Olava Olson

  Research Notes:

1. email from Nancy Eidem (Grue), 29 Apr 2017

- her dad, Marvin L Grue, lived with Fred and Olive Gast in Fergus Falls (he is recorded living with them in the 1930 and 1940 US Census
- Olive was a "Thoreson" and a cousin to Marvin (her dad).
- but also known as "Haugen"


Is this Olava Olsen, the daughter of Thore Olsen (son of Ingeborg Thoresdatter Grue) ??????
- ie, Thore Olsen's father was Ole Håkonssen Svarthaugen, maybe used Haugen as a surname

a. findagrave

Olive Gast - born 1 Apr 1876, died 1 Feb 1863
- Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery, Fergus Falls (her husband Fred J Gast, born 1873 and died 1951)
NOTE: birth date matches.


b. MOMS marriage:

Oliva Thoreson and Fred Gast, married 21 Nov 1900; Otter Tail Co.

c. I930 US Census, Fergus Falls; age, 54 <1876> age 24 at first marriage <1900>, emigrated in 1882
and 1940 Cenus, age 63 <1877>



2. 2nd/3rd email from Nancy Eidem (Grue) on 29 Apr 2017

"My dad was only unofficially adopted by the Gasts in Fergus. But, we called Olive grandma and my dad was happy for her to have "grandchildren ". She was born in Norway and was Olive Thoreson Haugen. You can see my mini tree attached. I have her old Minnesota schoolbooks which has simply Olive Thoreson written them. Maybe Haugen is a farm name from Norway??? I don't know. My dad Marvin lived with them from about 1926- 1946 .... "

- screen shot of family tree (Gast Family Tree), shows:

Olive T Hougan, 1876-1963, with father as Thore Hougan, 1819-1881 married to Mary Hougan, 1844-1922 (and maybe a second marriage to Margit Hougan). There is also a sister to Olive, Lena Hougan 1878-1965

- the birth date for Thore Hougan do not match.
- this family tree has Thore Hougan and Margit Hougan as parents of Ole Thoreson Hougan and his marriage to Margit Gudbrandson Jorde on 10 Jan 1888 in Grand Forks, ND (US Evangelical Lutheran Church records, for United Lutheran Church, in Grand Forks)

+++ this family tree is likely NOT Olive Thoreson - Gast. Her obit (see below) indicates her father died when she was 8 yrs old, and so this would be about 1884, and he died in Rocherster area (the above family tree indicates death in 1881 but does not indicate location of death.

Conclusion: The above family tree has wrong information on Olive Thoreson - Gast - Haugen



- the 1910 US Census for Fergus Falls, sheet 15A; head of house Fred Gast, wife Olive and mother in law, Mary Hougan or possibly Haugen, age 66 <1844> in Norway, emigrated in 1882 (same for Olive), and a Widow,

- the 1905 MN State, records Fred and Olive Gast, with her age as 29, living in the State for 22 yrs <1883> and "in this enumeration district " for 5 years <1900> - this is the marriage date, so prior to 1900 she lived someplace else in MN

I have not found any information in the church records


3. Obit, 2 Feb 1963, page 7, Fergus Falls DJ

- I have a poor copy, but this says gives her birth as 1 Feb 1876. I think it says that she emigrated when she was five yrs old <1881> and " where the family settled in Rochester [MN] where her father died when she was eight <1884>.

Conclusion: 2 May 2017


The above information is NOT likely the same person as Olava Thoresdatter Broen

Possibly the above person, Olive Thoreson - Gast - Haugen, born 1 Apr 1876 in Norway and died 1 Feb 1863 in Fergus Falls, MN is related through the daugther of John Thoresen Grue (b 1813) , Kjersti Jonsdotter Grue (born 1856) and married to Ole Grinde and had moved to Sweden. (see Nancy Grue-Eidem's email of 29 Apr 2017 on gmail)