Notes for Christian Olsen KOLSTAD

Notes for Christian Olsen KOLSTAD Doug & Nancy Russell's Homepage

Notes for Christian Olsen KOLSTAD

I was at the County Historical Society library on Thursday when one of the docents approached me with a question. She was writing an article for the society newsletter and wanted to know if I had any information about the chair factory that was once in Underwood. I did not know much about it except that the chairs were of oak and sold for $3 per dozen (imagine that!). She thought I might know something because she thought my great grandfather, Christian, had perhaps sold wood to the factory. Then she showed me a news clipping from the Fergus Falls Daily Journal for May 24, 1883. It read:

"Some time last week, Mr. Christian O. Kolstad's lumber and house timber
took fire and burned up which was a considerable loss to Mr. K. We
sympathize with him as he is a hard working young man."

She had gotten the idea that "Mr. K." referred to Mr. Kellogg, the chair factory owner because he was mentioned in an earlier paragraph. Then I got a personal tour of their new exhibit - chairs of all shapes and kinds and she showed me how to recognize a chair made by the Kellogg factor

I just thought you might be interested in the article.

Norman Kolstad
nkolstad@@prtel.com

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Nancy-

>is Hans Christian Olsen the father of Christian Kolstad?

Yes.

>...is Kristian our Christian?

Yes. Spelling often varied for names. I should have included this URL so
you could see the 1865 census information yourself (you may have to cut and
paste the entire URL into your address window):

http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/wc/webcens.exe?slag=e&filename=arkivverket/ft1865/f60301&variabel=15&postnr=51043&fulle=true&spraak=e

It shows Hans' birthplace as Edsberg - that is the old spelling of Eidsberg. It also shows a Poul Holmsen in the household. He may have been hired help or a border. Mathea's birthplace of Fedt or Fet is just east of Oslo.

Here is the 1875 census page which shows their address in Oslo:

http://draug.rhd.isv.uit.no/ftsoek/ftsoek.asp?kommando=bosted&ftaar=1875&spraak=engelsk_britisk&kommnr=0301&kretsnr=040&bostnr=2196&leilnr=000

Here Eidsberg is mistranscribed as Ecberg instead of Edberg or Edsberg. AndChristian's occupation is listed as Styrmand or graduate Navigator.

Norman Kolstad
nkolstad@@prtel.com

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Nancy-

I was in the process of composing a letter to family members when I received your note. Anyway here is what I have so far in the way of genealogy news.

1 Oct, 2000

To: Kolstad family and descendants of Hans Kolstad.

I have located the Kolstad farm in Norway. I recently received confirmation that the Kolstad surname is derived from the Kolstad farm in Eidsberg parrish, �stfold fylke, Norway. It is located in the southeast corner of Norway about 40 km. southeast of Oslo, just south of the village of Mysen. The farm is listed in the census as g�rd nummer 107 and has coordinates of: Lat: 59.53 N. and Long: 11.27 E. It is there that the brothers Johan Olsen and Hans Christian Olsen were born to husmann (cotter; tenant farmer) Ole Eriksen and his wife Gunhilde Andersdatter. Ole and Gunhilde apparently never owned that farm but later may have owned a farm at Vardehytten, which is now part
of Opsal, where Ole died in 1860 at age 68.

During the 19th century Norwegians were encouraged to abandon the patronymic system ( __sen or __datter) and to choose a surname. Most people chose either a farm name which was part of their address or kept the patronymic. In the case of Hans and Johan, they chose to use their birthplace as a surname. The name Kolstad means simply "Koll's place", a man's name. The farm was probably named Kolstad centuries ago. There are more than 80 places in Norway named Kolstad, Kolstadplads, or Kolstadhus etc.

Johan Olsen (Kolstad) can be found in the 1865 census living in the kommune of Id, �stfold, with his wife, Anne Johnsdatter, and Hans Arnesen, a 20 year old seminary student. His occupation is listed as Kirkesanger, or minister's assistant. Four years later, in the emigration record from Oslo, he lists his occupation as a schoolteacher in Fredrikshald (now Halden) with a destination of Madison, Wisconsin.

The 1865 census finds Hans Christian Olsen as a barberer (barber) in Christiania (Oslo) along with his wife, Mathea, and children Kristian, Hanna, and Hermand They emigrated to Minnesota in 1880.

See the attachment for a map showing the Kolstad farm.

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