriage record indicates Martha was 25, however she was born May 13, 1855.  She would have been 26 at the time she married.   She would turn 27 a few months later.    I guess it's not uncommon to shave a year or two off one's life.

*First Lutheran Church records provided by Pastor Steve Dow, Faith Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Illinois.

Gunder Jordal - marriage

From the March 14, 1894 edition of the Sycamore True Republican.

Annie (Larson) and Gunder Jordal were married on March 12, 1894.

1892 plat map - Milan Township, DeKalb County, Illinois

Here is the 1892 plat map for Milan Township, DeKalb County, Illinois.

Gunder Jordal had acquired 108 acres in the lower left quadrant, #30, listed as G O Jordal. 

The property was located in western DeKalb county next to Lee County.    The western border is County Line road which would be the only access to the property.    The northern border was 1 mile south of Perry Road and 1/2 mile north of McGirr Road.   

Omund Jordal - immigration

My great grandfather, Omund Olson Jordal, the 6th and final child born to Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson had been living in the United States since 1884 when he filed citizenship papers 8 years later.

Here is an index card indicating he had filed on November 1, 1892 in Dixon, the county seat of Lee County, Illinois.  










It appears one of the witnesses, Ole Jordal, was most likely his nephew, the eldest son of Omund's older brother, Lars Jordal and wife Isabelle (Sigursdatter).

Gunder Jordal - immigration

Gunder Olson Jordal, the 4th child born to Sigri Gunnersdatter and Ole Larson had been living in the United States since 1880 when he filed citizenship papers 9 years later.

Here is an index card indicating he had filed on February 7, 1889 in Dixon the county seat of Lee County, Illinois.