The picture shows the 1860 census for my gg-grandparents, Christian Benson and his wife Betsy. Their actual Norwegian names were Christen and Brita Bendikson Nistad (or Nissestad). Many Norwegians after arriving in America would change/Americanize their names. As you can see in the census not only did they change they last name (Bendikson) to Benson but they changed their first names also. Brita became Betsy and their two daughters Ingeborg and Gjertrud became Emily and Jane. Norwegians having two last names (their surname and the name of the farm they lived on) had a choice of what they wished their last name to be. My g-grandfather Sjur Markusson Dyrdal changed his name to Sivert (Syvert) Markusson when he arrived in the United States. His nephews who were born on the same farm as he was used the farm name Dyrdal but with a slight spelling change (Dyrdahl) for their last names.  ¶ 9:35 AM 0 comments

 
This is a picture of my ggg-grandfather Abner Fish. He was born in Southeastern Pennsylvania in 1795. He lived in that region until the mid-1850's when he and his family moved to Dallas County, Iowa. He died in 1891 at the age of 96. Two features stand out about him. One his size and two is his longevity. It had been said of him that he and his father and grandfather were "a giant race of men". He had a grandson that was at least 6 feet 7 inches if not taller. His daughter Beulah lived to be 94 years old and she had two sons (each by a different father) that lived to be over 100.  ¶ 11:43 AM 0 comments