Mitmoen Revisited

Editor Note:  This post is Sid Stivland's "prequel" to the Mayhem in Ben Wade Township , the story of the brutal, and unsolved, murder of the Mitmoen brothers. What follows is Sid's research into the emigration and life in Pope County of Sven, John & Ammund Mitmoen, a.k.a. Jacobson from the late 1860's to their murder in 1915, nearly a 100 years ago to the day.  This story highlights some of the sources of - and difficulties in - genealogy research of Norwegian ancestries.

Mitmoen brothers

By Sid Stivland

Sven, John, and Ammund Jacobson were close neighbors to the Stivland family for more than 45 years.  Their farm was less than half a mile west and just south of the small lake that bears their name -Mitmoen.  Like many other Norwegian immigrant families, they used both the Mitmoen (or Midtmoen) and Jacobson names interchangeably.  Even in their own personal documents, both names are used.  Most likely, Jacobsen is their surname and Mitmoen is a farm name in Norway. 

Sadly, though, their tragic deaths at the hands of a serial killer dominate the legacy of these three humble men.  There are many reasons for this narrow view, not the least of which is our understandable human tendency to focus on the dramatic and the sensational.  A mass murder in early 20th Century Pope County was most certainly sensational.   It dominated the news, elicited a reward from the governor for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators, scared the local population, and colored everything associated with the men for the next 100 years.  Even my account in the Stivland story focuses on the murder and the subsequent trial and acquittal of two suspects.

But the tragedy is not the whole story.  If we take a closer look, we see another picture.  The Jacobson brothers were part of a larger family and a larger community.  To be sure, they were unassuming, even shy individuals who avoided publicity, not a rare commodity among Nordic men.  No doubt that contributed to a shortage of information about their lives.  They were unmarried so did not have spouses to network with others in the community.  Since they were unmarried, they did not have children or contact with schools or other parents.  Their reclusive lifestyle contributed to the mystery surrounding them.  Quite simply little was known about them and most people in the community had little reason to interact with them.  Yet there is evidence they did participate in the community. The following is my attempt to complete the human story of the Mitmoen brothers.

Norway

On May, 3, 1867, Svend J. Mithmoen and his brother, Lars J. Midtmoen, boarded the ship, Nornen, at Christiania, Norway.  Nine weeks later, they disembarked in Quebec, Canada on July 5, 1867.  Also on that ship was the Svend and Ronnaug Stivlen family. We now know they all lived in and around the same community in Norway - Ringebu, Gudbrandsdalen, in the county of Oppland.  The Stulen farm was not far from Ringebu, around 6 km or a bit over 3 miles. The Kolstad farm, where at least some of the Jacobson children were born and raised, was even closer to Ringebu.  Sven Mitmoen and Sven Stivlen and their families were all part of and involved in the Ringebu Kirke  (Ringebu church).

A recent search of Ringebu church records reveals some startling facts. Sven Jacobson's father, Jakob Sveinssen Kolstad was first married to a woman named Elise Mortensdatter Nordrum.  They lived at the Nordrum farm because they had a son who was named Ole Jacobsen Nordrum, probably indicating a residence there.  The Nordrum farm is also located close to the town of Ringebu a few kilometers to the northeast near another small village of Kjønnås.  Their son, Ole Jacobsen Nordrum, was born there in 1830.  In 1833, Jakob had a second marriage to Marthe Larsdatter Prestgården.  The fate of Elise is not recorded in the Ringebu records, no date of death, no burial, no divorce records.  It is assumed she passed away because there was no shortage of life threatening conditions in those early days.  Multiple marriages are fairly common in these early church records. Church records also are silent on the life and death of Ole Nordrum, including whether he emigrated or remained in Norway.  Later, we shall see the Nordrum name again.

The marriage of Jakob and Marthe produced all of the Jacobson children, including Sven, John, and Ammund.  Interestingly, the oldest five children, including Sven, have the name "Kolstad".  The three youngest have the name "Midtmoen".  This would appear to indicate a change in residence.  For now, no details are available to explain the change but the Norwegian practice of subdividing and re-merging farm property within and between families is well known.  In any case, these locations were all very close to Ringebu and the Ringebu Church.  In fact, the ancestors of both Jakob and Marthe are from the immediate area as far back as the 1600's.

