Johanne Kristina Halvorsdatter Lillebo

  Research Notes:

Summary:

Johanne Kristina Halvorsdatter Lillebo is my 5th half Cousin, 4 times removed, and so, my relationship is quite distant. But keeping to one of mine goals to follow family relations who have emigrated to the US or Canada from Norway or Sweden, I have done some extensive research. Also see her father's page.

There is difficulty finding collaborating evidence. What we do know was that she was born in 1854 at the farm known as Søndre Lillebo. This area now is within the boundaries of Engerdal parish, but at the time of her birth it was considered part of Rendal parish with the local parish being Drevsjø just south of lake Femund, near the Swedish border.

We also have evidence from the Norway Parish registers that Johnne Kristina was married to Johan Halvorsen on 2 Jul 1880. Johanne and Johan Halvorsen had 2 children: Halvor born in 1881 and Martin born in 1885. The Engerdal parish records record the family leaving the parish and on 16 May 1889 they are registered at Trondheim, leaving for the Dakotas in the US.

I have found the family recorded in the 1900 US Census in Lyons Twp, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Why did they go to this location? The reason is most likely due to the fact that Johanne Kristina's sister Marit and her brother Martin had settled in Lyons Twp. There were a few other families from the general area of Norway that settled either in Lyons or Svedrup Twps - Jørgen Elgaaen family and Amund Rosten family to name a couple. I also found the family at Minnehaha Co, SD in the South Dakota Census [enumeration, 1 May 1905]. John and Johanne Kristina were also likely sponsors for the baptism of Oscar Melvin Nordvie at Nidaros Lutheran Church baptism [Minnehaha Co, SD].

I should mention that other Family Trees on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Geni, or Geneanet do not have any information on Johanne Kristina's family. The Bygebok for Engerdal [vol 1, page 454] notes that Johanne Kristina Halvorsdatter Lillebo was married to Johan Halvorsen and that they left for North America in 1889, but the farm history book doesn't record any other information. And it was from this source that I used to start for the search for Johanne Kristina's family.

I next found that Johanne Kristina and family had left SD in the summer of 1905 or possibly in 1906 for Alberta. At the same time or near the same time, Johanne Kristina's sister Marit [married to Olaf Nordvie], her brother Martin, and other families [such as Jorgen Elgaaen family] had taken a homestead entry in the area east and a couple of kms north of Forestburg in the communty area known as Pleasington.

John Halvorsen's homestead entry was on 19 Feb 1906. His address at the time was the Spring Lake post office that was likely opened in 1904 at Hastings Coolie community [this is a bit west of Forestburg and closer to Donalda]. The homestead was located about 8 kms east of Forestburg, junction of Hwy 53 and Rge Rd 143. Both sons Halver and Martin also took out homesteads next to their father and so the family had 3/4 of a section of land.

It is not clear when Johanne Kristina died






AB Homestead: SE¼ Sec 4, Twp 42, Rge 14. W4th ... reel 2113 .. file 188 7058; image 2107 [starts, im 2102 ... pages not in order]
John Halvorsen
.. male, age 60, female, age 57 and 2 males, age 24 and 20
with last residence as South Dakota
.. entry, 19 Feb 1906 ... house Jun 1906 .. residence on 1 Jul 1906 .. wife and 2 children
.. application for patent, 14 May 1909 at Red Deer; ... patent 27 Aug 1909

https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/60865/images/albertahomestead2113cana_2106?usePUB=true&_phsrc=YRs142
.. East of Forestburg along Hyw 53 to the junction with Rge Rd 143, on the north east corner - about 8 kms
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Norway Emigration on Ancestry .... Trondheim, 1888-1892 .... image 177 of 387, line 1829 ... registered: 16 May 1889
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61757/images/61757_b1059904-00176?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Cgg163&_phstart=successSource&pId=778890 .... Trondheim Politikammer, 1882-1892

Johan Halvorsen, age 44, from Rendal .... going to ...???, Dakota
wife Johanne, age 34
son Halvor, age 4 [1885]
son Martin age 3 [1886]

Engerdal parish register, no. 1 /1881 - 1898 .... out-migration ... page 142, 2nd side - bottom ... lines 6-9
- leaving parish for N America
.....

