Ole, the son of Ole Torbiornssen, was born at the farm Langkaas at Holte, where his father was probably a cottager. The witnesses to Ole's birth were Olaus Ericson Brattekaas under Holte, Embret Kittilson Haugen under Prestegaard, Margit Evensdatter Furuvolden under Stivi, Kari Kittilsdatter Brukaas under Stivi, and Kirsti Clausdatter Brukaas under Holte. According to the baptismal record, Ole was born 5 December 1792 and was baptized 20 January 1793.[1]
At the time of the 1801 Norway Census, Ole was living with his parents at the farm Semb Søndre in Heddal. His father, Ole Torbjiønsen Moe, was working as a cottager. Also living in the household were his wife, Thone Olsdatter, and their children, Ole, Aaste, Anne, Aslau and Thone.[2]
In his younger days, Ole moved from farm to farm with his family, living at Haugen under Sem, and then finally Moen under Sem. When he was in his late teens, Ole probably worked as a laborer for neighboring farms. When he was confirmed at the age of sixteen in the Lutheran Church at Heddal, Ole was referred to as "Ole Olsen Haugen," which would indicate that he was living at the farm at the time, probably working as a laborer. The farm Haugen was probably close to the farm Moen, since they were both subfarms of Sem.[3]
When Ole was only sixteen, he father died. Several years later, he was living at the subfarm Moen under Sem again when he married Gunhild Tobiasdatter. Gunhild was also the child of cottagers; the witnesses at her christening were Kari Aslaksdatter, Anne Christiansdatter, Even Olssen, Lars Jonssen, and Ole Olssen. Ole and Gunhild were married 4 May 1816; their sponsors were Kristian Nielssen Moen and Tobias Nielssen, Gunhild's father.[4]
As an adult, Ole worked as a husmann, as his father had. Husmann, or cottagers were generally hard-working people. Both Ole and Gunhild must have been tough and determined to have raised their family with little means.
Ole and Gunhild also moved around to work and or lease different farms. At the birth of their son Halvor, the family was still living at Moen under Sem; however, when Nils was born, the family was living at Malla under Hoyboe. By the time their children were being confirmed, in the late 1830s and early 1840s, the family was living at the farm Leivsteen, which was a subfarm under Bentsrud.
In 1841, Gunhild died at the age of fifty-one. Just about five years later, on 19 January 1846, Ole married again to Ingeborg Kittelsdatter.[5] At the time of their marriage, Ole was fifty-three, while Ingeborg was forty-four. The record of their marriage in the church book confirms that Ole was the son of Ole Torbjornssen Moen. Tobias Olsen Ryen, Ole's son from his first marriage,was one of their sponsors. This was Ingeborg's first marriage.
Although Ingeborg was already forty-four years of age, she bore Ole one son, whom they named Ole. The subsequent records concerning the son Ole serve as a way to track the family through at least 1873. Ole, the son, was confirmed 18 October 1862 while living at Leivsteen under Bentsrud; he was also living at this farm when he married 15 August 1873.
Ole died 22 January 1876 at Heddal at the age of 83. His death records reads "Jordman" Ole Olesen Leifsen, born 1790, living at the farm Bentsrud at the time of his death and married to Ingeborg Kittelsdatter. His remains were buried on 28 January 1876 at the Heddal Church Graveyard.[6]
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O > Olsen | M > Moen-Levsteen > Ole (Olsen) Moen-Levsteen