Johannes Jenson Aafidt

GEDCOM Note

Took the Peder Schreuder from Bergen to New York. Arrived in New York on June 30, 1845.

Description from Ship list, pg. 116-117:

320. Johannes Jensen Naese [J. Jensen, 45, m], son of Jens Johannesson Aafet and Gro Einarsdatter Njos, b in Vik, SF, March 5, 1796. Emigrated from Vik, SF, to Christiana Twp., Dane Co., WI. Used the name Naset in America. Wood carver and violin maker. D July 5, 1882. Married, January 2, 1823,

321. Eli Ingebrigtsdatter Berdahl [E. Engebrectsen, 40, f], daughter of Ingebrigt Einarsen Berdahl and Gunnilda Olsdatter, bp in Leikanger, SF, March 21, 1799, d November 22, 1850. Both buried in the East Koshkonong Lutheran Cemetery, Dane Co., WI. Johannes married, II, October 1, 1854, Maline Larsdatter, b in Toten, Op, 1808, d December 15, 1873. Children include: Kari, b February 29, 1824; Groe Johannesdatter (1845:284), b February 28, 1824, emigrated 1845 with her husband; Anne Marie, b December 11, 1845, d April 27, 1858.

322. Jens Johannessen Naese [J. Johannesen, 16, m], b April 13, 1828, d May 30, 1909. Used the name Naset in America. Moved in 1876 to Stoughton, WI. Builder and architect. Married, March 23, 1850, Gjertrud Ingebrigstdatter Naese (1845:289), b August 30, 1829, d December 19, 1919. She emigrated from Vik, SF, in 1845. Both are buried in the East Side Lutheran Cemetery, Stoughton, WI. Two adopted child: Karen (Mrs. Ole Frederickson); Ingeborg (Mrs. Ole Melaas).

323. Gunnilda Johannesdatter Naese [G. Johanneson, 13, m], b May 18, 1831, d May 15, 1895. Married, Hendrick Larsen Lien (1845:589), who emigrated in 1845 from Nes, Bu, with whom she is described furrther.

324. Ingebrigt Johannessen Naese [J. Johanneson, 11, m], b. December 31, 1833, d October 23, 1910. married, November 14, 1855, Anne Sorine Larsdatter Lier. Married II, August 1879, Marie Johnson of Vardal, Op. Children include: Johan Eliceus, b august 9, 1856; Lars, b December 12, 1857, d April 1937; Anne Marie, b November 10, 1859, d July 8, 1880; Gustave Edward, b march 7, 1862, d March 1938; Hannah Amelia, b November 23, 1864, d 1895; Adolph Christian, B September 9, 1867, d February 1934; Eli Mathena, b February 1, 1869, d May 6, 1886; Josephine Gustave, b October 13, 1872, d June 1934; Abel Sander, b 1880, d 1913; John Alexander, b 1882, d 1951; Otto Alfred, b April 6, 1884, d January 1966; Ella Matilda, b June 18, 1886, d April 5, 1921; Anna Marie, b June 5, 1889; Jens J., b March 7, 1894.

325. Johan Johannessen Naese [J. Johannesen, 8, m], b September 20, 1837. Moved in 1880s to Bloomer, WI. married, Anna Bertha Johnson. Children: Joseph, b June 28, 1862, d August 1, 1942; Edwin John, b September 15, 1864, d October 10, 1924; Celia, B April 10, 1867, d 1942; Jens, b 1870; Ella, b 1873; Anna, b 1875, d 1951; Will, b 1878; Abel, b 1880.

From The Arnefjord Nes Families by Ellen Marie Hayes, 1969, Chapeter 2, The Nes Families in Norway:

In 1823, another Nase family had its beginnings in Arnefjord Nes, in Sogne, on the Leite farm, which was purchased by Jens Johannes Helleland Aafidt of Feios as a wedidng gift for Eli Ingebrigtsdatter Berdahl and his son, Johannes Jenson Aafidt. Since anyone living on a nes, or promontory, was entitled to the use of that word as a surname, in its simplest form or with its variations, Eli and Johannes called themselves Nase(t) from 1823 on. This Nase family had its beginnings, as far back as Norway records show, in the 17th century, Johannes Helleland founding the line by his marriage to Gjertrud Joensdatter in 1709; this indicates their births in 1690 or earlier. From this Helleland family came four children: "Anders Helleland, born in 1710," was the first child. He, in turn, gave the name Anders to two of his children, the first probably having died in infancy. The three other children of Gjertrud and Johannes Helleland were: Mons, Dorthe, and Lars. The first child, Anders Helleland, referred to above, married Kari Jensdatter in 1745. Five children were born to them: Anders, Anna, Thuri, the second Anders, and Jens. This last named, Jens Johannes Helleland, the firth child, is the the third name to follow for the direct family line: Johannes Helleland, Anders Helleland, and Jens Johannes Helleland.