.... I did some general Ancestry / FamilySearch searching, but nothing was indexed .....18 Jul 2025

Johanna Halvorson ..... in the Alberta, Canada, Deaths Index, 1870-1970
NameJohanna Halvorson
Death Date1915
Death PlacePleasington, Alberta, Canada
Registration Number2952
https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/61561/records/231535?tid=&pid=&queryId=4bb981e3309baa7a6bd1fef881151b47&_phsrc=YRs129&_phstart=successSource

NameJohn Halvorson
GenderMale
Death Date8 Oct 1931
Death PlaceForestburg, Alberta, Canada
Registration Number406-596
https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/61561/records/263738?tid=&pid=&queryId=899d2a2f5d9dc682209333615bff17b2&_phsrc=YRs132&_phstart=successSource


1900 US Census, Lyons Twp, Minnehaha Co, SD; ED 0257; sheet 4A; dw/fam 58/58; line 47
John Halverson [sp?] , age 55 b Mar 1845 in Norway; married 19 years; em 1899; farmer
wife Jennie, age 46-47 b Aug 1854 in Norway; married 19 years, mother of 2 children, 2 living, em 1899
son Halver, age 19, b Sep 1881 in Norway; em 1899
son, Martin, age 14 b Oct 1885 in Norway; em 1899

Ancestry has 1905 SD State Census [enumeration, 1 May 1905]
John Halvorson, age 60 b in Nor, years in State - 15, thus 1890
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60159/records/272841?tid=&pid=&queryId=678d6a93-e8f7-4750-8fae-39a07ec45f25&_phsrc=Cgg219&_phstart=successSource

and then, Johana Halvorson, age 50 in Nor, 1890 15 yrs in State-


1911 Canada Census, Alberta, Strathcona, sub 12 [Hastings Coulee], page 16 ... very poor quality scan with some letter's unreadable
line 9 .... John Halvorsen, born ?, in Nor; em 1906 .... Sec 4, twp 42, rge 14, W4th
line 10 ... Halvor Halvorsen, age 27 b in Nor; em 1906
line 11 ... Martin, Halvorsen, age 24 b in Nor; em 1906

https://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/SplitView.jsp?id=15497
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8947/images/e078_e001932562?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Cgg233


1916 Canada Census ... Victoria sub 43, Twp 42, range 14 W4th; page 1, dw/fam 10/10 [each separate household]
ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1556/images/31228_4363984-00272?pId=760180814

line 41 ... John Halverson, age 63, b in Nor; Widow; em 1906
line 42 .. Halvor Halverson, age 34 b in Nor; single
line 43 .. Martin Halverson, age 30 b in Nor; single


1921 Canada Census, Alberta; sub-dis 6, Wheatland Municipality .... dw/fam 17/19? line 12 ... Sec 4-42-14-4

head: Halvor Halvorsen, age 39 b in Nor; em 1905 [indexed on Ancestry, Malvin J Halversen]
brother Martin J, age 35 b in Nor; em 1905 [indexed on Ancestry, Maria J Halversen]
father, John, age 76 b in Nor; Widow; em 1905

1926 Canada - Prairies Alberta, Camrose, sub 30, Wheatland Municipality, page 10 .... image 707 on family search
head: Martin Halversen [indexed as Helvorson], age 40 b in Nor; em in 1905 ... sec 4-42-14-4
wife, Hannah [indexed as Henna], age 31 b in Nor; em 1921
father, John age 71, b in Nor; widow, em 1905
servant, Joseph M Fossen, age 17 b in AB ... most likely the son of Hulda and Olaf Nordvie
** Halvor Halversen not recorded with group

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C395-GSFF-H?view=index&cc=3005862&lang=en&groupId=

1931 Canada Census, Alberta, Camrose, sub 217....Wheatland Municipality page 12
line 9 ... John Halverson, age 86 b in Nor; Widow; em 1905 ..... sec 4-42-14-4
then on page 11, line 21, Martin Halversen age 45 b in Norway ..... sec 4-42-14-4
line 22 wife, Hannah, age 38 b in Norway; em 1914
line 23 brother, Halver Halversen, b in Nor; em 1905 ..... sec 4-42-14-4

[note: there is a comment on line 21, image 12, to the left of Martin ... hard to make out - but I suspect a mistake - John H, father, should be on this page or image - but is on the the next page, image 13, line 9.]
https://www.ancestry.ca/imageviewer/collections/62640/images/1931_217-e011749657?usePUB=true&_phsrc=YRs121&pId=5936172

Forestburg History book, "Yesterday and Years Ago", 1983 .... page 54 and 55 [image 66 and 67] Pleasington area
https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/archive/Yesterday-and-Years-Ago---a-history-of-Forestburg-and-district-2R3BF1F31ZF8I.html
... No mention of John Halvorsen [with spelling variants]


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Martin, findagrave 116686259 .... Pleasington

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Emigration, 1889, 16 May 1889, Sor Trondelag - Trondheim, Norway. ¹⁰⁴⁵¹ Johanne Kristina Halvorsdatter Lillebo and Johan Halvorson, along with sons Halvor and Martin register at Trondheim to leave for North America. The family is also recorded leaving the farm Lillebo in Engerdal parish on 1 May 1889

Johanne married Johan Halvorsen on 2 Jul 1880 in Trysil, Hedmark, Norway.¹⁰⁴⁴⁹ (Johan Halvorsen was born on 30 Mar 1845 in Brennodden, Trysil, Hedmark, Norway, died in 1931 in Forestburg, Alberta, Canada and was buried in Pleasington Cemetery, Forestburg, Alberta, Canada.)