Dorothea Ofstedal and Gullik Moen

Dorothy Ofstedahl was shown in the family’s bygdebok entry as Anders and Agate’s sixth child to live to adulthood, born in 1860.  She was quite probably named for her grandmother Dordei (Vetleford), Agate’s mother. My own mother – Dorothy Ofstedahl (Laird) – was told she was named for this sister of her grandfather John. A listing of Andreas Oefstedal’s siblings in a memorial contribution after his death, posted on the webpage about him on this site, names Dorothea as “Thea” Moen - the only place I have seen that name used with her.

Dorothy was likely born at the Ovstedal farm on June 19, 1860.  There is a baptism record for her dated July 1, 1860 in Voss.  She is shown with her family in the 1865 census (at age seven); is not shown with them in the 1875 census, and is with them in 1878 – at age eighteen – as the family left Bergen for America.  I have yet to find her in the 1880 U.S. Census.

Dorothea A. Ofstedahl is shown to have married Gullik Sebjornsen Moen in January 1881 in Goodhue County, Minnesota.  Interestingly, Gullik Moen is listed in the baptism of Peter Lavik, oldest son of Dorothy’s uncle Rasmus Lavik, in 1877 – the year before Dorothy immigrated with her family.  This indicates that Gullik was known to family members before he met Dorothy.

Dorothy and Gullik had six children – 1) Simon Gullick, likely named for Dorothy’s grandfather, born June 4, 1882, Goodhue County, Minnesota, died June 15, 1970, probably in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, married in December 1906, Helga Marie Nusviken, born February 21, 1884 in North Dakota, and died October 7, 1970, probably Grand Forks County, North Dakota, four children; 2) Anders (later known as Andrew), likely named for Dorothy’s father and brother, born November 25, 1883 in Goodhue County, died April 1966, probably in Williams County, North Dakota, married on November 17, 1915 in Williston, Williams County, Euphemia Jeffrey, born September 5, 1897, and died January 1969, four children [NOTE: The photo above, also shown later in the section about Anders/Andrew, is of his farm in modern times in Williams County, North Dakota]; 3) Augusta Adelia “Gusta”, born February 8, 1885, Goodhue County, Minnesota, died April 29, 1967, Polk County, Minnesota, married on July 17, 1912 Carl Espeseth, born 1887, died 1937, raised a niece who took their name, and Gusta married a second time, likely Carl M. Berg, born April 10, 1873 in Norway and died March 12, 1952, likely in Polk County, Minnesota; 4) Alfred, born in December 1885 and died April 4, 1907 in Niagara, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, he appears to have never married; 5) Theodore, born in November 1887 and died 1915, married on November 19, 1910 Maude Grace Carver, born September 14, 1891 in Fosston, Polk County, Minnesota, and died June 20, 1981 in Bagley, Clearwater County, Minnesota, four children; and 6) Anna Dorothea, born about February 1889 and died in May 1889.  Dorothy died of “milk fever” in March 1889 at the age of twenty-nine, two months before their infant sixth child died as well.  Gullik remarried Christine Berg in 1893 and had five more children – Gina, Martin, Olaf, Carl, and Adolph.

I know of no surviving photograph of Dorothy.  There is an unidentified wedding photo in the Lavik batch of a couple taken in McIntosh, Minnesota (where the Moens lived) by a photographer who took his first photos there in 1902.  The man bears a slight resemblance to Simon and Anders in the photos of them from local histories.

The only records I have found for Dorothy after she arrived in the U. S. are her marriage record, the Moen family Minnesota 1885 state census entry, baptismal and confirmation records for her children, and her death record in 1889.  She is shown as buried in St. John’s Cemetery in McIntosh Township, Polk County, Minnesota. 