Not only were the Jacobson and Stivland families living in the same community, Ringebu church records place Sven Stivlen and Sven Mitmoen in the same confirmation class.  Again, Ringebu church records point to common church participation. Even more important is that they were first cousins. Sven Mitmoen's father, Jakob Sveinsen Kolstad, and Sven Stivland's mother, Karen Sveinsdatter Kolstad, were brother and sister.  

Emigration

Sven and Lars Midtmoen  travelled on the same ship, "Nornen",  with Sven and Rønnaug Stivlen and their children in 1867. Both Sven Mitmoen and Sven Stivland arrived in Pope County in 1868 and homesteaded farms next door to each other.   It is reasonable to conclude that family ties and previous relationships between the families ran deep and that, "the Svens",  would have helped each other during difficult times.  Pioneer life was tough, as is well documented in the literature, and carving a life out of the wilderness alone was even tougher.  Until his parents and the rest of his family arrived in 1870, Sven Mitmoen and his brother presumably were alone.  The 1870 US census  indicates that Sven Mitmoen had not yet acquired any livestock and that he had only 5 acres of "improved" land - 5 acres he, with possible help from his brother, managed to plow for crops.

Sven and Lars, later called Lewis, lived on adjoining parcels of land.  Sven homesteaded his farm on the lots just west of the Stivland homestead (see the Stivland history) and Lewis purchased the other three lots on Mitmoen Lake. The nature of their relationship is not known but they may have also worked together in carving a life out of the prairie. 

In 1870, Sven Mitmoen's family left Norway and emigrated to America,  Ringebu church records indicate they travelled to Lacrosse, Wisconsin.  On July 8, 1970, Jacob Svensen, his wife Marthe, and three of their children boarded the bark, "Kong Sverre",  arriving in Quebec, Canada on August 8, 1870.  This is essentially the same route from Christiania to Quebec, Canada, as that taken by Sven and Lars in 1867. La Crosse Wisconsin was a typical rail destination at the Mississippi River, the virtual end of the rail trail until bridges across the river were built. La Crosse is just across the Mississippi River from Fillmore County.

Kong Sverre ship's record of passengers, Jacob Svensen, his wife, and three of their children:  (Jacob Svensen was already 60 or 65 - his age is given as 75 in the 1880 US census - years old when he arrived in Minnesota.)

Settling in Pope County

US census and Pope County tax records indicate the family lived in Pope County.  Records are a bit confusing, however.  Minnesota state and territorial census records are notorious for misspelled names and inaccurate ages. The 1875 and 1885 Minnesota territorial censuses list the Jacobson family in Ben Wade Township under the names Jacobson and Moen correspondingly.  Ages of the parents and children are roughly the same.  In the 1880 US census, the name Jacob Swenson is listed as head of household and Martha Swenson as "wife".  Sven, Lewis, Gilbert, John, Ole, and Ammon are listed as children.  Again, ages correspond roughly to the other census records and to Ringebu church records.

Jacob, Marthe, and at least some of the children initially lived at the Lewis (Lars) Jacobson farm. Pope County probate records at the Minnesota History Center clearly indicate joint ownership of the three lots on Mitmoen Lake in the name of Jacob, Marthe, and Lewis.  Census records do not show an address - there were no addresses in rural areas until the late 20th Century.  

Sven Mitmoen is on record as homesteading his farm and having received a patent or homestead title in 1875, the same day as Sven Stivland (Johnson) received his.  By the 1895 Minnesota census, Martha was 82 years old and living with her sons, Sven, John, and Ammund Mitmoen at their farm, her husband, Jacob, having passed away on March 26, 1896.  She passed away on Sept 20, 1899 and is buried at the St. Pauli Cemetery (Probate records state she died in 1901).

