December 18, 1998

                                  Ulberg Family History

                         A brief accounting of the first two generations of

     Mathea Randine Knudsen and Ole Olsen Ulberg

Mathea Randine Christiansdatter (Knudsen) was born on October 26, 1853 in Lybek, Torpa/Nordreland, Norway. She died March 23, 1940 in Olinda, California. She was the daughter of Karen Marthea Olsdatter, born September 6, 1826 in Lillehaug, Torpa, Nordreland, Norway, and Christian Knudson, born January 28, 1826 in Odde, Torpa, Nordreland, Norway. Karen Marthea Olsdatter was born to Ranie "Randi" Johnasdatter born about 1790 in of Torpa, Nordreland, Norway, and Ole Hanson born about 1795 in Lillehaug, Torpa, Nordreland, Norway. Mathea had two sisters, Christine, and Kristin Ellen and a brother Anders. It is assumed that Mathea Randine Knudsen immigrated to America with her parents and her siblings.

Ole Olsen Ulberg was born somewhere in Norway, on February 20,1853 and died August 29, 1911. There is no known record of his parents. He was 14 years old when he immigrated to America arriving in June of 1867 at the port of New York. It is possible that he emigrated without his parents as no records have been found of Ole’s parents or siblings, or maybe he was the only one to survive the trip across the ocean. The Ulberg name was taken on arrival in New York. There were too many Ole Olsens, so to avoid confusion Ole took on the name of Ulberg which was the name of two farms in Norway at that time. It was a practice of immigrants to use the name of the place they were from for a last name.

Ole Olsen Ulberg and Mathea Randine Knudsen were married in the Corness Lutheran Church in Blair, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, it was the original Lutheran church in Blair, and was later renamed the Zion Lutheran Church. Their wedding was witnessed by Erick and Johanna Holen who were neighbors. Information about their wedding came from Parish records provided by Pastor M. Larson of Blair Lutheran Church, on 30 December 1972, furnished by Ron Ulberg.

 A year later on December 19,1885 they bought a farm outside of Arcadia, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. The farm was 120 acres and had two buildings that appear to be dwellings, one for the family and maybe the other for farm hands. There was also a large barn. This information was determined from photographs of the farm. The legal description of the Ulberg farm can be found on the Internet:

http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/wisconsin/wifull/pl?23704242

 The Holen farm description can be found at:

http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/wisconsin/wifull.pl?22549440.

Ole and Randine started a family, starting with Christian Emil Adolf born on October 8,1886 in Arcadia, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, and christened on November 22, 1886 in Blair, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. The second was George Oscar born on December 30,1887. According to family records he was born in the house. It is likely all the children were born at home. George was christened March 30, 1888, in Blair, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. O'Tillie Marie was born on April 22, 1890 in Arcadia, Trempealeau, Wisconsin. She was Christened May 21, 1905 in Blair, Wisconsin. Their fourth child was Christopher Amos born on June 26,1894 in Arcadia, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. His christening date was June 26, 1894.

 In Wisconsin, the Ulbergs were part of a Norwegian community and Norwegian was spoken in the home. The children learned English when they went to school. The search continues for other descendants of the family that could help us to learn more about the parents or siblings of Ole and Randine.

The Move to California

After working the farm for about 23 years, they sold it and moved to Northern California in 1908. This move was probably a move to be with friends, as there is evidence of having friends in Olinda who had come from Wisconsin. Olinda is a rural area in Shasta County about six miles west of Anderson and 16 miles south of Redding. The family traveled to California by train (The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869). They purchased the Olinda General Store which sold groceries, dry goods, Gasoline, (both White and red) and feed and hay for farm animals.

 The store served as the Post Office and also housed the telephone service switchboard. It was the main day to day meeting place for this farming community which also had a one room school house, where Amos graduated and the next generation’s kids attended. There was a rather elaborate Lutheran church there that the family attended.

 The Olinda area was irrigated and there were many wonderful orchards. Only the extensive olive orchards remain today. Most of the vegetation was destroyed by the fumes from a nearby copper smelter from the Mountain Copper Mine. This occurred sometime after the family’s arrival in Olinda. The problem had been corrected by the 1920’s. This part of Northern California has red clay soil and in its natural state is covered with Manzanita brush, oak trees, Digger Pine trees and tall grass that turns brown for the summer.

They operated the store as a family and farmed the land raising strawberries and other fruit. The family home was adjacent to the store so one could enter the store directly from the house. In later remodelings of the store and house. The second floor windows opened over the flat roof of the store in later years providing a wonderful outdoor sleeping area for the next generation of kids in the summer time. This accounts for the earlier store being one story as shown in the early photos. Other photos show that the store underwent many changes and additions through the years.

In the summer of 1911 Ole was kicked in the stomach by a horse. One can only imagine that he had been kicked by a horse before and thought he would be OK. After a few days and not getting better he was taken to the State Hospital in Napa and there died from internal bleeding according to the death certificate.

