Esten Larson

  Research Notes:

Brief Summary:

Esten Larson was my 2nd cousin 4 times removed. His direct ancestors go back to one of the earliest settlements in Tolga parish at the farm Søndmør. His mother's father was Ole Evensen [1782-1872], also known as Ole Evensen the younger. Ole Evensen was a brother to my 4th great-grandfather, Niels Evensen Søndmør, 1768-1819. Their father was Even Bersvendsen Søndmør [1734-1795].

Esten's mother was Ingrid Olsdtr [b 1808]. In 1833 she married Lars Estensen, born in 1805 and lived at the farm Hodal vestre or western, not far from the Søndmør and the Kaasen farm [Ingrid had moved with her parents from Søndør to Kaasen, sometimes spelled Kåsen.

Lars Estensen and Ingrid had 5 children and all born the farm Hodal vestre. Esten Larson, b 1836, was the oldest child of Ingrid's.
On 9 Mar 1852, Ingrid and Lars Estensen left Tolga parish for North America [see Ingrid's summary], eventually settling in Fillmore Co, MN. Ingrid and Lars Estensen, along with at least 2 of their sons, Ole Larson and Esten Larson left Fillmore County around 1869 for Otter Tail Co, MN. He took a homestead in Tumuli Twp with the initial payment on 19 Jun 1969.

Before Esten Larson moved to Otter Tail Co, he was married on 27 Oct 1867 to Kjersti Olsdtr, born in Tolga, Norway in 1850 on the southern Hodal farm. Their marriage is recorded in the Emmanuel Lutheran Church records, in Wanamingo Twp, Goodue Co, MN [this is about 15 kms to the west and north of Kenyon in a community that was once known as Apselund].

Esten Larson and Kjersti had 6 children, likely all born on the farm in Tumuli Twp, Otter Tail Co, MN: Serena, Louis, aka Lewis, Mary, Carl Edward, Christina or Christine, and Martin [see below for a modified descendant report below]. Unfortunately, Esten died of consumption sometime 1879 or earlier in 1880.

After Esten died, Kjersti was remarried to Louis Bothum on 17 Jun 1880 - see Otter Tail Co marriage records. Louis Bothum was a farmer in Tumuli Twp. The family is recorded in the 1880 US Census. Some records record the Bothum surname for Esten Larsen and Kjersti's children while other records record the surname of Larson.

According to US Land Records, Esten Larson had homesteaded the SE¼ of Sec 35 , Twp 131N Range 42W of the 5th in Tumuli Twp, Otter Tail Co, MN. He received patent on 9 Oct 1875. In the 1884 Platt of Tumuli Twp the landed owner was recorded as Esten Larson, but by 1912 Platt, the landowner was his son Louis E Larson.

As I researched the family of Esten Larson, b 1836 in Norway, I came across a number of difficulties:
- most FTs recorded the wrong parents for Esten Larson
- only a couple of family researchers [Family Trees - FTs - on Ancestry or FamilySearch] record the correct family, but the source citiations are not complete
- as noted above the surnames for Esten children varies depending on the records, and often birth years are not always consistent across records; in addition to surnames, an individual's given various with numerous spellings and indexing on records
- most FTs appear to use the names of people as the key variable, but it seems to me that if you analyze a specific source, is not reasonable to conclude that the individual is the correct person. As I have indicated elsewhere, I use the FTs as a very general guide and then compare each source with one another. Researching Norwegian families [and Swedish], a researcher has to carefully note the patronmyics spelling variations - Larson is a very common surname in Norwegian families but not everyone with the surname Larson are related. Additionally, many people 'anglicized' their given name.

Given the difficulties outlined above, I think have been able to find most of the genealogical information, and I have a fairly high level of confidence that this is accurate.

Modified Descendant

Esten Larson, born 11 Mar 1836 in Tolga parish, Norway. Died between 1 Jun 1879 and 31 May 1879.
married: 27 Oct 1867, at the Apselund Lutheran Church, Wanamingo Twp, Goodhue County, MN
Kjersti Olsdatter, born 30 Aug 1850, Tolga parish, Norway. Died Mar 1935 [date and location of death not known]

Children:

1].Serena [Inger Sørene] born Feb 1870, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 8 Dec 1853, Norman County, MN
1st m. 4 Aug 1890. Nils Larsen Nelson, b 11 Feb 1867, Winneshiek Co, IA; died 3 Mar 1913, Otter Tail Co, MN.
Serena and Nils' children: Signor, Leonard, Camelia and Josephine [aka Leah], Clifford [1894-1895]
2nd m. 17 Jun 1915. John M Speeningsby, b 16 Sep 1877, Nor; died 1 Aug 1957, Norman Co, MN . No children

2].Louis or Lewis E Larson, born 3 Feb 1872, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 20 Nov 1958, Dalton, Otter Tail Co, MN
Married: 2 Jun 1898, Otter Tail Co, MN
Teolena Helleckson, b 18 Apr 1878, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 26 Jul 1933, Otter Tail Co, MN
Children: Elmer, Clifford, Edna, Marvin, Lillian, Sadie, Clarice, and Henry

3].Olena Maria, aka, Mary, born 1873 in Otter Tail Co; died... unknown; married or children, unknown

4].Edward [Carl Edward] E Larson, born 25 Sep 1874, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 27 Jan 1966, Grant Co, MN
Married: 4 Apr 1904, Otter Tail Co, MN
Bertha Anderson, born 6 Sep 1879, Norway; died 14 Jan 1952, Otter Tail Co, MN
Children: Chester, Alice Leonard, baby [died young], Bernice, Lester, Signor and Eleanor [both died young], and
Eleanore Catherine.

