The Hagen-Larson Connection
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In Leon Township, Monroe County, WI, there were two farms across the road from each other in the area known as Pleasant Valley. One farm was owned by Ole and Marit Anderson Hagen; the other by Ole and Amanda Swenson Larson. Maria Hagen, the daughter of Ole and Marit married Alfred Larson, son of Ole and Amanda. For years I believed that this was the only Hagen-Larson Connection. However, there was always an underlying feeling that there was more to the connection than that event. I think that my father and his brothers and sisters may have known something of this connection but apparently it was not discussed within the families. When I interviewed cousins who still live in the Sparta and Leon Township they also had the feeling that there was something else involved but did not know what that something was. I finally found Cheryl Coquoz, who was a descendant of Ole and Amanda Larson. We started researching together although I relied more on Cheryl than she could on me. She is a trained genealogist. We started looking for family records in Norway that could tell us something about the family history. Cheryl pointed me towards the Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As we searched those records it became apparent that there was a definite relationship between Ole O. Hagen and Ole Larson. The remainder of this article defines that relationship. In Generation 3 the family of Ole Larsen And Goro Pedersdatter was discussed. The Hagen-Larson Connection involves two sons of Ole Larsen and Goro Pedersdatter, Lars Olsen Toftehagen was their eldest son and Ole Olsen Toftehagen their youngest son. Ole Olsen Toftehagen, Oscar Hagen's father, emigrated to America in 1869. During the first seven years he mostly lived and worked in Monroe County, WI. (See Generation 2). Lars Olsen Toftehagen remained in Norway and married Embjor Iversdatter. Lars and Embjor were married in the Sør Fron Church October 28, 1850. In the 1865 National Census for Norway, Lars Olsen is a husmann med jord (cotter with land) on the Tofteløkken farm. This is the first and only time that I saw the name "Tofteløkken". Lars was a cotter with land, therefore, when he was given his cottage and the land that went with it, he may have decided to give it the name "løkken". One of its meanings in English is "meadow". Lars Olsen and Embjor Iversdatter had four children all born on the Tofte farm, Sør Fron Parish, Oppland, Norway. They were: i. Ole Larsen, b. 23 Jul 1851 ii. Iver Larsen, b. 9 Dec 1853. iii. Gulbrand Larsen, b. 30 Mar 1858. iv. Anne Larsdatter, b. 17 Dec 1860. Sometime in late 1870 or early 1871, Ole Olsen Toftehagen sent $100.00 to his brother Lars Olsen as passage money for his two oldest sons, Ole and Iver. Ole and his brother Iver left Norway in May, 1871. An article was written for the local newspaper on the life of Ole Larsen from his leaving Norway to his retirement years. The article was written about 1930. It was given to me by Cheryl Coquoz. Ole Larson Has Interesting Life Story In May of the year 1871, two young men set out from Gudbrandsdalen, (Gudbrandsdalen means Gudbrands Valley. The Tofte farms were located in this valley.) Norway, on the long journey to the new world. The young men were Ole Larson, age 20, and his brother, Iver, age 18. The first stage of their journey took them to Christiana (now called Oslo) ; a boat trip across the North Sea was followed by the fastest ride of their lives on a train to smoky, gray Liverpool. They were whizzed along, catching but brief glimpses of the pretty countryside where trimmed, thorny hedges were the only fences. In Liverpool the boys spent four days awaiting the sailing of their boat. They were sick days for Ole, who found the coal smoke almost unbearable, but they were interesting days too. The big smoke blackened city held many new sights for the young men. There they saw a donkey for the first time; there too they saw the biggest horses. These great draft horses were used to pull freight cars from the boats to the depot. The cars ran on rails and the horses were driven with only one line. Every horse wore leather pads on their knees to protect them if they fell while straining at their heavy loads. Seasickness failed to touch the boys. Clean ocean breezes cleared up their lungs of Liverpool smoke and they thoroughly enjoyed the seven day crossing to New York. From New York they traveled by train to Chicago., thence by boat to Milwaukee and from there to Sparta on the train. At Sparta they found a man who was driving some cattle out this way and they followed along to Leon. By chance, in Leon they came across the man who was later to become Ole’s father-in-law, Magnus Swenson. Mr. Swenson took the boys to Pleasant Valley where dwelt their uncle. ( Note by Author: Although they do not mention him by name, the only uncle that they had in America was Ole Olsen Toftehagen, later known as Ole O. Hagen) This uncle had sent money to the old country for traveling expenses. Arrival in Pleasant