History
Click here to view a large PDF – THE ULVESTAD FAMILY – Descendants and Other Relatives of Jorgen Jorgenson Ulvestad and his wife Gitlaug Olsdatter Dale. 1819 – 1986. By Barbara Barsness Swedenburg.Endre E. and Dordi Branstad were pioneer Leland, Iowa, area residents. Dordi was born December 13, 1835, in Romsdalen, Norway, and Endre’s birth took place in 1826 in Oxendahl, Norway.
Endre and Dordi were married June 24, 1858. Seven children were born in Norway. When an avalanche occurred in their area, the snow slide killed some of Dordi’s relatives. “That settles it; we are going to America!”
In 1873, the family boarded one of the first passenger steamships at Bergen, Norway, to New York, the journey taking 14 days. One infant died while at sea.
The family came to Clayton County, then to Winneshiek County near Ossian, Iowa, where two years were spent before making their westward trek to Winnebago County with covered wagon and oxen. Endre purchased 80 acres of land on Section 1, Forest Township; part of that land became the town site of LeLand. When the Branstads arrived in the area, there was no railroad or even a bridge over Lime Creek. There were no public roads to neighbor’s homes. Endre lived on the farm until his death in 1903. In 1912 Dordi donated part of her farm for land on which to build a creamery in Leland.
Four more children arrived in the Branstad home in America. Eight children grew to adulthood. They were Andrew, Peter, Mrs. Ole (Bridt) Michaelson, Mrs. Theodore (Helena) Husby, Engel and Edward of the Leland area; Mrs. Albert (Mildred) Thompson, Fosston, MN; and Mrs. Stanley (Petra) Saffell, New Richmond, MN.
Two Grytnes sisters, Dordi and Bridt, had married two Branstad brothers, Endre and Nels E. Back in Norway remained a Grytnes brother who had married a Branstad sister, establishing a three-way relationship.
The Grytnes sisters were very knowledgeable of the Bible, and it was said that young pastors often visited them to discuss various interpretations of the Bible.
The Branstads were first members of the Winnebago Lutheran church, then charter members of West Prairie Lutheran Church, remaining there until the church in Leland was built. At a meeting to discuss the building of the Leland Church, Dordi, an assertive woman for her time, stood up to announce that the Branstad family would pay for half of the new church building if the rest of the community would assume the other half. Andrew Branstad and Ole Michaelson were two of the organizers of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Leland.
Helene (Branstad) Iverson commented that her grandfather, Andrew, gave the church $1,000 to be used for parochial school education. The church then loaned out the money and used the interest money to pay the Christian education teachers each summer. Helene’s father, Helmer, had borrowed the money and ended up paying about $900 in interest before paying off his original loan. Andrew made a similar gift in Minnesota to ensure his grandchildren there were being given a Christian education.
Andrew Branstad married Ingeborg Nerley, also a native of Norway, and they purchased farmland in the Leland area. Their children were Edward and Gust of Wisconsin; Mrs. Levi (Dena) Larson, Helmer, Hazel, Carl, Wilma and two children who died as infants. Andrew helped organize the Leland Cooperative Creamery, the first cooperative creamery in Winnebago County. He also helped obtain two rural mail delivery routes out of Leland.
Engel and Dell (Olson Hage) Branstad’s children were Phillip, David, Mrs. H. P. (Daisy) Lien, Rudolph, Mrs. Harry (Esther) Larson, Mrs. Lloyd (Ellen) Cantrell and Ruth. Rep. Clifford Branstad, son of Phillip, has served the state of Iowa in legislature for a number of years.
Travelers along Highway 69 south of Leland are able to observe a large concrete cross on top of a hill on the east side of the highway. Rudolph Branstad, an 80 year old retired farmer, erected the cross on his land, durable to stand until the Lord’s return. The cross has now stood 25 years as a witness to all passing by.