Life in Pope County

The Mitmoen family emigrated from Norway and arrived in Ben Wade township in stages; Sven and Lars in 1868, their parents and three siblings in 1870, and Gulbrand in 1871.  The family lived in various locations including the farm homesteaded by Sven next door to the Stivlands and the farm to the north homesteaded by Lewis Jacobson, where Jacob and Marthe lived until the deaths of Lewis (1887) and Jacob (1895).  Martha was living at the farm with her three sons in 1899 when she passed away.  Gilbert (Guldbrand) purchased a farm to the west and south of Sven Mitmoen's homestead. 

It is tempting to think of the Mitmoen brothers as virtual hermits, generating rumors of eccentricity and hoarding cash in their home.  That reputation would eventually lead to their violent deaths, but it would appear they were also members of the community and, possibly, well educated.  An interesting fact is the list of occupations for each in the 1880 census.  Jacob Swenson, aged 75, is a "farmer", Martha is "keeping house", Sven is a "farmer", Lewis is a "carpenter", Gilbert is a "Tailor", John is a "Shoemaker", Ole and Ammon are "Laborers".  If these descriptions are accurate, it would appear that they brought a significant and varied set of skills with them from Norway. The census stated they are literate - that they can read and write.  In fact, as we shall see, John has beautiful handwriting and seems capable of expressing himself.

In 1874, a Lutheran church was formed in Ben Wade Township.  St. Paul's or St. Pauli, as it was originally named, was organized and chartered on July 27, 1874.  Among the charter members and signers of the first constitution were Sven and Ole Jacobson.

This excerpt from the Lowry Centennial History book describes the event.

Their participation in starting and chartering a church suggests not only that they were men of faith but that they were committed to working with members of the community to organize institutions important to them.  Most Norwegian immigrants were Lutheran and the Mitmoen family were documented and active members of the Ringebu Church back in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway.

This photo shows St. Paul's church in 1895, possibly a Sunday School photo.  The photo is copied from a 1972 Pope County plat book and, although the quality is poor, it is possible to see the original church building and quite a few kids in the picture.

John Mitmoen (Jacobson)

Stored at the Pope County Museum are three boxes of material labeled as evidence used in the Mitmoen murder trial.  Among the many pieces of physical evidence is a collection of papers and written material belonging to Sven, John, and Ammund Mitmoen.  It is interesting to note that John Mitmoen is apparently the author of all the written material.  Both the content and style give a glimpse into these men.

First, a photo of John Mitmoen. In this photo, he is a fairly young man, appears cheerful and a typical young man of the day. The photo was taken by a photographer in Alexandria, Minnesota. 

Included in the items found at the Mitmoen home is a small advertising booklet, shown on the previous page. On the outside cover is the name of a local store, "Lowry Drug Company", the store owner - C. C. Middents, and location - Lowry, Minn.  It was most likely distributed by the drug store as a promotional item, in particular promoting a line of pharmaceutical ointments, medicines, and remedies for a variety of ailments and made by the Nyal Company.

But interspersed between lists of ailments and cures for them, the booklet also contained pages available for making entries or for record keeping.  Many people did not have the resources to purchase costly ledgers or were unwilling to spend hard earned money on what they viewed as optional materials.  Thus, it is common to find notes, financial records, and even important documents like receipts written on scraps of paper or "free" materials like this booklet.  On the next few pages are some of the entries made by John to record important information.

On the first page (shown above) - the inside cover - are some entries detailing personal information giving us a more intimate insight into his life. He inscribes his name and address: John Jacobson, address - Lowry Pope Co Minn. R.F.D. No 1, Box 23. R.F.D. refers to "Rural Free Delivery", a system of providing addresses to rural homes.   The RFD entry may serve to date this booklet to around 1900. Later, No.1 became Route 1 in the address. Entries in the booklet are dated after 1905.

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Here is a list of Lowry State Bank account amounts. These are presumed written by John Mitmoen even though the document is not signed. Handwriting is consistent with that in the other documents. The amounts listed are significant. They range from $40 to $735 - totaling $4,279.00. While this document certainly supports the widely held belief that the Mitmoen brothers were well-to-do, it does not support the belief that they completely shunned banks . The documents also support the narrative that the brothers had business relationships with several establishments in the area. 

