Belatedly, here’s the Mystery Family of the Day for 14 May: Kristian Oscar Blixrud, born 23 Aug 1881 and d 14 May 1882, just 9 months old. He was the third of five children born to Karl Nilsen Blixrud (b. 12 Aug 1844 in Hakadal, Norway and d. 12 Aug 1887 in Cass County, ND) and Martina Nelson (b. abt 1859 in Norway and d unknown). I believe that the father Karl is the brother of my great grandfather Jens Nilson Blixrud (1841-1909) and who emigrated to the US with Jens, their sister Andrina, and father Nils Sørenson Blixrud. That would make Kristian my grandfather John Benjamin Blixrud’s first cousin, and my 1st cousin 2x removed.
Blixrud Kristian Oscar 1882 Grave Marker
Blixrud Kristian Oscar and Anne Karine 1882
Blixrud Anne Karine Nielsen 1882 Gravestone
Why “mystery family”? Well, other than a land grant deed for property in northern MN which may be for Karl, and handful of census clues, we know very little about him and his family. Little Kristian died the day before his sister Anne Karine, who was just two years older than he. Was there an epidemic of some sort? An older daughter Dina survived until her 30s. Per the 1885 census two more children were born following the deaths of Kristian and Anna, but after Karl’s death in 1887 I’m unable to trace his widow Martina and the remaining children. Did she move away? Remarry? There is a lovely stone in the Norman Cemetery, Cass County, for Karl and the two children, and the children each have their own marker as well. Presumably the family did the children’s markers before Karl died; did Martina dedicate the family stone? And where did she go? Why don’t we know anything about them, when other relatives of similar degree have their stories so closely entwined with ours?