Personal Info________________________________________
Father: Lars A. Tveit
Born: October 22, 1851 Tveit Farm, Hardanger District Norway
Died: July 7, 1938 Britt, Iowa Age 86
Parents: Arne & Kari Tveit
Mother: Martha Busteheim
Born: July 10, 1866 Odda Norway
Died: February 5, 1907 Near Thor, Iowa Age 40
Parents: Unknown
Married: In 1882 for 25 years
Buried:
Lars A. Tveit: Rose Hill Cemetery, Eagle Grove, Iowa.
Tveit Family Plot.
Martha Busteheim: West Ullensvang Cemetery,
South of Thor, Iowa.
Exact location of the grave is unknown.
___________________________________________________
Lars Tveit was a farmer and probably worked on the Tveit farm in Norway through much of his early life. The farm had the usual cows and sheep with small fields of corn and potatoes. There also was haymaking, especially hard work. In addition, the records in Bergen mention that he was a coastal sailor in the north part of the country.
Martha’s background is unknown. She was barely sixteen when her first son was born, and was about half Lars’s age when the two were married.
In 1883 the family moved to America, most likely because Lars was the second oldest, instead of the oldest son and would therefore not inherit any land. They entered America through Ellis island. While they were being processed, a Negro held the baby son Arne. This scared Martha who had never seen a black man before. She was no doubt quite relieved when her boy was returned to her and the family was safely on their way west.
The Tveits lived in Wisconsin for six years, then moved near Thor, Iowa, in Humboldt County. Since much of the nearby farmland at the time was laced with sloughs, Lars was able to make a living putting in tile. Later in life his shoulders would become rounded from the hard work.
After suffering from poor health, Martha passed away at what would be considered a young age by modern standards. In those days, the coffin was taken to the house after the church service. While watching over the remains, her son Carl used a rusty pin to remove a sliver. Blood poisoning ensued and he ended up dying just four days after his mother.
But there was good news as well. Later in the summer of that same year, the oldest son, Arne, got married. The romance proved to be a blessing in disguise as Arne’s wife happened to have a widowed mother, Bertha Larsen. Like Lars, she was a hard working Norwegian and had just seen the last of her six children leave home. The two ended up tying the knot on June 10, 1910. (To put this another way, Lars married his daughter-in-law’s mother.)
Lars and Bertha were together for twenty-three years, living in Thor and later Eagle Grove. Since Lars was a quiet man, Bertha did most of the talking and made many of the decisions.
Lars enjoyed good health his entire life and rarely had to see a doctor. This proved to be a mixed blessing as he lived to see his last son Arne die in 1929. Four years later, his second wife Bertha was dead. These events coupled with the Great Depression saddened him. During family gatherings, the adults would have one of the children give him a dollar bill. Tears would form in his eyes as he took the money from his great-granddaughter. Tears, perhaps, of a man displaced.
Following Bertha’s death, Lars went to live with his daughter-in-law, Arne’s widow Anna. After Anna passed away unexpectedly in 1936, Lars was moved to Britt, Iowa to be cared for by Bertha’s oldest son Chris and his family. Two years later, the ancient immigrant finally breathed his last.
Children of Lars & Martha Tveit Arne Tveit – Farmer Born: August 5, 1882Died: February 8, 1929 Carl Tveit – Farmer Born: November 17, 1884Died: February 9, 1907 John Tveit "Johnny" Born: UnknownDied: Unknown Only lived to be fourteen, dying soon after being confirmed. Two daughters passed away in early childhood, possibly from scarlet fever. Nothing more is known about them.
🏠Home 