| The Story Of Helfred Matson & Mary Garson |
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| Since the record shows no child by the name of Petter Olaf born to Syver & Hellene, we can assume that this child, barely 1 year old or so, must be the child of a brother or sister or relative. In any event, something happened that Syver and Hellene became the guardians of this infant. Mother & Father, Aunts & Uncles Emigrate to America We don?t see the Syver Madsen & Hellene Olsdtr. family again until they leave for America. Petter Olaf is no longer in the picture, for whatever reason, and Syver and Hellene travel separately with Hellene traveling about a year after Syver and with four children. Compliments of Pete and Karen Christianson of the Totenlaget, and their research of Ole Granum?s material, we know that two of Syver?s siblings immigrated to America before 1880. Helene Marie Madsdatter HAAJEN (b. 9 August 1835) married Andreas Evensen BURULD on 28 February 1863. Helene and Andreas had one child, a son: Emil Andreasen (b. 7 June 1867) at HAAJEN. Helene immigrated to America with her son in 1868. They sailed on the ship ?Refondo? which landed in Quebec on 18 April of that year. The cost of their passage was 15 specie dollars. Helene Marie was married to Andreas Evensen at the time of her coming to America. It is not clear why he did not come along or come later. Andreas is believed to have died in 1873 in Norway, and at that about that time Helene was married and in America. The second sibling who came to America was Lars Madsen NOKLEBYE in 1871. He was born 13 April 1832, and married Oline Andersdatter HOEL in 1855. Oline died probably in the 1860?s and Lars remarried, this time to Berthe Mathea Larsdtr on 17 August 1865. She was from Sandviken in Hurdal. Lars did not stay long in America because he is mentioned as the bruker at RØNAAS in 1877. He died in 1922 at BØVERBRU. Syver left Norway in 1880 traveling on the ?Angelo? and it arrived in America on 22 October of that same year. Peter Hanson Frodalen (b. 20 February 1851), and his wife, Johanne Rognlien, and three children, traveled with Syver to America. Peter Hanson Frodalen is the man we later know in America as Per Bonkrud, the local blacksmith. Their destination, Strum, Wisconsin. About one year later, on 30 September 1881, Hellene and her children followed Syver to America on the ?Rollo?. She brought four children with her: Ragna Madsen (11), Otillia Madsen (age 8), Oliana Madsen (age 3), and Alfred (Helfred) Madsen (age 1). They did not travel alone. Listed on the manifest with them is Karl Hansen, age 18. All had the destination of Eau Claire. I believe that just as Syver traveled with members of the Frodalen family one year earlier, so also is Karl Hansen a Frodalen. Is is possible |