Individual Notes
Note for: Lauritz Christiansen Melby, 5 Jun 1846 - BEF Mar 1913
Index
Christening: Date: 14 Jun 1846
Place: , Tune, Ostfold, Norway
Burial: Date: BEF Mar 1913
Place: Near Beaubier, Division 16, Saskatchewan, Canada
Individual Note: NAME: Laurits or Lauritz. Also known as Lewis Melby and Louis Melby in the U.S. and maybe Canada.
BIRTH/CHRISTENING: Tune parish, FHL film no. 255793, book 9, p. 88, no. 167.
MARRIAGE #1: Norway, Tune parish, FHL film no. 255795, book 14, p. 197, no. 33.
MARRIAGE #2: Norway, Tune parish, FHL film no. 255795, book 15, p. 201, no. 29.
EMIGRATION: Laurits and son Kristian left Kristiania (Olso) Norway on Sunday 26 March 1882 aboard the ship S.S. Hekla (I). FHL film no. 353088, 25 March 1882, page 320, 2/10 down, L no. 1359, Lauritz Kristiansen, age 35, Kristian Lauritzsen, age 14, from Thune (Tune) and going to Eau Claire (WI) aboard the ship S.S. Hekla (I). The departure day and date is from the Solem, Swiggum & Austheim emigration index at http://www.museumssnett.no/mka/ssa/sal-82.htm
EMIGRATION: Laurits MAYBE returned to Norway about March of 1891.
EMIGRATION: Laurits, 2nd wife Karen and daughter Mina left Kristiania (Olso) Norway on Friday 27 November 1891 for New York aboard the ship S.S. Norge. FHL film no. 353094, 20 November 1891, page 359, down 5/10, Laurits Melby age 44, Karen Melby age 61, Mina Melby age 21, all coming from Thune (Tune) and going to Eau Claire (WI) and they paid 456 Kr for the trip aboard the ship S.S. Norge. The departure day and date is from the Solem, Swiggum & Austheim emigratation index at http://www.museumssnett.no/mka/ssa/sal-92.htm
CENSUS: 1895, WI, Chippewa County, Edson Township, page 12, left page, 6 names from the bottom, Lawrentz Melby, 3 males, 1 female, 4 Scandinavian, FHL film no. 1032705.
SOUNDEX CODE: M410
CENSUS: 1900, WI, Chippewa County, Stanley, 1st Ward, Third Ave., E.D. 51, sheet after stamped sheet 226, sheet 6B, line 82, 5th of June 1900, Laurits Melby, age 57, born in June 1846, married 28 yrs, to U.S. in 1892, PA, could not speak english, laborer in "Plaining" Mill, owned free a home, no months of unemployment in 1900, FHL film no. 1241780.
CENSUS: 1905, WI, Chippewa County, Stanley, First Ward, sheet 7, stamped sheet 563, line 11, Louis Melby, age 59, renting, FHL film no. 1020442.
LAND: Homestead land NW 1/4, section 10, township 2, range 16W, near Beaubier, Saskatchewan, Canada. Applied for on 5 Sep 1909.
The application for patent on his homestead states that he had resided there from 13 Jul 1909. By 1912 he had "broke" 50 acres and "cropped" 45 acres.
BURIAL: On the prairie of his land on the west side of the slough along with his wife Karen.
SOURCE: "Tune Gaardshistorie", Del 1, by Ulf Grondahl, 1980, FHL film no. 1224730, item 14, page 577, middle.
BIOGRAPHICAL: The material below was compiled by Elaine Melby Ayre in 1999, her address is Box 539, Linden, AB Canada TOMIJO.
Lauritz was born 1846 on Melleby farm in Tune parish in Ostfold county, between two arms of the Glama River delta in Southeastern Norway, the last child of ten, and the only surviving son, born to Christian Nielsen and Dorthe Kristiansdatter. His grandfather, Niels Kristiansen, had come here (Melleby) from Odegarden, the neighbouring farm in 1815. As was the custom Lauritz took the name of the farm he was from. The name, Melleby, or Melby, means middle farm. Originally it was one farm, then it was divided in three. In the period Lauritz was born it became 11 plots, then 14, and 20 plots by 1886. After this they started putting the plots of land together. The crowded conditions likely influenced many from this family to come to America. This area had one of the biggest lumber mills in Norway in the 1800 period.
His oldest sister's family, Inger Marie and Kristian Hansen Melby were the first to emigrate to Eau Claire, Wisconsin starting with their youngest son, Johan, coming as a 16 year old in 1880, followed by the rest of the families over the next two years. Another sister, Oline, died in Norway in the mid 1880's and after this her entire family, the Lars Hansen Solie's, came over to Eau Claire and later to Badger Mills and Stanley. Two other sisters, Edel and Nina remained in Norway.
Lauritz's first wife, Ellen Marie Svensdatter, died in 1871 after two children, Christian '67 (born 1867) and Mina '69 (born 1869), were born and then he married Karen Andersdatter (Kilen) and there were two survivng children: Dahl August '72 (born 1872)(as he was christened, but he took the initial of his father's name, Dahl L.) and Marius '69 (born 1869),who was later known as Mike. Lauritz emigrated from Norway with his wife, Karen, and his daughter, Mina, in late November of 1891 on the S.S. Norge. They came to Eau Claire, WI where the oldest son, Christian, had emigrated earlier with his father, Lauritz, in 1882 (Lauritz had returned to Norway). Dahl emigrated in May of 1890 and it appears that Mike stayed in Norway longer to see to the transfer of their land which happened in 1896.
Lauritz, Karen and Mina settled in Stanley, WI by February of 1892 where Lauritz worked in the lumber mill. Their daughter, Mina married (1895) Julius Neilsen Solie, who came from Solie, another farm near Melleby. Mina and Julius lived in Stanley, WI for most of their lives and raised a family of 7 girls and one boy. According to the Church Record of the Stanley Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church neither Dahl or Mike lived here during those years, but Dahl did visit several times during the years and was married here to Elise Hansen (in) April 1901. Many of Lauritz's nieces and nephews lived in Stanley the decade before the turn of the 20th century. The 23 year age difference between him and his older sister meant that many of them were the same age as Lauritz.
Lauritz and Karen moved up to the homestead in Saskatchewan with Dahl and Elise Melby. They applied for a homestead in 1909, giving Byrne as the post office, so they would have been living here when they applied. In the Lake Alma parish record, they are listed as sponsors at the baptism of Victor Melby in November of 1909. On his application for NW 10-2-W16-2, the quarter immediately west of Dahl Melby's homestead, Karen is listed as 77 years old (Lauritz was 63, 14 years younger than his wife) and a 34 year old son was listed with them (Mike).
Lauritz and Karen were listed among the founding members of the Hauge Congregation, the first congregation organized in the area (late December 1909). They died before the cemetery at St. Johns was started as Karen died in February of 1912 and was buried on the west side of the slough on their homestead quarter west of the Dahl Melby's.
On Lauritz's application for Patent on his homestead dated September 5, 1912 it states that he had resided here from July 13, 1909 and by 1912 had broke 50 acres and cropped 45. Based on information in the documents for claiming patent for the Homestead we think he lived with his son, Mike, in the yard with Dahl and his family likely in a 10 x 20 homestead shack, which is listed as a granary on Dahl's Application. Lauritz died sometime before the next spring and he was also buried along with his wife on the prairie. Mike Melby applied for a homesteads on SE 24-22-W17-2, Sept 1909 and on NW 27-2-W16-2, June 28 1910. Mike returned to the States, presumably to Wisconsin as many other relatives lived there, and died there sometime in the (19)20's.