My great-grandfather Hans Emahus Isakson was born on 4 July 1853 on the Herset farm in Nesna, Nordland, Norway where all of his children would also eventually be born. The farm remains in the family as this is written in 2018.
From a letter from Sigurd Klabo Mehus (see My Father: Ludvig Johan Angel Mortensen Mehus A letter written by Sigurd Mehus), a grand-nephew of Hans, dated 8-2-1976 obtained from Laura Hanson [Evans]:
When your G.F. Hans was baptized they wrote his name Hans Emahu but when some of his children were baptized his name was listed Hans Emaus, an unusual name. Don’t know where they dug it up, it might have been a man of some influence with that, so they hung it on one of the children, hoping some thing might rub off. That was the practice at that time. I have also one hung on me, didn’t help-ha-ha.
Inger Helene Andersdatter was born in Nesna, Nordland, Norway on 27 Apr 1857. She married Hans Emahus Isakson on 22 Nov 1880 when she was 23 years old. They settled into the Herset farm in Nesna and quickly began their family: within 8 years they had had 8 children, 7 of whom survived childhood.
In April, 1903, Hans left for the United States with his nephew, leaving Inger Helene with the 7 children (see Migration from Nesna). Hans traveled to North Dakota (where his brothers Benjamin and Jacob were living) and made preparations for the family.
On 18 February, 1904, sons Ludvig (not quite yet 18 years old) and Anton Martin (23 years old) departed Nesna for Trondheim. They sailed for Hull, England on the Stjerne line ship Salmo on 24 February. From there they traveled to Liverpool, England and departed on the White Star’s Cymric for Boston on 3 March, 1904. (The Cymric would be torpedoed and sunk by German sub. U-20, 140 miles from Fastnet with the loss of 5 lives on May 8, 1916.)
Public Health Reports (Formerly Abstract of Sanitary Reports) Issued by the Surgeon-General, Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, Volume XIX – Part 1. Nos. 1 to 26 Inclusive, Page 520. Washington Government Printing Office, 1904 (Link to online document).
They arrived (part of a group of 158 of immigrants on the ship) in Boston, Massachusetts on March 12, 1904, landing at the White Star Lines dock located very near the spot in Charlestown where Paul Revere landed in 1775 on his way to alert patriot leaders about the approaching British troops ( view how the docks looked in 1928: The ship would have docked to the left of the building with the white star on it) and also near the present day mooring location of the USS Constitution. The docks are no longer there, but in 2018 there was one remaining building from the White Star line.
This image shows how the area appeared in 1899. The arrow is pointing to pier 42 (Ocean Steamship Company and Savanah Line), which was to the East (Left in this image) of Pier 43 where the White Star line was located.
Inger Helene and daughters Dena and Petra left in August 1904 (leaving daughters Kristine (then 22 years old), Marie (20 years old) and Olina (16 years old) behind. Olina would herself make the journey in 1906). They left Nesna on 20 August 1904, sailed from Trondheim to Hull, England on 31 August. From Hull they traveled by train to Liverpool and departed for Boston aboard the White Line’s S.S. Cretic on 8 September. They arrived at White Star’s dock in Boston on 17 September. They probably traveled by train to their final destination in North Dakota.
Unlike New York (which had Ellis Island), Boston had no central arrival facility at this point in time. Immigration inspectors worked with each company and examined immigrants as ships arrived (presumably on-board). The city did operate a detention station on Long Wharf where those denied entry were detained until shipment back to the country of origin could be arranged (see “Water Front Items – Busy Day Examining the Detained immigrants” from the August 26, 1904 Boston Globe).
By the time of the 1910 census the family was settled in Verona, Lamoure County, North Dakota. Hans was working for the Northern Pacific railroad as a Supervisor. Son Anton had just married and was living with his new wife (Marie Dahl) in nearby Logan County. Son Ludvig (then 29) and daughters Olina (21), Dena (15) and Petra (12) were still living at home with their parents, although Ludvig would marry Nora Beatte Anderson in 1911, and Olina would marry William Benjamin Phipps in April, 1914.
On August 13, 1915 Inger Helene was committed to the State Hospital for the Insane in Jamestown. See Inger Helene Andersdatter for more information about this unfortunate period of her life. Inger Heline remained in the hospital until her death in February, 1929. Here is her obituary (from the Fargo Forum, Morning Edition, Tuesday, February 26, Page 2:
Funeral Services for Mrs. Inger Isacson, 72, Jamestown, who died of heart disease Saturday, will be held from the OJ Hanson funeral home here at 3:00 PM Wednesday. Six children survive Mrs. Isacson and are: Ludwig Isacson, West Fargo; Lens Isacson [Lena?] of Lakefield, MN; Dina Isacson, Crookston, MN; Petra Isacson, Rock Lake ND; Maria and Christina, who reside in Norway. Mrs. Isacson had been a resident of Jamestown for the last 11 years.
She is buried in the “Single Graves” section of the Riverside Cemetery in in Fargo, ND next to Lena Hanson (1883 – 1977) and Ragnvold Hanson (1880 – 1937), which is significant because the funeral records indicate that the family did not have a cemetery lot, and the burial information in the Riverside Cemetery book lists a “L. Hanson” as her closest relative/friend. The headstone for Inger Marie appears to be relatively new and very similar to the one the Hanson plot.
Hans lived until 1932. Here is his Obituary in “The Fargo Forum”, morning edition, from Thursday, June 16, 1932:
WEST FARGOAN’S FATHER WILL BE BURIED TODAY
Hans Isackson, 79, father of Lud Isackson, West Fargo, will be buried this afternoon at Fort Ranson, ND. Mr Isackson died Tuesday morning in a St. Paul hospital where he was a patient during a six months illness. He had made his home for some time with a brother, Ben, at Fort Ransom. Surviving him are three daughters: Mrs. E. I. Bergan of Crookston, Minn; Mrs Leo Ness of Rock Lake, ND and Mrs Charles Hagardt of Lakefield, Minn.
The obituary states that Hans had been in a hospital in St. Paul for six months. This was explained by Norman Martin Lorentzen, a grandnephew of Hans who was himself an employee of the Northern Pacific Railroad:
Hans was at the NPBA [Northern Pacific Benevolent Association] hospital in St. Paul, a company hospital association. The dues were $.85 per month. They had excellent Doctors and four of these hospitals on the system. Many people (employees) would go there upon the recommendation of the local doctor. ….
Hans is buried in the Standing Rock Cemetery outside Fort Ransom on the same plot as his brother Ben and Ben’s wife.