Hemming Olsen Nerli (1841-1880) of Hattfjelldal: A Common Law Guy?

Update: This post was updated on 6 Aug 2023 to include relevant reader insights into Hemming’s Wisconsin hometown of Chandler. It also presents new evidence that Dorthea of Hemnes Parish was possibly his partner and mother to their son, Olaf. Disqualifying data is given for Dorthea of Akershus. Text of major updates is indented.

Hemming Olsen was insane from the age of twenty-three according to his 1865 census.¹ No other record said so, but consistent with such a diagnosis and unlike his younger brother, he was not working. The venue was Nerli Farm in Hattfjelldal; the parish of his 1841 birth.  His welfare was of particular interest since he sponsored our grandfather at baptism.  That event was memorialized in Church Books, as was Hemming’s witness. It was 13 August 1876 and the last evidence of Hemming in Hattfjelldal.

Hemming sometimes took Nerli as surname. He was a bachelor who fathered three children with Johanna Marie Mathisdatter, their last coming in September 1874. Johanna was marked single when she married another in 1887. Note A has more on this family.

Life was hard and resources few. The burdens that illness heaped upon our ancestors is hard to imagine today. Perhaps remaining unwed and apart was a condoned response to the nature of his disability. Despite continued unwed fatherhood, Hemming apparently maintained favor, as he was called to witness numerous baptisms.

Such was Hemming’s life until aged thirty-five, or so. Local Church Books failed to disclose that his next step was to desert the ever patient Johanna for “Dorthea”. He claimed Dorthea was a resident of Hattfjelldal and that he had wed her. A record of such union was sought for proof and to disclose her particulars. Then an “utflyttar” or out-migration report should have been scribed in Hattfjelldal Church Books on Hemming, or both. None were found.  

Hemming would be dead before he was forty, abroad with Dorthea and another child.^2,3 Who was Dorthea? Did they wed? How did Hemming, allegedly compromised by illness, pull off these next four years?  

Findagrave.com publishes old death records that await descendants to find them. One was for Hening Olson of Wisconsin in 1880, whose mother, was “Enger Amson” for Ingrid Arnesdatter. Curiously, the man died in Chandler, Burnett County, but was buried in Cumberland, Barron.

Clarity and connection came quickly when Gunder Dahlby emerged as the informant. His wife was Hemming’s baby sister, Elen Oline. The Dahlbys were prominent in Cumberland, then he became Postmaster of Chandler in January of 1881. (“Our Dahlby Family: First Others in Cumberland WI”)

Gunder put Dortea Olson as the decedent’s wife. Yet, he was in the US when the marriage would have occurred, leaving room for common law to be the reality. Children were not mentioned, nor was mental illness. Rather, he was a shoemaker, taken by consumption.

Death gave an endpoint, with a four-year gap in vigil over our yet presumed ill Hemming. It meant that he must have traveled between August 1876 and September 1880.

In fact, the Olsens sailed from Trondheim on 11 Apr 1877 bound for Milwaukee WI. Assuming Hemming, who was traveling as Henning, was also “Hammiz”, then they arrived in Philadelphia on 7 May 1877.⁴ He was now 36. She was 20. All good, except that the no marriage record put shade on their exit claims, including that she was of Hattfjelldal.

A son for Hemming and Dorthea! He blessed their home in March of 1878, a timing that proved him to be a true child of America. Year 1880 was brutal for Hemming and Dorthea Olsen; Hemming passed. It would have been all the more so, for her, had Olaf died later that year.

The chart below shows two records of birth for Olaf Olson for March 7, 1878, obviously for the same event. They were generated two years apart and in different counties. That was really most unusual! The first record may hint on Dorthea’s identity; the second on Olaf’s disappearance from further records – that is, if perchance, the document had been misfiled.

