Bio of OLSON, John (b.1838 d.1908) Kandiyohi Co., MN (Family Bio) ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE:In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormatted by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Joanne Bledsoe ========================================================================= The following information was compiled from family bible records, books and records provided to me by the Kandiyohi Historical Society, Norwegian census documents, a contact at the University of Tromso in Norway, and Janet Grey in St Cloud, Minnesota who had alot of family records on the Johnson/Nilson family. THE OLSON FAMILY JOHN OLSON was born in 1838 in Prestbakken, Troms, Norway. His parents were Ole Olson (born 1801) and Ivaranna Johannesdatter (Born 1809). Ole Olson's parents were Ole Anderssen and Ingaborg Olsdatter. Ivaranna's parents were Johannes Bachman and Magrethe Jacobsdatter. John married Ane Marie Johannesdatter in 1866. That year, they set sail for America, where they homesteaded a farm at the tip of Foot Lake in Willmar Minnesota. Their children Julia, Ida, Marie, Adolph, Olof, and Marcus were born and raised on the farm. John was one of the founding members of the Calvary Lutheran Church. He also helped organize the school districts in Willmar and served on the School board. Two of his brothers, Mathias and Peder settled near John and Ane Marie's farm in Willmar. Several years later, Ane Marie's family began arriving from Norway. In 1895, John sold the farm and moved his family to Seattle. They settled near what is now downtown Seattle. John opened a grocery store on Elliot Avenue which he managed and employed his children. In 1898, John and his son Adolph went to the Yukon to join in the search for gold. Olof and his sister Marie followed several months later. John's health was failing and he soon returned to Seattle, leaving the children behind. He told Marie, she could not stay in the Yukon unless she was a married woman. This was a great incentive for her to find a husband. John died in 1908 and is buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Seattle. John's brothers who came to America were Mathias and Peder Kornelius. Several of Peder's children left Minnesota and settled in North Dakota. Many of the Norwegian families changed their names when they came to the USA. Several of Peder's children changed their sir name to Foss. Peder Kornelius Olson "Pete Olson" married Ingaborg Susanna Tollevsdatter. Their children were Ole Iver, Tollov, Karen Marie, Olanna Karolina, Ingaborg Dorthea, Peder, Christina, and Anna. Mathias Olson married Isabella ? and had the following children, Isabella, Anna, Thomas, Andrew, Matilda, Mohir, and Alfred. MARCUS OLSON was born March 25, 1883 and died April 27, 1884.