Velgjerd

Velgjerd Leikvold was my great-grandmother's sister.

She was born in Norway on April 19, 1856.

When Velgjerd was 13 years old, she came to the United States

with her parents and siblings.

But the story of Velgjerd is a sad one....

I have never seen any pictures of Velgjerd, and I don't know if any exist,

but I am sure she was a pretty young woman, since her sisters were

very attractive (I have seen photos of them).

While still a teenager of 18 or 19, Velgjerd married Andre Ellingboe.

While no specific details were given to me, relatives in Iowa have

told me that Andre severely mistreated his young wife.

This information has been passed down for  about 140 years now;

which may be an indication of how serious the

mistreatment was.

 In 1876 Velgjerd gave birth to a baby girl, also named Velgjerd.     

There were problems, and the baby was baptized at birth.  

 The new mother and her baby daughter died on May 22, 1876

They were buried in one casket at the Silver Lake Cemetery in Iowa.

After the death of his wife and infant daughter, Andre Ellingboe changed

his name to "Thompson" and  that is the name he put on the

stone at the cemetery.

While it was fairly common for women and babies to die in childbirth in those days,

this information raises a few questions that will never be answered.

Poor, poor Velgjerd.