Of Dorothy’s five children who survived to adulthood, the oldest was almost seven when Dorothy died, and it is likely that the youngest two did not have a memory of her.  There are North Dakota county history biographies of Dorothy’s sons Simon and Anders, one of which references that his mother died while he was young, and lists all his siblings.  These two particular sons made their own way in North Dakota – with Anders (Andrew) homesteading in Williams County in the middle of winter with no one within miles of him.  What follows is what we know about Dorothy and the story of her children.

Dorothy Arrives in America, Meets Gullik Moen and Starts a Family . . . .

Gullik Moen, Dorothy Ofstedal’s future husband, arrived in America before her. There is an 1877 Baptism Record for Peder (Peter) Lavik in St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minnesota.  The above item at left is the left part of the record and the top right item is the right part of the same record – each baptism recorded on one line across the page.  Peter was born October 10, 1877, so this record is likely dated November 2, 1877.  It shows Peder, son of Rasmus Lavik and Ingeborg [Tuff].  On the right are either the witnesses or the godparents – and the last one is Gulick Moen.  Anders and Agate, Dorothy’s parents – Agate being Rasmus’ sister, did not immigrate until the summer of 1878.  So Gullik Moen was known to members of Dorothy’s family in the time before she and the last members of her family immigrated.  This event was in Northfield in Goodhue County – where most Ofstedals lived right after the final family members had immigrated.

Gullik Moen shown in the 1880 U. S. Census in Roscoe Township of Goodhue County.  He is shown as a farmer, 28, born in Norway with both his parents born in Norway.  This was the year before Gullik and Dorothy married.  I have been unable to find a listing for Dorothy anywhere in the 1880 census.  Many of her family members were also in Goodhue County in this census

Above is the Little Norway Lutheran Church, Fertile, Minnesota, Baptismal Record in January 1886 for Alfred Moen. The oldest three children were likely baptized in Goodhue County, and I have not yet found those records.  This record is shown with the heading above the actual record.  Alfred is shown born in December 1885 and baptized in January 1886.  Gullik and Dorthea Moen are shown as the parents, and Anna Ofstedal – Dorothy’s sister – is one of the witnesses or godparents. 

The hand-copied record of Alfred’s birth – done by me during a trip to Polk County in 1995 and shown in Record Book A., page 183 – lists the wrong birth year (The correct year is 1885).  I do not know if the error was in the original or in my  copying.

The hand-copied record of Theodore's birth - done by me during a trip to Polk County in 1995 and shown in Record Book B, page 16 – showing Theodor Moean’s birth record in 1887.

The hand-copied Polk County death records of Dorothea Moen and her infant daughter Anna Dorothea, showing that they died in 1889 also from my visit to Polk County in 1995.  Anna Dorothea died weeks after her mother.

Dorthea Ofstedal Moen's stone in St. John's Cemetery in McIntosh Twp, Polk County, Minnesota.

The Moen listings from the Polk County Cemetery book.  They are shown in King Township in St. John's Cemetery.  Later in this section will be information about some of those members of the family who died after Dorthea and Anna Dorthea.  The cemetery is shown above to be in Section Four.  In the 1915 map below – which shows only the sections near the Moens – the cemetery would have been to the north a number of sections.

Gullik And His Children And Their Lives After Dorothy’s Death . . .

Gullik was left with five young children when Dorothy died in 1889. On January 6, 1893, he remarried in Polk County, to Christina M. Berg. They had five children. Four of the surviving five children of Gullik and Dorothy lived to adulthood, married, and had children. The fifth, Alfred, died at age twenty-one while at his brother Simon’s in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. I will try to tell a little of the story of the rest of Gullik’s life, and of the lives of the children of he and Dorothy.

