The Valley And Fitzgerald Family Trees
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Person ID: I5857880208

Lars Christian Pedersen Dahl

19 Feb 1874 – 25 Aug 1971

Male

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Events

Born
19 Feb 1874
Died
25 Aug 1971 — Velva, McHenry, North Dakota, United States
Buried
Hitterdal, Clay, Minnesota, United States

Parents

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Family

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Married: 22 Dec 1906

Notes

  • !SO: D-005, D-036, D-042, MRIN-517. NOTES: The name is listed various ways on these documents. MRIN-517 states that it was Lars Christian Pedersen Dahl in Norway and that Pedersen was dropped when he came to America and took the name, DAHL. The obituary attached to MRIN-517 lists, Lars Christian Dahl. BURIAL: Hitterdal East Cemetery. NOTES: D-042 lists him as cook in Norse army, farmer, sunday school teacher. NOTES: D-042 says Lars and Anna were reared in Oxendal. AT age 16 Lars emigrated to America and worked for his relatives (D-013 indicates he worked for Nils Dahl) in Southern Minnesota, attending school and learning English. After 8 years he returned to Norway and worked on his father's farm for 3 years. He then returned to America. After spending 2 years he returned to Norway, taking over the estate upon the death of his father. Lars sold the estate, married, and together with his wife and his mother, returned once again to America (June 1908) and settled in Minneapolis, MN, where he worked for a time as a streetcar conductor. But city life did not appeal to Lars and Anna (who spoke no English) and they moved to Cottonwood, MN to be among relatives in a Norse community. They farmed there for 7 years. Their desire to own their own home in a christian community of their own nationality prompted their move to their farm near Hitterdal, MN where they lived out their lives. Son, Olaf, goes on to relate that the average life of his paternal ancestors was between 75 and 94 years; his maternal side lived between 70 and 87 years of age. His ancestors were blonde, fair complexioned, and had grey or blue eyes. Olaf goes on to relate that his father's ancestors were were of a listless nature with not much enthusiasm for betterment of surrounding conditions, rather quiet and prefer to hear rather than speak. His mother's ancestry was more concerned with finding ways to make things different and better, were often a bit outspoken, were outgoing, sociable and had a happy nature. Olaf notes that both sides of his ancestry were interested in reading, there were teachers, an author and also one who wrote a mathematics textbook. His parents and grandparents were christian examples and taught their children reverence for the bible and prayer. All of the ancestors had been born a raised in rural valleys between the mountains in Norway. The male ancestry of both Lars and Anna had derived from Oxendal where farming is carried on on a small scale. All the tillable land was used for agriculture while the mountain slopes were used for raising hay and for pasturing cattle and sheep. Wood cut from the mountainsides had to be transported (as did the hay) to the valley below. Fishing was not commercialized but was carried on a a source of food. Oxendal had had a religious awakening at one time and the community had their own pastor and the children were thoroughly instructed in the catechism and, at public school, in church history. Travel to the nearest town, Flekkefjord, a distance of about 30 miles, was by boat. Life was meager and not without hardship and many left to come to America to seek their fortune. They found work in the lumber camps of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, most of the older ones returned later to Norway to be with their families.