Map of some Ancestral Farm locations in Vefsn Community, Nordland

Highlighted in yellow, you can see Forsmoen, Hagfors and Oyen. 

Petra Hagfors' parents, Nils Mikkel Renfjeld & Nikoline Jorgine Oyen

Nils Mikkel Mikkelsen Renfjeld (Reinfjell) also went by the name of Nils på Øya. He was born on 17 Jul 1851 at Mosjoen, Nordland, Norway, son of Mikkel Jakobsen Reinfjell and Ane Sophie Gyth Jonsdatter . He married Nikoline Jorgine Olsdatter Øyen, , on 28 Jun 1874 at Vefsn. He appeared on the census of 1875 at Renfjeld. He died on 21 Apr 1922 at age 70. Nikoline Jorgine Olsdatter Øyen (Øien) was born on 14 Apr 1854 at Mosjoen, Nordland, Norway, daughter of daughter of Ole Pettersen Hundalvatnet and Anna Nilsdatter Øyen. She died on 16 Jul 1917 at age 63.

The Hagfors farm in Moose Lake, Minnesota

This wonderful drawing of the Hagfors Farm in Moose Lake, Minnesota was done by Rick Hagford in 1984 as a Christmas card.  The Nils and Petra Hagfors family lived here from 1919 onward.

Mother of Nils Hagfors, Nikolina Maria Nielsdatter Nedre Bjorna

Nikolina Maria Nielsdatter Bjørna Nedre.  She was born on 17 Jan 1842 at Mosjoen, Nordland, Norway.  She appeared on the census of 1865 at Hagfors.  She married Nils Lai Stenersen Hagfors, son of Stener Eriksen and Oline Persdatter Hundalen, on 14 Oct 1866 at Mosjoen, Nordland, Norway.  She appeared on the census of 1900 at Hagfors.  She died on 1 Jun 1923 at age 81.

Nils & Petra Hagfors Family, photographed 1914

This is a photograph of the Nils & Petra Hagfors family, taken in front of their home at "Over Oyen".  Nils Hagfors emigrated from Mosjoen, Norway in 1914.  This photo was taken the day before he left. 

Magda Hagfors is standing in the back, behind her mother Petra and her baby brother.

Tom Fossmo, 63rd Balloon Company, US Army Air Service, WW1

Tom Fossmo (Tormod Andressen Forsmo) joined the U. S. Army during World War I while living in South Dakota and working as a carpenter.  He enlisted as a private and was sent to the University of North Dakota - Grand Forks, School of Mines Training Detachment for training (8 Jul 1918 - 29 Aug 1918).  He was transferred to the 63rd Balloon Company, Air Service, U.S. Army, Fort Omaha, Nebraska on Aug 30, 1918.   Fort Omaha was the base for the 9th Naval District - Balloon and Airship Division, as was of the largest training centers for observation balloon crews in the United States.  On 21 Feb 1919, he was promoted to Private 1st Class.  Discharged on May 29th, 1919 at Fort Omaha.

Fort Omaha, 1919

More info on the Fort Omaha Balloon School can be found here:
http://www.omahahistory.org/fort_omaha.htm#Balloon%20School

The family of Tom Fossmo

The Forsmo farm, where Tom Fossmo (Tormod Andreasen Forsmo) was born, is situated south of the Fustvatnet (the Fusta lake), about 12 kilometres north of Mosjoen. His father, Andreas Petersen, was from the Langmoen farm in the same area, and was a son of farmer Peter Andreas Jørgensen and Petrine Andersdatter. They had an older son called Anders Petersen, who later became the farmer on Langmoen after them. His oldest son, Peter Andersen Langmo, appears to have emigrated to America in 1912. Andreas Petersen married Mathea Pauline Nilsdatter Brækken in 1888. It is written that their oldest son, Magnus, was born on the Langmoen farm in 1889. Their second oldest son, Asgar, was born on the Forsmo farm the following year. Then a daughter, Sara, was born in 1892, Tormod in 1894, another daughter, Gudrun, in 1895, Øistein in 1899 and Erling in 1901.

The mother, Mathea Pauline, was from Brækken, one of the Smedseng farms on the other side of the Fustvatnet. She was known as Forsmo-Mathea among her family. She had two younger brothers who went to America. Mikal Alfred went to America in 1892, but returned to Norway after a few years, and married a teacher from the Trøndelag district named Anna Bleke, whom he had met in Vefsn. Another brother, Andreas Mørk, arrived in Alaska in 1903 and became civil in Chicago in 1913. He also changed his name to Andrew Brakken. It is said that he became a logger in Arlington, Washington (Snohomish county), and married an (unknown) American woman. He only returned to Norway one time to visit his family.