From the Minnesota Bureau of Land Management Tract Book, Volume Six.  Gullik S. Moen is shown to have finalized a homestead grant for 120 acres in Township 148, Range 41, Section 29.  This would place him in King Township, Polk County.  In the 1890-92 period, he recorded land grants with Polk County that included this section – and a couple that were adjoining.  The date of the sale is in 1888, meaning he was in the homestead process while Dorothy was still alive.  He did not marry Christina until 1893, so he was likely living on his farm alone with his five young children until that time. Following on the next page is the deed from Polk County land books, recording his homestead grant with the County.  Even though it is further out of sequence, I will place the King Township land owners map of 1915 following the homestead record.  It shows Gullik Moen, and Christine Moen – his second wife – with 120 acres in Section 29, the same section where this homestead land is shown in this record.

Above is the 1895 Minnesota state census for King Township, Polk County, taken in June 1895.  Gullik is shown with his second wife Christine.  The five surviving children of Gullik and Dorothy are shown here.  There are also the first two children of Gullik and Christine – the oldest shown at age one, and matching an 1893 marriage date for them.  Gullik is shown as a farmer and Christine as a housewife, and both are shown as born in Norway.

Above is Simon Moen's 1899 confirmation record from the Our Saviors Lutheran Church in McIntosh, Minnesota.  He is shown as born on June 4, 1882 in Goodhue County, Minnesota – with Gullik and Dorthea Moen as his parents. 

Above is Gusta Moen's 1900 confirmation record from the Our Saviors Lutheran Church in McIntosh, Minnesota.  She is shown as born on February 8, 1885 in Goodhue County, Minnesota – with Gullik and Christianne Moen as her parents. 

Above is the 1900 census entry for Gullik and Christina Moen and children in King Township, Polk County, Minnesota, taken on June 17, 1900. Gullik as head of household, was shown with Christina at the bottom of one page, and the children were listed at the top of the next page – their entry was broken between two pages.  All five of Dorothy’s children with Gullik were shown in this entry, and four of the five children of Christina by Gullik.  This was the last census entry to show all five of Dorothy’s children with Gullik. By the time of the 1905 census below, the first of Dorothy’s children were out on their own. 

Above is shown the 1905 Minnesota state census entry for Gullik and Christina Moen in King Township, Polk County, Minnesota. This shows Gust, Alfred, and Theodor along with four children of Gullik and Christina. This is the last census to have any of Dorothy and Gullik’s children with Gullik. Two of their children were already out on their own. I will show Gullik’s death record below, and then show the unidentified photo from McIntosh from the Lavik photo collection and then I’ll go child by child - for the children of Gulik and Dorothy - and show what records I have for them.

From the 1917 Directory of Norwegian-American Lutheran Churches is the excerpt above about St. John’s Church in McIntosh, the church where Dorothy and Gullik and others are buried in the church cemetery. The directory is in Norwegian, and there is a reference to Gullik Moen in the St. John’s entry, but it is unclear what the reference means.

The Children of Gullik Moen and Dorothy Ofstedal . . .

Simon Moen, the oldest son of Gullik and Dorothy . . .  Simon is the oldest child of Gullik and Dorothy, last shown above with his father and step-mother in the 1900 census.  Simon was a name in Dorothy’s family - Dorothy’s oldest brother was named Simon, and he was probably named for their grandfather Simon Anderson Flatekval.

A 1976 History of Grand Forks County has a biography of Simon Moen and his wife Helga – as well his daughter Della and her husband Norman Soderberg.  This biography tells us a lot about Simon.  It states that his mother died when he was young, and names the five children of Gullik and Dorothy, leaving out the sixth youngest daughter who died while a few weeks old. 

This biography also indicates that Simon came to Grand Forks County ca 1901, and lived in Northwood for three years.  He then moved to Niagara, where he lived out the rest of his life, and where he was living when he married Helga in 1906.  I am placing this biography up front so that it frames the story of Simon up front and gives context to the articles and documents that follow.

Above is the December 1906 Grand Forks County marriage record of Simon Moen and Helga Nusviken.

These two photos were in the 1974 Grand Forks County History.  The Simon Moen farm is above and the family is below.  Esther Espeseth, Gusta Moen’s adopted daughter is in the photo.

