Jacob Jensen Liestul

JACOB JENSEN LIESTUL

Utreist med/Emigrated on: the "SALVATOR"

Utreist til/Emigrated to: Merton township, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin - 1843.

Jacob Jensen Liestul: He is born ca 1808, probably in Siljan parish. He is probably the son of Jens Nielsen Wanneboe, who was
witness when Jacob married Berthe Cathrine Olsdatter Sept 8, 1837 in Gjerpen. She was the daughter of Ole Halvorsen Liestul, who
was the second witness at the wedding. Her mother was Turine Helgesdatter from Gulset, born ca 1797. Ole Halvorsen was from
Hillestad in Sansvær parish, Buskerud County and was born ca 1787. They married 1818 and Berthe cathrine was born on Liestul
January 29, 1819.

Jacob and Berthe Cathrine had the following children:

Ingeborg Jacobsdatter Lie (Ingeborg Jensen) (7-28-1838 to 11-23-1910) m. Gjeruld Jorgensen (1-18-1831 to 9-9-1860), son of Jorgen Gjertsen & Gunhild Gjerulvsdatter from Holt on 11- 30-1856. Ingeborg later married Sveinung Ellefsen (5-27-1832 to ?), son of Elef Svenningsen & Marte Andersdatter from Holt on 7-10-1863. Ingeborg immigrated with her parents.
          3. Jacob b. abt. 1857
          3. Olavus Gustinius (4-2-1859 to 1907)
          3. Elias Gilbert b. 12-1863
          3. Jens Andreas b. 4-30-1866
          3. Thomas Severin (4-25-1869 to abt. 1886)
          3. Syvert Andreas b. 2-11-1872
          3. Martin b. 12-14-1873
          3. Marie Berthine b. 8-15-1878
     2. Karen Thurine Jacobsdatter b. 9-16-1844
     2. Severin Jacobsen Died in an accident.

In the book "From the Indian Land" by Malcolm Rosholt,  we find a lot written about Jacob Jensen Liestul:

Jacob Jensen Listul settled first near Pine Lake in Waukesha County, and was probably a neighbour of Jacob Tollefson Rosholt. In 1850 the two men walked to Waupaca County to look over the prospects of settlement there. It is fairly certain that the approach to Town 23, Range l1 (later Scandinavia) was made from Sheridan and north through "Indihaugen" (Indian Hill) in the northern part of Farmington township and on into Scandinavia township. Here they met Hans Jacob Eliason living in a make-shift hut in Section 28. (Eliason moved a short time later to Section 15, the James Bestul farm.)

Listul and Rosholt left Eliason and continued north to what later came to be Section 4 in the northern part of the township and made pre-emption claims of 160 acres each. The land was not surveyed into quarter sections until 1852, but an earlier survey established the range and town lines. Family legend also holds that when the survey of the section lines was made in 1852, the Listul and Rosholt quarter lines were remarkably close to the official survey. Both men had had experience in American surveying methods and measurements and, probably used the north-west corner of the township as a bearing, paced eastward and then south to establish the limits of their claims. They were "squatters" in one sense of the word, but squatting had been made legal by the pre-emption act of 1842.

The two explorers erected huts on their land to "prove up" their claims and then returned to Waukesha county the same summer, but I have been unable to determine whether Listul came back that same year or returned in 1851 when the Rosholt family moved north.

The Listul-Rosholt farms lay next to each other, both encompassing an old lake bed which did not require much grubbing except for underbrush, but nevertheless containing some of the finest bottom land in Waupaca County. The Listul farm was taken over first by Ole Sether and around 1895 by Martin Bergan. The Listul cabin, which stood on the north side of Bestul road, was used by Bergan until 1910 when the frame house was built on the south side of the road and the cabin demolished.

Listul took no part in town politics. In 1857 he got $5 "for en vei over hans land" which is the way Town Clerk Knoph enters this in the record, meaning Listul got $5 damages for a road over his land. This is no doubt the present Bestul road which cut through the south forty of Listul's quarter section, a piece of land actually in the shape of an 'L' running north to modern highway 161.

Listul apparently did most of his trading at Knoph's store as his account, which begins Oct. 7, 1853 - a carryover from another book p.93 - runs to Oct. 12, 1855 and in turn is carried over with a debit of $8.25 and credit of $2.50. The account reveals that Listul was one of the first farmers to be raising spring wheat in Scandinavia township. In October, 1853 he was able to deliver 158 pounds of spring wheat to Knoph at 15 shillings per hundred weight for a credit of $2.96. Later he delivered six bushels of potatoes at 25c per bushel and four bushels of rutabagas, also at 25c per bushel. In August 1854 he delivered 86 pounds of rye flour at $3 per hundred and 39 pounds of bran which only brought 25c. In December the same year he brought in four and a half bushels of oats which he sold to Knoph at 31c per bushel.

Listul used his spare time in winter to make shake shingles. He delivered one bundle of "poor shingles" - in Knoph's opinion - for a credit of 62c, but a year later, in May 1855, delivered 3000 shingles for a credit of $6. The long shakes were made of clear pine, the blocks of wood cut to 18 or more inches and then split with an L-shaped frow and later trimmed at one end with a draw shave. The operator sat on a long half-log stool on which he held the shingle in a sort of vice secured by the operator's foot.

In the summer of 1853 Listul broke 3 1/10 acres of land for Knoph but wasn't paid until April 1854. A later entry for 1854 shows that he also got a credit of $5.80 for breaking 1 30/32 acres at $3 per acre. This new-break probably lay in the meadow along the west bank of Scandinavia creek just above the present dam. Knoph owned this forty. We can easily imagine him out early in the morning measuring the land Listul cleared down to the last inch!

Ingeborg Listul got a dollar in cash from Knoph in April 1854 "for a ride," probably to Waupaca. She paid 18c on her father's account in December and in May 1854 charged one green Orleans dress for $5.50, obviously a rather fancy dress for this part of the Indian Land. She was now 17 and probably approaching matrimony.

Listul was hoarding a 15 franc note which he probably exchanged for his Norwegian money at some French port en route to the United States. This French note he turned over to Knoph in May 1854 for a credit of 94c. He apparently was out hunting quite often as he made several purchases of fine shot, gunpowder and percussion caps. He never purchased meat from Knoph and probably depended mostly on venison and prairie chickens in these early years.

He was a light drinker although for the holidays he stocked up a bit. At Christmas time in 1853 he got two quarts of whisky for 25t, and for New Years two and a half quarts. On July 4, 1854 he came in for five quarts which cost 63c. He apparently never stopped at Knoph's for a shot across the bar.

Someone, probably Ingeborg, had purchased a Catechism on which there was a debit of one cent in February 1854. It is not possible to determine the reason for this entry, but on the basis of collateral evidence, Knoph did handle religious books at no profit and it is possible that the Catechism was purchased earlier for cash, lacking one cent, and as this had not been paid, he finally debited Listul for that amount.

The rest of the account is for groceries, tobacco, candles, and clothing materials. While a purchase for candles is recorded, the Listuls had a kerosene lamp. A wick was purchased in March 1854. Only a few families had a lamp at this early date.

Listul was apparently literate as he purchased paper and envelope in February 1854 for a letter to Pastor N.B. Brandt.
He was assessed on $250 in personal property in 1858.