Peter married Betsey Carlson and their children included Elmer, Ray, William (Ted), Palmer, Mrs. William (Mable) Groath, Mrs. Harry (hazel) Anderson, Mrs. Marion (Edith) Huglen, and Mrs. Paul (Mina) Kloster. Peter was one of the first Leland merchants before he began farming. The Leland VFW Post is named after Peter’s son, William (Ted) and Kermit Dahlen, two young men who lost their lives in World War II. Elmer’s son, Raymond, is a retired Synod Lutheran pastor.
Theodore and Helena (Branstad) Husby’s children were Ben, Mrs. Olaf (Evelyn) Knutson, Mrs. Art (Roscelia) Knudtson, Mrs. Mildred Albertson, Iver, John and Laurence. Roscelia and John are Lake Mills, Iowa residents.
Mildred married Arthur Albertson, also of Norwegian descent and spent the majority of their lives in and around the Kiester, Minnesota area. They had four children: Arthur Jr., Rachel, Ruth Ardene and David.
Ruth married Jerry Morrissey and they had three children: James Patrick, Thomas Gerald and Edward Arthur. Ruth currently lives in Adelanto, California where she teaches at Parkview Elementary. James Patrick married Katherine Rogers and they currently live in Hulbert, Oklahoma. To date they have four children: Jaimie Dakota, Ty Cody, Zachary James and Patrick Cole. Their first child, Brandi Nicole, died in a car accident at age 9. Jim is a U.S. Marshall for the state of Oklahoma.
Ruth’s middle child, Thomas Gerald, married Heather Firebaugh from the Springfield, Missouri area. They divorced in 2008 and Thomas currently lives in Springfield, Missouri, where he is a owner and managing attorney for the Morrissey Law Firm. Thomas enjoys spending time with his first child, Joshua and second child, daughter Elizabeth.
Ruth’s youngest child, Edward Arthur, married Patricia LeAnn Dean of Berryville, Arkansas and they currently live in Clayton, MO after splitting time between the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NY and Oak Hill, Virginia. Edward and LeAnn are busy raising their first child, Keilan Luke Morrissey who was born June 2, 2002. Ed is owner and Chief Creative Officer of Integrity, the leading interactive agency in St. Louis. LeAnn is founder and Chief Shower Officer of Operation Shower, a non-profit focused on supporting military families.
Both Ole and Bridt (Brandstad) Michaelson were born in Norway. Ole was president of the Farmers Savings Bank in Leland, first mayor of Leland and postmaster for a time. He became widely known as a grain dealer. Their children were Mrs. Millie Moen, Delia, Ruth, Mrs. G. S. (Agnes) Thompson, Clarence and Obed. Delia has worked in the Leland and Lake Mills post offices and Agnes was a former teacher at Lake Mills Public School. Both Agnes and Obed have sons who are Lutheran pastors.
Mrs. Albert (Mildred) Thompson’s children were Edna, Joseph, Bertha, Elizabeth, Ernest, Dora and Melvin, all from the Foston, MN, area.
Mrs. S. E. (Petra) Saffell’s children were Edna, Joseph, Bertha, Elizabeth, Ernest, Dora and Melvin, all from the Foston, MN area.
Over 250 Branstad descendants met at Terrace Hill, Des Moines, in 1990. Gov. Terry E. Branstad, a son of Edward and Rita Branstad, is a great-great grandson of Endre and Dordi. Terry is serving his fourth term as Iowa’s governor, having been a state representative prior to being elected governor. The Branstad family hopes to hold one more family reunion at Terrace Hill in 1997.
Dordi lived her final four years of live with her daughter, Helena Husby, in Forest City, Iowa. A granddaughter recalled hearing her grandmother praying aloud at night for her children, her children’s children, her chidren’s chidren’s children and the yet unborn generations that would follow. Dordi’s keen memory allowed her to inquire about her many descendants whenever family members visited her bedside. She died September 16, 1929, at the age of 94 years, probably the oldest resident of the county at the time. She left 46 grandchildren and 54 great-grandchildren to carry on the family lineage. She and Endre are buried at Forest Home Cemetery, east of Leland.