Jens Johannes helleland, born in 1756, married twice. First marrying Gjoa Pedersdatter Aafidt in 1786, he took over her farm, Aafidt, in Feios, and with it, according to Norwegian ways, the name of the farm. To the Aafidts, three children were born: Anders, Peder, and Gjoa. After Jens' first wife's death, he married Gro Einarsdatter Nios in 1795. Five children were born of this union: Johannes Jensen Nase(t), born in 1796; Ingeborg, a daughter, who married an Aase, according to Vik records; Jens Aafidt, apparently keeping his parents' farm and its name; Anna, marrying a Fretheim; and Peder apparently adopting the farm name Linde upon marriage. At any rate, these are the names they bore even in America. When Johannes Jensen Aafidt married Eli Ingebrigtsdatter Berdahl in 1823 and they settled on Arnefjord Nes, they became Nase(t), the first of their Helleland line. Their first child was a daughter, Groe, and since there is no record of her birth in Arnefjord, we conclude that her mother, Eli, returned to Feios for this occasion in order to be with her own mother. Their next four children, Jens Johannes Naset, Gunnilda Naset, who married Hendrik Lien, Ingebrigt Naset, and Johan Naset were all born in Arnefjord and are recorded there in the register; their last child, Anna Marie, was born in Koshkonong five months after they landed in New York.

Jens Johannes Naset, who later became the Stoughton architect, was born in 1827; in America, he married Gertrude, Ole Larson Naese's half-sister. The third child, Gunnilda, born in 1831, as we have said, married Hendrik L. Lien. Ingebrigt, the fourth child, born in 1833, married twice: Anna Syrene Lier and Marie Johnson; Johan, the last child born in Arnefjord, in 1837, married Anna Bertha Johnson in America. Anna Marie, their sixth child was born in 1845 in Koshkonong and died thirteen years later, in 1858.

We are struck by the youth of this pioneer group, the eldest of them all being Ingebrigt Bendixen, Ole Larson Naese's step-father, who was fifty-two, and Johannes Jens Naset, only forty-nine; Johannes' wife, Eli, forty-five; Johannes Naset's eldest daughter, Groe, only twenty-one, married and with a baby eighteen months old upon arrival here; and Gro's husband, twenty-eight. All of Johannes' other children were under twenty; Bendix Ingebrigtson was nineteen and Gjertrud B. Ingebrigtson was sixteen. There was the high courage of youth.

Yet, we could, and perhaps do, all of us, wonder why they left behind them that beautiful Sogne Fjord, those inspiring mountains, and those good homes to face struggles, pinching, and self-sacrifice in a strange land.

Was it the awfulness of that 1810 landslide on the Nesse farms that kindled an everlasting fear of a like occurrence in the future? That could be easily understood: The horror at the thought of seven gaards, or farms, wiped out without a warning could be long-lasting. According to Olav Hoprelstad's book, Vik I, of 52 people once there, 47 were found dead. Vik parish register Number 5, pp. 358-59, says 45 died, and among those forty-five, 35 were not found. A horrifying experience for the living?

Was it the marriage problem of settling children happily on their own farms, when money was hard to come by? Two families under one roof in those tiny homes could create discomfort and confusion. Was it the chance that life might be richer for their descendants in a new land? Was it purely the adventurous spirit? Or was it a little of all of these motives? It is something to think about.

That life on Sogne Fjord would seem to be a pure Utopia. The little white church of Lutheran denomination watched over their spiritual well-being, The little store took care of their physical needs, the snow-capped mountains and the blue fjord waters satisfied their thirst for beauty, and surely, there was no lack of recreation. The eight families at Arnefjord when these Naeses lived there must have had wonderful opportunities to show their skill in dancing. Without a doubt, Johannes Jens Nase rosined his bow for many a Halling, many a Spring Dance in those forty-nine years he lived in Norway, just as Eli led many a group of singers, including her own family.