5].Christine or Christina Larson, born 27 Feb 1876, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 5 Aug 1963, Ransom Co, ND
Married: 24 Sep 1899, Otter Tail Co, MN
Martin [Matinius] Olson Stangvik, born 16 Apr 1877, Norway; died 9 Mar 1949, Fergus Falls, MN
Children: Olga, Eleanor, Marvel

6].Martin E Larson, born 31 Mar 1879, Otter Tail Co, MN; died 24 Jun 1946, Anoka Co, MN. No children


I have used the following FT on Ancestry as starting point while researching Esten Larson's family.


West Plus 2023 FT [Laurence West]; access 31 Mar 2024
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/188756752/person/162448990063/facts
- also has additional information on Esten's children

Burdick Springer FT; [wcburdick]; access 27 Mar 2024
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/14538287/person/28130451428/facts
- see US mortality 1880 census
- there are a couple of other FTs with Esten Larson, but likely copied from this one
- NO other information


*** died between 1 Jun 1879 and 31 May 1879
US Mortality Schedules, 1880 US Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8756/images/MNMORT_2-0263?pId=2256449
[Because each of the censuses from 1850-1880 began on June 1, "previous year" refers to the 12 months preceding June 1, or June 1 1879 to May 31, 1880.

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Emmanuel Lutheran, Kenyon, MM **
image 187, line 28, Marriages
date: 27 Oct 1867
-single Esten Larsen son of Lars Estensen og wife Ingerie Olsdatter from Tolgens parish in Norge, age 31 [born abt 1836]; marries, pigen
Kerstie Olsdatter, datter of Ole Pederson og wife Sigrie Olsdatter from the same parish in Norway, age 17 years [b abt 1850]
... Norway Parish registers: Tolga, no. 5, 1836-1852, p. 60 line 63; born 30 Aug 1850;
parents, Ole Pedersen from søndre Holdal og Sigrid Olsdt

** the Lutheran Church Records are under the Apselund Lutheran Church. It was formed in 1862, with the name Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Wanamingo Twp, Goodhue County, MN; initially under the Huage Synod and then the Norwegian United and later a Lutheran free Church



1870 US Census, Tumuli Twp, Otter Tail Co, MN; dw/fam 13/15 [enumeration as of 1 Jun 1870
Esten Larson, age 33 b in Nor; farmer; value of real estate, $50, personal $140
wife Kjersit/Kjersti, age 20 b in Nor [1850]
dau Inger, age 7 mos b in Nor - No, she was born in MN; .... calculated birth, 1 Nov 1869

1875 MN State Census; Tumuli Twp, Otter Tail Co, MN, fam 2 [fam 1 is Tollef Nelson]
Esten Larson, age 39 b in Nor [1836]
wife Christi, age 24 b in Nor
dau Sivine, age 5, b in MN [1870] ... ? name, likely Inger or Ingrid
son Lewis, age 3 b in MN [ 1877 ]
dau Mary, age 2 b in MN [1878]
son Edward age 1, b in MN [1879]

BLO GLO records
SE Sec 35 , Twp 131N Range 42W of the 5th; 160 acres; Tumili Twp, Otter Tail Co
patent issued 9 Oct 1875

US Track Books, Minnesota, Vol 74, image 38; Sec 35; initial payment 19 Jun 1869 and final payment 1 Jun 1875

1885 Platt, Otter Tail Co, MN; Tumuli Twp; SE Sec 35 ... Esten Larson
1912 Platt, Otter Tail Co, MN; Tumuli Twp; SE Sect 35 ... Louis E Larson .... N½ of SW Sec 35 ... Ed Larson

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Death, 1879, Between 31 May 1878 and 1 Jun 1879, Tumuli Twp, Minnesota, United States. Esten's death is recorded in the 1880 US Moritality Schedule for Otter Tail County, MN. Part of the U.S. Federal Censuses from 1850-1880 included a mortality schedule enumerating the individuals who had died in the previous year. Because each of the censuses from 1850-1880 began on June 1, "previous year" refers to the 12 months preceding June 1.

Thus the actual date of death not known, but he would have died between 31 May 1878 and 1 Jun 1879

Esten married Kjersti Olsdatter on 27 Oct 1867 in Kenyon, Goodhue Co, Minnesota, United States.¹⁰⁰⁶⁸ (Kjersti Olsdatter was born on 30 Aug 1850 in Tolga, Hedmark, Norway,¹⁰⁰⁷⁰ died in Mar 1935 in LaMoure Co, North Dakota, United States and was buried in Ten Mile Lake Cemetery, Tumili Twp, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, USA.)