There are more examples which point to a complex set of business relationships. It would appear they were much more typical businessmen and citizens than they were previously given credit for. Blank bank counter checks,  receipts for sales of several agricultural products including hay, barley, and interest on notes; presumably on loaned money.  The Mitmoen brothers appear to have loaned money to family members and neighbors charging interest on the loans, like a "mini-banker". 

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But perhaps the most poignant document among these financial bits of paper and booklets is one the brothers would have received just days before their deaths. The following note and its accompanying mailing envelope was written by someone by the name of E. M. Benson, possibly a neighbor. It was mailed and postmarked in Lowry on May 3, 1915. Although the exact date of their deaths was impossible to determine for certain, their gravestones identify the date as May 6, 1915. If they received this communication in the mail, it would most likely have arrived at their home the following day - May 3, 1915. This might be the last mail they received. The note:

Chopping wood

Like many pioneer families in Ben Wade township, including the Stivland family, the Jacobsons purchased land in nearby Douglas County to provide a reliable wood supply.  On the prairie, as Ben Wade was, very little timber was available for use as fuel or for building materials.  As recorded in the Mitmoen probate documents, they had purchased wooded lots for this purpose.  Every year trees on these wooded lots were harvested, cut, split, and stacked on the farm to provide fuel for cooking and heating.  The following exchange of letters details a business arrangement in which John Mitmoen apparently hired someone from the Holmes City area to cut firewood and fence posts.  The first letter, written in broken English was written in 1908 and mailed from Holmes City, Minnesota.  It states:

"Dear Sir, I have finnes my contrack of choping you sum cordwood - 12 cords and 150 posttes. I wus you wold sent me the money of it - it will make $1725. of cord of wood $125. and fence postes 1 1/2 of postes so it will all to geter $1725.
please write to me wen you are going to get your wood ore sen me the money in the post mail ore post money order and if you want to shop some more cord wood let me know.
Yours verry (thurey) truly
Jos. Hukkinen
R.F.D. 4 Box 45, Alexandria, Minn."

The math is unclear. It is difficult to know if the sum is $1,725.00 or $17.25. John's reply letter includes the amount, $17.25, an amount more in line with values of the day. The person writing the letter is apparently from near Alexandria and has a Finnish name.

The answer to the first letter from Mr Hukkinen is shown in John Jacobson's letter to Mr Hukkinen.

"Lowry Pope County, Minn Jan 27, 1908
Dear Sir, I have live the money for cutting wood and posts for me all togeter $17.25 to Mr Sandberg. Please go over to him and call for the money. he will pay you as soon as you go over to him. I was over this week and looking over the wood all is right. Please go to Mr Sandberg and get your money. Yours Very Truly
Johannes Midtmoen
Lowry Minn RFD No 1, Box 23"

But this series of letters may raise more questions than it answers.  It seems obvious that John, and perhaps his brothers, had contracted with someone living close to their woodlot to cut firewood and fence posts.  The man, Mr Hukkinen, had written a letter informing the Mitmoens that he was finished with the job, and was requesting payment.  John had apparently written a letter in response, indicating that Mr Hukkinen should visit his neighbor and collect his money.  This all seems straightforward and typical.  But why was John Mitmoen's reply letter still in his possession 7 years later?  Was the letter never sent?  Did John communicate with Mr Hukkinen some other way?  Is this a "practice" letter - composed in an unfamiliar language?  Or did John Mitmoen write a "copy" for himself?  

Either way, these two letters are significant in their own way.  It is an obvious effort for two early immigrants trying to communicate with each other in a "third" language.  John is Norwegian, Mr Hukkinen is Finnish, but neither the Norwegian nor the Finnish language would work in this case. The letters are also significant in another way - John Mitmoen is obviously more comfortable in discourse than the other man.  In fact, John's letter demonstrates a surprisingly good command of spelling and grammar.  Not perfect, sure, but very good.  And the handwriting is very good, almost elegant.  Handwriting was given high priority in schools during the early 20th century as is obvious in written documents of the day.  This lends some credence to the assumption that John Mitmoen was an educated man.

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Conclusions

Because the amount of information available on these three Mitmoen brothers is so limited, any conclusions we draw may seem unwarranted at best or arrogant at worst.  But I believe that even this limited material can provide a window into their lives.  

