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Johannes Olsen Solberg and Kari Andersdatter came from Lunder Parish in Ringerike, Norway in 1868. Two children had died before they came to America: Anders and Elling. Those children reported to have come to America with them are: Ole, Andreas, Gulbrand (my great great grandfather) and Bertha. They came aboard a vessel named Anna Delius which broght them to the port of Quebec, Canada. From there, they traveled to Coon Valley (Vernon County), Wisconsin where they settled. Johannes' parents were Ole Jonsen Jonrudeiet and Gunnil Ellfsdatter. Kari's parents were Anders Amundsen Halkinrud (reported to have been born in Sweden) and Barbro Fredriksdatter. I do not know if Johannes or Kari had any siblings.
Johannes Skurdalseie Monshaugen and Rachel Offigstad Monshaugen were born in Norway in 1834 and 1822, respectively. Their home farm was located near Tretten, which is near Lillehammer in Norway. They are known to have had three children: Ida (who married Gulbrand Solberg in the above paragraph), Mathea (who married a Mr. Liajordet who died leaving her with two children, she later married Mathias Theige and they settled in Harvey South Dakota), and Ole Monshaugen who also had several children with his wife Agnette.

Erik Eriksen Berger and his wife Ragnild Ostensdatter came from Sondre Land in Norway with their three sons: Edvard (my great great grandfather), Bernt (who married Karen Hvalby), and Osten, who I believe died as a young man. They also settled in the Vernon/Monroe County area. In Norway, the family lived on a farm called Bergergaard which is reported to have overlooked the Randsfjord.

Simen Hansen was another Norwegian immigrant. He had several children with his first wife, but it's believed they all stayed in Norway. He came to America, settling in Monroe County, Wisconsin, with his second wife, Anne Pedersdatter. It is said that he used several names, including Holsstuen and Holen, before settling on Hansen/Hanson. Their children were Berthe (who married Edvard Berger in the paragraph above, which made her my great great grandmother), Hans, Thorvald, Carl, Martin, Edwin, Tilla, and Sophia.

Christopher Iverson came to Jefferson Township with his wife Gertrude Molde. He was born in Tonjum, Sogn, Norway in 1813. Their children were Jens (my great great grandfather whose name was Anglicized to "James" and changed the surname to "Everson"), Kari, and Ingri. It is said the two daughters married, but so far I have not been able to uncover the names of their husbands.

Ellef Ellefson and his wife Johanne Johnson also settled in Vernon County, probably in Sterling or Jefferson townships. Their children were: Gertrude (called "Jennie", my great grandmother), Carrie, Edward, John, Inger, Isaac, Kristen, Julius, Karen, and Ellef. The elder Ellef was the son of Ellef Thomason Ormelid and Ingrid Pedersdotter of Luster, Norway. Ellef was one of nine children. Ellef's brothers Peder and Christian are also said to have come to America, as well as one sister named Kari.

My Father's family is from Guam and has been much more difficult to trace. Our roots are in Guam, the Phillipines, and supposedly Spain, but I'll have to do some digging to prove that one! Surnames I am researching are Cruz, dela Cruz, Arriola, Pangelinan, and Torres.

 Home Page of Antonio Arriola Cruz, Jr. a/k/a Tony Cruz
Updated October 8, 2006
Antonio Arriola Cruz, Jr
14016 Broken Bow Dr So
Jacksonville, FL 32225
United States
904-221-0460
acruzjr63@comcast.net

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My Family History

 

Family Photos

  • Filomena Cabrera Arriola Cruz (91 KB)
    Family legend, as told by my cousin Judy Cruz, has it that it was my Grandmother's decision that my family carries the Cruz surname. My Grandfather's adopted name was Cruz, but the name he was born with was Pangelinan. When they got married, he told her they could use whichever name she chose. The story goes that she picked "Cruz" because "Pangelinan" was too long. They were married in the Catholic Church of Agana, Guam on August 22, 1940.
  • The Wedding of My Maternal Grandparents (241 KB)
    Ellef Johannes Everson and Evelyn Minerva Solberg were married on April 19,1941 at the parsonage at West Prairie, Wisconsin. The witnesses are Dorothy Everson (now Call), sister of the groom, and Nordahl Berger, uncle of the bride.
  • The Wedding of My Great Grandparents (60 KB)
    Melvin Solberg and Ella Selena Berger were married November 7, 1914 in Vernon County, Wisconin. They are the parents of my Grandmother Evelyn Solberg Everson.
  • The Family of Gulbrand and Ida Solberg (182 KB)
    This is a photograph of Gulbrand Solberg and Ida Monshaugen. They were married in 1882 and lived their lives in Vernon County, Wisconsin. Here they are pictured with their sons and daughters, all deceased.
  • Bethany Lutheran Church (43 KB)
    This is the final resting place of Johannes Monshaugen. There is a Norwegian inscription which, translated, says: "“So shall man write upon my grave / That Christ died to give me (eternal) life / and because of his (shed) blood I have hope with him a (heavenly) home (place) to get. (Translated by Bernice Busse)
  • Edvard Ericksen Berger and Berthe Hansen (71 KB)
    Edvard and Berthe Berger, pictured here with three of their children, are the parents of Ella Selena Berger, my great grandmother.
  • Antonio Arriola Cruz, Jr. , Myself (161 KB)
    This is one of the endpoints of the convergence of these family lines - scary, huh? This picture was taken last year while I served as the music director of Faith United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Currently, I am the organist/choirmaster of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , also in Jacksonville.
  • My Grandparents from Guam (133 KB)
    My grandfather was Jesus Pangelinan Cruz. He passed away 6 years before I was born so I never met him. His wife, my grandmother, was Filomena Cabrera Arriola, who I met twice, briefly. This photo of her was taken about 1969. She died in 1974. My grandparents lived on the island of Guam.
  • Item of the Week (28 KB)
    This is the Cruz family at Grandma Everson's visitation in Viroqua, WI in September 2003 L to R: Adam, John, Joanne, Tony, Jr., Tony, Sr., Joe, Momi, Andre
  • My Parents Wedding (85 KB)
    My parents are Antonio Arriola Cruz, Sr. and Joanne Marie Everson. They were married at the Bad Axe Lutheran Church in rural Vernon County Wisconsin. My mother was raised in this church and I feel fortunate to have been baptized and confirmed there myself. My grandfather (Ellef Everson), great grandfather(John Everson), second great grandfather (James Everson), and third great grandfather (Christopher Iverson) are all buried in the church cemetery.
  • Gulbrand Solberg and Ida Monshaugen (67 KB)
    My great great grandparents lived their lives in Vernon County Wisconsin. They came from Norway as children with their parents and siblings.
  • My Grandfather, Ellef Everson, as a child (123 KB)
    This is one of my favorite (and most treasured) photos. This is the only photo I know of from my Grandfather's childhood. The next photo that I have is a confirmation photo.
 

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