Tomas Olson HELLE

1811 - 1892  (81 years)

• Name	Tomas Olson HELLE
  Birth	14 May 1811	Vang i Valdres, Oppland, Norway
  	Skreberget
  Gender	Male
  Death	16 Oct 1892	Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
  Burial	Valders Cemetery, Valders, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
  Notes	Came to the U.S in 1848. Bought his land in the Town of Liberty in Manitowoc County in 1850. As reproduced on his Find A Grave page, this is from the Helle Thompson Cabin web site: Thomas Olson Helle and Kari Evensen Helle were the first inhabitants of the Helle-Thompson Cabin at Pinecrest Historical Village. Thomas Olson Helle was the first son of Ola and Marit, who were married in 1801 in Norway. Ola died at the early age of 48 in 1821, leaving Marit with her three small sons, Thomas, Stephen, and Ole. The lives of the widow and her three children were ones of hardship and struggle, but together they managed to survive on the Helle farm. Thomas, the eldest son, would, by tradition, inherit the family farm. In 1846, brothers Stephen and Ole traveled to the Wisconsin territory from Norway and were able to share many details and personal impressions. They found work as carpenters and explored the unsettled lands on densely forested Manitowoc County. The brothers sent letters home to family and friends detailing the opportunities in Wisconsin. By 1848, Thomas had married and he and his wife, Kari, had 4 children—three sons: Ole, Even, and Thomas, and a daughter, Marit. Life was hard in Vang. The growing season was short and the climate became extremely damp, with excessive precipitation, for several generations. Crops failed and grain was difficult to dry. Despite the fact that they had never left their valley, Thomas and Kari determined to bring their family to America too.
  Person ID	I29632	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	11 Nov 2025

  
  

  Father	Ole Tomasson HELLE,   b. 1779   d. 1821 (Age 42 years)
  Mother	Marit Steffansdatter BREKKEN,   b. 1781, Vang i Valdres, Oppland, Norway d. 20 Aug 1852, Lake Erie (Age 71 years)
  Family ID	F20589	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Kari Evensdatter HØYME,   b. 28 Jan 1810, Vestre Slidre i Valdres, Oppland, Norway d. 18 May 1882, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin (Age 72 years)
  Marriage	3 Nov 1840	Lomen, Vestre Slidre i Valdres, Oppland, Norway
  	some sources say, erroneously, 1839
  Children	1. Even THOMPSON,   b. 14 Nov 1842, Vang i Valdres, Oppland, Norway d. 26 Jun 1919, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin (Age 76 years)
  Family ID	F20588	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	11 Nov 2025