Ole Knutson Aldahl (1814-1890)

Ole Knutson Aldahl was born in 1814 (probably), but we don’t yet know the exact day. It really does drive me nuts that I’ve not been able to find his baptismal record! But, that isn’t going to stop us from celebrating his life…

Ole Knutson Aldahl was born in 1814 on the Aldahl farm in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway, to Knut Olson Aldahl and Jorunn Larsdtr Meland.

When he was 26, he married Ragnild Torkjelsdtr Ofstedal, daughter of Torkjel Johannesson Ovstedal and Marta Knudsdtr Horvei, on 02 Nov 1840 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway.

Ole Knutson Aldahl and Ragnild Torkjelsdtr Ofstedal had the following children:

1. Jorun Olsdtr Aldahl was born on 27 Jun 1840 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). She married Johannes Jakobson Ovstdal in 1864 in Norway. She died on 31 May 1913 in Polk, Minnesota.
2. Jorgen Olson Aldahl was born on 27 Jun 1840 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). He died about 1840 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm).
3. Knut Olson Aldahl was born in 1842 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). He married Maria Olasdtr Hjornevik in 1866 in Norway. He died in 1921 in USA.
4. Torkel Olson Aldal was born on 04 Jun 1844 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). He married Julia Knutson on 15 Nov 1872 in Mower, Minnesota. He died on 02 Jan 1925 in Mower, Minnesota (Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, Freeborn).
5. Marta Olsdtr Aldahl was born on 04 Dec 1846 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). She died on 01 Jan 1928 in Mower, Minnesota, USA (Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church).
6. Synneva Olsdtr Aldahl was born in 1849 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). She died in Norway. She married Lars Nilsson Ro in 1878 in Norway.
7. Brita Olsdtr Aldahl was born in 1853 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). She died on 04 Aug 1861 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm).
8. Marjo Olsdtr Aldahl was born in 1855 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). She died in 1855 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm).
9. Lars Olson Aldahl was born on 24 Nov 1856 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway. He married Caroline Hilson on 19 Nov 1885 in Blooming Prairie, Steele, Minnesota. He died on 08 Nov 1940 in Lansing, Mower, Minnesota.
10. Olaf Olson Aldahl was born on 25 Oct 1859 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm). He died on 11 Aug 1861 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway (Aldahl farm).

Norway

For the entirety of Ole’s life, Norway was in a union with Sweden. The union began in 1814 and continued until 1905. Ole lived through a somewhat strange period time in Norway – there were no wars!

In partnership with Sweden, Norway was able to advance during those years, establishing industry, building railways, and developing their natural resources. It wasn’t all good though. The Swedes outnumbered the Norwegians and, though the two countries were supposed to be equals, Sweden pretty much ran things. Norway had it in writing that they were to be equal and independent, but Sweden viewed Norway as their subordinate. The shared king lived in Sweden and the viceroy they sent to represent Norway was born in Sweden. That didn’t go over well with the Norwegians.

In Ole’s youth, Norway was still in an economic crisis, due in large part to their participation in the earlier Napoleonic Wars. But things had turned around by his adulthood. Farmers got the right to vote, and in the 1830s a lot of farmers were elected to parliament. This led to rural tax cuts and higher import tariffs. Another economic crisis hit Norway in 1848. That led to the first trade unions and laws being applied equally to the lower and upper economic classes.

Ole Knutson Aldahl was recorded in the 1865 Census of Norway.

Ole Knutson Aldahl was also listed in the 1875 Census of Norway, though the records do not give much information. On his farm, there were two inhabited houses “Antal beboede huse.” The total number of people (present persons) “samlet folketal (tilstede-vaerende personer)” in the residence was eight.

Population numbers soared in Norway in the 1860s due in large part to better nutrition, from herring and potatoes, and to better hygiene. Infant mortality rates decreased. The first Norwegians emigrated from Norway to North America in 1825, and by the 1860s there were large numbers of people making the move. Ole saw several of his children leave Norway for new lives in America. For example, Torkel left in 1866 and Lars left in 1878.

Ragnild died in 1880.

When he was 68, Ole Knutson Aldahl married a widow named Brita Simonsdtr Tyssen on 29 Jun 1882 in Evanger, Hordaland, Norway. His marriage record lists 1817, rather than 1814, as his year of birth. (but, I couldn’t find an 1817 baptism record for him either…)

Ole Knutson Aldahl died on 04 Feb 1890 in Voss, Evanger, Hordaland, Norway. He was about 76-years old at the time of his death.

Where is he in the tree?

Selected Sources:

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Marriage record for Ole Knutson Aldahl and Ragnild Torkjelsdtr Ofstgedal; http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20070524640682.jpg; accessed 5 Jan 2018. Marriage record for Ole and Ragnild Aldahl.; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Ole Knutson Aldahl, 2nd marrage; 29 Jun 1882; https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb20060620050197, http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20060620050197.jpg; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Lars Olson Aldahl immigration; 20 May 1878; https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb20060620050272, http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20060620050272.jpg; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), 1865 Census; Ole Knutson Aldahl; http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft20090729330523.jpg; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), 1875 Census; Ole Knutson Aldahl; http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft20110203720584.jpg; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

“History of Norway,” History World, Web, 5 Jan 2018, http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac73.

“History of Norway,” Wikipedia, Web, 5 Jan 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Norway#Union_with_Sweden.

“Voss Kyrkje,” Wikimedia Commons, By GuoJunjun (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 no (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/no/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voss_kyrkje.jpg#.

Where can I learn more?

The Aldahl Family