Besides dances, there were surely smorgasbords from house to house, to say nothing of the coffee party on a smaller scale--that custom brought over to America by these Norwegian Kjaerrings. Then who could have resisted those Norse mountain gifts to the sports-minded ones? There must have been many a sleigh ride with gay young voices lifted in song. Perhaps there was a pond somewhere near for skaters, and of course, there were inevitably, feats of skill in skiing on that mountain side.

Groe must have been confirmed in that little white Lutheran church--perhaps even married there. Gunnilda had probably received some of her confirmation instruction there, though she was confirmed at fifteen in the East Church in Koshkonong. Though Ingebrigt and Johan were just little boys of twelve and eight, when they left Norway, they would definitely have been church goers with their parents. Groe's baby, Anna, is not recorded on the baptismal lists of the church, but since the records are said to be in poor condiiton, we are sure this must have taken place before an adoring Auntie Gunnilda and two shy young uncles, Ingebrigt and Johan, as well as the proud older Uncle Jens.

Of course, it wasn't all play, that Arnefjord life! No Scandinavian child was ever brought up in idleness. Little girls leanred to turn the heel of a sock; older ones were taught to spin (the Naeses no doubt, on a spinning wheel made by their own father, Johannes Jense Naese). What beautiful designs were knitted into the sweaters turned out so efficiently by all the women! They had reason to be proud of this . . . of one other thing, too! The beautiful silver wedding crown of the Naese family, a mark of gentility, and only one family in each community possessed the wedding crown, graciously lending it to young brides outside the family! What a pity that lovely crown was melted down and made into teaspoons in Koshkonong! No one seems to know why.

Little boys helped in the stables, made hay with their elders up in the saeter (summer pasture and shelter) on the mountain side, worked in the field, and perhaps, (little girls, too) herded goats and cattle at the saeter. Young girls were taught to make butter--and the smelly goat cheese so much enjoyed by the older Norwegians, particularly . . . Gamel-ost, they called it, but they also had a mild sweet concoction made from whey, which even the Cambridge and Koshkonong children begged for. This was Prim-ost.

Dependent upon fish for their nourishment, as they so often were, the women learned to preserve the cod with lye, thus producing the famous lutefisk, well-known in America today, and enjoyed by many of these people of all nations who make up this great country. Butchering, when they could, meant curing their own meats; there was no other way to have meat certain seasons of the year. Parts of the cow were made up into small rolls and tied with twine or cord. Boiled in water seasoned with vinegar and herbs for future use, it was called rullepilse, meaning roll, and was very tasty, indeed.

Not only in summer and fall were those households busy ones, for winter, too, freed the men from outside work and gave them a chance to use their wood-working skills, involving the making of wooden pegs for jointure, at times, since the steel nail was unknown in the early days. Beautiful chests and trunks with artistic carvings and painted designs were popular among the women for the storage of their lovely handspun linens, woven blankets made on hand-fashioned looms, and all their knitted garments, and the men were happy to provide the means of keeping safe the fruits of many hours of feminine labor. They also supplied the knitting needles, the wooden looms, spinning wheels--all fashioned by hand from native trees during the long winters--even the furniture in their homes, and of course, we all speak often and proudly of Johannes' making of the eight-string Norwegian violin, (as well as the better known ones) and the cases for them, carved and inlaid with pearl.

This eight-string fiddle was created originally in Hardanger by a musician who was entranced by nature's mysterious overtones and tried hard to imitate them on his four-string fiddle; his efforts were all in vain. Frustrated by this failure, he knew no rest, no peace of mind. Then, one day, it occurred to him that a second set of very sensitive strings untouched by the fingers might, by vibration, give the effect of that mysterious humming and trembling and crying that haunted the mountains and fjords of his native land. He ran the four delicate extra strings along under the keyboard, and sure enough, they began to vibrate the minute his fingers touched the keyboard . . . faint, lovely, lingering sounds. We can imagine his ecstasy. We have no idea how many of these eight-string fiddles made by Johannes Naset are in existence today, much as we would like to know. They would be well over a hundred years old now. One novelty type has been in the possession of the George Naset family for some time. This one has been described as "light as a feather, and beautifully painted with interesting designs. The finger board is ebony and chicken bone. It is an eight-string violin -- four strings going under the finger-board, and tuned the same as the top four, for vibration and volume." This one was a hundred years old in 1966.

