Oliver Olson

  Research Notes:

1. 1870 US Census, Rushford Twp, Fillmore Co, MN (page 6 -- page 21 on scanned images for family search labs
- - enumerated on 12 Aug 1870; residence as of 1 June 1870) [page 19, ancestry.com; 7 Feb 2009]

- lists Oliver Oleson, age 18, born in Norway - - working as a farm laborer for Robert McLeod

++ no confirmation this is Oliver Olsen (Narjord)

2. 1880 US Census - Tordenskjold Twp and Fergus Falls Village

- listed with Esten Narjord family, enumerated 2&3 June 1880 and then in Fergus Falls, enumerated 5 June 1880, as a boarder, insurance agent

3. 1900 US Census - Fergus Falls, Otter Tail

- Oliver, wife Mette, born July 1863 in Norway, emigrated in 1894 (6 years in US), 9 children with 5 living BUT says she was married for 16 yrs <1884> -- the same as Oliver -- perhaps enumerator recorded that Oliver was married for 16 years and assummed it was to Mette
- children, Inga M, Esther O, Olive E, Agnes M, and Oleen S (recorded as a daughter)


4. 1910 US Census - Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co

- Oliver & Mattie married 10 yrs, no children; Mattie emigrated in 1895
- Oliver's occupation as Insurance Agent
- daughter Olive, age 19 works as a Printer, Newspaper
- Agnes, age 17 and Oline, age 14 (Oline again noted as a daughter)
- also listed is William Melby, nephew, age 10
- also listed are 2 female roomers, both working as a dressmaker

5. 1920 US Census - Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co

- Oliver, wife Mattie J, Inga M, daughter (works as a Teacher)
- Oliver - Agent - Fire Insurance
- house 106, Summit Ave
- also listed is a boarder, Clarence Hulquist


6. MN State Census

a. 1875 Tordenskjold Twp

- listed with his father's household

b. 1885 Fergus Falls, family #239

- Oliver, Oline (born in Norway), and Inga M (no age for Inga)

c. 1895 Fergus Falls, family #201

- Oliver, Olina (born in Norway), Inga, Ester, Olive, Agnes
- Oliver's occupation - Judge, employed 12 months
- Oliver - in state - 25 yrs <1870>, in this jurisdication - 12 yrs, 10 mos < July 1882>

d. 1905 Fergus Falls, individual #'s 70-76

- Oliver, Matty, Enga, Ester, Olive, Agnes, Oleen (age 9)
- Oliver - occupation, Assessor; residency in state for 32 yrs, and in this jurisdication 25 <1880>
- Enga's occupation, Teacher
- house number 122, Summit Ave West



7. Oliver Olson Obituary, Fergus Falls Daily Journal, 8 May 1924 [saved in Grue family ... Esten Olsen Narjord ... family obits]
page 5 of the PDF

- birth date
- came to Otter Tail Co (to father's) 1870
- marriage to Oline Story, 1883 - she died in 17 Oct 1895; Oliver stated "...leaving me in what I thought hard circumstances, with five orphaned children, the oldest 10 years of age, and the youngest only one week old"
- marriage to Mette Melby in 1900
- clerk of probate court from 1880-1894
- elected Probate Judge, 1894 - served one term (4yrs?)
- President of Fergus Falls Woolen Mills co
- assessor for 17 years (in the departent he ws engaged ? - probate??)
- 1875 - filed for homestead in Grant Co
- abt 1889 - left homestead and came to live in Fergus Falls


-- description of "...the hardships and adventures..." written a "short time" before his death:
- "That winter, 1870-1871 we lived with the family of Simon T. Grue in a dugout in a hill, there being 10 people occupying this dugout, 14x16 feet in size, one story, with a fireplace dug out of the highest end wall with a hole up through for a smokestack. Each family had a cow, not milking, but we were all happy and contented, for we had plently of dder meat, ducks, and fish. Whenever we wanted venison all we had to do was to go to some woods and drie the deer out and kill it, much the same as you now drive a steer to be slaughtered...."


8. Oline Olson (Story) Death notice, Fergus Falls Daily Journal, 17 Oct 1895

- had given birth to a child on Thurs, Oct 10 - initially well, but by Tues unwell; died Fri [ -- this is likely an error -- it is likely she died Thurs, 17 Oct 1895, with funeral on Fri - FFDJ on 18 Oct 1895 article; -- Oliver's obit says 17 Oct 1895, Thursday ]

NOTE: Date of birth on www.findagrave.com is recorded as 1854, yet Obiturary says she was 35 years old when she died thus putting her birth as about 1860


9. Mattie J Olson, Obit, 3 June 1936

- died at home (unexpectantly) Wed morning, 3 June 1936 - 106 west Summit Ave

10. John Mason's history (published 1916)

a. pages 448-449, Vol 2 (copy from Otter Tail Historical Society) [online on ancestry, image 1194;
and on family search but only volume 1]

- in the fall of 1870, the family moved from Iowa to Otter Tail Co, first living in a dug-out and late in a log hours
- was the first clerk in the district
- 1875 moved to Stony Brook Twp, Grant Co - he "squatted" on land that later he pre-empted from the government; lived there during the summers fo several years and during the winter months, worked as a clerk in various insurance offices in Fergus Falls
- served as probate clerk of the county for 15 yrs; Judge of Probate for 2 yrs
- at present he is the city assessor of Fergus Falls - has been this for the past 10 years

b. Vol 1 (from ancestry.com)

- p 151 [image 160] - Probate Judge, 1895-1897
- p 361 [image 374] - worked ("agitated") for the building of a hospital - St Lukes Hospital, 1902-1903; presently (1916) Oliver Olson is the "manager" (board of directors) of the hospital
- p 497 - Oliver Olson one of the 16 people still living in the city (as of 1916) who were included on the "buiness directory" of 1881 (the year of the incorporation of the City of Fergus Falls) in a brochure of George B Wright -- the following few pages lists the business directory, and on page 499 under Insurance Agencies is listed William & Olson
- p 535 - business directory (1916) - Oliver Olson - Steamship Agents (stem as a verb - to check?)


