In Froland, near Mo, Telemark, Norway, a young cotter’s son married the daughter of the Lensmann, or sheriff. It was a marriage below her high status and was disapproved by her parents to the point that in the Fyresdal Mandt Family tree, she and her sister Sigrid, who did the same thing, were removed from the tree. By some sources, her family also encouraged them to emigrate to America to rid them of the embarassment. So they went, Hans and Margit, on a perilous sea voyage where all three of their children died. Then they stayed a few years near Rock Dell, MN with his brother Eivend and wife Marken Holtan. It was from her Holtan name that we became Holtans. Then the couple and their young children moved to the new frontier of Mt. Valley township in Iowa, near lots of other Telemark neighbors, and relatives too.
For most couples, that would have been enough. But 20 years later they moved again to the new frontier of McLean County, North Dakota, where there was cheap and abundant land for their sons and daughters. Two of the sons they left behind on the Iowa farms, Thomas and Halvor. Come with us here as we will tell the story of the Iowa Holtans, the families of Halvor and Thomas Holtan.
Eight of the children of Hans and Margit moved with their parents to their homesteaded farm near Washburn, North Dakota. All of those children eventually staked their own homestead claims and made their own mark in the world. In our North Dakota Holtans section, we’ll tell this part of Hans and Margit’s story, up until their death, and the story of the other eight of their children.
Look at this next marvelous photo- all Hans and Margit’s kids, Bendick and Olava Tweeten, and 3 of their kids, and even Eivend Holtan’s kids and grandkids. You see how th is extended family was very close to each other in 1910.
Holtan Family Picture taken at Ole Holtan’s Farm Gladys (Holtan) Gentz Goetz wrote: This picture was taken June or July of 1916, on the front porch of Ole Holtan’s farm house. This was right after church. Theo Holtan was from Dr. college and Horace (just arrived – 1910) and his father Halvor and Mr. and Mrs. BJ (Benedict) Tweeten, their sons, Bennie and Gilbert and small daughter, Bertha (sitting on Bennies lap); Thomas Holtan came from Forest city Iowa to visit their relations here. (John Tweeten is holding his baby son, Oliver, born Jan. 1st, 1910, thus the date possibility). Great Grandpa Hans Holtan had 10 children, 8 sons; Halvor, Thomas, Ole, Henry, Engebright, Martin, Gilbert, Theodore and 2 daughters; Elsie and Sarah (Mrs. Thos. Grothe and they’re all on this picture! Mr. and Mrs. BJ Tweeten are parents of John, Bennie, Gilbert Bertha, Mrs. Henry (Theoline Tweeten) Sheldon and others. (Flat hat – Albert Severts (Lucille, Obert – with white shirt) (Severts)
