ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION: OGL#1273
DATES: 1650-1860
SIZE: .25 linear feet
ACQUISITION: The Bierche/Walstad Farm Archive Journals were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Bill Dee, President of the Pennington County Historical Society, Thief River Falls, Minnesota, on March 15, 1993 (Acc.#93-1879).
ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
The Bierche/Walstad Farm Archive Journals consist of two ledger books, dating from 1650- 1860.
The first ledger book is hand-written entirely in Norwegian and can be illegible due to the writing style. An inscription on the first page states that O. A. Walstad of Douglas County, Minnesota, owned the ledger in 1903. The ledger contains documents pertinent to the Bierche farm, located in the Veldre sogn (parish) of Ringsaker kommune (community) in Hedemarken fylke (county), in eastern Norway and northeast of Oslo.
The documents begin in 1650 and end in 1777, although they are not consistently chronological. The journal appears to be a family archive of official documents related to farms owned by the family. The most common farm name found throughout the first ledger is Bierche and a number of the contracts were signed by either Ole Nielsen Bierche or Anders Nielsen Bierche. Many of the documents have a red tallow seal affixed, which suggests they are legal documents.
Within the ledger there are documents written and signed by the reigning kings of Denmark/Norway: Christian V, Christian VI and Christian VII. It can be assumed that the documents concerning Christian V and Christian VI were authentic; but the one concerning Christian VII was most likely written by an assistant because the king was said not to be of sound mind (Source: Danmarks Historie written by Vilh. La Cour, 1947). It is thought that the royal documents acknowledged certain farms and announced new laws throughout Hedemarken.
The first ledger book also housed a small booklet of religious information. It is hand-written entirely in Norwegian and seems to be some sort of essay or catechism writing. An instructor's comments are found throughout the booklet. The hand-writing in this booklet is mostly legible.
The second ledger book is also hand-written entirely in Norwegian. There is also the same inscription on the first page stating that the ledger belongs to O.A. Walstad. The second ledger dates from 1775 until 1860, although the documents are not consistently chronological. The name and the location in Norway is consistent with the first ledger; Ringsaker kommune in Hedemarken fylke. Many of the documents are similar to the first ledger. They document the continuous legal record of family property over an extended period, during which laws governing real estate changed.
The most common farm name found throughout the second ledger is Bierche. The most prevalent tenant farmer found throughout the contracts was Anders Nielsen. Anders Nielsen Bierche and Niels Andersen Bierche are prominent figures who signed many contracts in the second ledger book. The signature of Niels Andersen Bierche is found throughout the earliest section of the ledger. The signature of Anders Nielsen Bierche is found in the latter section prior to 1825. These two individuals are probably father and son and indicate the passing of the farm to the next generation. During that period of time in Norway, it was common to acquire your name from your father. Nielsen can be translated as "Niel's son".
In 1825 the name of Anders Nielsen Hvalstad is used. Because it was common during that time for farmers to add their farm name to their personal name, it is probable that Anders Nielsen Bierche could have changed the farm name to Hvalstad. The Bierche farm name is no longer mentioned after 1822, and the Hvalstad farm name is found in 1825. According to the documents after the 1840s, the family owner of the farmlands was Ole Andersen Walstad. He was most likely the son of Anders Nielsen Bierche/Hvalstad.
A large gap is found within the documents, as there are no contracts from 1826 until 1850. In 1860, a Makeskifte contract is found which translates into an exchange of real estate between Framnæs and Ånderuds Tangen in Ringsaker. The contract states that O.A. Walstad used the Framnæs land prior to the contract. Also in 1860, a document titled “Subpeona” is found for Johannes Hansen Langgaard, who was Walstad's tenant farmer. The subpeona was signed by O.A. Walstad. Two months after the subpeona was written we find a document titled appraisal. The appraisal document is quite difficult to make out but it is most likely an agreement between O.A. Walstad and Johannes Hansen Langgaard. The final addition to the second ledger book was a tenant farmer's contract for Nils Hansen in April of 1860. The contract was signed by O.A. Walstad.
Research indicates that O.A. Walstad immigrated to the United States. Records show that Walstad and his family resided in the community of Urness in Douglas County, Minnesota. According to Minnesota Land Records, Ole A. Walstad acquired a total of 160 acres from the Fergus Falls Land Office on June 24, 1878. It is probable that Walstad brought the ledgers with to the United States when he emigrated.
Box 1
Folder
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