Above is the cover, heading and Moen Graves in Niagara Cemetery from the 1974 Book, Cemeteries of Grand Forks County.

Andrew Moen, the second oldest son of Gullik and Dorothy . . .  Andrew is the second oldest child of Gullik and Dorothy, likely named for Dorothy’s father and brother, last shown above with his father and step-mother in the 1900 census.  As he grew out of childhood, he used the name Andrew instead of his birth name of Anders.  As with his older brother Simon, as he entered adulthood he went off on his own to North Dakota, where he appears to have been with his brother in Northwood in Grand Forks County for the first few yeas in North Dakota, and then homesteaded initially in very primitive circumstances, in Barr Butte Township, Williams County.  As with Simon, I will begin the section on Andrew by including a family profile from a Williams County history – that will set the context for the story of Andrew and his family.

Andrew Moen's original homestead, shown in the Bureau of Land Management Tract Book, Volume 191 p. 76.  The land that Andrew homesteaded matches the plat book below – Township 159 Range 102 Section 14.  The original claim was dated 1905, which matches the county history story above, and was paid off in 1911.

The 1914 map of Barr Butte Township in the Williams County Atlas.  I have shown this right after the marriage announcement of Andrew and Euphemia – even though they were married the next year in 1915 – because this map shows that the Archie Jeffrey homestead, where Euphemia lived, was right by the homestead of Andrew.  Andrews location on this map matches the previous homestead record for him - and some of the names on the map match the names in the homestead sections listed.  Andrew is shown in the 1937 Williams County atlas in the same location.

Brent Haukness, a descendant of Andrew and Euphemia through his grandmother Dorothy Moen Haukness – their daughter – sent me four modern photos of the family farm in Barr Butte Township.  I posted one of the photos at the head of this page. The photos give a flavor of the location and terrain - and are shown below.

Above is from the book “Gateway to the Past, Rural Cemeteries of Williams County North Dakota”, published in 2004.  Grenora city is located in Grenora Township right near the township line with Barr Butte Township – and is not all that far from where the Moens lived in Barr Butte Township.  This entry shows both Andrew and Euphemia, and their son Ervin, who died at age fifteen.  It also contains Alden’s wife Gladys Welkin Moen – but not Alden, as he died in 2008, four years after the publication of this record.  His funeral card is on the next page (credit to Brent Haukness).

Augusta Adelia “Gusta” Moen (Espeseth - Berg), the third oldest child and first daughter of Gullik and Dorothy . . .  Gusta was last shown above with her father and step-mother in the 1900 census. In 1910, she was shown in McIntosh as a chief operator in the telephone office, enumerated with her brother Theodore.  By 1912, she married, as shown below.

Gusta’s life story is clear – but there are not many records that paint the story.  While a few items are included, the story is this.  Gusta married Carl Espeseth in 1912.  His sister, Julia Christine, married Bernt Krogstad.  Julia died, apparently in child birth, in 1919.  The daughter born the day Julia died, Esther Doris Krogstad, was adopted by Carl and Gusta.  By the 1930 census, she had the name Esther Espeseth.  Interestingly, Bernt remarried Gena Moen, Gusta’s half-sister. 

Esther, who was shown earlier in this web page in a photo with Simon Moen’s family, was raised by Carl and Gusta.  Esther married Ken Jore on April 6, 1945.  They had four children – Stanley, Daniel, David, and Judith.  On October 18, 1949 a car accident took the lives of Esther, Stanley, and Ken’s mother. 

Gusta’s husband Carl died in 1937.  She appears to have remarried Carl M. Berg, whose first wife died in 1943, sometime not long after.  Carl died in 1953, and Gusta appears in a record in 1955 giving money from the C. M. Berg estate to a school project in McIntosh.  Gusta A. Berg is shown in the Find-A-Grave record buried in Our Saviors Lutheran Cemetery in McIntosh, born February 8, 1885 and died on April 29, 1967.

