Winnebago County, IA
USGenWeb Project
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Winnebago County, IA |
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Ole and Kari Leikvold |
Ole Leikvold |
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Ole Olson was born September 12, 1830, on the Ode farm. His parents were Ole Olson Ode (1/15/1807 - ?) and Sigri Knudsdatter Vik (4/5/1803 - ?). Kari Nilsdatter was born July 28, 1828 and her parents were Nils Endreson Hermundstad/Hagen (9/2711802 - 1866), and Velgjerd Ivarsdatter Uvdal (1/28/1805 - 1844). Ole Olson and Kari Svien married in 1853 and lived on the Leikvollen farm, so the family took the name Leikvold. This was at Slidre, Vang Valdres, Norway. When they came to America, they used the last name “-Leikvold,” sometimes spelled “Lakevold.” On May 4, 1869, Ole and Kari and their family boarded the bark ship "Valkyrien' at Bergen, Norway, to seek a new life in America. The captain of the ship, J.C. Balchen, had a crew of sixteen men. On June 22, 1869, the ship arrived at Quebec, Canada. Often those coming from Norway to America came via Quebec as it was both faster and cheaper. When it arrived at Quebec, the ship had 307 steerage passengers and 8 cabin passengers. On the journey, twenty people had had the measles, two had died, two had been born. Ole and Kari settled south of Albert Lea near the Minnesota border on Section 15, Silver Lake Township, Worth County, Iowa. They had an unusual home in that there was no way to get upstairs from the main floor inside the home, not even through a trap door. The home had been built on a hillside such that anyone wishing to go to the upper level had to outside on an open parch, climb the hill on the side of the house to reach the back side at the upper level to access a door to the upstairs area. The home is no longer standing although a photograph was taken of it shortly before it was torn down in 1914. Besides farming, Ole also worked as a wood lathe operator and carpenter. He made fancy wooden lefse rolling pins and other small articles. He also made cupboards, benches, chairs, etc. One chair that he made that is in use in a private home in Glenville, Minnesota. He also made a spinning wheel which is now in the home of his great-great granddaughter, Kathy Rorvig. The spinning wheel had belonged to Grandma Sigrid Leikvold Dahlager, who passed it on to her daughter-in-law, Elsie (Mrs. John) Dahlager. After an auction at their farm, Kathy Rorvig, John and Elsie's granddaughter, purchased the spinning wheel which is still in very, good condition. One item of interest to the descendants of Kari Leikvold is her trunk which is on display at the Worth County Historical Museum in Northwood, Iowa. The trunk is still in its original condition with rosemaling and an inscription on the front: “Kari Karl's health failed because of a dropsy condition (edema). In time, her legs became so terribly swollen that she, eventually, become bedridden. For a time, she and Ole lived with their daughter, Caroline, and her husband. At that time, Caroline had a small log cabin home, so when she began having children, she could no longer care for Kari. As a result, Ole and Kari went to live with another daughter, Betsy, and her husband, Henry Thompson. Kari found the move to Betsy's home very difficult. She had to be lifted into the buggy, and she needed many pillows to make the trip comfortable. Kari died December 1, 1699 and Ole died September 10, 1916. Both are buried near the central part of the north half of the old Sunnyside Cemetery at Lake Mills, Iowa, and their graves are marked by a tall obelisk style headstone Near the graves of Betsy and Henry Thompson, Grandma Sigrid's sister.
Children of Ole and Kari Leikvold Sigri - (Sigrid) Born August 19, 1853 at Vong Valdres, Norway. She was named for her paternal grandmother, Sigri Knudsdatter Vik. She married Christopher Dahlager on March 25, 1874, at Silver Lake, Iowa. In 1884, they moved to Ottertail County, Minnesota, and remained there the rest of their lives. They had eleven children, one boy dying in infancy. Sigrid died on January 19, 1942, at the home of her daughter-in-law, Elsie Dahlager. She is buried at Sarpsborg Cemetery, rural Dalton, Minnesota. Velgjerd - Born April 19, 1856, in Norway. Velgjerd was named for her maternal grandmother. Velgjerd Ivarsdatter Uvdal. She married Andre Ellingboe at a young age, and they lived at Lake Mills, Iowa. In 1877, Velgjerd died of complications during childbirth. The baby girl, also named Velgjerd, also died. Both Velgjerd and her baby are buried in one casket at the Silver Lake Church Cemetery in rural Lake Mills, in a plot marked “Thompson” because after her death, Andre Ellingboe changed his name to Thompson. Beret (Betsy) - Born December 5, 1859. She married Henry Thompson at Silver Lake on March 14, 1879. They had nine children, and Betsy lived to the age of 93. Henry owned a lumberyard at Lake Mills, Iowa. Merit - Born in 1863 in Norway. He lived only six days. Ole - Born August 19, 1865. He married Marie Hoistad on January 5, 1885. They lived near Dalton, Minnesota, for a time before moving to Canada where they remained the rest of their lives. In Canada, they spelled their name “Lakevold.” They had ten children. The date of Ole's death is not known. Merit (Mary) - Born November 1, 1867. She was likely named for her sister who died shortly after birth. Mary married Tollef Christianson on March 14, 1890. They farmed in the Northwood, Iowa, area where he was also a well-known carpenter. They had nine children, and Mary lived to age 98. Caroline (Lena) - Born August 30, 1871. She married Gustav Reyerson on March 28, 1888. A schoolteacher, Gustav also farmed in the Northwood, Iowa, area. They had six children. Caroline died June 22, 1935. Kornelius - Born in 1872 in Iowa. Records at the Silver Lake Church state he was baptized in 1873. Most likely, he died in infancy or at a very young age. | |||||
Contributed by Paul Zimmerli
