Name/Title
Hovet family: Ole Knutson and Stina (Halvorson) Hovet, early residents, Buxton, Traill County, NDEntry/Object ID
2024.499.1Description
This family history folder contains numerous documents and photos on the life of Ole Knudtson Hovet and his wife Ostina 'Stina' Josephine (Halvorson) Hovet (photo, at left). Many of the photos and documents are included within this entry, but the folder at the Plummer House Museum includes others, particularly photos of Stina and her friends, which were part of the Hovet Collection donated to the TCHS Plummer House Museum in Hillsboro by George Olson, husband to Thelma (Hovet) Olson, Ostina's only daughter.
Ole Knutson Hovet was born as Ole Oleson on 31 July 1869 in Winneshiek County, Iowa, to parents Knudt Oleson and Julia (Jorgensdr.) Hovet (see Catalogit entry 2024.508.1). Stina (Halvorson) Hovet was born in June 1866 to parents Halvor Ole Halvorson and Engeborg Josephine Jorgensdr. in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. At age 21, Stina Halvorson came to Traill County in 1887. In the 1900 US Census, (below), Ole K. Hovet, age 31, and Stina Halvorson, age 34, were not together, but both resided in or near Buxton, ND. In 1898, Ole K. Hovet was employed as a clerk at Lerom & Hilleboe's store in Buxton (news, 18 March 1898, Hillsboro Banner). In 1900, Ole K. Hovet was employed as a "Salesman, Dry Goods" and he was listed as a lodger in a boarding house operated by Clara Jordahl in Buxton.
Ole K. Hovet and Ostina Halvorson married on 26 December 1902 in Grand Forks, ND (marriage license, below). On this license, they stated that their postal address was Buxton. From census records, we know that Ole K. and Stina (Halvorson) Hovet had three children, Kenneth, Irvin, and Thelma Hovet (Family Tree, below; also see a public Kvitne Hardin family tree in Ancestry.com). Their first child, Kenneth, was born in Buxton, or if a home birth, Buxton was given as his address (family tree, below). But, by 1910 (US Census, below), Ole K. and Stina had moved to the City of Hillsboro with three children, Kenneth, Irvin, and Thelma. Irvin and Thelma were both born in Hillsboro (see Fuller Studio family photo: Ken, Ivrin & Thelma, taken i about 1910). Their home was in Lot 3 in Block 8 of the Sargeant's Addition (map below). This home was under mortgage to the State Bank of Buxton and was deeded to Stina Hovet in 1916 (see Hillsboro Banner, 11 February 1916).
Kenneth Orien Hovet was born on 2 March 1904 in Buxton, ND. Kenneth was raised and attended schools in Hillsboro, ND. Ken is shown in a photo with a friend, Olina Trontvedt. After high school, Ken attended St Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he graduated in 1927 (photo). Ken went on to earn a doctorate in education at the University of Minnesota in 1950, and five years later taught at the University of Maryland in Brunswick, MD. On 10 August 1952, Kenneth Hovet married Mary Rockwell in Brunswick, which was described in "The Semi-Weekly News" issue of 15 August 1952, Frederick, Maryland (marriage news, below). Ken and Mary establish a home in Baltimore, MD. They had one son, Kenneth Orian Hovet Jr., who was born on 19 May 1961. Kenneth Sr. passed away on 1 Feb 1971 in Ellicott City, MD, and was buried in Park Heights Cemetery in Brunswick, MD (US Find-a-Grave info).