Three documents are shown: the last two were prompted by G. Dahlby. Whereas in Norway, where Birth, Marriage and Death records were established with the rigor of Religious who cared for the safety of individual souls, Wisconsin had a secular approach. Gunder was a business man who just wanted to get the job done. He was terribly mistaken with spelling. He may not have been overly concerned with accuracy, say, to convey if a wife were Church Approved. The Registrar would take his word on line items.  This output must be viewed with some skepticism.

The intention of the second filing for birth was not given, but is critical to our conclusions. It would actually be odd if it were to update the child’s birth record in view of facts that follow – although not impossible.

The original practically declared that Hemming’s partner was a Dorthea Nilsdatter; Dorthy Nelson being an Americanized spelling. However, if Nelson had been wrongly heard for Olson and needed to be corrected, then that bet was off. Of course Gunder realized that a correction of that sort would have been properly reported to the birth county of Barron, but it went to Burnett – why?  

Intent was not to correct place of birth; there was nothing to fix because Lakeland officially became Cumberland in September of 1878. The Dahlbys lived in Lakeland when Olaf was born; Elen Oline likely midwifed his birth in her home.

They moved to Chandler by 1880, where Hemming died, but Cumberland was still home to familiar resources including Ed Dahlby (birth son of Elen Oline and tailor Edvard Zacharissen). They buried Hemming in Cumberland, Barron County, but Gunder properly reported that event to Chandler, Burnett. The business man followed procedure.

Gunder processed Olaf’s entry within a month of Hemming’s death. This was the scene: his wife was mourning her brother, and his sister-in-law, her husband. Gunder was otherwise super busy with a mercantile and other businesses. Why would he rush to update a birth record at such an awful time? Unless that was not his intent.

Update: reader insight tells that the awful scene was even worse because Chandler was a “mushroom town” that existed from about 1879 to 1883 to service the build of a rail line. It was about three miles north of present Spooner.⁵

Update: Hemming was the only shoemaker in this end-of-the-line rail depot called Chandler. Several months after he died, Gunder was appointed its Postmaster. It had a couple of blacksmiths, four stores (Gunder likely owned one) and six hotels. The historical account mentioned two gambling joints and fourteen saloons, but no houses of worship. Gunder may have owned one of the town’s twenty private residences.  Otherwise, their home would have been in one of seventy-five or so, crude shacks that were thrown together to quickly establish this tough gone-tomorrow work place.⁶  

Gunder’s task was not simple in their chaos of grief. There were no copy machines, yet the fine detail of 7 o’clock was replicated for Olaf. Well, Ed Dahlby was a telephone operator in Cumberland, from whom Gunder may have taken notes.

Could it be that Olaf had died and the ever-fixer Gunder, was quietly gathering facts to prepare for a death filing, so as not to disturb Dorthea, and misplaced that data to become posted to a record of birth by mistake? After all, Hemming’s own death record said the family lived in Chandler, so that if their child died, his record of death would also go to Chandler, while a revised record of his birth would still owe to Barron.

DORTHEA WHO?

The couple had been available for US Census 1880 which was taken in June. It could have told more on Dorthea, but they were not listed.⁷ His waning days with consumption would have been dreadful, demanding their full attention. The two reports that came from Gunder later that year became the last definitive words on her. Yet, heritage sought to record her fortune, this wife and mother.

Obviously, in 1880, record keeping on life events in the US had nowhere near the robustness of that in Europe. Such was often not even required. Added to that, the person of interest was not well defined: she was the widowed Dorthea Olsen, born about 1857 in Norway, maybe as Nilsdatter, who professed to be wedded by 1877, with US immigration in 1877.

The best hope was that Dorthea survived until the next available US Federal Census, which was 20 years hence. A Constitutional mandate, the Federal Census was US’s only effective national database at the time, for this type of inquiry; it was also effective locally and statewide. Enough information was already on hand to flush her out, or determine if there were no hits available for her, within.

