Ole Jondall's Story (Anders Olson's BIL)
Central Iowa was booming in the 1880's, with new cities popping up all over the prairie and new tracks of railroad were being built everyday. Settlers first arrived in the area in the 1850's and the county had a population of only 250 people in 1852. However, by the 1880's the population had risen to 17,000. The first wave of Norwegian immigration into central Iowa came in the 1850's. This group of Norwegians had first settled in Illinois before coming into Iowa. Story City, Iowa was first laid out as a town in 1878 and was incorporated in 1881.
Ole Jondall's two brothers, Lars and John had already emigrated to Iowa in the 1870's. Hearing about the opportunities was probably a big pull for Ole to emigrate to the United States. All three brothers built houses and barns using wooden pegs to hold the beams together. A technique they brought with them from Norway. Ole had also been trained in cabinet making, so his skills were very much needed in the growing town of Story City. The three brothers took Jondall as their last name, which was the name of the village where they were born in Norway.
Ole Jondall was born on October 23, 1851 and his birth is recorded in church records in the Strandebarm Parish. This parish was adjacent to the Kvinnherad Parish, where Elsie Olson was born. We can only guess on how Ole and Elsie might have met. Maybe through a church event or he might have been in the area working as a carpenter. Through family stories we do know that he was engaged to Elsie before he left Norway in 1882. He first wanted to get established in Story City and secure a home. He sent for her a year later and in 1883 she arrived in Iowa with her brother Anders.
Ole and Elise were married at St Petri Lutheran Church (Story City) in November of 1883 and were life long members of the church. They went on to have seven children: Louis, Thea, Selius, Henry, Lena, Ella and Maria.
Ole Jondall
I am only going to guess that when he first arrived he helped his brothers build homes, businesses and barns. In the 1900 census it shows that he was a "dealer in furniture", so at some point he started selling and building furniture. I was able to find newspaper ads for his furniture store starting in 1887. So only a mere four years after coming to Story City, he was already a business owner. I will put a few of the ads below.
1900 United States Census
Article in the Story City Herald from 1897
Story City Herald ad from 1894
Story City Herald November 4, 1887
From newspaper research, it shows that Ole and a man named Alexander Henderson went into partnership in the furniture store in 1898 and later moved it to the main street in Story City.
Grand opening 1902
Jondall and Henderson Building
While looking at some things in their museum, I saw an old banner with various ads on it and one of ads was for Jondall and Henderson Furniture Store. The ad is in the upper right hand side. This must have hung somewhere in town.
A closer look
Looks like they had plain and parlor furniture for sale, along with pianos, carpets, rugs and curtains! Here are some ads I found in the Story City Herald Newspaper.
Ole's business partner Alexander Henderson
Mr. Henderson was very active in the community by being on the school board, city council and was also the mayor. In the early 1930's he went into the furniture business in Ames, Iowa. I believe his son Lester took over the furniture business in Story City.
A couple of items I saw at the museum made me wonder, if this was something that was sold at the Jondall Furniture Store?!
I also wonder if this old dresser (below) that was Dorthea Miller's was bought from Ole's store. I wouldn't be surprised. Dorthea brought it with her when she moved from Iowa to Oklahoma in 1901.
Another view of Main Street in Story City. The furniture store is the one in the middle with the curved roof.
Pictures of the inside of the furniture store.
Here are some better pictures of the interior of their furniture store. From the Story City Herald 1905
Not only was he busy with his furniture store, but he owned farms in Minnesota and Wyoming, which two of his sons operated. He would go out during the summers to check on the properties.
In March of 1914, he decided to sell his interest in the furniture store to his partner Alex Henderson.
It appears from these articles in the Story City Herald, he was very involved in his community, whether it was donating to the "old Folks" home, serving on a jury or helping a friend in need.
These articles from the Story City Herald seem to show he had a sense of humor.
He must have liked pumpkin pies!
A funny cartoon that the paper put different businessman's faces on these characters. I see him twice I think in the far left of the cartoon.
I was looking through the local history section at Story City's library and pulled out this box that had no markings on it, but I decided to take a look anyway and thank goodness I did. It was a collection of stories from local families. I came across a one page story on Ole and Elsie written by their grandson Ted Barnes. He had written it in 1995. I was so excited because it gave information on Ole and Elsie that I had never heard before. I couldn't believe that the library didn't mark on the box what was inside. What a treasure! This was one of the documents I used to tell his story above.
Here is what Ted Barnes wrote about his grandparents.
"Ole Jondall emigrated to Story City from Norway in the 1870's. (actually it was 1882) Two of his brothers Lars and John, came about the same time. When they came to the United States, they took the surname of Jondall, the name of the village where they lived in Norway, except they spelled it with two L's rather than one. When Ole Jondall left Norway, he was engaged to marry Elsie Olson. Early in the 1880's he sent for her. ( I believe she came over when Anders emigrated) Their marriage is listed in the records of the St. Petri Lutheran Church in Story City, of which they were life long members.
Ole Jondall was born on October 23, 1851 and it is noted in the Strandebarm Parish records. Elsie Olson was born in the adjacent parish of Kvinnherad.
Ole Jondall was a cabinetmaker. The two brothers, John and Ole, also built houses and barns using wooden pegs to hold the beams together, a technique they brought with them from Norway. Along with his vocation as a cabinetmaker, Ole was also a retail furniture dealer. His shop was located on Pennsylvania, to the south of the Munsen auto dealership. About the turn of the century, Alex Henderson and Ole entered into a partnership in the furniture business, including undertaking, which culminated in the construction of a new building on Broad Street, called the Jondall and Henderson Block. An interesting observation is that this building is still a furniture store (Wierson's ) nearly a century later. His skill as a cabinetmaker can still be seen in the stores that once housed Charlson's Clothes shop and H.T Hauge Dry Goods.
The Ole Jondall residence located on South Park Avenue and the home of his brother John, next door to the north, both still stand. Many "newcomers" arriving on the Iowa Central were welcomed in their home with their first meal and a place to stay. Ole Jondall died August 20, 1929, after a long battle with oral cancer."
There is more about Elsie, but I will save that when I write a blog post about her.
Ole and Elsie Jondall's home
Ole became sick with mouth cancer in May of 1929
Ole Jondall died later that year on August 20th, 1929. The article below says they would be printing an obituary in a later paper, but a copy of it must not have survived, because I was unable to find it. I am sure it would have been quite the write up because he was one of the founding members of the community and much respected.
Ole Larson Jondall
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