Bertha Marie Bronson
Bertha is my 3rd great grandmother. She is buried at Grace Lutheran Cemetery in Winchester, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Her Find A Grave memorial can be seen here.
Bertha was born Birte Marie Gulbrandsdatter in Slagsvold, Ostre Toten, Innlandet (formerly Oppland), Norway. Bertha was the only daughter of Gulbrand Hansen and Hellene Johannsdatter and was born 24 December 1849 and baptized 31 March 1850.
On 22 May 1850, Gulbrand, Hellene, son Hans, and daughter Bertha departed from the port at Drammen, Norway for North America. The bark Drafna arrived in the port of New York on 31 July 1850. The family was presumably coming to meet Hellene’s brother Christian Johnson who had arrived in the US in 1845 and settled in Wisconsin.
Sadly, Gulbrand and Hellene died shortly after arriving in the US and Bertha was taken in by her uncle Christian’s family. Bertha is sometimes listed as Johnson in records, but appears to have adopted the surname Bronson (as did her brother Hans) after the death of her parents.
Bertha was confirmed in 1864 at Grace Lutheran Church in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. In 1870, the US Federal Census records Bertha still at home with her uncle Christian and living in the home was also a farm worker named Hans Erickson. Hans and Bertha married on 12 October 1870 and daughter Bertha Helen arrived in April 1871.
Bertha and Hans would go on to have 9 more children during their over 50 years of marriage. The Ericksons were the hosts of many large family reunions and parties. Bertha died after a short illness on 19 May 1926. Her husband and 9 of her 10 children survived her.
WitzEnd Family History 