Censuses 1900-1930 addressed all the factors on her knowns list. Rule of thumb for searches is to place a two-year buffer on dates and leeway in name spelling. Only one possibility was found: Dorthea (Nilsdatter Berg) Thompson, from Akershus. She was previously considered as Hemming’s partner, but with caution on her immigration date:

Update: A recently recovered document proved to be hers, despite it showing a three-year birth discrepancy.⁸ She surely emigrated in 1878 which was disqualifying. Her particulars remain in Note B, because the work done is still germane to the overall search.

Back in Norway and before the couple emigrated: some Dorthea who were born around the 1857 criterion were found in Hattfjelldal, but none were available to sail with Hemming. However, in-migrants “innflyttar” may have gone unconsidered. There was known migration due to Engelsbruket, but the 1875 census count missed Hattfjelldal. Even so, few choices emerged in all of Norway: the most promising of those was the failed Akershus Dorthea.

Norway seemed dry of new candidates and the US was almost exhausted of searchable hiding places, so the last act, before calling quits was to imagine what she may have done, after Hemming passed. Chandler was a tough place and he left kin behind in Cumberland. It would have been reasonable for her to relocate there, to mourn, and hopefully someday, to remarry.  

Update: Another Norwegian Dorthea Nilsdatter was discovered; she married in Cumberland in January 1882.⁹ [Previous marriages, or the name “Olsen” and/or children were not mentioned. Therefore, any connection to Hemming, is but an assumption.] She and her groom did an unusually good job of spelling out their own, and their parent’s names. That allowed for a trace back to Dorthea Birgithe Nilsdatter, born 1858, in Hemnes Parish. (Further details on her family is in Note C and his, in Note D.

The 1875 Census found her family in Vefsn, from which Hattfjelldal had earlier separated. She was absent from their household tally, so was possibly with Hemming – as one of Hattfjelldal’s previously unconsidered in-migrants. No marital documents were found, but if she were his partner, at least the assertion he made upon sailing, that he and his Dorthea were residents of Hattfjelldal, would be true.

Inarguably, Dorthea Nilsdatter of Hemnes wed in Cumberland in 1882. No sailing record has yet been located for her, leaving her available to be the Dorthea who sailed with Hemming. Her US groom was Christian Frantzon of Oyer, Oppland. Both became lost to follow-up after their nuptials. Finding their record of marriage was a most serendipitous gift to conclude this story.

Welcome to our newly discovered ancestor, Olaf Olsen, who is known only by the two reports herein. May they all rest in peace.  

Please place comments, corrections and questions in the Reply Box after Notes and Sources.

Notes and Sources

Note A: Children of Hemming Olsen with Johanna Marie Mathisdatter (1841-1914) of Sjaavik, Hattfjelldal NO [she wed Nils Andreas Thomassen 1887]: Anne 1868 [Benjamin Mathias Danielsen], Elen Dorthea 1870 [Ottar Olaus Olsen Hoff], Ole (1874-1896), all of Hattfjelldal. Children of Hemming Olsen with Dorthea, now presumed to be Nilsdatter of Hemnes Parish Nordland, born 23 Aug 1858, death unknown: Olaf (1878-1880?) of Cumberland, Barron, Wisconsin.

Note B: Daartia Nilsdatter of Census 1875 Hurdal NO was born Dorthea Nilsdatter on 22 Oct 1857 (died in 1948) of Nils Andersen Berger (1818E-1880) and Birthe Christofsdatter (1822E-1910) per CB Hurdal Parish, local Feiring 1846-1859. Seen in US Censuses in Wisconsin 1900 through 1940. Children with Thomas (Tosten) Thompson; Berthe Cornelia 1886, Martin Nels 1889, Alvin 1896, Leonora Matilda 1899, all of WI. Findagrave.com data and US Censuses 1900-1920. UDATE: Norway, Emigration Records, 1867-1960: Dorthea Nilsen Berger, born about 1860, departed Oslo, Norway on 3 May 1878. Further, she was Dora Nelson in Sparta WI in the US Census 1880.  