Valley found each of the boys in debt the seemingly great amount of 50 dollars. They immediately set to work to pay back this passage money. The next year the two Larson boys worked for Mackail Darm, a farmer on the Bangor prairie. For ten days they bound wheat. That was before the time of the present day binder. On this particular farm the owner, Mr. Darm, drove the reaper. Three horses were used on the reaper and the teams were changed at noon. Fields were divided into stations. Each worker had a station. The worker was to follow the reaper over his allotted distance, or station, and rake together and bind the bundles of grain. On the last afternoon, Mr. Darm told the Larson boys and a third worker named ‘Manny’ Wakeman that they were excellent workmen but there never was a man that could keep ahead of him and his reaper when he tried to catch them. Thus a race was begun. The young men were expert at binding and how they did work that afternoon. At five o’clock, Mr. Darm gave up. He had failed to catch them and his horses were so ‘all in’ they shook like a leaf. The story of that afternoon’s work spread round a bout the country side and some time thereafter became a sort of legend to be repeated at country store gatherings on winter evenings. In two years time the boys had paid their passage money back and also earned enough to send for their father, their brother and a sister from Norway. Their mother had died during these two years. (Note by Author: Embjor, their mother, died 10 Dec 1872 on the Tofte farm, Sor Fron Parish, Oppland, Norway, at age 49. A few years after the arrival of the rest of the family, the father and son bought a farm at the upper end of one of the branches of Pleasant Valley from a Mr. Mullen. There was 112 acres in the farm; three acres only were cleared. The one building was a log shanty half of which was in the hillside. The men went right at the hard work of grubbing and clearing their land. When the day’s work was done the young people of the valley had jolly time going from house to house to parties. Out of this gayety developed the romance of Amanda Swenson and Ole Larson. And on the 13th day of December, 1878, they were united in marriage at the Fish Creek Ridge church. The big church wedding was followed by a day and a night of dancing and feasting at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. And Mrs. Magnus Swenson. The Swenson farm is just back of the Chet Green farm of today. (Note by Author: Oscar and Frances Hagen rented this farm in about 1914. Both Norma Hagen/ Christ- ianson and Wendell Hagen were born on the Swenson farm.) The buildings are still standing but no one lives there. As it was near the Christmas holiday season, some of the guests came to the wedding party masked as was the old country custom. Ole bought out his father and brother’s share in the Larson farm and the young couple went to live there. By this time there was a house and a small barn on the place. To be near a big spring of sparkling cold water the farm buildings were in the valley although most of the farm lay on the ridge. Some years later the spring nearly dried up without any apparent reason. Crowley, the pump man from Sparta, was engaged to dig a well, but before the well was finished by some miracle the spring became strong again and continues so to this day. The four Larson children that immigrated from Norway in the 70’s are all still living. Iver, the brother mentioned before, lives on his farm on Thompson Ridge out of Portland. |
Here on this farm the six Larson children were born. They attended the little Pleasant Valley school. Sunday school was also held in the school house. A Mrs. Barbara McCabe, wife of John McCabe, was one of the teachers. The McCabe’s lived on the farm now owned by C. J. Justin. Mr. Larson recalls an amusing anecdote of Doc Jones, grandfather of the present Dr. Jones. One day Mr. Larson was driving along while just ahead of him on an old gray horse was Doc Jones. As the Jones’ horse passed a house a woman ran out waving to catch the rider’s attention. In a minute the trouble was found to be a thumb out of joint. Doc Jones, a gruff old fellow, took a firm hold of the thumb, said "giddap." The woman screamed but the thumb had snapped back into joint. Mr. Jones stopped only to remark, "Now go back in the house and wash your dishes." The years filled with the joys and the cares of rearing a family and the hard work and the pleasure a farmer finds in tilling the soil, sped quickly past. It seemed but a short time until the children were grown up and gone away from home and in 1911, Mr. And Mrs. Larson rented their farm and moved to Leon. They owned a house in the village. This they remodeled and it is still the Larson home. The Pleasant Valley farm was later sold to John Vestreng who still owns it. In 1925 Mrs. Larson died after a long illness and eight years of total blindness. Sixteen years ago, Mr. Larson put in a year of sickness. Two operations, typhoid fever and pleurisy caused a long hard fight for health. Six weeks were spent in a La Crosse