Ole Oleson (Smesrud)

Burial record:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=134886865

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"Ole was the fourth child of Ole Erickson Smesrud and Ingeborg Boe Smesrud. He was born on Feb. 8th, 1842 in Nord Aurdal, Valdres, Norway. As a young man he worked with his father learning the blacksmith trade and farming.

When his sister Sarah was going to emigrate to America he expressed his wish to go along. His sister said she would help him with the passage. He got a job on the boat tending the cattle that were being taken to America. He was 19 years old when he left for a new land. After 9 difficult weeks on board ship they came to America and arrived at Martinville, Wisconsin where Sarah's husband Ole Iverson had found a place to work.

Ole found work opening lead mines near Crow Branch. He also attended school at the Rock school during the winter where he learned to speak, write, and read English. He also helped his brother-in-law farm. When his brother Erick arrived from Norway, he helped him do blacksmith work.

Ole decided not to take the name Smesrud. Instead he took the name Oleson. He became Ole Oleson.

On April 21, 1867 he married Anna Gilbertson of Martinville. They settled on a farm near Annaton in Grant County where they lived for 40 years. They had 12 children: Isaac, who married Emma Kinsman, Lena (Mrs. Chas. DeVoe), Oliver married to Anna Grunow, Ellen (Mrs. George Allen, Julia (Mrs. James Hannon), Clara (Mrs. floyd Bourette), Arthur married to Fern Cooke, Christine (Mrs. William Goldman), Edward married to Mildred Martin, Bessie (Mrs. C.R. Bradford), Louise (Mrs. John Krahn), and Anna (Mrs. Joseph Villager).

He was a member of the Lutheran church but later joined the Methodist church in Livingston, Wis. He died June 8, 1924 at age 82. His obituary said "He was a man of regular habits, never wishing to be out late at night which probably accounted for his long life. Honest in his dealings, a good neighbor, he enjoyed the respect of the community.

Ole is buired in the Rock Church Cemetery at Livingston, Wisconsin." -- quoted from Joan Gehrke, Lodi, WI