Dreams of America

Weary of losing money, Tosten looked toward America.

"It was in March that I moved to my own farm "Styrkestad." I had $800 in cash and 13 loads of property, as we say. When I had been there seven years, I had gone back $100 every year. Then I thought I had tried long enough. I was not satisfied when I could not take care of myself. I did not like to keep on until I had lost the place either, because I did not understand such transactions. Those who did could do it that way. It was America I thought of and dreamed of, but how to manage to get there was another question."

--excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Farmers, Banks, and Debt

Norway introduced the gold standard and a banking system, which had a negative effect on many farmers.

"Now people who had money were to put it in the bank. Before, they would loan it out to farmers for a year with either a mortgage as security or sometimes only a promissory note. The farmer then had to borrow from the bank with interest and a certain amount of the principal had to be paid twice a year. If it wasn't paid on the exact date, there was compound interest to pay.

It was customary for the farmers to store their produce and sell during the winter with perhaps a few cattle spring and fall, and therefore they did not have the necessary cash to meet these obligations from the bank. They then began to sell their produce a little at a time, but then they had to go through the middleman, and he, too, had to have his profit. So the farmer was on the losing end either way. Many farmers went bankrupt during this time."

--excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

The Farmer Finds a Wife

When Tosten was 30, he bought a farm called "Styrkestad," and decided it was time to get married.

"If I was to be a full-fledged farmer, I had to have a wife. So now I had to try a little along that line, too. But seeing I was going to be busy, it was not wise to make the distance too great. I tried my luck in the immediate vicinity and the final answer was "Yes, she supposed so," seeing I had a place where she could live and call home.

On April 25, 1878, I was married to Sigrid Larsdatter Gjeldaker. Seeing that was taken care of, it was to settle down for good."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

A Decade of Military Service

When Tosten was 20 years old, his father died. He moved home to help his Mother on the farm. After two years, he was drafted for compulsory training in the military. His mother then sold the family farm to his oldest brother.

"I was in training 40 days. Then I drew so high a number that I qualified for the reserve. So I did not have to stay in training any more, but was still under military rule and had to get permission if I left home for any length of time. This extended over a period of five years. We were then called to serve in the National Guard for five years. But this was not so strict. We did not need permission if we left home for longer trips. In all I was under military rule and in line for active duty for ten years."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Business Ventures

Tosten spent 13 years trading -- sheep, cattle, horses, hides, leather, even butter and cheese. Here is how he got started:

"I went to Lerdahl's Oine (island) to a territory called Aurdal. My father had been there before and bought sheep, so I was to follow in his footsteps, so to speak. They were nice people to have dealings with. They were glad to have us "Saue Hallinger" (sheep Hallings) as they called us, because we brought money into their midst."

"When we had made our purchase, it was to gather our flock and begin the home journey. This was usually the last days in May or the first days in June. First we went by boat, and later we herded the sheep the rest of the way, which was about 12 Norwegian miles (84 American). It was strenuous work. But then we were young and husky and managed nicely. But it took a lot of runnning! It took us usually a week when we had just a small flock. We then got some farmers to herd them together with their cattle until fall when we butchered them and hauled them to town during the winter. Later when our business grew and we had bigger flocks, we would rent meadows and do our own herding, and then in the fall we would gradually move on to different territories and butcher and sell as we moved along. This worked out better."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Travel to Oslo

In 1864 Tosten went with his father to Oslo. "I was supposed to drive one of the rigs. It was my first trip so far from home, and it was a pleasure trip too, to see the capital city. However, it was a long journey, twenty Norwegian miles (140 miles) with a heavy load. And no better bed at night but the floor, with our overcoats for covering. That was what was called "resting place" at that time. We had the privilege of making a fire in the stove if necessary, but there were no charges except 3 cents for a cup of coffee. It usually took us a whole week to drive one way if we happened to strike bad roads. Usually the whole trip took about three weeks. The following winter, too, I had the same opportunity; after that Father quit going, and I went alone."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Confirmed in 1863; Considered Grown Up

"When I was 16, the winter of 1863, I read for the minister. We were 40 boys and about the same number of girls. We were confirmed June 28, 1863. And after that I was considered grown up and got to be that too, especially in the work there was to be done."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Chores and Herding

"Most of the work for us children was chores. And my first work besides that was to help on the threshing floor in the winter after school hours. Then came springs work, and after that the herding seasons (gjete), as we said. But here I was more lucky than most of the others because I had a helper. Sissel and I were twins, and consequently the same age. They did say Sissel was a couple hours older than I, but that made no difference when it came to herding except that I herded spring and fall and she during the summer. Therefore, I began to stay home during the summers earlier than most others."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

"Omgangs skole"

"I started school when I was seven years old. At that time there was "omgangs skole," that is, a few days at each home. There was no school house. The school term was from October 14 to April 14, which was considered winter. The circuit was too big for all, so it was divided into two districts so that the attendance was divided. And besides, there was a lot to be done at home, so school attendance was irregular for the short time we had. It was all right for those who were fairly good to read, as we said. But even if we were home from school during the day we still had our lessons to memorize in the evening, and Mother and Father heard them. That is the way school was in those days."