Considering a boyhood familiarity with wood-working and with music in Norway, we do not wonder that his son, Jens Johannes Naset, became an outstanding architect in Stoughton, Wisconsin, to say nothing of his serving as organist and choir leader in the Lutheran Church there . . . and this without attending schools for that purpose. (More of him elsewhere!)

Into the midst of that busy, happy life in Norway, rumors of emigration began to drift . . . and ideas of bettering their condition obsessed the Naeses, too, we suppose. At any rate, the decision was made for removal to America, and plans went forward at once.

Of the eight Naese families at Arnefjord at that time, four sold their gaards, or farms, and set out for Bergen on April 23, 1845. It is said that the largest of these estates was that of Ingebrigt Bendixen (Nase), who, of course, is the the Ingebrigt Bendixen Ovretune that took over the deceased Lars Olson Nese estate when he married Lars' widow, Anna Valsvik Nese. He was called Skuungen in Norway, which means wheel. Could that be because of his boat used on Sogne Fjord bordering his farm? No one can answer that for us . . . so far.

We can only wonder about that journey to Bergen with all their beautiful handmade chests and trunks, clothing, and even food for the voyage. . . Yes, that was one of the conditions, that they must take enough food to supply their party on that voyage of unpredictable length. How could they know what to take, which foods would keep, and how it could be stored? Of one thing we can be certain, however: On that first stage of their travels, there was undoubtedly water transportation for all by way of Sogne Fjord. We are sure no one "walked to Bergen?" No! That hardship, the great ordeal lay ahead, an unknown quantity.

There must, indeed, have been heavy hearts - - and even tears at that departure from home --- surreptitious tears dabbed away in the stoical effort not to have a smothering effect upon the high hopes that buoyed up most of the group in their dreams of better things to come.

In mid-May there sailed from Bergen - - 130 passengers on a two-masted sloop, The Jacob Schroder, commanded by Captain Stub of Bergen - - a sailing boat at the mercy of winds and storms. Some say it was the Peder Schroder, commanded by Captain Vingaard. Their voyage was of six weeks and four days' duration, mid-May to July first arrival in New York, and after the canal and lake boat ride, they arrived in Koshkonong about July 15, 1845.

The children probably reveled in that voyage, but we are sure that Eli, for one, was relieved to set foot on land once more, the little new life within her still safe.

No one could feel too insignificant, however, too awkward, too "green" (to use the favorite term applied to immigrants in those days) after being honored as they were upon that arrival. However hard the voyage had been, new hope and happiness stirred within them all to be greeted on board the boat at New York by three sea captains from Norway and -- Ole Bull! An honor indeed! The new land linked to the old by that welcome!

The Norway "Neses" were about to become American Nasets and Nasetts!

Chapter III

The "Nes" Families in America

A warm-hearted welcome that Nese arrival had! We would like to think that all their troubles were over once they were safely landed in New York City, but this would be farm from the truth.

First of all, there was their great handicap of not knowing the English language; this gave Americans a false impression of them--that they were illiterate, and their resultant confusion arising from the process of trying to make known their wants, caused them to be regarded as boors. Those sensitive, artistic natures were subjected to ugly humiliations and cruel discomforts. How it must have hurt them!

Perhaps one of the most difficult situations arose upon their arrival in Rochester, New York, when Johannes and his youngest son, Johan, eight years old, by some accident or other, became separated from the rest of the party. What an agonizing experience that must have been for Eli, particularly, wondering how they could ever get together again in this enormous, strange land when they had not even the means of communication! How they were restored to the family group is not told in our limited reports. Again, we can only guess--and sympathize!

By way of New York, Albany, and Buffalo on the canals, and down the lakes to Milwaukee, they had to come, and all painted pitiful word pictures of gently-bred, educated people herded into those canal boats like cattle. Accommodations on the lake boats, as well as on the canal boats, were shameful. It is not a pretty picture in our American history, that arrival of the early immigrants.

Arriving in Milwaukee, they were sent to Muskego, where they secured the services of Halvor Luraas for the hauling of their goods to Koshkonong-- their goods, I say, for every able-bodied man and woman was expected to "hoof it"-- a three day journey on foot, seventy-five long miles over rough country unworthy of the name of road.

