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Roald Petter ÅarbekkRoald Petter Åarbekk (DFA # 17A.A2)

Hello.

My mother Kristofa Juliannë Årbekk (Larsen) was the daughter of Emerentse Anna Kristine Olsdatter who emigrated to America in 1892 (and went back after 5 years). See the descendants of my grandmother (DFA # 17A) on the Dragland family tree. My mother was VERY concerned with the family in America and often told stories that she had heard from her mother. She had frequent visits by her family from America. When I and my wife visit North Dakota this summer, we hope to find out where my family settled down 127 years ago. Below is a picture of the Daniel B. Olsen Dragland family that my mother had received from America.

Regards,
Roald (Feb 7, 2019)

Photo of Daniel B Olsen Dragland family in America

Narrative of the family's Journey to America 1892

In the church book for Hol, Tjeldsund in Lødingen, Norway one can read that one company of 10 people took out certificate of relocation to North Dakota in the United States May 20, 1892.

The people are:

  1. Petter Jentoft Larsen born 1865
  2. Emerentse Olsdatter born 1871 (his wife)
      (daughter of Ola Torson Limmesand)
  3. Olga born 1891 (their daughter)
  4. Lars Olai Olsen born 1863 (Emerents' brother)
  5. Karoline Gregussen born 1863 (Lars' wife)
  6. Olaf born 1884 (their son)
  7. Kristian (Chris) born 1885 (their son)
  8. Daniel born 1889 (their son)
  9. Lind born 1890 (their son)
  10. Joakim Olsen born 1873 (Lars' & Emerents' brother)

The Digitalworks Emigrant Register shows that the company traveled from Trondheim May 25, 1892 with Dominolin's ship DS "Domino".

Petter, Emerentse and Olga are now written with the surname Harvig and traveled from Sandtorg with destination Quebec. Petter's and Emerents' tickets were paid in America. Olga's ticket was bought in Trondheim.

(Emerentse had 3 brothers and a sister in North Dakota who had emigrated 5 years previously in 1887. These people were: Theodor Olsen Dragland b: 1850, Nikoline Olsen b: 1852, Daniel Bertheus Olson Dragland b:1861 (see photo above), and Mikal Peder Olsen Dragland b: 1866.)

Almost a year after the trip, Petter's and Emerentse's son Lars was born on May 11, 1893 in Goose River, Hatton, North Dakota. Made in America you can say! Emerentse, and especially Petter, enjoyed their stay in North Dakota but moved home to Norway again (unknown when, but on January 8, 1895 their next child, Anna was born in Hårvik, Lødingen).

Lars and Karoline Olsen with 4 children used the surname Dragland. They traveled from Lødingen with destination Northwood, Dakota. They pay their tickets in Trondheim. Little brother Joakim with surname Olsen bought his ticket in Trondheim. While in the United States, he took the name John Dragland and died unmarried in Seattle in 1927.

The company of 10 people became 11 when they arrived, because Karoline gave birth to a child in the middle of the Atlantic. The child was named Emil Atlanteen Dragland. Lars and Karoline eventually had 7 children, born in North Dakota. Emerentse and Petter had the children Olga (born in Norway before the trip) and Lars (born in North Dakota). Then after returning to Norway they had the children Anna, Einar, Gunvor, Hartløv, Ole, Herdis and my mother Kristofa. Chris and Ansoph had 10 children.

The American itinerary must have been something like this: