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From: "" <>
Subject: Re: [MNPOPE] Bennett Moen b 3-25-1877
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:35:30 -0000


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Classification: queries

Message Board URL:

http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.minnesota.counties.pope/276.1/mb.ashx

Message Board Post:

Quite often the Pope county historical society has people in their files - they collect information and put it in a person file at the museum there, such as old newspaper mentions, plat maps, whatever they can find.

Contact them at

POPE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
809 S. Lakeshore Drive
Glenwood, MN 56334
320/634-3293
Administrator: Merlin Peterson
Email:
Hours: 10 - 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Since you know some dates, there may also be obituaries. I found some in Pope county mention the origins or original parish in Norway, since there were so many Norwegians in the area, and it was an important piece of who they were.

You can also send of the death certificate through the State of Minnesota, at the history center. You can search for them here, and print out the ordering information.

http://people.mnhs.org/dci/Search.cfm?bhcp=1

I have also gone to the Pope County courthouse in Glenwood and found the book with the births registers, and you may find that origally your Bennett Theodore Moen possibly bore a more Norwegian name, like Bengt or something. The Theodore was very possibly Torstensen, since the early immigrants still used the patronymic naming custom. Moen was either the farm name in Norway or a part of the farm name.

the 1880 census shows the family using the Syverson surname.
but often, if there were too many Syversons or Olsons in a Norwegian immigrant area, they switched and began using a form of their farm name to clarify their identity.
They are in Nora township.

Here's the place to look for the census

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Torsten SYVERSON Self M Male W 53 NORWAY Farmer NORWAY NORWAY
Ragnhild SYVERSON Wife M Female W 37 NORWAY Keeping House NORWAY NORWAY
Ragnhild SYVERSON Dau S Female W 12 MN NORWAY NORWAY
Nils SYVERSON Son S Male W 10 MN NORWAY NORWAY
Anne SYVERSON Dau S Female W 7 MN NORWAY NORWAY
Henry SYVERSON Son S Male W 4 MN NORWAY NORWAY
Bennot SYVERSON Son S Male W 3 MN NORWAY NORWAY
Christian SYVERSON Son S Male W 2 MN NORWAY NORWAY

the census gives some good information, that the oldest child is 12, born in Minnesota. So they were here at least by 1868.

There is a chance that they might have been on the census of 1865 in Norway. But have you found them on any 1870 Minnesota census? Were they in Pope county then?

The Pope county historical society is a good bet. But there are so many children that there must be descendants somewhere out there. Tracing the family through census records after 1880 might be a good way to get more info.

Taryn



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