The luggage was heaped into a "clumsy, home-made wagon with wooden disc wheels drawn by oxen. This wagon was called a 'kubberulle.'" The oxen tell the tale! Those slow-moving, placid creatures could mean nothing but slow progress, though we realize our suffering ancestors on foot in that July heat of Wisconsin could not have pushed on faster. Thanks be for oxen, then! At sundown of the third day, Mr. Luraas announced: "This is Koshkonong," and unloaded the chests.

"Just like that!" our modern generation might say with a shrug of the shoulders and a nonchalant, upward turn of the palms to indicate the helplessness of the little band and the curt inconsideration of their guide. There they were in open country, prairie, not a house in sight, at a point near Clinton (now called Rockdale). Weary, footsore, and low-spirited they must have been, and now, with night falling, there was no place to lay their aching bones. A Mr. Tosten Solsen, who luckily happened to be near, found temporary shelter for them at the Hamre home. From the bottom of our hearts we thank those two families for evidence that it was not to be all hard heartedness ahead.

Of course, the first step, then, was to purchase land at once in order to build their shelters. The immediate urgency for that land purchase left no time for the delayed action that would accompany a careful, extensive examination of the region in order to choose the best land there was--to which they were rightfully entitled as first comers. (As it was, many who came later found their way paved for them to superior land.) No, these first men and women had to think in terms of timber for building and water conveniently near at hand. They chose quickly (and, as it turned out for some, luckily) and agreed to pay at the rate of three dollars per acre.

Cambridge and Clinton were merely names at that time--Rockdale not even a name, really, until much later. The Nes families were indeed dependent upon God's providence and their own resourcefulness. Lucky they could count themselves that it was summer, for the log cabin shelters were the first thought. The next thoughts were turned toward temporary jobs for the men, to secure a little money ahead to help pay for land and food without taxing too severely their small savings. The planting season already past, there was nothing much to gain from the soil at that stage. Twenty-five cents per day was the unbelievable accepted wage of the times for capable, mature immigrants! And today, an untrained ten-year-old earns two dollars and more for mowing a lawn--and with a power lawn mower!

We are told that Hendrik Lien, husband of Gunnilda Naset, went as far as Mineral Point to work part time in the lead mines and part time "hauling enormous loads with five yoke of oxen." Consider the amazing skill in driving required to manage all those beasts! Consider, also, the grave health hazard that he, like all lead miners, incurred by being exposed to lead poisoning.

The fifteen year old Gunnilda, youngest daughter of Johannes Jens Naset, spent the years after her confirmation in 1846 as a maid in Whitewater and elsewhere, up to her marriage in 1851. She thus established a precedent, for many of her nieces did the same when they were old enough. Even in those early days, the trend was away from the farm--but with the express purpose of improving the standards of farm life, in these cases. This step served a dual purpose for Gunnilda, giving her a chance to learn to speak the language more fluently, as well as to provide a nest egg for her future home.

Thus we see that men and women both learned the ways of their new land by exposing themselves to direct contact with the people of the new land in the homes and on the farms as servants. There is no better way to learn to understand human nature than that of living together. In some parts of Europe, this wise psychology is applied directly by exchanging children for a year or so at a time. Each child goes into the other's home to become a part of the family life. Many, who might have become pampered, spoiled misfits at home developed into sympathetic, understanding adults ready to give to the world as well as to take from it.

Perhaps this is what the world needs today, the child-exchange system in families. As a matter of fact, it has begun on a one-sided small scale with the transportation of negro children from their southern homes to homes of whites in the North for short vacations. Of course, a vacation is not the same as regular daily living. Besides, the "in turn" transportation of white children to the homes of negro children is the missing link. The white children could adapt, too, and, incidentally, learn tolerance and kindliness.

Of course, planning the home farms had to go forward, too. The adults had to look ahead to stocking those farms and housing the cattle, horses, pigs, and chickens . . . for all of these creatures would have a part in their future success. There should be granaries for the harvested wheat, barns for cattle and horses, pig sties, chicken coops, and spring houses for dairy products. There should be smoke houses for the curing of meats--what with no refrigeration such as farmers have today.

The business of becoming citizens officially was on their minds, and this meant studying the language and making their vows of allegiance to their chosen land in open court.

