Brief Life History of Helje
Helga Olsen was born on November 30, 1832, to Ole Jorgenson and Gunvar Olsen. She lived at the Lunde farm near the current city of Tvedestrand, Norway. At the age of 25 she left her native land to come to America, travelling to Utah with the 7th handcart company and arriving in Salt Lake City on September 13, 1857. This company consisted mostly of Scandinavian saints and included the well-known painter C. C. A. Christensen. They were motivated to travel quickly across the plains in order to arrive in Utah ahead of Johnston's Army, which was marching at that time to put down the "Mormon rebellion." In Utah, she made her home with friends in Spanish Fork. Helga married Niels Christian Poulsen 25 August 1858 and they had two children Christian Hyrum and Elgina. Niels passed away June 1861. Edward Kingsford's wife, Jane Chittenden, passed soon after and Helga was asked to care for their children. On Christmas day, 1861, Helga married Edward and they had five more children.
Photos and Memories (11)
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Family Time Line
Sources (25)
- Harriet Kingsford in household of Edward Kingsford, "United States Census, 1870"
- Legacy NFS Source: Helga Olsen - Individual or family possessions: birth: 18 May 1836;
- Helga Olsen Poulsen, "Find A Grave Index"
Spouse and Children
Parents and Siblings
Siblings (10)
+5 More Children
World Events (8)
1834 · Fox River Settlement
Fox River Settlement in Illinois begun in 1834. It was the first permanent Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in the Midwest.
1836 · Remember the Alamo
Being a monumental event in the Texas Revolution, The Battle of the Alamo was a thirteen-day battle at the Alamo Mission near San Antonio. In the early morning of the final battle, the Mexican Army advanced on the Alamo. Quickly being overrun, the Texian Soldiers quickly withdrew inside the building. The battle has often been overshadowed by events from the Mexican–American War, But the Alamo gradually became known as a national battle site and later named an official Texas State Shrine.
1846
U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.
Name Meaning
From an early medieval personal name, a derivative of heilagr ‘prosperous’. The popularity of the name greatly increased with the subsequent change in meaning of the vocabulary word to ‘blessed, holy’.
Dictionary of First Names © Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges 1990, 2003, 2006.
Story Highlight
Short History of Helga Olsen Poulsen Kingsford
HISTORY OF HELGA OLSEN POULSEN KINGSFORD BY HAZEL POULSEN SNOW TIPPETTS WITH SOME INFORMATION FURNISHED BY ZELLA D. KINGSFORD ARRANGED BY NORA LUND, NIBLEY PARK CAMP HISTORIAN My Grandmother, Helga …
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