Omodt Cemetery "Grav ryggen", Money Creek Township, Houston Co., MN

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Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Harrison Benjamin
Submitted: Mar 2002/Updated August 2003
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Omodt Cemetery
"Grav ryggen"

Money Creek Township, Houston County, Minnesota

Located in T-104-N, R-7-W, NW corner of Section 26, on private 
woodland. Recorded 60' x 75' plot easement plus 3/10 mile long 
access easement SE over private farmland to the Township road. 
The Cemetery is NW of the old District 8 one room rural school 
building at 19356 Perkins Valley Drive, 2.7 miles west of Houston 
County Highway 76.  Cemetery GPS position;   43 Deg. 47.199 Min. 
North,    91 Deg. 38.862 Min. West 

The Omodt Cemetery, known by the pioneers as "Grav ryggen" meaning 
"primary/main part of funeral" in Norwegian but believed to mean 
"grave ridge", was established in 1854 to bury Martin Omodt, 
age 9 years, in the plot located on a beautiful high ridge 
overlooking the family farm. In 1959 descendants restored the 
Cemetery and dedicated an aluminum Plaque mounted on a concrete 
base which reads:

        VALIANT MINNESOTA PIONEERS
Ole Omodt
(1808-1893)
and his wife
Martha Bjornson Birkeland
(1816-1911)
Came from Stavanger, Norway 
to Houston, Minnesota Territory 
1854
Erected by grateful living descendants
1959

In addition to the Plaque there is an 8" square 38" tall marble obelisk 
tombstone marking the EGGE burial location enclosed within a 9' x 9' pipe 
fenced area. It reads: "Theodora Egge-- Fodt 17 NOV. 1852-- Dode 15 OKT. 
1890" on one side and "Oskar T. M. Egge-- Fodt 4 MAI 1889-- Dode 17 AUG. 
1889" on the opposite side. It is also inscribed with a Norwegian verse 
interpreted by Winnifred Omodt to read: "Saved are the dead, Sleeping 
together with God, There is leadership for us, Until the end".

This transcription was prepared by Harrison R Benjamin, great 
grandson of Ole and Martha Omodt, from several sources including: 
(1) the booklet "Omodt Pioneers, 1854", compiled in 1959 by Edna 
Omodt Laugen (1891-1996) and Martha Birkeland Refsland (1890-1968); 
(2) living testimony from Harris Omodt (1912-   ), grandson, and 
his daughter, Lucille Omodt Crow, great granddaughter; 
(3) Historical records from the MN History Center; and 
(4) on site restoration projects at the Cemetery plot beginning 
May 11, 2002. 

Omodt Cemetery Burials:

Birkeland, Martin        b.10/10/1887  d.12/   1887
     Son, Ole and Christine Nelson Birkeland; Brother, Martha Birkeland Refsland;
Grandnephew, Martha Birkeland Omodt
 
Bjordahl, Bertin         b.08/22/1854  d.      1897
Bjordahl, Knudt          b.      1855  d.      1904
Sons, Ole and Ane Elsie Birkeland Bjordahl; Nephews, Martha Birkeland Omodt
     
Egge, Theodora Thorson   b.11/17/1852  d.10/15/1890
     Sister, Ingeborg Thorson (Knudt) Omodt
     
Egge, Oskar T. M.        b.05/04/1889  d.08/17/1889
     Son, Lars and Theodora Thorson Egge 
                                        
Erickson, Conrad                    
Erickson, Eva          
Erickson, Myrtle          

Grekvold, Hannah     (young adult)
     Niece, Ingeborg Thorson (Knudt) Omodt
     
Halvorson, Betsy     (twin child)
     Daughter, Gulick and Mrs. Halvorson

Holt, Amund              b.   unknown  d.11/03/1919
     Body exhumed and moved to Rushford cemetery in 1924 by daughter, Anna.

Omodt, Ole Knudtson      b.      1808  d.05/21/1892
    (Note: Ole Omodt died in 1892 which makes the Plaque date of 1893 incorrect.)

Omodt, Martha Birkeland  b.05/08/1816  d.08/06/1911
     
Omodt, Martin            b.      1845  d.      1854
     Son, Ole and Martha Birkeland Omodt and first Cemetery burial

Omodt, Clara             b.07/19/1885  d.05/16/1887
Omodt, Martin            b.11/03/1875  d.01/08/1877
     Daughter and son, Knudt and Ingeborg Thorson Omodt
     
Wigdale, Valeria         b.  abt.1887  d.  abt.1888
     Daughter, Bertel and Lettie Omodt Wigdale

In addition to the burials listed, more than 40 unrecorded burials 
are estimated in the Omodt Cemetery of relatives, neighbors and friends.
                                                                                                      Revised July 7, 2003