 The Second generation

Emil Ulberg married Synneva Askeland on June 21, 1918 in Everett, Snohomish County, Washington. They had five children: Norman, Carroll, Marian, Eunice and Hazel. They lived in the Ulberg family home and Emil assumed primary responsibility for operation of the store. Emil died of cancer on January 15, 1952 in Los Angeles where he was visiting his son Norman who was building a new home. He went down to help with the construction, but became ill shortly after he and Synneva arrived there.

George Ulberg went to Bethania College in Everett, Washington. He married Sarah Minnie Nelson on July 31, 1914. They moved to Portland, Oregon where it is likely George studied optometry earning a Doctor of Optometry degree. They had four sons: George Wendell born October 15, 1915 at home, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon; Amos Randolph born November 30, 1918, at home, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon; Daniel Warren born April 6, 1920 in Seattle, King County, Washington; and Calvin Nelson born November 14, 1923 in Seattle, King County, Washington. Cal died in Mountlake Terrace on May 1, 1985, at age 61. Randy, Calvin, and Wendell became optometrists and Dan worked in wholesale optical supplies.

 George joined Grant Reese Optometrists in Seattle, Washington. He eventually became an owner partner and continued the practice after the retirement of the other partners. He maintained that office near the corner of Fourth and Pike in downtown Seattle until retirement when his son Cal took over the practice. George was invited to open an office in the new Northgate Shopping Center in north Seattle. His son Randy worked with him there and eventually took over that office after George’s retirement. Northgate was the first modern shopping mall in the country. Wendell practiced with his father in Seattle for several years before moving to Menlo Park, California.

O’Tillie Ulberg married John Francis Warn on July 25,1922 in Arbuckle, Calusa County, California. John had recently moved to Olinda and purchased a ten-acre dairy farm. He also worked as a carpenter. They had one son, Mel, born December 25, 1933. About 1938, while working construction on a U S Forest Service warehouse building in Redding, John fell off the building and broke his back and shoulder. About 1940 after John’s long recovery, they sold the farm and moved into the city of Redding about sixteen miles from Olinda. John then started a career in real estate .

Amos Ulberg married Ida Charity (Dolly)David on June 26,1920 in Anderson, Shasta County, California. They lived on and worked a farm just to the north of the family Store. They had five children: Christopher Amos Jr. born July 4, 1921 in Anderson, Shasta County, California; Mildred Virginia (Sis) born May 2,1923 in Olinda, Shasta County, California; Merle Stanley (Bud) born February 2, 1925 in Olinda; David Lester born April 28, 1926 in Olinda; and Phyllis Ann born August 9, 1931 in Olinda.

Amos along with a business partner, Bruce Gray, purchased a long haul truck and trailer and began a trucking business in the early 1930’s. The two partners were hauling a load of hogs to Southern California. While traveling down the steep stretch of highway 99 known as the Grapevine, because of it’s many winding turns, the brakes on the truck failed. Amos climbed out to the truck cab and back along the side of the truck in order to set the mechanical brake on the trailer. After setting the brake he fell off the truck onto the ground and suffered a serious head injury. He was taken to a local hospital, but died the next day March 9, 1932. Emil and Dolly traveled to Southern California and accompanied Amos’ body back to Olinda where he was buried.

 Dolly was left a widow with five children ages six months to nine years. She moved her family about six miles to the town of Anderson where she would be close to her parents and family. They moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, Karl and May Moltzner, while she had a house built. The children all pitched in to help their mother to support the family.

 Randine Mathea Ulberg

Randine Mathea Ulberg continued to operate the store after Ole’s death, with the help of her then young adult children. She continued to live in the family home and eventually, as Emil’s family grew, they built an apartment for her at the back of the store. She continued an active life helping in the store until she died of cancer on March 23, 1940. She is buried in the Olinda Cemetery.

Olinda

By the 1940’s the Post Office and telephone company had been moved to separate quarters, and the store had been enlarged two times. The one room Olinda school had been replaced with a modern two room school building, the church had burned to the ground and had not been replaced. The copper smelter problem had been solved and vegetation was again thriving. By this time the small family farm was beginning to be questioned as being a viable way to provide a living. Most people in Olinda worked in Anderson or Redding.

The Olinda General Store

The Olinda General Store and the family home burned completely to the ground in July 1944/45. Emil and Synneva were about to leave on a long vacation trip and had just completely stocked the store so they could leave the three girls in charge for several weeks. Both Norman and Carroll were away serving in the Army. Arson was suspected to be the cause of the fire but it was never proven. The insurance was inadequate to even begin to rebuild so Emil and his family moved to Redding and lived with Tillie and John Warn until they could sell the land. They bought and remodeled a home in Redding and Emil then worked remodeling homes for others.

 Family Tree

Please provide additions and summaries about your own branches of Ole and Mathea’s family so that we may all see our places in their tree!

                                            To be continued and expanded

                                                    Mel Warn and Dan Ulberg