| The Story Of Helfred Matson & Mary Garson |
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| How These Families Were Connected In Norway Was it by chance, or was it by plan, that the Garson (Garsjoen) and Matson (Madsen) families were united through the marriage of Helfred and Mary on May 30, 1908? Indications are that both Helfred and Mary?s parents and ancestors, lived and worked very close to each other in Norway. The Madsens lived and worked first in Vestre and then later Ostre Toten, Oppland County, Norway. The Garsons were from the Hurdal area in Akershus County. On the map, these three areas all join at the border of the two counties. Only a hill or two separated these family units. Perhaps they knew each other well, very well, before coming to Strum, Wisconsin. We do not yet know for certain, but my guess is that these two families and at least some of the ancestors of these families, were close friends in Norway, and maybe even related. While my research thus far has focused on Helfred Madsen?s ancestry, I have reviewed Norwegian parish records which give evidence that members of the Frodahl family were very close to Helene Olsdtr?s (Helene Hansen Bjerkebakken, wife of Syver Johannes Madsen) parents, and maybe Helene and her siblings. It appears that Ole Hansen and Ragnhild Juulsdatter, parents of Helene, were close friends or relatives of at least one Frodahl family in Norway. This comes as a complete surprise. But then, why wouldn?t it? When I began this research I had no idea that Ole Hansen and Ragnhild Juulsdatter even existed except as great Grandma and Grandpa Bjerkebakken to one of my aunts. Let?s talk about this. It is entirely conceivable that the ancestors of both Mary Garson and Helfred Madsen knew each other and/or were related in Norway well before their travels to Strum, Wisconsin. I believe that Ole Hansen, father of Helfred?s mother, and a Peder Hansen Frodalen were related as brothers, as cousins, or that Peder was perhaps an uncle to Ole. Parish record evidence suggests that members of a Frodalen family in Ostre Toten witnessed religious events of the family of Ole Hansen and Ragnhild Juulsdatter. Now granted, we must be careful about who these Frodahls or Frodalens were. Frodalen was a farm in Ostre Toten, and anyone who lived there could carry the farm as a part of their surname, as part of their address. But, in the case of my ancestors, one of these Frodalens, Peder Hansen Frodalen, at one time owned the Frodalen farm in Ostre Toten. He not only owned it from 1837 to 1841, but after selling the farm he continued to live there until his death, some twenty-six years later in 1867 at age seventy-four. Our Peder Frodalen, believed to be born in 1794, could have worked at Frodalen prior to his purchase. |