Vigleik Olson Bleie

Burial record:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141683977/vigleik-olesen_bleie

Vigleik Olesen Bleie was born on March 4, 1813 on the Espe farm southeast of Bergen, Norway, as the oldest child to Ola Larsson Kvale from Voss and Gunnhild Vigleiksdtr M Bleie from the southeast of Bergen. Vigleik and his siblings were raised on a small tenant farm "1 Dusane under 4". Because he lived on the Espe farm, his name was Vigleik Oleson Espe in documents. Vigleik was baptized on May 15, 1813.

In 1844, Vigleik married Guro Olsdtr Rogdo and the couple moved to the Bleie farm, southeast of Bergen in the Hardanger province, a productive fruit-growing area. His name changed to Vigleik Olesen Bleie. The couple had six children:

• Gunnhild,
• Torbjorg,
• Agot,
• Ola,
• William and
• Lars.

Their first 5 children were born on the Bleie farm, and Lars was born after the family moved to Kyrkkus near Ardal, Norway.

Vigleik was a shipbuilder in Norway and sustained a leg injury.

Gunnhild died in 1858 and Vigleik married Kari Ruthven. Vigleik and Kari immigrated to America in 1861. The couple first travelled to Quebec, Canada and then sailed down the Lawrence River and through the Great Lakes to Chicago. The then went to a settlement called Sublet in Illinois. From Sublet, they moved to a farm in Lee County near a town of Rochelle. The couple had two children,

• Johan born 1861 and
• Marie born 1868.

Vigleik was instrumental in organizing the First Lutheran Church in Lee County, with Christopher Christopherson, Lars Losen, and Viking W Jossendal. He did not live to see the church open in 1868. Vigleik was the first person laid to rest in the First Lutheran Cemetery.

Information collected from oral history and from the publication "History of the Vigleik Oleson Bleie Family 1601 - 1994" compiled by Beulah Olson, Betty Johnson, Viola Damm and Sally Mae Easker.

Photograph of Gravestone contributed by Paul and Jayne Queck