Irvin Jennings Hovet was born on 28 April 1906 in Hillsboro, ND. Irvin also attended schools in Hillsboro and then St Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he graduated in 1929 (photo). Irvin became an accountant for a rural electric cooperative in Anamosa, Iowa. On 7 May 1933, Irvin Jennings Hovet married Grace Wineinger (photo, below) in Anamosa, and they resided on a rural property in Fairview Township near Anamosa. Irvin and Grace had one child, daughter Nancy Ann Hovet (photo, below). Nancy was born on 8 Mar 1935 in Webster City, IA (info, courtesy Travis Nelson). Nancy married Roger Lundstrom in Anamosa, IA on 7 August 1956, After graduating from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA, Nancy taught at middle and high schools. Nancy passed away on 18 January 2023 in Rockford, IA. Irvin Hovet passed away on 12 July 1964 in Anamosa and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Anamosa. Grace lived another 20 years, passing away in 1984. She was buried next to Irvin in the Riverside Cemetery (US Find-a-Grave info).
Thelma Josephine Hovet was born 5 June 1908 in Hillsboro where she attended school. In the 1925 ND Census, Thelma was 16 years old and living with her mother, Stina, and brother Irvin in their home in Hillsboro. In the 1930 US Census, Thelma was now 21 and was employed as a stenographer for a real estate and insurance company in Hillsboro, where Thelma continued to live with her mother Stina. By the time of the 1940 US Census, Thelma was 31 and had moved to Grand Forks where she was employed as a secretary in a law office and was a lodger in the home of Henry and Julia Kaiser. Thelma went on to become a lawyer, earning a Law Degree at the University of North Dakota on 8 June 1937, the only female student in UND's Law School. In 1938, Thelma, age 35, went to Bismarck to practice Law (Hillsboro Banner, 5 March 1943, below). At the age of 39, Thelma married George Olson, age 34, on 2 Apr 1947 in Iowa City, IA (marriage record, Johnson County, IA, below). George and Thelma's marriage was described in the 25 April 1947 issue of the Hillsboro Banner (below). After marrying, they continued to reside and work in Bismarck, ND, where George worked for the Leader newspaper, and Thelma practiced law. George was born on 17 February 1913 and raised on his parent's farm by Charlson, ND, located east of Williston, ND. George graduated from high school in Ray, ND, located about 35 miles NE of Williston. In July 1948, George and Thelma had a daughter, Gerry Josephine Hovet, who was born in Bismarck. In the 1950s, George and Thelma served at the American Embassy in Cairo, Egypt (news, Hillsboro Banner, 21 July 1955, below). Thelma Hovet Olson (photo, below) passed away, age 73, in Minot, ND, on 1 October 1982 (ND Certificate of Death, below). Thelma was buried next to her brother, Irvin, and mother, Ostina, in the Riverside Cemetery in Anamosa, IA (US Find-a-Grave info).
Ole Knutson Hovet passed away in January 1917, based on an estate petition published in the Hillsboro Banner on 23 February 1917 by Stina Hovet (copy of Banner article below). Evidently, Ole K. Hovet owed the Hillsboro National Bank $330.36 at the time of his death, as documented in a Hillsboro Banner news item published on 4 May 1917 (below). No obituary or death record has been found for Ole Knutson Hovet.
Stina (Halvorson) Hovet lived for over 40 years after her husband Ole K. Hovet passed in 1917. In the 1920 US Census, Stina (Halvorson) Hovet continued to reside on Fifth St. in Hillsboro with her three children, Kenneth (age 15), Irvin (13), and Thelma (11). At age 65, on 19 June 1936, Stina Hovet signed her name as an attendee of the Old Settler's Picnic in Hillsboro, and noted that she had 3 children and came to Traill County in 1887. For three years to 1955, Stina lived in Egypt while her daughter Thelma and son-in-law George served at the American Embassy (see visa photo at the top of this file, and first page of Stina's visa, below). Three years later, Stina (Halvorson) Hovet passed away on 9 May 1958 in Montgomery County, Alabama, and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Anamosa, IA (US Find-a-Grave grave-marker, below).
Stina's Norwegian Tina Box was donated by her son-in-law, George Olson, to the Traill County Historical Society's Plummer House Museum in Hillsboro, ND (photo).Acquisition
Accession
2024.499Source or Donor
George OlsonLocation
* Untyped Location
Resource RoomBuilding
Plummer House
