The Life & Adventures of Lauritz & Fredrikke (Mjoen) Stenerson Family

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Stenerson Mjoen

The Life and Adventures of Lauritz and Fredrikke (Mjøen) Stenerson and Family' by Christine Rebecca Stenerson-Johnson
This is information written down by Christine at the request of her son and one of his cousins, who were interested in family history and genealogy. The text has been edited for clarity and privacy - the names of the grandchildren have been omitted.''

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Dad (Lauritz Stenerson) was born in Christiana, Norway (now called Oslo) on September 15, 1859 of parents Christian Stenerson (1823-1897) and Bodil Larsdatter (1826-1917). Lauritz immigrated to this country when he was in his twenties and brought his parents with him. Dad and parents and 2 boarders came to America in 1887. They landed in Aurora, Illinois and he worked for the CB&Q railroad. His brother Stener Stenerson had come over before. Stener had married in Norway and had two sons born over there, Charlie and Alex. Three girls (Bertha, Dora, and Luella) were born in Chicago where they lived, and Uncle Stener was in the painting and decorating business. Dad sometimes helped him and learned the trade too, and many of the people in the Clay Banks area had him do their papering and painting. Dad also had 2 brothers who died when very young of diphtheria. Dad's father worked as a cabinet maked a Gaustad (a mental institution near Oslo) and his mother was a tailoress.

There was compulsory army service in Norway, so Dad served his time there and played the cornet in the army band.

Mother Fredrikke Mjøen was born in Trolla [near Trondheim] in 1864. Her parents were Rasmus Mjøen and Sara Johanna Petterson . Rasmus was born in 1830 (died in 1910) and Sara in 1833 (died in 1876). She had one brother, Even, who died when 18 years old, and sisters Jorgine [came to U.S. also, but died young], Anna [Pederson], Ingeborg, and Ida. Her two youngest sisters (Ingeborg and Ida) died when very young, and her mother died when she was 11 years old.

Grandpa Mjøen [Rasmus] worked in a lumber yard as a foreman and later as a bookkeeper in a foundry in Trolla. Mother [Fredrikke] kept house for the family after the housekeeper left, and she also went to teachers training school and taught a few years before she came over here.

Mother and Dad joined St. Olaf's Church (in Aurora, Illinois) shortly after it was organized and they met there. Dad organized and directed the choir and mother sang in the choir. The pastor was Rev. C. Reinertson. Mother did housework for a couple families in Aurora, and also worked at the garment factory for awhile. Rev. Reinertson served a couple country churches too and he had Mother teach the parochial school a few weeks in the summer time. When he left Aurora, he came to Door County [Wisconsin] and was pastor at Bay View and the Tanum-Forest congregations, and then he sent for Mother to come and teach parochial school up here. Shortly after that, Dad and his parents came up here too, and they were married by Rev. Reinertson at the Tanum parsonage. Mrs. Reinertson and Walter Gilbert were their attendants. Their wedding date was November 16, 1894.

Dad and Mother belonged to the Tanum congregation in Clay Banks where all of us children were baptized and confirmed. Dad organized and directed the choir there for about 25 years and also served as a Klokker for as many. He and Mother also taught parochial school out there. Dad was very musical and had a real good tenor voice. He also organized and directed a small band, and was very active in Tanum church and very well-liked. He also served on the Salona school board and was Clay Banks town clerk a couple of terms.

[Note: A “klokker” is a layperson who assists the minister in preparing for, and during the service.]

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In the next section (omitted) Christine describes the family's moves from farm to farm in the Clay Banks area, and Christine's jobs - she worked as a cook or maid for a number of very wealthy families in the Lake Forest, Illinois area. Lauritz died in 1916, and eventually Fredrikke and some of her daughters moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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In 1925, Mother and the younger of us moved to Milwaukee and the twins Martha/"Mac" and Marie/"Mikky" finished high school there in 1927 at West Division. Anne was nursing in Milwaukee for the city until she married in August 1927. Laura was teaching in Dodge Co. and Ester did one year too. Then Laura and Mac and Mikky got jobs at Phoenix Hosiery and Ester worked a short time at Evinrude Motors and then did housework until she came up here to Sturgeon Bay and was bookkeeper at Woolworths until she retired.

Now the history about the Stenerson girls
Sara finished high school and went out to North Dakota to teach in a one room country school. She met and married Loren White out there and their first 3 children were born in North Dakota. They moved to Milwaukee in 1928 and had 3 more children. Larry was killed in Germany in World War II. Sara passed away on March 24th, 1959.

Anne finished high school and went into nurses training in Milwaukee and worked at private duty for awhile and then worked as a city nurse. She met and married Marvin Patterson, a farmer who farmed in the Caldwell community near Mukwonago in 1927. They had 2 daughters.

I Christine met and married Carl Johnson of Cannon Falls, Minn. in 1931 and we had one son. Carl passed away in 1944.

Laura went to Sturgeon Bay High School 2 years and then attended Algoma teachers training school. Following this she taught 2 years in Dodge County. She met and married Dick Mertig Sr from Glidden in 1941 and they had one son. They moved to Hayward and Laura passed away in 1981.

Marie (Mikky) married Lester Olson on August 28, 1943. He was from the town of Clay Banks, a Vignes schoolmate and a farmer. They adopted 2 children.

Martha (Mac) served as a dental assistant during World War II in the Navy and was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida and discharged just before Christmas in 1945. On Sept. 28, 1946 she married Bill Nelson - a confirmation-mate - a farmer in Forestville Township and they had 3 sons. The first one didn't live.

That takes care of Lauritz and Fredrikke's children.