My grandfather, Paul, immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. He no doubt had the "Amerika fever" as did many of his family before him. The mid 19th century saw many, many of my Norwegian family coming to the United States for a better life.
My 4X removed cousin, Maren Eliasdatter, married John Johnsen in 1862. They and their two boys, John and Christopher, left Verdal Nord-Trøndelag and immigrated to Grant county Minnesota. The couple had another boy in Minnesota, Anneus (Andrew).
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| John Johnsen Stene 1830-1885, Maren Eliasdatter 1832-1888 Anneus Edward Stene 1872-1960 |
In Minnesota the family dropped their patronymic names and took on the name of their farm in Norway. The farm Stene. This photo is in the collection of my 5th cousin, a DNA match!
