“Elling Ellingson (roughly 1818 - 1895) emigrated from Krodsherred, Norway, in 1848. He settled in a valley five miles south of Spring Grove, [Minnesota]. This area reminded him of Norway. He died at the age of 77 when his youngest daughter, Gena, was about 10 years of age. (This farm is now [1966] owned by Andrew Tweitd. The house still stands in good repair.)

“He was rather a stern man. Life had been difficult and he could not bear waste and indolence. He was a true pioneer. When flour was needed he took a sack of grain on his shoulder, walked to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to have it ground. This meant three or four days of walking.

“He loved the land and farmed it well. Broken fences were quickly mended and others’ negligence irritated him. One of Grandma Else’s most vivid memories was the day Ole Rauk’s most prized sow, ready to farrow, got into his cornfield. Grandpa Elling chased it wrathfully and the frightened sow collapsed and died in his cornfield. That he could do this, and how to tell Ole, really upset Grandpa. (One wonders if Grandma Else slightly enjoyed it!)

“He liked music and one of Gena’s clearest memories is seeing him in his rocking chair on a Sunday afternoon singing his favorite hymns.

“He loved his horses and on Sundays when his long legged sons wished to see their “girls” they had to walk. The horses had to rest!!


-- Esther Frost, “Remembering”

Elling’s father’s went by two first names--Elling and Erland. So Elling’s patronymic name is either Ellingsen or Erlandsen. According to Norwegian genealogist Ragnhild Holje, Nore-eie, the place Elling lived (and where his wife and youngest children were born) is also called Snedker-plassen. Therefore, Elling’s full name came to be Elling Ellingsen (or Erlandsen) Snedkerpladsen.

To make things more confusing, sometimes Ellling’s father’s first name was written as Ellen, leading to the patronymic Ellensen.

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"I found your [Reuben Frost] grandfather's name spelled three different ways on different occasions: Elling, Erland and Ellen. But he was christened Elling in l816.

Also, it is not quite correct to use farm-names as family names because they are only farm-names, not family names. So when they moved, they changed their names. Therefore you also see that the children sometimes go under another name than their parents. They took the name from where they lived.

After l870 we [Norway] got a law that said you have to keep your family name even if you moved, but clear up to 1900 they still changed them. In daily life they were also called by the name where they lived. When you see those endings after the farm-names--like -eie, -stuen, -plass, or -sund--then we know that they did not live on a farm they owned, but on a smaller place belonging to the farmer. So when you have children born on Greens-eie and Greens-braaten, that will be the same place, just called differently. The same with Olberg-sund and Olberg-eie: that's the same place, also Olberg-stuen.

Your ancestors are from three or four different parishes but all from the same county, Buskerud (Bskrd.)."

-- Ragnhild Holje, Norwegian genealogist in Salt Lake City, September 15, 1975:

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“Elling Ellingson Snedkerpladsen from Krødsherrad came to America in 1848.  His brother Hans Snedkerpladsen, along with Knud and Amund Livdalen, Asle Sundet and Ole A. Bjertness came in the 1860’s. . . .

“The winters 1856 and 1857 are spoken of as the worst ones. Around mid October 1856 there snowed heavily and the snow didn't melt away. Yes, it snowed more and the snow depth increased during winter until it was between 6 and 8 feet deep on even ground. Later in the winter there was a little milder weather and the snow was compressed a little. Afterwards it grew cold so the snow got a hard crust on top strong enough to carry people, dogs and wolves, but it was impossible to get through with horses or oxen. The deer that was rather numerous earlier, was soon almost extinct. There were real parties for the wolves this winter. This was due to the fact that the crust of ice carried the wolves easily, while the deer with its narrow legs fell through and was an easy catch. Hundreds of deer were killed by the settlers so many families enjoyed deer meat for a while. A farmer and his son who lived a few miles north of Spring Grove killed 11 deer in one day with no other weapons than a wooden club. Other people told that they killed close to 40 deer that winter. As said earlier, it was impossible to get from one place to another with horses or oxen in this deep snow with the ice on top, so the settlers had to make sleighs on which they hauled firewood and other things they needed. Engebret H. Melbraaten made snowshoes that he tied to the horses hooves, and thus managed to drive with horse. This winter was the longest winter that may be remembered as the snow that came mid October lasted until May.”

-- “Settler History from Spring Grove and surroundings, Minnesota” by O.S. Johnson, 1920

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Jean Frost notes that Elling Ellingsen was born in 1818 and emigrated in 1848; Other sources give exact dates of birth and christening in 1816.

“Other place names that appear: Ganderud-plass. Flaa. Heje. The names that appear consistently are Krodsherad and Buskerud. I do know that Jack said that among the farmers around Riceford, there were many dialects, because in those early days in Norway there was no communication with people in the next valley. However, Elling Ellingson managed to find wives from Nore-eie and from Greens-eie! Where there's a will--or something…”

-- Jean Frost

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“The records have all come from church records. The genealogist who worked on this for us said that tracing ancestors in the Scandinavian countries was simplified because babies were always baptized soon after birth. So these numbers are probably church record numbers.

Elling Ellingson GS17789 35250
Niels Amundson (born in Heje, Flaa in Nes Buskerud) GS17739
Amund Nielsen GS 35249 35244

I hope this helps. I got bleary-eyed trying to follow this stuff. I realize now that the material we have, while more extensive, is not as well organized!! And the notebook is so stuffed that I can't even open the ring.”

-- Jean Frost

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Elling also spelled Erland, Ellen; Ellingson is also found as Snedkerpladsen, Sandum

-- Ragnhild Holje, Norwegian genealogical Researcher in Salt Lake City.

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Notes from Ruth Crane (St. Olaf Norwegian genealogist):

“Address for Krodsherad kummunekontor is Krodsherad, N-3516, Norway.
* For name of Krodsherad historian, inquire of: Utvandermuseet/The Emigration Museum, Strandveien 100, Postboks 1053, N-2301, Hamar, Norway.

* Records for Buskerud county: State Archives System (Kongsberg branch) Froggsveien 44, Postboks 384, N-3601, Kongsberg, Norway

"Remember, Norwegians are notorious for not responding to the mail. Discouraging, but true. As a last resort stop at the public library in Krodsherad for help."

Found several listings in Krodsherad for Snesrud people; all have same zip code, N-3516: Eivind, Erik (farmer), Gunhild G., Gunnar, ( farmer), Inger Helene, Trygve.