Moen Cemetery (also known as Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery) is located just west of Cashton, WI.
My grand-mother, Lillian Tollefson, side of the family is buried here. The following known family members are buried here:
The Country Coon Prairie Lutheran Church and cemetery is located outside of Westby, Wisconsin.
My Mother (Janice Peterson), Grand-Father (Jimmy Johnson), and Grand-Mother (Jessie Holter) are buried here.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/370818/north-coon-prairie-lutheran-church-and-cemetery
Vang Norwegian Lutheran Church is located just off State Highway 14 between Westby and Coon Valley in Wisconsin.
My Great-Grandfather (Joseph Johnson) /Grandmother (Clara Strangstalien) are buried here, in addition to a number of other relatives (Strangstalien, Johnson, Bjorge).
Other pics and information can be found at:
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2184396/vang-lutheran-church-cemetery
West Prairie Hauge Lutheran Cemetery is a small cemetery located on a ridge in Crawford County on Highway 82, and had it’s closing service on June 24, 1990. On December 21, 1990 the church building and surrounding one-half acre of land was deeded over to the Crawford County Historical Society to be used for a Norwegian History Center.
My Grand-Father Rudalph Peterson had his service here upon his death in 1943.
The following family members are buried here:
Other pics and information can be found at the https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2431832/west-prairie-hauge-lutheran-cemetery
In researching the history of the Peterson and Johnson families, there are a large number of cemeteries and churches associated with our families. I am attempting to consolidate the various pictures for these churches, cemeteries, and headstones within this section as I continue to provide updates.
The Johnson side of the family came primarily from Ringebu in the Gudbransdalen Valley (“God’s Shining Valley”).
Much of this information was obtained from the now defunct web site listed below with information back to 0 A.D.
Jens Olsen Bjørgerønningen would be my G-G-G-Grandfather, and was the one person that converges upon the family tree from this Norwegian site and mine.
Defunct Web Source: http://www.itk.ntnu.no/ansatte/Onshus_Tor/slekt/html/fam37352.html
The following information was authorized for reuse by Scott Meeker and the now defunct website previously located at:http://www.15thwisconsin.net/index.html
Peter Peterson (Petersen), Peder Pederson Teigen, Private, Company B,15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
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Born: February 1, 1839, Teigen Farm, Hafslo, Kingdom of Norway
Married: Britha “Betsy” Eriksdotter, January, 1865, Crawford County, Wisconsin
Died: Old Soldiers Home, Town of Lisbon, North Dakota
Buried: Oakwood Cemetery, Lisbon, North Dakota. His gravesite is the 4th one in, 2nd row from the north
Peder Pederson Teigen enlisted under the name Peter Peterson in Company B of the 15th Wisconsin by Captain Ole C. Johnson on October 16, 1861, for a 3 year term of service. The men of Company B called themselves the Wergeland Guards in honor of the famous Norwegian writer and poet Henrik Wergeland. Peter was mustered into Federal service as a Private on November 16, 1861, at Camp Randall, near Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, he was listed as not married and as both 20 and 21 years old. His residence was recorded as Primrose Township, Dane County, Wisconsin.
Read MoreThe Peterson family emigrated to America during the mid to late 1800’s, primarily from the Luster Sognefjorden region of Norway.
Peder Pederson Teigen (b. 1809) had three sons that emigrated to the United States: Peder in 1861, Hans in 1864, and my G-Grandfather (Lars) in 1882.
Peder emigrated in 1861 during the Civil War and enlisted in the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Peder lived at Dulsvik (subfarm), Lingjerde (main farm) in Luster where he had his first child. Lingjerde is on the Eastern side of the fjord northeast of Teigen.
My G-Grandfather (Lars Pederson Teigen) was born at the Teigen farm under Sandvik farm in Luster parish (Gaupne subparish) in 8 Sep 1848. He was the 6th child (of 10) of Peder Pederson Teigen (1809-1885) from the Aurland parish and Christenca Torbjørnsdatter Eikum (1813-1883) from the Hafslo parish. Lars emigrated to Crawford County, Wisconsin in 1882 and married Oline Olsdatterthere in 6 Jan 1887. Lars (also called Louis) and Oline (called Olena) farmed at Rush Creek, Freeman township, Crawford Co. and had 11 children: Elmer, Peter, Lottie, Christina, John, Steen, Anna, Rudolph, Alfred, Oscar, and Hannah. There are a number of details found within the Norwegian Bygdebook for the Luster area. Teigen is located near Marifjøra in Luster (Lyster) in western Norway.
Read MoreOver the past few years, I have started working on the Peterson family tree. This entailed gathering quite a bit of data from numerous sources and entering it into a family tree database and trying to ensure the accuracy of the data. I’ve been fortunate with a trip to Norway while we lived in England for three years. It was a great experience visiting the locations our ancestors emigrated from. Although Norway is a beautiful country, one quickly realizes the limited amount of land available to the growing population, which forced a new generation to seek their own fortune in another country. As I gather information, I will post as much of it here as possible. I am especially looking for any pictures of my Great-Grandparents and their direct ancestors.
Excavation of the Alpine Tunnel began in January 1880. At an altitude of 11,523 feet, it became the first tunnel constructed through the Continental Divide, and was expected to be finished in only six months. However, due to unforeseen circumstances and construction taking place in the dead of winter, the task required nearly two years to complete. Fractured granite necessitated the expense of using over 400,000 board feet of California redwood to support and encase 1,427 feet of the 1,772 foot long tunnel with a total cost of around $300,000.
The first train went through the Alpine Tunnel began in July of 1882 with the last one through in November of 1910. During its thirty-year life, the Alpine tunneled bristled with activity carrying freight for the many mining camps in the area, and tourists. One extraordinary site is the retaining wall knows as the “Palisades.” Constructed of hand-cut stones without the use of mortar, the retaining wall is 432 feet in length and 33 feet in height. A longer retaining wall is just below this wall, but is only six feet in height. A huge stone engine repair house that could house six engines was gutted by fire in early 1906. The remains of the engine house can still be viewed today. Efforts to save the Alpine Station are underway. Francis B. Trudgeon saved the old depot by making extensive repairs and the installation of a new roof in 1959.
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