Note C: Dorthea Bergitter Nilsen wed Christian Frantzon on 24 Jan 1882 in Barron County, Cumberland WI.  Both of Norway. Wisconsin U.S. Marriage Records 1820-2004 at Ancestry.com. Her parents of Norway: Nils Arntsen and Thomine Thomason.// No known children of the union.// Dorthea Birgithe b. 23 Aug 1858. Church Book Hemnes Parish, Nordland, 1842-1863 at Digitalarkivet.no. Far: Nils Arntsen. Mor: Thomine Thomasdtr// Parents were with three of their children at Census 1875 in Stenhaug, Vefsn, Nordland.  

Note D: Christian Frantzon wed Dorthea Bergitter Nilsen as in Note C above. His parents of Norway: Frantz Johnson and Sisel Pederson // Kristian b. 17 Oct 1853 Church Book Oyer Parish, Oppland, 1842-1857 at Digitalarkivet.no: Far: Frans Jonsen. Mor: Sidsel Pedersdtr. //

SOURCES: Background for this genealogy comes from the 1954 Memoirs of Matt Hemmingsen, output of a 1959 Audiotape of Gina Dahlby Plocker, (born of Hemmingsdatter/ Rued), the 1999 Family History of John O Hemmingsen; all unpublished, and protected here. Also, “Our Hattfjelldal Family’”, a foundation PDF attached to “Matt Hemmingsen 1876-1967: In the Beginning Again” on this blog. Other:

1 Norwegian National Archives, digitalarkivet.no. Norway Censuses 1865-1920. At Nord-Norge, Nordland, Church Book from Vefsn Parish 1826-45, Hattfjelldal Parish 1860-78, 1865-78, 1878-98, 1879-1916 for data in ¶ 1-4 and Note A. Note B describes use of Church Books of Hurdal Parish for the Nilsen Berg family. . Note C – CBs of Hemnes and Vefsn Parishes for the family of Dorthea Bergitte Nielsen b. 1858 Hemnes. Note D – CB of Oyer and Eidskog Parish for the family of Christian Franzon. Also, Trondheim politikammer 1/32 Emigrant protocols, no 3: Emigrant protocol No 3 1872-1878.

2 WI US Birth Records 1812-1921 for Olof Olson and for Oluf Olson Pre-1907 Ashland-Barron (Dorothy Nelson). Additional sourcing found within the chart displayed above.

3 Findagrave.com for Hening Olsen, died 1880 at Chandler, Barron County, WI. Oddly, the spelling errors found within the citation were due to Gunder Olsen. Also somehow housed in: Wisconsin, U.S., Death Records, 1959-2004 for Hening Olson at Ancestry.com – Pre-1907 Buffalo Vol 1- Calumet Vol 1.

4 Pennsylvania US Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists 1798-1962 for Hammiz Olsen (36) and Dorothea Olsen (20) off the SS Indiana (American Line) which departed Liverpool and arrived 7 May 1877. (from NARA via Ancestry.com). Source for Norway to England are given within the travel graphic.

5 “Mushroom Town” provided via email July 16, 2023 from John Hall of RoadsideThoughts.com

6 Known family history has been woven into Chandler Town statistics gathered at Ron Kohlin website at  http://www.kohlin.com/soo/omahahis.htm showing “Railroad Timetable a TimeLine History of The Omaha Road”.  Further credit to:  Spooner-Wisconsin Train Times, a publication of the Spooner Advocate, 509 Front Street, P.O. Box 338, Spooner WI 54801, Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. Written by Janet Krokson, publisher.

7 US Census data from NARA for this blog piece was accessed at Ancestry.com

8 Norway Emigration Records 1867-1960 for Dorthea Nilsen Berger born about 1860 at Ancestry.com

9 All Wisconsin U.S. Marriage Records 1820-2004 at Ancestry.com for Dorthea Bergitter Nilsen, 1882.

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