Simon Ofstedal and Kari Tuff
Simon, named for his father’s father Simon Anderson Flatekval, was the oldest surviving child of Anders Ofstedal and Agate Lavik at the time of the family’s immigration to America. He was born on March 30, 1848, likely when his family was living on he Meland Farm. He came to America with his brother Andrew (Anders) in 1870 – the ship passenger record being shown on the Ofstedahl ancestry page on this website - the first two of the Ofstedal family members to come to America. Any other record of Simon prior to coming to America will be on the Ofstedahl ancestry page - which has the records of the family in Norway before immigrating.
Simon homesteaded in Kenyon, Goodhue County, Minnesota at the same time as his brother A. A. – listed in one record as Anders and another as Andreas. He is also shown in a deed with Rasmus Lavik there. He married Kari Tuff in 1878 – her father Peder Tuff is shown nearby in the 1877 Goodhue County plat map. Kari’s sister Ingeborg married Rasmus Lavik, Simon’s uncle. Simon and family moved with the extended family members to Polk County, Minnesota in the 1880’s and he and Kari lived out their life there. Shown below, and also on the page of his parents, Simon is shown in homestead records in the same Polk County location as his father – with his father selling him his homestead in 1889. Agatha is shown with Simon in censuses after Anders’ death. Agate’s sister Tjorbor Lavik also lived with the family in this period.
Simon and Kari (who are shown above in a photo from the Lavik Collection) had twelve children. Three did not live to adulthood, and another five appear not to have had children. Between the remaining children, they had fourteen grandchildren. The twelve children of Simon and Kari were: 1) Anders (Andrew), born December 22, 1878 and died in August 1945 in Montana, in 1911 married Ruth Gullikson, born ca 1888 and died July 17, 1990, and had two children, one adopted – her brother Roy married Andrew’s sister Agatha below; 2) Agate, born August 28, 1880 and died August 24, 1881; 3) Peder, born June 16, 1882, died May 24, 1963, married Gina Hogenson about 1906, born April 19, 1886, died March 23, 1978, seven children; 4) Martha, born July 30, 1883, died March 14, 1960, married May 21, 1913 Ole Refling, born December 1880, died June 29 1951, two children; 5) Carl Alfred, born May 10, 1885 and died November 18, 1944 in Calgary, married on December 4, 1917 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Loretta Delia Hart, born 1900 and died 1998, three children; 6) Ingeborg Mathilda, born October 6, 1886, and died June 13, 1888 in Garden Township, Polk County, Minnesota; 7) Nikolai, born January 8, 1888, and died January 24, 1906; 8) Dortheus, born March 18, 1890, died January 11, 1965 in California – he appears never to have married; 9) Agathe L., born June 18, 1892 and died June 20, 1981, married December 13, 1916 Roy Gullekson (brother of Ruth, who married Andrew above), born December 12, 1894 and died December 11, 1986, no children; 10) Mathilda Constance (her Los Angeles Times death notice referred to her as “M. Connie”), born July 12, 1894 and died September 8, 1970 in Los Angeles, she appears to have never married; 11) John William, born November 5, 1896, died May 16, 1982, married twice, first on July 1, 1934, at Crookston, Minnesota to Rhoda L. Jackson, born July 21, 1907, died July 1, 1958, and second, on February 11, 1961 to Viola C. Anderson, born June 11, 1906 and died June 20, 1990, no children; and 12) Kathryn, born June 23, 1899, died June 18, 1990, married June 23, 1944 to George Elmer Baglien, born October 24, 1896 and died August 29, 1974, no children.
Kari’s listing in the 1900 census, included on the website page for Anders and Agate because Agate was shown with them that year – shows twelve children, with ten living in 1900. In the 1910 census, Kari shows having had twelve children, with nine living in that year. Both these references match the facts in the list above.
There is a photograph of Simon and Kari in the Lavik photo collection, shown in the Lavik section on this website and posted above as the header, which was made easier to identify because the same photo was used in a history of the family in a later Minnesota local history. Kari died in 1916 and Simon in 1922 – and they are buried in Faaberg Cemetery in Rindal, Norman County, the same cemetery where Simon’s father Anders is buried. Various records and stories about them, that tell this life story, follow.
Making his way in America . . .
To the right is a closeup from the map of Kenyon Township in the 1877 Goodhue County Minnesota atlas - including Simon and his brother Andrew and his future father-in-law Peder J. Tuff.
Within a few years of arriving in America, Simon owned property in Goodhue County, Minnesota. In those days of a rural agrarian life, these maps can demonstrate how different couples got to know each other and marry. This map, from the 1877 Goodhue County atlas section on Kenyon Township, shows S. A. Ofstedal (Simon) and A. A. Ofstedal (Andrew, Simon’s brother - also in May, 1877 in the Gol Church in Kenyon, Simon and Kari were sponsors for Andrew’s daughter Ingeborg at her baptism), in 160-acre holdings right near that of P. J. Tuff (Peder Tuff, the father of Kari Tuff – who married Simon Ofstedal – and Ingeborg Tuff, who married Rasmus Lavik). Below is a deed showing that Rasmus Lavik sold land to Simon Ofstedal in the months before this map was made. That puts Rasmus Lavik, Peder Tuff, and two Ofstedals all in the same close proximity at this time. This map was made the year before the last Ofstedals immigrated to America, and shows that those that came in the earlier part of the decade were already making their way in America quite well.
