Ole Travland Part I

The search for what happened to Ole Travland, the youngest son of Taletta Larsdatter and Peder Pederson Travland has been a difficult journey.    Between inaccuracies in vital data and the variation in the use of Ole, Olie, Olaf, Otto as well as the last name of Travland I thought all trails had come to a dead end.   I have finally reached the end of the search.   The next several posts will cover his history from Norway to the United States.

According to his baptism record Ole was born near the Finnøy parish, Rogaland county, Norway on January 3, 1856.    In 1868 at the age of 12, Ole and his family traveled to the United States.   In 1870, Ole and family appeared on a United States census for the first time living in the town of Milan (which does not exist today) in DeKalb county, Illinois.    The census was taken August 30, 1870 and correctly lists Ole's age as 14.    Living two homes away lives Ole's future, wife, Mary Ann Olson.     

In 1880, the US Census lists Ole is now married and living with his wife, Mary Ann (Olson) and their first child Lena Josephine Travland, still living in Milan township, DeKalb, Illinois.      Living next door are his parents and brother Lewis along with Lewis' children following the death of his wife, Iverdine Olsdatter (Finnestad) the previous year.    Living on the other side of Ole's parents are his in-laws, Ole Olson family.  

The 1880 US census was taken June 12, 1880 and Ole's age is correctly listed as 24.  The accuracy goes down hill from here.

The 1890 US Census was destroyed by fire so we do not have a record of the Travland family for that year.     The 1900 US Census for Ole's wife, Mary Ann and two of their children, Wesley and Martin does not list Ole.    It appeared he may have died prior to the 1900 census until I stumbled upon an announcement of an Ole Travland obtaining a wedding license with Daisy Bagley of DeKalb, Illinois.

This notice appeared on page 4 of the April 28, 1900 issue of The True Republican.        Ole was 44 at the time of this marriage so I initially dismissed it as possibly another Ole Travland.    However, further research indicated there was no one else with a history in the United States that matched a possible 34 year old Ole Travland.    This was the first inaccurate document I'd encountered regarding Ole's age.

I found the 1900 US Census for Ole Travland and Daisy (Bagley) living with her mother, one of her sons and a grandchild.   The family was living in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois.    They can be found on lines 21 - 25.    

This census was taken June 11, 1900.    Ole Travland is listed as having been born in Illinois of April 1865, age 35 and states both parents were from Germany.  This would eventually become the second inaccurate document I'd encountered which included the inaccuracy of his parent's heritage.     Ole's parents were born in Norway as was Ole, and he was 44, not 35 at the time this census was taken.

To be continued....