Born: 15 Jan 1827, Christianten Stift, Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway
Married: 15 Jan 1854, Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway
Died: 7 Sep 1906, Ben Wade twp, Pope Co, MN
Buried: Trysil-Bethesda cemetery, Holmes City twp, MN
Spouse: Tone Torsdotter Sporastaul
Halvor Jelstade was born in Christianten Stift, Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway, January 15, 1827, and is a son of Jorund Gjellstad and Guro Halvorsdotter. Halvor married Tone Torsdotter Sporastaul, Jan 15, 1854 in Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway. In 1859, Halva and his wife Tone came to America. They settled in Rushford, Fillmore Co, MN.
In 1866 they moved with their 3 daughters to Pope County. Their daughter Gunhil, told about their trip and arrival in Ben Wade township. She said that they traveled in a covered wagon pulled by oxen and that they had their household goods and a few cattle with them. They lived in the covered wagon until Halvor was able to get trees chopped down and build a little log house. The only people that they saw were Indians who camped in the woods near by, and came to the little log cabin to trade wild ducks and geese for flour. Later on in the summer, Halvor built a bigger log cabin in the woods and there their son George was born.
In the History of Pope Co, MN-Pictorial Atlas Pope Co, it says that Halvor Jorgenson was the first white settler in the Ben Wade township of Pope Co.
It’s recorded in the Pope and Stevens Counties Biographies of 1888 that on coming to the US they came to Minnesota, and for a number of years Halvor was engaged in trapping. After moving to Pope County, during these early days, he had a terrific encounter with a bear. “He heard his dog barking and, picking up his ax, went out to see what it was. The dog was running around a large hole and savagely barking, and upon a nearer approach a monstrous bear rushed out upon Mr Jorgenson. Instinctively he dealt it a telling blow with the ax, but only stunned it and it staggered back into the hole, the ax falling in with it. Our subject then reached down beside the huge animal and got his ax. He was none too soon, for the bear had recovered and again savagely approached him. This time Mr Jorgenson measured his blow and had the satisfaction of seeing the ax cleave the bear’s skull. Our subject received $10 for the bear’s hide.”
On the Telegaet of America website, in the Early Settlements in American section, it states;
“The area around Glenwood, Minnesota opened up to settlement around 1862, just before the Sioux Uprising. Indeed, the Uprising drove the settlers out for a time. By 1868, Halvor Jorgenson Hjelstad, who was the first settler in Ben Wade Township, had come from Telemarken, Norway. His nearest trading points were Alexandria, Sauk Centre, and St Cloud, all some distance away. Swedes surrounded him and the closest Norwegian settlers were south of Lake Minnewaska, some distance away. Thus, on Sunday he would don his home made skis to visit the Norwegian families Overson, Swenson, Simons, and Mickelson. An old settler described Hjelstad as “the most graceful skier of all, in those Pioneer Days, and Ed Benson says that as a boy, six or seven years old, he remembers this graceful skier as he returned from a visit with his Telemarken friends”. He went on to describe the graceful skier; “When he approached the slope, leading to the little Chippewa River just west of Ed’s home, Halvor would sashay gracefully down the slope of the river until he found a narrow place, then he would re-trace his ski marks and get a good start down the slope and jump across the narrowest place in the stream”.
One time when Hjelstad was hunting and trapping on skis and his dog started barking loudly at a hole in the ground. As Hjelstad approached the hole, a big black bear came out. Hjelstad, on his skis, with an ax in his hand killed the bear.”
Halva died Sept 7, 1906 at the age of 79 and is buried at the Trysil Lutheran Cemetery, Holmes City Twp, Douglas Co, MN. His wife Tone preceded him in death and he was survived by his children, Guro (Mrs Syvert Femrite), Torena ( Mrs Charles Perkins), Gunhil (Mrs August Anderson) and George.
Surnames: Jelstad.