hospital. At one time relatives were called, thinking that his days were numbered but after a 14 month battle, Mr. Larson regained his strength and is today a quick moving slender man for his years. He divides his time between his village home and the home of his five children who all live within easy reach. Mr. Larson has 26 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Recently a big family picnic was staged as celebration of Mr. Larson’s eightieth birthday. Ole Larson; b. 23 Jul 1851 Tofte farm, Sor Fron Parish, Oppland, Norway; m. Amanda Otille Swenson 13 Dec 1878 Fish Creek Norwegian Lutheran Church; d. 31 Jan 1937 Leon, Monroe, WI, at age 85. Amanda Otille Swenson was born on 4 May 1861 Hadland, Norway. Lars Olson Toftehagen. After Lars Olsen Toftehagen, the brother of Ole Olsen Toftehagen, arrived in Pleasant Valley, he lived with his two sons in Pleasant Valley on the farm they jointly owned. After his son Ole's marriage he sold his part of the farm to his son. On August 21, 1882 he married Anna Iverson in a civil ceremony in Sparta, Monroe, WI. He was 55 years of age. In many places he gave his name as "Lars Olsen Hagen". There is some indication that he lived in Minnesota for some part of the time before his death. He died May 24, 1891 at the age of 64 and is buried in the Fish Creek Ridge Norwegian Lutheran Church cemetery. Shown below is the history of the children of Lars Olsen and Embjor Iversdatter, his first wife, after those children came to America. The Family of Iver Larson And Anna Thorson Iver Larson married Anna Thorson b. 1860 d. 1939. He and Anna were farmers on Thompson’s Ridge, Portland Township, Monroe County, WI. Iver and Anna had 3 children, Daughter Larson, she may have died in infancy; Edwin b. 1888 d. 1981; Otto b. 1892 d. 1948 Iver died 24 June 1932 in Portland Township, Monroe County and is buried in the Fish Creek Lutheran Church cemetery. The Family of Gulbrand Larson (AKA Gilbert L. Hagan) and Hannah Nelson. Gulbrand Larson changed his name to Gilbert Hagan and moved to Minneapolis, MN. (Hagan is the way that it is listed on the census form in 1900, it may have been Hagen in other places.) The newspaper article above states that Gulbrand or Gilbert moved to Minneapolis and became a doctor. In the 1900 Federal Census for Minneapolis shows: Gilbert L. Hagan married to a Hannah Hagan and list four children Emma, Ann, Fred and Frances. They lived at 17th Ave. S., Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN. Gilbert’s occupation was "Agent, sewing machine". I do not know where the information of Gilbert being a doctor came from, but I am fairly positive that this Gilbert Hagan is Gulbrand Larsen. In 1900 Gilbert would have been 42 years of age, it is possible that he became a doctor after that date. The original information on Gilbert was received from Mrs. Estelle Taylor, Sparta, WI. Mrs. Taylor is a granddaughter of Ole Larson. She stated that Gulbrand changed his name to Gilbert Hagen because there were so many Larson’s in Minnesota. She also substantiated the information that Gilbert married Hannah Nelson and they had 3 children, Emma, Fred and Ann. The Family of Anne Larsdatter and Ole Anderson. Anne Larsdatter was born December 17, 1860 and was baptized February 24, 1861 in the Sør Fron Church. She came to America with her father at the age of 12. She married Ole Anderson and at some point in her life they moved to California. They raised one of her nieces, Cora Evenson. Cora was the daughter of Emilie Larson, daughter of Ole Larson. I do not know why they did this or whether Anne and Ole had any children of their own. Anne died in California February 8, 1960 at the age of 99 years, 53 days. Summary of the Hagen-Larson Connection. So finally the mystery was solved. Ole Olsen Hagen and Lars Olsen Hagen were brothers and as far as is known were the only two sons of Ole Larsen and Goro Pedersdatter to emigrate to America. Ole by himself, Ole and Iver Larsen by themselves (with the aid of Ole Olsen Hagen) and then Lars Olsen Hagen with the remainder of his family. Maria Hagen, daughter of Ole O. and Marit Hagen married Alfred O. Larson, son of Ole and Amanda Larson. They were first cousins, one time removed. This was normal in those days especially within ethnic communities. Summary of the Hagen-Larson ConnectionThe relationship between the Hagen family and the Larson family was unknown by most of the living descendants of those two families until this research was started. There is a Hagen – Larson Reunion that is held annually on the 3rd Sunday of August at the baseball stadium in Melvina, Wisconsin. All descendants of Ole Olsen Hagen and Lars Olsen Hagen are welcome to attend. I have been to two of these in the past and it amazes me of how little people know of their past. Hopefully these stories will help in bringing that past into the future. The Hagen-Larson connection allows us to discuss our next interesting person. He is probably the most famous of all persons on Dad's side of the family. |
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