Sigrid's Journey to America Begins

In 1919, Sigrid wrote an account of her journey from Norway to America. Her daughter, Selma Lillehaugen Moe, translated this account and Tosten's autobiography during the winter of 1945-1946.

We're going to quote from Sigrid in the next series of posts.

"On the 26th of April, 1885, our three children (Anna, Mikkel, and Lars) and I left my dear native land Gjeldaker, Al, Hallingdal and began the long journey to America, where my husband had already been for one year.

Many dear memories are linked to that dear home and those whom I left behind that day. My father, who already was past middle age, grieved our departure very deeply. So much so, in fact, that the next day he contracted pneumonia. His prayers for our welfare and safe voyage went with me and my family throughout my whole life's journey. Because he was a man of prayer, and I being his only daughter and only child by his first marriage, I can understand now what it meant for parents to be left alone and see their children venture out into this world filled with trials and temptations.

The farewell with Father, Mother, and friends I omit. Only those of our Norwegian descent who have had this actual experience can fully appreciate and understand what such a farewell really means. Therefore only in my own memory will this scene be reviewed and relived. "

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

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.