A Missing tombstone or Is It? Jakob Johnsen,( Johnson)

In March 27, 2000 we were walking past tombstones to get to the burial spot of Mary A. Butteris Husby wife of Earl Husby at the Mamre Cemetery west of the city of Menomonie. I noted various other Husby tombstones and a few surnames I had seen around the town. I had not 'mentally adopted' this town or the family so " I cared less". I had read the various stones as I passed by with only curiosity not as a genealogist, since I had not started active genealogy then. I had heard that the cemetery contained some people who had lived in that little Midway Settlement west of town near the old Brick yard on Hudson road which turns into highway 29. [It's the old road that once took people to places like Minnesota, North Dakota and on further west.] I had also heard that most of those names in the cemetery were those from Trondheim or had married those from Trondheim. Some of the Husby family From Trondheim and others had lived in the Midway area. Some of them had been working at the Brick yard, other friends and relatives worked for Stout Lumber company before turning to farming the land there.

It was on the passage back to the west driveway where the van was parked, that I over heard Charly say in surprise "Oh He is buried here!". I looked and visually, I guess I made a slight note from where she spoke by a small shed. Then, I was interrupted by my child's questions, and I was diverted to other thoughts and other things.

I had heard only snatches of the HUSBY story. A member or two would say proudly, they came from Trondhiem. I had heard that Ruth JACOBSON had done the research and so most of them had heard about the family history at one time or another before she passed. One of her family by name Carly maybe had kept the information

I asked the father of my children about it and he was vague. Now, in these past years I am deep into the whole belief that we must know all we can about our family backgrounds before it becomes too late. If I didn't get the information from the family, I could at least find it online. And so I did find the Dunn county John Husby story. It was more or less done in the trail to Trondheim. Linda Schwartz had a family member mixed in the line.

She has been responsible for most of the heritage material available to us at the Forums dealing with Dunn county. She carries the Trondelag [e] group at the Rootsweb mailing list and is one of the most active members. I started one year to do the Indergaard Husby and quit due to the immense problem of Norwegian language and decided to resume the search two years later. I discovered that by that time Linda had done the work. Reviewing her search through the older posts and search engines, I discovered a collaboration of efforts of those of sor Trondelag mailing list. The family was pretty much covered.

[Now for the exception you have been waiting for ] Except for information on the missing brother Jakob. I developed his missing information as a personal cause. He just cannot have family here in U.S.A. without being found. Jacob Johnsen Indergaard born 1861 was suppose to have left in April 4, 1888 or had tickets of those dates from Oslo then called Christiania indirectly to England and then to
America maybe to a canadian port. His paper trail was no longer found by these other genealogists. It might have been easier, if he had a clear concise name. Records show that he left 1888 bearing the name Husby from the last farm he had lived, just like his brother John who left in 1879 with the destination of Menomonie. [ John married almost immediately to Saltnaes and some of her family live in middle eastern part of Minnesota.]

I have been to the Mamre cemetery several times. One time I was there and took pictures, which were not Digital images and wandered over to the tombstones by a small shed, where I had overheard Charly's comment. My mind tells me she meant Jakob or Jacob. But there is no Jacob there. No Johnsen, No Indergaard, no Jacobson, and certainly no Husby. I wandered a bit further to the north east among the Mitlyning [ mispelled] ties and was then stung by something. I rubbed mud into the sting, but it caused me to leave.

Not to be outdone by that insect, I have returned and explored where I had been stung, but have not seen anything to give me reason to believe his tombstone is there. I have asked others of the Trondheim clan, if they know, and they would if there was anything, and they have nothing on him being buried there in Dunn county. I have asked those in Norway, including cousins, and they go by the census and have it narrowed by two or three suspected locations none of which is Dunn county.

I was talking to Kathy Husby, the family historian, who has much more of the family than I and she too took up the crusade to learn all she can. She reported back that the family went to the old places in Trondheim and showed me pictures. [ Yes I covet them, but she has been busy with family members health issues] I am shy about approaching people in person other than my little family about family history and she was not. Or lets say she knew those to ask about Jakob. She was told it's true they said he is suppose to have lived in USA somewhere. And they were not sure what name he took or kept. [There had been random comments now and then by the father-in-law. Once one comment on a missing Michelson.??]

Charly's words do pop into my head now and then I just haven't had opportunity to ask. I wonder too, if she would remember the moment she said what she said. I recall at times, that I still have not seen the results of Ruth's search. If I ever find some of another Carlys Husby's family I intend to ask questions.

When the mood hits me I do search passenger lists and census. [ It has been awhile since I last looked] I have picked up where I left off to indebth search the areas of the census to see. [So have people in Norway] I have tried to uncover those others who left on the same listing of 1888 with other destinations, Duluth, Kansas.[Monk or Mork, Carlson] I have tried to find the other families and could still pick that up more. I have checked on other settlements of others from Trondheim, and other family trees and members. You see I just cannot stand for there to be unknown whereabouts of immigrants of my families.

Just like places on line, I will wander back to the cemetery to again stare at those tombstones. Did he have family; had he died on the way; never married; touched base and moved on; or just buried here with a strange name. Is the tombstone missing or not? We believe it is. There will be more on Jacob. You can be sure he will not be forgotten. Tombstone or no tombstone!.



Note. I need to ask Janet Husby the caretaker of the cemetery what information she has on the stones. And if Kathy has already asked her.
Note: His father was Johan. Check more under Johansen.
Note: Future information on Husby at http://the rootsofitall.blogspot.com/
Husby lists here. http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~schwartz/SorTrondelag/surnames.htm
copywrighted.
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Sources for the Hunt below.
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http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wgnorway/
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~schwartz/SorTrondelag/Links.htm
http://www.tronderlag.org/resources.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/dunn/dunn.htm
http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/WIDUNN/2004-12/1104495530
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~widunn/obits-H.htm
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~schwartz/SorTrondelag/index.html

Published twice/ first copy was lost and so I redid it by correcting the remaining ones errors.