11. Compendium of History and Biography, p 247 (published 1904)
On-line at FamilySearch.org, image 218 [search FamilySearch 'books', and then the title; 15 Aug 2021]


- Esten Olson "...became a resident of Ottertail county in 1870, and his son, Oliver, came to Ottertail county in the fall of 1870, having remained a short time in Iowa
- walked to the farm from Alexandria - 50 miles
- at age 24 < 1875> - homestead land; lived on his farm until 1882 - 400 acres; "...the land is in Grant and Ottertail counties" [1902 Plat, Otter Tail Co - listed on sec 27, formerly Tobias Movold's homestead place; 1900 Plat, Grant Co - listed on 19 & 20
- has "...built upton extensive insurance business, and is well known throughout that region..."



12. Norway Parish Records (Tolga) 1851

- name is listed as Ole Iver Olsen Røstbakken - mother as Ingeborg Olsdatter Røstbakken and father Ole Olsen Nygaard (??? - it is hard to read, but it doesn't look like Esten ???); witnesses include, Sigri Johnsdatter Narjord - grandmother ? -, Johanna Nilsdatter Langsjoen, Jacob Ingulfsen Langsjoen, and Ole Olsen Narjord - grandfather?; one other name is listed, but difficult to
read

NOTE: Tolga Ministerialbok, 1836-1852, births, page 64, line 39
- Ole Iver, born 23 Apr 1851, bap 30 Jun at Os; illegitimate [uagte], mother Ingeborg Olsdatter Röosbakken [Rödsbakken ?], father Ole Olsen Nygard


13. Photo from John Oberg, 19 Feb 2011 [ under Oliver Olson folder]
my reponse email to him: [doesnt' appear to be a response from him]
In terms of the Photo, it's curious to me where the other two children were. (1) If this is Mettie (Mette) Olson, then the youngest child on her lap must be Oleen - this child would appear to be about 1 year old, maybe a bit more; the photo then must have been taken in the later part of 1896 or in 1897. And as you have indicated, before Oliver and Mettie were married.

OR, (2) could the photo be of Oline Olson (Story) and the child on her lap is Olive (born 19 Nov 1890) - if the child is about 1 year, then the photo was late 1891 or early 1892; the oldest girl in the picture looks like she is under age 10, so she could possibly be Inga (born 17 Dec 1884) and thus
about age 8 in this photo. At this point, either option are possibities and I guess it will be hard to
prove one way or the other.

NOT included in the email: Oleen Olson's obit says Oliver and Mattie were married in 1898 - if this was the case the youngest would need to be 2 years old or a bit more --- unlikely

The problem with possibility (2) is that it appears A P Overland photography in Fergus Falls, MN was only in operation from about 1898-1899 and later in the Duluth Area and that Carl Overland photograpy was located in Minneapolis (but no indication in Fergus Falls); there was a studio known as Overland and Holand (1886-1887). EH Wachtel and Charles E Bergeren were in the Duluth area ---- from http://www.mnhs.org/people/photographers/galleries.htm

See photos below; based on the comment of Laurie Jensen, this photo is Oline Story-Olson and the 3 youngest children


14. John Martin photos [ parents Bryce Martin and Ethelyn Olson] ;;; accessed 1 Oct 2014

https://www.flickr.com/photos/john_martin/sets/72157632576257433/ ^{1257,1258,1259}

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Residence - 1875, 1 May 1875, Tordenskjold Twp, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁰

2. Residence - 1885, 1 May 1885, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶¹

3. Residence - 1895, 1 Jun 1895, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶²

4. Residence - 1900, 1 Jun 1900, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶³

5. Residence - 1905, 1 Jun 1905, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁴

6. Residence - 1910, 15 Apr 1910, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁵

7. Residence - 1920, 1 Jan 1920, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁶

8. Land - 1900, 1900, Stony Brook Twp, Grant Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁷

9. Land - 1902, 1902, Tordenskjold Twp, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States. ¹²⁶⁸

Oliver married Oline Story, daughter of Unknown and Unknown, in 1883 in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States ¹²⁴⁹.^,1250 (Oline Story was born in 1854 in Norway,¹²⁵⁶ died on 17 Oct 1895 in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States ^1249,1269 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, USA ¹²⁷⁰.)

Oliver next married Mattie J Melby on 18 Apr 1900 in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States ^1249,1250.^,1251 (Mattie J Melby was born on 25 Jul 1863 in Verdal, Nord-Trondelag, Norway ¹²⁵¹ and died on 3 Jun 1936 in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail Co, Minnesota, United States ^1271,1272.)