This 1877 deed in Goodhue County transferred land from Rasmus Lavik (listed as being from Zumbrota) to Simon, who is listed as being of Kenyon. This is the land Simon is shown with in the above map.
The Goodhue County marriage record of Simon Ofstedal and Kari Tuff, showing they were married on June 19, 1878. Witnesses were Peder Jonson Tuff, Kari's father; and Rasmus Lavik, Simon's uncle - who had married Ingeborg Tuff in 1875. Ingeborg was Peder’s daughter and Kari’s sister.
Forrest Brown, late archivist at the Norwegian-American Historical Association, kept a page on early Norwegian settlers in the Goodhue County area, including many of the Ofstedahl brothers as well as Rasmus Lavik. He would enter information as he went through various records. This is the page on Simon. It is more sparce than of the other Ofstedal family members, but it does contain his notes from other records.
Simon and Kari were shown below in Kenyon in the 1880 census, with their first child Anders - likely named after Simon’s father. Simon is shown as a farmer and Kari is shown as keeping house, both born in Norway with both their parents born in Norway.
This biography of Simon and Kari and descendants is from a local Polk County history - I have misplaced the specific citation. I post it here, because it lists a brief biography of Simon and Kari and confirms their movements in Goodhue and Polk County, and indicates that they moved from Goodhue County to Polk County in 1882 and homesteaded in 1884. This biography is also significant, because it contains the photo of Simon and Kari, which is also posted right below and in the header to this page - it was in the Lavik Photo Collection. There is a second photo of Simon and Kari that will be posted below it, ca 1897, which is of their entire family. [Paul died in 2015, and his obituary on Find-A-Grave states that he bought the home farm in 1973, so this article is after that date. Paul is buried in the Faaberg Cemetery in Rindal with his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.]
Above is the photo of Simon and Kari - which matches the photo in the Polk County local history. This photo is from the Lavik Photo Collection.
At left is the 1885 Minnesota state census, showing Simon and Kari in post office Rindal, Garden Township, Polk County. Simon’s parents Anders and “Gaty” are near the top of the next census page. This entry shows four children - Carl having been recently born - and a fifth child, Agatha - dying at age one year in 1881. Tjorbor Lavik, the sister of Simon’s mother Agate, is shown with them in this census. Tjorbor immigrated with Anders and Agate and three of their children in 1878.
Above are pages from the Bureau of Land Management Tract Book Records from Minnesota Volume 8 - Range 43, Twp 147, Section 35. These pages show entries for both Simon and Anders Ofstedal. They list the land description, amount paid, and when the final action was taken - for Simon is was in July 1888 in Crookston, and for Anders it was February 1889 in Crookston. The land covered in this record was in Garden Township of Polk County. This record is significant, because it sets up the deed record of Anders selling his land to Simon, and for land maps below - which show Simon in the area of this land record. Additionally, one of the witnesses to the deed from Anders to Simon - as noted below - is the first landowner listed on this record, Even Ulland. Simon owned land from this record for the rest of his time in Polk County.
To the right is Simon Ofstedal’s homestead certificate for the land above. It was issued in Washington, D. C. in November 1889, based on the Crookston land records. It was issued in the name of President Benjamin Harrison.
This deed, posted in three pieces here, is from Anders and Agate Ofstedal to Simon Ofstedal, and is dated December 2, 1889. The deed is for 160 acres in Polk County, which was Anders homestead land shown in the above record, but appears to have been registered in Norman County. Anders and Agate’s son. and Simon’s brother, Andrew A. Ofstedal was one of the two witnesses. Even Ulland, on the same homestead record page for Anders and Simon, was the other witness.
In addition to Simon’s own homestead, and the purchase from his father Anders shown just above, the deed to the left shows that Simon bought other land in 1882 in Garden Township - which would have been the first parcel he purchased in the township. Even Huff is shown on the same homestead record as Simon and Anders above. Even Hoff is also shown in future land maps below as being near Simon. This deed, along with the homestead record, and purchase from Anders, had to make Simon one of the largest landowners in the township.
Above is the 1895 Minnesota state census showing Simon, Kari, eight children, and his mother Agate over two census pages in Garden Township of Polk County. This entry is significant because it gives context to the photo shown below. The photo can be placed because of the number of children and their ages - in relation to this census entry. This is the first record of Simon’s mother Agate after her husband Anders died three years before.
An Amazing Photo of Simon and Kari Ofstedal and nine of their children - and a second image of the handwriting on the backside with the name of “miss Torbjor Lavik”. This photo is from the Lavik Photo Collection. I also chose to post a colorized version - through the MyHeritage colorizing process, because it brings the photograph out even more.