In the meantime, there was also the matter of religion, a weighty one, for these pioneers were not heathens. They had brought with them a profound belief in God, and his watch over them through the many weeks of hardship after leaving Arnefjord had strengthened that belief and the desire to worship Him together under one roof. They were Lutherans from their Sogne training. What more natural than that they should build their Lutheran church of log at the same time they were building their log cabins. There must be a place of worship, by all means. The records show that Jens J. Naset, the Stoughton architect, who came over in 1845, assisted in the building of that log church. It was in that church that Gunnilda was confirmed by C. L. Clausen in 1846, the year after the arrival.

The old log church did not serve them long. Jens Naset, himself, took that church apart in 1858 and built the stone church "beloved by all the Liens." This is not surprising considering the fact that many of their religious family rites were performed there, as well as its similarity to the old Norway churches form which they came. The fact remains, and to its credit: It looked like a church--not a barn.

Jens' interest extended beyond the East Koshkonong Church, for in 1875, he undertook the erection of Christ Lutheran Church on Main Street in Stoughton; he also fashioned the pulpit and baptismal font used there for many years. He built the tower of the old Liberty Church, another Lutheran edifice. This Lutheran background led to his becoming the architect for Old Main Hall at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. These settlers gave generously to every Lutheran cause and sent their children to Lutheran academies and colleges whenever they could.

Soon after the arrival in America, Ole Larson Naese(t) and Groe became interested in the Danish Rev. Willerup's Methodist teaching, and Ole has been called Rev. Willerup's first friend in the Cambridge community. Ole and Groe withdrew from the Lutheran congregation, followed by others, among them, Ingebrigt Bendixen Ingebrigtson (Ole Lars' son Naeset's stepfather) and his son, Bendix (ick). Their meetings were first held in Ole L. Naeset's home, then, in other homes, also, until their church in Cambridge was founded in 1851--historic Willerup Methodist Church, the oldest Scandinavian Methodist Church in the world. The huge stones for this church were hauled by the members--hard-working farmers. To gain funds for it, the members mortgaged their farms, and the minister mortgaged his horse and buggy. Jenny Lind, the Swedish nightingale, sang there at a benefit performance, giving the church two hundred dollars. One of the first children to be baptized in the church by Rev. Willerup was Rasmus B. Anderson, who became U. S. Minister to Denmark in 1880.

Academies and colleges have been mentioned in connection with these settlers' children, but there as the all-important grade school to plan for, too--particularly essential to those immigrant children with their ignorance of the English language. The Smithback School was one of these built to fill that need. It enjoyed its reputation for superior teaching for many years, preparing the country children for high school and academy education. Pride in that school still exists in the hearts of its graduates, though the state has consolidated all country schools, and the building, itself, improved throughout its years of catering to eager and not-so-eager learners, is now the township hall, a gathering place for voters and for the discussion of local affairs.

The Norse pioneers were wise in the realization that none of their children would go far without mental training, and from their ranks have come many outstanding figures in agriculture, business, politics, law, theology, and the arts.

The Arnefjord branches in America have contributed widely to our nation's cultural picture with their skills in architecture, cabinet work, painting, music, hand crafts--and, of late, sculpture. We must not forget, however, their business achievements and that basic contribution, that vital gift: the sweat of their brows for the well-being of the whole populace as they labored on their farms in the beginning and continue to do to this day. The immensity of that gift becomes more obvious every day we live as we hear of hunger in our own United States and famine in far countries.

These families have participated in their chosen country's defense even in the Civil War, some as soldiers, some in support of soldiers with food from their farms. Since that war, they have been a part of the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Viet Nam. There have been Nase educations cut off, Nase pain endured, Nase bodies crippled by these wars, and even Nase lives forfeited by them.

As thinking people realize, there are weaknesses in us all. No family is free from them, though circumstances do not always bring them to the fore. The Arnefjord branches are scattered today, throughout America, but their influence for good continues wherever they permit that good influence to take the ascendance.

America has been good to "Arnefjord", but "Arnefjord" has also been good to America.

THE NASET NAME

Anyone living on a nes (or promontory) was entitled to the use of that word as a family name. Whichever way the name is spelled, it derives from that word, nes. Accordingly, in 1823, when Jens Aafidt of Feios purchased the Leite Farm in Arnefjord to give to his son, Johannes Jens, and Eli as a wedding gift, the newly wedded pair took the name Nesse, later Naset. The family of Ole (Lars' son) Naset of Koshkonong were known in Norway as Nesse as far back as 1717, the Vik register showing Lars Oleson Nesse born in 1717.