Olava Gulbrandsdatter Hovland Tweeten’s Journeys
Olava Gulbrandsdotter Hovland was born in Hadeland, Norway. In 1867, she was 1 year old when she came with her parents, Berta and Gulbrand Hovland to Minnesota and she came to Iowa when she was 4 years old. She had two younger brothers by the time her mother died in 1874. This was a broken family with 6 motherless children. Olava stayed with the kind Hans Hovland family because her father was a carpenter and had to be away from home a lot.
After her father finished the log addition to widow Gura Gunderson’s house in Mt Valley, he married her and they joined these two broken families. They also had 3 more children of their own. Olava worked in Mason City for a department store family and learned many homemaking skills and fine family ways. I believe she walked back and forth to go to her job.
Olava married Bendick (Bendik) Jorgensson Tweeten (Tvedten, Tveitan, in Norway as they have no “w” in their alphabet). He was from Mo and Nissedal, Telemark in Norway. He was often called Holtan after he arrived in America because his uncle Hans Holtan paid his passage. They were married on July 2, 1884 when he was 29 and she was 18.
They began farming on a small wooded farm in Mt. Valley but by 1910 they had a big house, a fine big barn and many more acres. There was always much work and many babies. There were 13 babies and Mrs. Harris Olson was the midwife. Only once did they call the doctor to the farm to save the life of the mother and the baby. That was for Gena. Everyone had to work, helping mother, helping father, helping each other.
Gilbert got his name from the American name for Gulbrand and Gilbert named Olive for the American name for Olava. Gilbert remembers helping his mother, even staying home from school to help with the laundry and the children. They were of similar gentle temperaments and Gilbert was late in reaching his adult size.
Gilbert remembers her first sewing machine and a stocking knitting machine. No one dared to touch it, but they were so shiny and bright. A seamstress came to sew underwear and garments for the big family and another lady came to bake the flat bread for the winter supply. This busy farm and household demanded a lot of good family management from both the mother and the father.
The smaller children stood at the table and often shared a plate of milk mush for supper. It was silent war when one took a bite over the middle line. Johnny cake with home-made sorghum and side pork were also family staples. Their own apple orchard was important and so was the abundance of milk, cream and butter. This resourceful woman managed to keep her big family well- clothed and fed for healthy growth.
They often shared their Sundays with Hovland and Tweeten aunts, uncles, and cousins. The whole family was expected to attend worship on Sunday except the person who stayed home with the baby and got the dinner ready. In winter when the six-mile trip to church was not possible, the four neighboring families Tweetens, Petersons, Moens and Tollefsons, had Sunday School and worship together. Other families who shared Sundays were the Halvor Holtans, Tom Holtan’s and Foss families.
Olava and Bendick Tweeten supported their pastor, Rev. J.M. Dahl, and Rev. C.S. Salveson from Forest City in their plan to make the defunct Waldorf Hotel into a Lutheran academy. They wanted it to have boys’ and girls’ dormitory rooms, dining room, a music department with band and chorus, and a pre-seminary school. Gilbert was a winter-quarter student for three winters and most of their children attended and participated in the strong music program.
When Bennie and Martin got married, the parents moved to town to the pleasant home at 346 South Fourth Street in Forest City. Olava had been very ill with rheumatic fever the summer they added a new kitchen and bedroom addition to their farm home and baby Bertha had been born soon after that. Olava was ill again in 1917 when Oliver was in France at the front lines and when Gilbert’s wife Cora died from complications during surgery for a brain tumor.
On July 2, 1918, Olava died from cancer of the liver and leakage of the heart. She died at her home in Forest City with her family gathered around her. Oliver was still in France.
Bendick said to her, “Tak for alt”. Since visiting Norwegian cemeteries, the author realizes this is a favorite farewell that appears on many tombstones. “Thanks for all”. The obituary records the service at Immanuel Church with three pastors speaking and also a service at Winnebago Lutheran Church with three more pastors speaking.
Blessed be the memory of this good and godly woman through the 470 blood descendants and beyond to succeeding generations. “Tak for Alt”.