Norway and the Move to Minnesota

1830

Guile Erickson, the father of Edward Gulleson, was born around 1830 in Trondheim, Norway.

1832

Cecilia (Seselja, Seselie) Iverson, the wife of Guile Erickson and the mother of Edward Gulleson, was born Nov. 29, 1832, in Norway.

1850 (Approx)

Guile Erickson and Cecelia Iverson were married in Trondheim, Norway. Guile Erickson worked as a shipbuilder by trade. They had three sons: Sigvurd, who became a farmer in northern Minnesota; Jacob, a farmer in Henning Township, Minnesota; and Edward (Edvard) Gulleson, who became a farmer in Folden Township, Minnesota.

1859 – Birth of Edward Gulleson

On April 20, 1859, Edward O. Erickson (Gulleson) was born in the northern part of Trondheim, Norway.

1865 – Death of Guile Erickson

Guile Erickson died this year leaving Cecelia with three sons. Edward (Edvard) was six years old at the death of his father. Cecelia never remarried.

1865

Anna Jonetta Johanneson, a daughter of Peter Magnus Johanneson (Rokken), was born in Trondheim, Norway. Anna was a half-sister of Henriette Kristinne Petersdatter. Anna would marry Edward Gulleson.

1865 – 1883

Edward Gulleson’s education was limited to such schooling as was afforded during his boyhood days by the public schools of Norway. He worked at his father’s trade of shipbuilding, in which he became proficient.

1882 – Marriage of Edward and Anna

Edward Erickson (Gulleson) married Anna Jonetta Johanneson. (In some places Anna is mentioned as the daughter of Anna Peterson. Anna had a half-sister named Petersdatter [Peterson?]. So was Johanneson her birth-father’s name and Peterson her step-father’s name?)

There are some records that they had three children die in infancy in Norway: Milda, Oskar, and Edwin. But church records indicate that Oskar died in Minnesota. Also there is a note that a son Peder died at age two.

1883

Cecelia Erickson, along with her son Edward and his wife Anna, immigrated to the United States and settled in Minnesota. We did not find immigration records, but possibly Edward’s two brothers, Sigvurd and Jacob, also immigrated at the same time.