Botterud/Peterson Family of Curtiss, WI
Poster: Svein Botterud
Email: sbotteru@online.no

Surnames: BOTTERUD HAGEN JOHNSON PETERSON POTTERUD

Thank you for confirming my records. I now have the confirmation that Carl actually married Anna Peterson, though I have recorded it as Anne Peterson according to the family history book that I got from his father's grandson's wife who still lives in Bozeman, Montana. I think I have to scan the booklet and have it transferred to you for yours and Clark county historical records records. The family must have been some of the pioneers in Curtiss settling in the 1870's.

I have a scanner and will send you the records if you want. You just tell me. Otherwise I'm just amazed of the effort the two of you give for the county's history records. It must be one of the NATION's best (I mean it). And of course I have had a glance a the cemetery indexes without finding anything yet. Just need some time I believe. Still I have not found anything on the family that called themselves Johnson in the records. They were the first settlers of the family in Curtiss.

Another thing, in the early part of the 20th century, the use of tractors was very uncustomary in Norway. One of the Botterud descendants managed somehow to send a Fordson tractor back to Norway to the then resident farmer of Botterud so that he became the first farmer to have that in the district north of Lillehammer. That must have happened in the very early part of the century, as my father who was borne in 1908 remembered that he grew up at the only farm in the district with a mechanized tractor. I remembered to see it in the 1960'ies when visiting the farm and it's sawmill owned by an uncle of mine. The tractor then disappeared and was lost most likely to become nails during the 60's (unfortunately).

One question that pops into mind. As you are familiar with the Curtiss area, were there a specific Norwegian church or cemetery there If so, is that now lost I would believe that the family either moved away and sold the homestead or changed their name. Anyway I have lost the track. I know there were two Gunder Johnsons in the Nellisville area from the 1880 census, and I have the name of the children, I still don't know where they went. Nothing in the booklet and nothing else so far. I have found a missed brother and his descendants into the Trempealeau area of Wisconsin, more specifically Hale, where they married into the Hagen family. Bertha Gunda Potterud was the one.

Again please keep me posted on news and changes to the Clark information. I'll be looking in every now and then, but it's nice to have someone keeping an eye out for news. And again tell me if you want to have the scans of the family records which relate to Clark County, WI.

Svein Botterud, Norway Tel.: 47 67 54 70 62 Mob.: 47 90 62 36 01