The marriage record from Our Saviors Lutheran Church in McIntosh, showing that Carl Espeseth and Gusta Moen on July 17, 1912.  Unfortunately, the microfilm record is blurred.  It can barely be made out.

Carl and Gusta are shown in the 1920 census in Clearbrook Village in Clearwater County, Minnesota.  With them are Ervin and Clifford Moen, shown as nephews and the sons of Gusta's late brother - Theodore Moen.  Also shown with them is Esther Krogstad, niece, the daughter of Carl’s late sister Julia, who died likely in childbirth with Esther.

Carl and Gusta are shown in the 1930 census in Clearbrook Village in Clearwater County, Minnesota.  With them is Esther, who is now shown as their daughter.

Gusta is shown in the 1940 census in Clearbrook Village in Clearwater County, Minnesota.  She is shown as widowed, as Carl died in 1937, and Esther is listed with her as her daughter and is shown as a beauty operator in a beauty shop.

Gusta Berg is shown in the Find-A-Grave database as buried in Our Saviors Lutheran Cemetery in McIntoch, Polk County, Minnesota, born on February 8, 1885 and died on April 29, 1967.

Alfred Moen, the fourth oldest child of Gullik and Dorothy . . .  Alfred was the first of the Moen children to have been born in Polk County, and his baptism and birth records are shown above in the section on Gullik and Dorothy.  He is also shown above as buried with them in King Township.  His death is described in the following news article.

The article above is from the Grand Forks Herald of April 7, 1907. It shows that three of the Moen brothers were in North Dakota after 1900. Simon and Andrew were in Grand Forks County together in the period 1902-1905, before Andrew moved on to his homestead in Williams County. It is possible that all three were in Grand Forks County at the same time.

Theodore Moen, the fifth oldest child of Gullik and Dorothy . . .  Theodore was the second of their then-five children born in Polk County, and his hand-copied birth record is shown above in the section on Gullik and Dorothy.  In the 1910 census, he was enumerated with his sister Gusta and is shown as a rural mail carrier.  He is also shown above in the cemetery record as buried with his parents in King Township.  Theodore married not long after the 1910 census, and died in 1915 – but left four children.  The only record I have found of him from this period is his marriage record, which is shown below.

From the Our Saviors Lutheran Church records, from December 19, 1910.  The marriage of Theodor Moen and Maude Grace Carver.  He is shown as 23 years of age, she as 19.  They are both from Polk County and residents of McIntosh.  Witnesses were John Misvig (?) and Theodore’s sister “Miss” Gusta Moen.

Maud Moen is shown in the 1920 census in Sletten Township in Polk County, Minnesota.  She is enumerated with her father Mahlon Carver.  With her are two of her four children, Frances and Theodore.  Her sons Ervin and Clifford are shown earlier in the narrative with Theodore’s sister Gusta and her husband. 

Maude and her children shown in the 1930 census in Bagley, Clearwater County, Minnesota.  She is shown in the entry of her brother Roy Carver. Roy is shown as a café proprietor and Maude is shown as a café “servant”.  According to her obituary, which follows, she was a restaurant cook and owner – and remarried the year after this census entry.

Maude Carver Moen Ingalls' 1981 obituary.  It is from the Find-A-Grave site, and the source is not credited.  In this obituary, two of her four children were still living.  Clifford later died in 1998 and Frances in 2000.  The two children not mentioned in this obituary – Irvin and Marvin – died in 1943 and 1972, respectively.  It is significant that Maude had so many descendants.  Her brother Roy, who survived her, was who she and her children were enumerated with in the 1930 census above. Maude’s children were in the same circumstance was the Moen children of Dorothy Ofstedal - most if not all of them didn’t have a memory of their father.

That is the story of Dorothy Ofstedal, along wth Gullik Moen and their children . . .

There are limited records and photos of this family. I am happy to add anything that is sent to me as additions. I am grateful for the items that Andrew Moen descendant Brent Haukness sent.