Caroline Heglie

 Follow-up post to Ole Heglie.

Caroline Margaretha Heglie was born October 1, 1860 to Mikkel Olsen Heglie and Martha Gusta Andreasdatter Heggenstrom in Stod, Nord Trøndelag Norway, their first child. Mikkel and Martha had been married just a week prior on September 25, 1860. Caroline emigrated to the United States with her family in 1869 and settled in Holt Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. 

Caroline went to school through sixth grade and married Ole Thompson on February 20, 1882. Ole, 33, was twelve years Caroline's senior when they married.

Ole Thompson was born on November 15, 1848 in Norway and emigrated to the United States in 1868. It does not appear that he arrived with any family. Like Caroline, he also received a sixth grade education. Ole, like Caroline's brother Ole, was a section hand for the railroad (1880 Federal census). Perhaps this is how they met. 

In 1900, Ole Thompson tried his hand at farming in Norway Township, just east of Lanesboro. By 1910, Ole and Caroline moved to Lanesboro where Ole worked as a street laborer.

Section 24, Norway Township, 1896 Plat.

Caroline and Ole never had any children. Caroline died January 16, 1942, at the age of 81. Ole died May 5, 1942, at the age of 93. They are both buried in Lanesboro Cemetery.

Ole Heglie

Ole with his older sisters Caroline (b. 1860) and Ellen Marie (b. 1864)

Ole Andreas Heglie was born April 28, 1868 in Stod, Norway to Mikkel Olsen Heglie and Martha Gusta Andreasdatter Heggenstrom. Ole was third of eight children, and the last to be born in Norway. Ole emigrated to the United States with his family in 1869 and settled in Holt Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. 

Ole was confirmed at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on October 28, 1883, in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

Ole is living in the same area in the 1895 Minnesota, 1900 Federal and 1905 Minnesota censuses. They list Ole as living with his parents and working as a railroad worker (1900 Federal) and a day laborer (1895/1905 Minnesota). Interestingly, the 1905 Minnesota census lists his grandmother, Martha’s mother, as being born in Sweden. The 1900 Federal maintains Norway.

The 1900 Federal also lists the family as living on 3rd Street in Carrolton Township, Minnesota. Carrolton and Holt Townships split the town of Lanesboro in half. Depending which census taker they met, there seems to be a different answer on where exactly they lived. But consistently, they seem not to actually live in Lanesboro itself.

The 1910 Federal census lists Martha’s mother as being born in Norway. I am not sure which census taker got the correct information. It does list Martha as speaking Norwegian and not English, however.

Ole’s fate after 1910 is a bit of a mystery. He is buried in Lanesboro Cemetery but the stone only appears to give a birth date. It does not appear that he ever married or had any children. I think this is his death notice:

La Crosse Tribune (La Crosse, W.I.) January 29, 1913.

I think this is him, although the newspaper has his age off by a couple years. The Minnesota Historical Society has the Lanesboro Leader on microfilm for this year, but not digitized. Adding it to my inventory for the next time I make my way there.

Ole was not the only Ole Heglie or even the only Ole A. Heglie in the region. I came across the following while trying to parse one Ole Heglie from another. Mind your surroundings.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (Fargo, N.D.) October 16, 1917.

Back to the photo at the top. It must have been taken in Lanesboro. I'm trying to place a year on it (and determine which sister is which). Is Ole what, ten years old? It must be before his confirmation at 15. 1878 would make the girls 18 and 14. I am open to suggestion, as I am not very good at guessing people's ages.

I will look into what I can find about Caroline next time—I have written about Ellen Marie elsewhere, and might edit and post it here eventually.

Assembling the elevator

I recently purchased Walthers' Farmers Cooperative Rural Grain Elevator. Time to put it together. I am just assembling it for now—painting, weathering, and placement will be another day.

Doors and windows first. For the shed, I decided have two open on one side and two closed on another. No reason, I guess they will just not have a great cross-draft to air the place out.

The walls are up in seconds. Plastruct is the real deal. I picked up another bottle to go with this kit.

The roof and the vent. That was a lot simpler than the propane tank. Setting this aside for now.

The four main walls of the milk carton elevator. 

The upper walls.

And the roofing. The Plastruct isn't very friendly if you get it where you don't intend to. I will cover up that spot later on.

Here are the unloading shed and the scale house. Keeping all the doors open on this one.

There are a couple tiny accessories to add after I paint them, but this is it. Definitely the simplest of the kits I have put together so far.

This is where The Count lives. He will get a smokestack soon.