I did not understand that I had this photo, nor who it was, as it was one of the last photos scanned in the 319 item Lavik photo collection. The note on the back of Torbjor Lavik, aunt to Simon – may have been written on the photo as a point of ownership. Tjorbor was shown living with them in the 1895 Minnesota state census shown above, taken not long before this photo was taken. Nine children are shown above – and it appears the youngest alive at the time of the photo was in Kari’s lap, John William, who was born in November 1896. The last child was born in June 1899 – so this photo was likely taken between November 1896 and June 1899. At that time, there were nine children alive – Andrew, Peder, Martha, Carl, Nicolai, Dortheus, Agatha, Matilda Constance, and John William. The order of these children in appearance matches the gender of the order of those nine children in age. Simon and Kari look like their individual portrait in the photo posted earlier on this web page, although Simon has a fuller beard in this photo.
In the Minnesota photographer listing, Louis Oleson (sic) is listed in Fertile, Minnesota with no time frame attached to his listing.
The Crookston Section of the March 19, 1898 St. Paul Globe is at right - containing an item about Simon Ofstedal of Fertile. I debated whether to post this, but my own ancestor, Simon’s brother, appeared to have similar problems near the end of his life. It is interesting to note that Simon is listed as “one of the wealthiest farmers of the county”.
Above is the 1900 census entry for Simon and Kari in Garden Township, Polk County, Minnesota. Simon and Kari are shown with ten children - the tenth one born since the photograph of them a little above this post. Kari is shown to have had twelve children, with ten alive in 1900 - which matches the list at the beginning of this page. Agate is shown with them in this listing, but Tjorbor is not. Agate is shown as having had eleven children, five of which were alive in 1900 - which matches the history of the family of she and Anders. Also on the census page two entries below Simon is Even Hoff, who was in a property transaction with Simon earlier on this page.
Above is a 1902 plat map for Garden Township in Polk County. Simon Ofstedal is shown as having land in Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35, and is shown at the bottom center of this map. His land above appears to total about 680 acres - which is why he was termed one of the wealthiest farmers in the County. It is probably why having so many children helped his operation. It is significant also because the Rindahl (sic) post office and church and cemetery are shown on the map as well. They are very near Simon, but one can see how the church and the cemetery - where Simon and Kari are buried - is right near their property but just across the county line into Norman County. Some of the farmers nearby them are shown near the Ofstedals on various census entries during their lives here.
I took the photo at right during my visit to the Rindal area in 1995. This is probably the road that runs on the county line at the south of Garden Township right by the Rindal Church and cemetery. It gives a flavor for what the area is like.
Above is the 1905 census entry for the Simon Ofstedal family in Garden Township, Polk County in the Minnesota state census. There is one strange thing. Simon and Kari are not listed in this census. The entry contains the ten children living at the time - and Simon’s mother Agatha at age 84 - but has no listing anywhere for Simon and Kari, not on the previous page at the bottom, or anywhere. This entry also lists a post office address for each famiy member that is illegible, but does not appear to be Rindal. Strange.
Above is the 1910 census entry for Simon, Kari, and family in Garden Township, Polk County, Minnesota. Simon and Kari are shown with eight children. Nikolai died since the previous census, and Dortheus is not shown here, which are the changes since the ten children shown in 1900 and 1905. Kari is shown with nine children living, and that matches the eight children shown and Dortheus. Simon’s mother Agatha died in 1907, since the last census. Andrew is shown living with Peder and family, although they are just below Simon and Kari and children. Peter is shown to have married Gina Hogenson ca 1906 - and their first three children are shown with them in this entry. There was no state census in Minnesota in 1915, so this is the last census while Kari was alive - and before the next one in 1920.
Above is the 1915 plat map for Garden Township in Polk County, Minnesota. Simon A. Ofgtedal is still shown with a large amont of land in the south central part of the township. However, he does not appear to have as much as was shown in the 1902 map. Now his son Peder S. Ofstedal is shown with almost 120 acres of land adjoining Simon. Simon and Kari’s daughter Martha married Ole Refling in 1913, and Ole Refling is shown on this map as having eighty acres of property adjoining Simon.
This is an abstract of Kari Tuff Ofstedal’s death record in Polk County death records. I copied it when I visited the court house there in 1995. It includes her name, birth and death date, age, occupation as “farmer’s wife”, and states that she had been ill for a number of years - it lists her parents as well, and that they were both born in Norway.
Above is an entry for John W., Simon, and Matilda Ofstedal in Garden Township, Polk County, Minnesota in the 1920 census. Simon is shown as 71, widowed, no occupation listed.
Above is the hand-copied death record for Simon Ofstedal from the Polk County records. I copied it also during my 1995 visit to the Polk County court house. There are some interesting facts in the record.
Both Simon and Kari are buried in the same cemetery as Simon’s father Anders – Faaberg Cemetery in Rindal, Norman County, Minnesota – just across the county line from Garden Township in Polk County, where their farm was. I took this photo of their tombstones during a 1995 visit to the cemetery. One of their children is shown on the same tombstone as Simon’s father (shown in the website page on Anders and Agatha). As gleaned from the local history earlier in this section, descendants live in the area until this day.