Details surrounding  the Midtmoen family's early life in Norway and emigration to America are well documented above, at least as much as we can infer from the records.  More research may indeed shed  light on where they lived, schools attended, and other details.  But it seems reasonable to conclude that the Midtmoen family had more than a passing familiarity with the Stulen farm and its inhabitants.  The close proximity of the farms, the family connection, the church affiliation, the confirmation class they shared, and their experience on the trip to America suggest that Sven Midtmoen and Sven Stivland had a great deal in common.  It is not really a stretch to assume they discussed emigration and may have planned the trip together. They settled on land next to each other and lived on that land for many years.  Maybe they shared the dream of emigrating to America.

 By 1870, most of the Midtmoen family had joined Sven in Minnesota. By 1871, all of them were in America.  For the next 45 years, they lived and worked in Pope County.  Sven was involved in chartering a new Lutheran church, presumably helped care for his mother during her later years, and worked with his brothers in a successful farming operation. It is also reasonable to assume they had social contact with other members of the family.  The family may have lived at the Mitmoen farm when they arrived in America.  Eventually, their brothers and sister married, had families, and worked in the community.  Records show they lent money, sold hay, and had various other financial transactions with family members. Unfortunately, a cloud hung over the family when the trial for their murders was directed toward the son of their brother, Gulbrand, in North Dakota.  

More is known about John Midtmoen.  Documents and photos featured in this account  show a man younger than Sven by more than 13 years; a man well enough educated to keep records, do basic math, write letters, and inquire into cures for a medical condition.  If, as the letters imply, John was fighting an asthmatic condition, he may have pursued a more "studious" path and he may have had difficulty functioning on the farm, particularly during such dusty operations as harvest, threshing, and the like.  Maybe his physical limitations made him a good candidate for keeping the books, lending money, and performing more cerebral aspects of the business.  

Probate records show that John Mitmoen had bigger bank holdings than either of his brothers, nearly $7,000 in bank notes, cash, and loans to others compared to no cash in Sven's name and $731.40 in Amund's estate. On the other hand, all 148 acres of the homesteaded land was owned by Sven, worth $8140.00 and 10 acres of woodland in Douglas County appraised at $500.00.  Amund owned 120 acres of land appraised at $6,000.00 located to the east and south of the Stivland farm.  Probate records state that all personal property, household goods, farm machinery, livestock, and a piece of land inherited from Lewis Jacobson were owned together.  It would appear that they divided the assets on a nearly equal basis.

Almost nothing is known about Amund Mitmoen.  Aside from his Norway church records, his travel and immigration records, and the probate records, there is very little information.  There are no other known documents, photographs, newspaper articles, or family stories to describe his existence.  One newspaper article published after his death hints that he was briefly considered a suspect in the murders - a mentally ill murder/suicide.  There was no forensic evidence to support this so that scenario was ruled out by the coroner and investigating sheriff.  That conclusion does not, however, rule out the possibility Amund may have suffered from some emotional illness.  I am reluctant to suggest it because it seems unfair to attribute the condition on such flimsy evidence.  And he was certainly functioning if he was able to purchase 120 acres of land and keep a farm going.  Farming 120 acres of land was very challenging in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  On the other hand, it is perhaps worth mentioning that any mental illness, no matter how minor, would have had a major stigma component.  Certainly, any mental illness on the part of any one of the three brothers would have contributed to their tendency to protect their privacy.  

It goes without saying that more information is likely to emerge.  Any research effort can uncover previously unknown information.  Translating documents from Norwegian also is likely to contribute more pieces of the puzzle.  And other families will conduct their own research thus making important contributions to the story of other families.  I will continue to update this story as the story emerges.

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Lastly, the year 2015 is the 100 year anniversary of the, as yet unsolved, homicide of these three men - relatives and neighbors of the Stivland family. The following article appeared in a March, 2015 Pope County Tribune.

Appendix - Murder Trial Evidence

Clockwise from top left: handkerchief gag, bludgeon, wallet, bullet & casings

For Sid's account of the1915  Mitmoen murders, see the posting 'Mayhem in Ben Wade Township'