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Olaf Olsen

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Olaf Olsen
[1867-1888]
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Parents of Olaf Olsen:   Ole Knudsen Stenberg and Johanne Pedersdatter

Siblings of Olaf Olsen:    Christian    Pauline    Petter    Anne (Braaten)    Else (Pederson)    *    Ottine (Rønningen)

Olaf was born on 05 Dec 1867 at the farm Stenberg østre in Løten, Norway and baptized on 13 Apr 1868. He was the sixth child and third son born to Ole Knudsen Bjørkholen and Johanne Pedersdatter Malerløkken. Olaf would have been known as Olaf Olsen Stenberg while living at Stenberg østre.

When Olaf was about 5 years old (around 1873), his father lost the family farm Stenberg østre in a poker game. His mother Johanne took the three youngest children (Else, Olaf, and Ottine) and moved to Sagåbakkengen (probably a small cottage on Sagåbakken nordre, not too far from Stenberg østre) . The 1875 census shows Olaf with his mother and two sisters living at Sagåbakengen: Johnanne (age ), Else (age 9), Olaf (age 8), and Ottine (age 6). Olaf would have been known as Olaf Olsen Sagåbakengen at this time.

Baptismal Record of Olaf Olsen (Løten Ministerialbok nr.8, p.118, #44)
Baptismal Record of Olaf (Løten Klokkerbok nr.4, p.70, #42)
1875 Census for Løten, p.1302

Olaf emigrated to the United States in 1883 at the age of 17 with his older sister Else, leaving from Christianna (Oslo) on 17 Aug 1883 aboard the feeder ship Rollo. Olaf died in Dallas, Texas at the age of 20, but the details of his death are unknown. Five months before he died, Olaf wrote a letter to his sister Anne back in Norway telling of his experiences in Dallas, Texas where he was living. Olaf was also an artist or illustrator. He drew the following pictures: