Norwegian Roots
Christiansons from Norway to Minnesota
Emma Christianson was born in Minnesota in 1887 to Amund and Anne Christianson. Her two oldest siblings and her parents were born in Norway.
An immigrant chest was handed down from Emma to her son Russell. (The meter stick in front of the chest provides a scale indicator. Carved into the front of the chest is the inscription: "Anne Ammunsson, Albert Lea, MinneSotta, North Amerika." This trunk may have belonged to Emma's oldest sister Anne who would have been an infant when the family emigrated in 1883. No other likely owner has been found yet in the family history.
According to the LDS Family Search, Amund Kristiansen was born 16 May 1859 in Hurdal, Akershus, Norway. He was christened on 19 Jun 1859 in Hurdal. Amund's parents were Kristian Andersen and Anne Michaelsdatter.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City contains a Norwegian book entitled, "Hurdal bygdebok". This is a history of Hurdal and it contains a chapter entitled, "Hurdøler Som Reiste Til Amerika" which Google Translates as "Hurdaler[s] who traveled to America". There in 1883 is the entry, "Husmann Amund Kristiansen f. 1859 gift med Anna Andersd i 1879" or "Farmhand Amund Christiansen b. 1859 married Anna Andersdatter in 1879." The marriage year is correct for this couple. Leaving Norway in 1883 is consistent with the information that Amund gave in various US Census reports. This confirms that Hurdal is the source of this branch of the Christiansons.
The Norwegian Government has created an online digital archive of Census records, court records, and parish records. From these, a family tree for Amund Christianson has been created. The records themselves have been extracted and are reproduced on this page. (Look for a rectangular area with a different grey background to quickly locate the precise entry.)
Anne Andersdatter Parents: Anders Gustavsen and Siri Ellingsdatter (Anders was born in Sweden and his ancestry is documented on the Swedish Roots page.)
It is possible from the Norwegian Records to trace the family to the farms they resided on. These farms include Nordgarden and Brattlie which can be seen on the map of major Farms near Hurdal as well as Rugrota and Oppgarden which, with Nordgarden, are shown on the closeup map of Nordgarden. A Google Earth view of Nordgarden today, shows the actual farm buildings.
Immigrant Chest from Norway.