Great, Great, Great, Grandfather

Father of Iver Endreson (known as Iver Vangsness) who came to the USA in 1854.

Between 1854 to 1874 (just 20 years) 26 members of this large clan emigrated to America.

Endre Hansen Lee Nissestad and Kari Vikingsdatter Mörkve had 8 children.
They both died in 1850 in Norway.
They are our GGG Grandfather and GGG Grandmother.

I am listing their children here in order of birth....

•John Endreson born 1804, emigrated 1870 at age 65 to Kenyon MN, USA
I do not know if his second wife emigrated with him or not....
•Kristen Jonson - emigrated 1861 age 27
•Ingrid Endreson, wife of Kristen - emigrated 1861 age 22
•Kari Kristenson - emigrated with parents 1861 age 2
•Endre Kristenson - emigrated with parents 1861 age 1
•Brita Jonson - emigrated 1861 age 26
•Endre Jonson - emigrated 1870 age 19
•Kars Jonson - emigrated 1870 age 16
•Synneva Jonsdotter - emigrated 1870 age 13

•Hans Endreson, Nistad Dale born 1806 died 1878, emigrated 1869 at age 63.
Of his 7 children, 2 died as babies and ALL the rest emigrated to the USA!!!
  Endre Hanson Nese (died as a baby)
•Ingeborg Wilhelmsdotter Dale, wife of Hans - emigrated 1869 age 61
•Vilhelm Hanson Nese - emigrated 1856 at age 21
•Endre Hanson Nese aka Endre Dale - emigrated 1857 at age 20
•Elling Hanson Nese - emigrated 1867 at age 27
•Barbra Hansdatter Nese - emigrated 1866 at age 23
•Kari Hanson Nese (died as a baby)
•Kari Hanson Nese - emigrated 1869 at age 21
I do not know what happened to Hans' children, I do not know where they went or where they settled. It seems they went to Idaho and Montana.

Synneve Endresdatter, born 1808, died 1861 at the age of 53 in Norway.
This is the information I have for her 6 children:
  •Kari Hermundsdotter emigrated 1861
  •Endre Hermundson emigrated 1867
  •Anna Hermundsdotter emigrated 1867
  •Elling Hermundson emigrated 1867
  •Brita Hermundsdotter emigrated 1874
  •Lussi Hermundsdotter emigrated 1874
I do not know where Synneve's children went. And I do not have birth dates, so I do not know at what age they emigrated.

Did Hans' and Synneve's children come to Goodhue County MN too? ...Because land was available? Or did they go to Wisconsin as so many did....?? Or did they travel on to Idaho or Montana like some did? Nor do I have any birth or death dates for Synneve's children. Also, it is possible that they came to America with their families or spouses and children, it is just unknown to me.

Wiking Endreson I died as a baby.

•Wiking Endreson emigrated in 1854 at age 41 with our Iver Vangsness.

Ole Endreson I died as a baby

•Iver Endreson Nistad (our Iver Vangsness) emigrated in 1854 at the age of 34.
He is our GG Grandfather.
•Unni Andersdatter, his wife and our GG Grandmother, emigrated in 1854 at the age of 30 with their 2 year old son,
  •John Endreson Vangsness, our Great Grandfather, came with Iver and Unni as a 2 year old. All of his brothers and sisters were born in America!

Ole Endreson did not emigrate. Nor did any of his children, as far as I know.

As far as I can make out, 26 members of the same close family (counting the wives) left Norway for America. In a 20 year period from 1854 to 1874!! It must have been a tough time, an exciting time, a time of opportunity. They must have seen little hope in Norway, more of the same old thing. They must have seen some hope for a better life in America. More land, their own land.

What is in a Name???
The Iver Vangsness group settled mostly in the Goodhue MN area and many of the Hans Endreson Dale group finally settled elsewhere, some in Montana....many taking the name "Dale". I wonder where the children of Synneve or Hans settled?? That is a lot of cousins that we know nothing about!! Also, it is important to remember that even though they do not have the Vangness name, a name in not so important regarding Norwegian families. If brothers worked on different farms they would have most likely taken the farm name as their last name when and if they came to America.... Making them look like a different family, when they are in fact the same family. It makes looking for them much harder.

Even our Vangsness name was "iffy". I understand from John G. Vangsness' research that Iver had used the name Anderson for a while.... What is more important is the blood relation!!

What about the relatives who stayed in Norway?
John Endreson emigrated to America, but none of his children by his first wife did - at least that I know of. That would be Johannes Johnson, born 1831. He had 3 children - Gjert, Jakob and Joh. But 5 of John Endreson's children with his second wife and two grandchildren did. Also, Ole Endreson did not emigrate, nor did any of his children. He had 6 children - Johanna, Ender, Kari, Gunhild, Lars, and DF Jente. These decedents are our closest relatives in Norway. It would be interesting to try to find these people and to see what they are doing today.

Note: 
I still want to find out why Endre Hansen Lee Nissestad and Kari Vikingsdatter Mörkve died in 1850... Was there some kind of sickness that killed them ... some kind of accident?? It seems to me that the death of their parents made leaving Norway more possible than it otherwise might have been....

Great, Great, Great Grandmother

Mother of Iver Endreson who came to the USA in 1854.