| Name | Christian Johannensen Grimsrud  |
| Birth | 23 Apr 1843, Grepperud, Akershus, Høland, Norway |
| Death | 19 Jan 1924, Appleton, Minnesota, USA |
| Burial | Appleton Cem., Minnesota, USA |
| Father | Johanes Christensen Grepperud (1813-<1865) |
| Mother | Karen Halvorsdatter (1812-1891) |
| 1 | Bertha Sirina Johnson |
| Birth | 25 Jan 1846, Storosund, Norway |
| Death | abt 31 Oct 1923, Appleton, Minnesota, USA |
| Burial | Appleton, Minnesota, USA |
| Marriage | 1 Mar 1883 |
| Children | Martin J. (~1885-1941) |
| 2 | Johanna Hansdatter Larson Hvesser |
| Birth | 14 Mar 1851, Trøgstad, Ostfold, Norway |
| Death | 29 Oct 1881, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Burial | Lot 97 P So 1/2, Minneapolis, MN. |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Father | Hans Larson Hvesser (1824-1895) |
| Mother | Anne Gundersdatter Flåtten (1824-1899) |
| Marriage | 15 Apr 1879, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Children | Alma Carolina (1880-1958) |
| Johanna "Jenny" Hildora (1881-1963) |
| 3 | Gunhild "Julia" Gunderson |
| Death | 19 Feb 1877, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Burial | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Marriage | 29 Oct 1872 |
| Children | Augusta (1874-~1930) |
In 1885 census Dakota Territory, Walsh Co. Census he is listed with wife Sarah (Bertha Sirina) and children: Gerta age 10, Alma age 5, Martin age 2
He filed for naturalization in North Dakota territory Walsh Co. June 28, 1889 Walsh Co. Vol. d4 p061 June 14 1890 Walsh Co. Vol. f15 p 058
He also filed for land patents in Walsh Co. 10/20/1884 bought 160 acres of farmland NW 12/ township 158-N 53W 3/3/1898 patented 40 acres of forest land also in Walsh Co.
Christian Johannsen Grimsrud was born April 23,1842 in Høland, Norway. (Høland is north of Østfold county in Askersus. His parents were Johannes Christiansen and Karen Halvorsdatter Grimsrud. Christian was the oldest of five children, two boys and three girls.
In 1865 Christian was 23 (his father was deceased), Christian's widowed mother had been given her father's farm, Grimsrud Farm of Trøgstad Parish in Østfold. Her father Lars Halvorsen lived to be at least 86 years old, but was blind in his old age and was living with Karen, Christian and his three sisters. The farm had been in Karen's family since 1768 when it was purchased by Karen's grandfather Lars Halvorsen. Christian helped run the farm. His younger brother Halvor was a deckman on a/the "Indsøes" Steamship. In 1865 the family owned 2 horses, 5 cattle, and 4 sheep. In that year they produced 8 measures of oats, 4 measures of potatoes, 1 measure of barley, and a half measure of rye to support their family of six.
In 1869 Christian, his mother and his three sisters Lovise age 30, Johanne age 18, and Bollette age 11 immigrated to America. They were traveling on the same contract ticket to RED WING, Minnesota. They sailed on the ODER. The ODER was a Wilson Line feeder ship, and sailed to Hull, England. They took a train to Liverpool, and sailed on a transatlantic steamship to America. They landed at the port of Detroit, Michigan May of 1869.
When they first arrived in America Christian located at Faribault. Later he moved to Minneapolis were he lived for ten years and worked "In the lumber business". Christian must have found life in America full of hardship. He married Julia Gundersen, but she died in 1877 when their little girl Gusta was about four years old. He married again, Johanna (Jenny) Hansdatter Vesser. Jenny was also from Trøgstad, Norway. Jenny died at age 30 October 29, 1881 from typhoid. At age 39 Christian was now twice windowed and a father of three daughters: Gusta 4, Alma (Jenny's and Christian's first daughter) about age 2, and a infant daughter named Jenny. Christian, unable to care for his infant daughter gave her to his wife's parents Hans Larsen Vesser and Anne Gundersdatter Fløtten to raise.
After the opening of the Red River Valley for homesteading, Christian and his two daughters Alma and Gusta travel by covered wagon to Grafton in the Dakota territories. In Grafton on March 1, 1883 he married Bertha Sirina Johnson. Soon Christian was the father a son Martin. Christian and Bertha lost their second son at eighteen months of age.
October 10, 1884 Christian bought a Land Patent for 160 acres in Walsh county of the Dakota territory. In 1898 Christian had a homestead land patent on 40 acres of timber land also in Walsh county. He homesteaded in Grafton for more than 26 years.
Christian retired from active farming in 1909. In 1912 he and Bertha spent a year in Portland, OR. They spent the remainder of their lives in Appleton MN. He died March 19, 1924 at age 81, at 10:25 A.M. of a stroke.. Bertha preceded him in death by only a few months.
-biography written and researched by his great granddaughter Linda Rawles rawles@usa.net