-- excerpt from Tosten's autobiography, written in 1917

Tosten Mikkelsen Lillehaugen (1847–1934)

Tosten and his twin sister Sissel were born on June 21 on the Lillehaugen farm in Leveld, Al, Hallingdal to Mikkel Sevatsen and Sissell Tostendatter. On April 25, 1878, he married Sigrid Larsdatter Gjeldaker. “Seeing that was taken care of, it was to settle down for good.”

Sigrid mentions Tosten in her letters, but we don’t get a lot of detail. (My husband pointed this out.) We could speculate on family dynamics, but I prefer a simple theory: paper and time were scarce, and Sigrid’s top priority in her letters was to describe her children and their lives in the U.S.

Fortunately, we have a wealth of information about Tosten’s life from an even better source: Tosten himself. In 1917, he wrote a short account of his life in Norway and the U.S. We’re going to spend the next few posts filling in the background and details of his life.

Prairie Skies

As I write this post, a blizzard is raging in North Dakota. For the uninitiated, blizzards cause white-out conditions and drill flinty ice into your face when you venture outside.

In North Dakota, most conversations start and end with the weather, especially if you’re a farmer. Your livelihood depends on the sky.

And what a sky! People who focus on the ground always miss the show.

When I was a kid, my aunt would visit in the summer. We would run up the hill and take pictures of the sunset—at 10pm. Then we would watch the colors slowly dissolve. I think those colors kept her going through the gray Seattle winters.

I live in the city now. But when I pay attention, I can still see cloud shadows crossing the prairie.

Trading Mountains for Clouds

The immigrant experience always involves huge contrasts, from culture and language to food and new neighbors.

When you move from Norway to North Dakota, you also trade mountains for clouds.

Guest Post: Ann Wallace

Today I'm pleased to welcome my cousin, Ann Wallace, who tells us about her involvement in our book project.

"A number of years ago, Cousin Tess casually announced at the family reunion that she had obtained copies of letters Grandma Sigrid had written to relatives in Hallingdal, which had been saved in Norway all those years. Some time later I cornered her at a family wedding and compelled her (I like to think with my passion, but more likely with my nagging) to let me help her get them published. Skeptical, but relieved not to have to do her own typing, she sent me a packet of photocopies of the translation done by a "lady in the neighborhood" in North Dakota who could read the dialect, and of the originals. I sat down at my PC, and started typing.

I was stunned. And moved. Again and again, as I worked my way through those pages, I stopped to wipe tears away. I read the mother's perspective on well-known family stories of tragedy and loss. I felt the heartrending love and loneliness of a daughter across the ocean from her beloved father. Her story of my grandfather's birth told how, even as a baby, he was remarkable among a family of unique, gifted children.

In those letters, I got to know the great-grandmother I never knew, because in her writing, she let her pain, joy, prejudice, disillusionment, pride, and all the fragility of the human spirit come through. Through her, I better understand the strong family bond we have. And how an immigrant farming family from North Dakota produced (and continues to produce) so many remarkable people.

I am proud to have played a small (but pivotal!) part in the publication of Sigrid's letters. I find myself thinking about Sigrid often. Her example of faith and love is a constant inspiration, and her fine letters are a strong reminder that family contact is the most important thing in life. "

Brother Knut Nelson

When Sigrid's brother Knut arrived in North Dakota, he was welcomed with classic prairie weather:

Winter came one month too early and they had to close the school. They couldn’t bring the little ones to school in the cold and all this snow on the prairie. . . As I have already said – winter came too early for many – yes, entirely too early because there are many who haven’t threshed, and many had thought of building more and preparing better, but the snow wouldn’t wait till they were done. A few days ago we had a terrible blizzard for four days. It blew and snowed so all that time. Some people tied a string to the corner of the house so they could find their way inside again. Yes, that was the worst snowstorm I’ve ever seen since I came to America, and I hope I never see it again.