Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard (1807-1899)

Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard was born on 09 Feb 1807 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway as the first child of Eirik Olsson Ro Lostegaard and Barbo Olsdtr Skar. She had two siblings, namely: Birgit Eiriksdatter, and Ragnhild Eiriksdatter.

Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard was baptized on 09 Feb 1807 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. Her baptism record lists the 9th as her baptismal date. Her death record lists the 9th as her birth date. It is possible that she was baptized the day she was born. But, it is probably more likely that the exact day of her birth was never recorded or remembered.

Norway

When Barbo was only three-years old, her father passed away leaving her mother with two young daughters and another one on the way. Somehow, Barbo got to remain at Lostegaard and, as a adult, take over the farm. Her dad’s estate was probated and she was listed as an heir. The actual probate file is several pages long, but is written in old Norwegian. Other than picking out some names here and there, it hasn’t been deciphered yet.

Barbo married Nils Olson Ro Lostegaard, son of Ola Olson Nordreli Ro and Birgit Tolleivsdatter Uppsata, on 10 Apr 1825 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. It is important to remember that names worked differently in Norway in the 1800s than they do today. When we break apart the names of this couple, we know that Barbo and Nils were their given names. The name that follows the given name comes from each of their fathers. Barbo became Barbo Eriksdatter because her father was Erik (or Eirik). Nils became Nils Olson because his father was Ola. The final names designated where they lived. Barbo came from the Lostegaard farm and continued to live there. Nils came from the Ro farm and then lived at Lostegaard after he married. At any given time, Nils would have been Nils Olson Ro or Nils Olson Lostegaard. We are using both names for him even though he probably never used both names at the same time.

Nils Olson Ro Lostegaard and Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard had the following children:

1. Barbo Lostegaard was born in 22 Sep 1825 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She married Iver Pederson Kinneberg about 1840 in Buskerud, Norway (Hallingdal). She died in Mar 1921 in Spring Grove, Houston, Minnesota.
2. Birgit Lostegaard was born 10 May 1827 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She married Torleiv Torleivson Eikre in 1844 in Buskerud, Norway (Hallingdal). She died in 1866 in Hemsedal, Hallingdal, Norway.
3. Ola Nilson Lostegaard was born in 19 Jul 1829 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. He married Ingebjorg Knutsdtr Torset in 1856 in Buskerud, Norway (Hallingdal). He died in 1905 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway.
4. Ragnhild Nilsdatter Lostegaard was born on 30 Dec 1831 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She married Christian Eriksen Johnson Rukke in 1852 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She died on 07 Dec 1915 in North Dakota.
5. Ingeborg Nilsdtr Lostegaard was born on 21 May 1834 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She married Ivar Skolt Johnson in 1856 in Buskerud, Norway (Hallingdal). She died on 11 Feb 1901 in Freeborn, Minnesota, USA.
6. Bergit Lostegaard was born 11 Jul 1836 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She died 03 Sep 1839 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway.
7. Barbra Lostegaard was born in 1839 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She married Eirik Ivarson Langehaug in 1858 in Norway. She died on 07 Aug 1921 in Pierce, North Dakota.
8. Erick Nilsson Lostegaard was born on 05 Jul 1841 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. He married Kari Christianson on 06 Apr 1868 in Minnesota. Kari was the daughter of of our ancestors Christian Oleson Rukke and Ragnild Bjornsdtr Skolt. He died on 25 Oct 1920 in Blooming Prairie, Steele, Minnesota, USA.
9. Birgit Nilsdtr Lostegaard was born on 23 Feb 1843 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway (Lostegaard farm). She married Halvor Stemson on 21 Apr 1864 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. She died on 05 Nov 1887 in Newry, Freeborn, Minnesota.
10. Gunhild Lostegaard was born 29 Jun 1846 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway . She died on 21 May 1847 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway .
11. Tolliev Nilsson Lostegaard was born 21 Jun 1848 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. He married Birgit Blickfet in 1869. He died in 1925 in Barrett, Grant, Minnesota.
12. Ole Nilson Lostegaard was born on 04 Feb 1854 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway. He married Annie O Johnson in Freeborn, Minnesota.
    He died on 12 Mar 1884 in Freeborn, Minnesota.

The way that Barbo and Nils reused names for their children seems unusual. It wasn’t uncommon to reuse a name if a child died young. But in this family, they named another son Ole even though they had a living son, Ole. And they had three Birgits, with only one dying young. They also had two Barbos, though one was listed as Barbra in her baptism record. One theory is that they were naming their kids after relatives, so the first Barbo was perhaps named after her maternal grandmother and the next Barbo named after her mother. Maybe the first Ole was named after his paternal grandfather, as was very common, and the second after a great-grandfather. Maybe the first Birgit was named after her paternal grandmother and the next after a great-grandmother. There were lots of folks named Birgit, Barbo, and Ole in the family tree. It does seem odd and confusing though.

When Norway took their census in 1875, Barbo and Nils were living at Lostegaard with their two sons named Ole.

The younger son lived with them and the older lived with his wife and children.

By then, Barbo and Nils had seen eight of their children immigrate to America. The youngest son, Ole, eventually left for America too. The immigrant children and their families settled in Minnesota and North Dakota. We can imagine that it was hard on Barbo to not be able to see her children or know her grandchildren. But, because so many people left Norway in search of better opportunities, she probably supported their choices to leave. Of the ten children who lived to adulthood, the oldest son, Ole, was the only child who remained behind with his parents. He farmed the Lostegaard farm.

On 11 Mar 1884, Barbo because a widow when Nils Olson Ro Lostegaard passed away. He was 85-years old at the time of his death and she was 77. She remained on the Lostegaard farm with her oldest son, Ole, and his family. They were recorded in the 1891 census.

Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard died on 21 Feb 1899 in Gol, Buskerud, Norway at the Lostegaard farm. She was 92-years old at the time of her death.

Where is she in the tree?

Selected Sources:

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Barbra Lostegaard, baptism ( http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20060127050381.jpg : accessed 27 Sep 2018); digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Nils Olson Ro Lostegaard and Barbo Eriksdatter Lostegaard, marriage ( http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20060130010534.jpg : accessed 9 Jun 2018).

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), 1875 Census – Lostegaard ( http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft20110110410533.jpg, http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft20110110410534.jpg, and http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft20110110410535.jpg : accessed 25 Jan 2019; digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), 1891 Census record for Barbro Eriksdatter Lostegaard ( http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-ft10061012263305.jpg : accessed 25 Jan 2019); digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.

Arkivverket Digitalarkivet (Norway), Barbo Eriksdtr Lostegaard, death (http://urn.digitalarkivet.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-kb20051102010587.jpg : accessed 25 Jan 2019); digital images, Arkivverket Digitalarkivet.