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ALISON WANGSNESS CLEMENT - PATERNAL LINE
The name Wangsness comes from a small town in the fjords of Norway--Vangsnes. Alison is the first in this line who is not 100% Norwegian. Her great-great grandfathers on her father's paternal side, Herman Wangsness and Lasse Bothun were one of thirteen families who crossed the plains in covered wagons in 1873 to settle in Dakota territory. Their early homesteading experiences formed the basis of the classic Norwegian-American novel "Giants in the Earth". This book was written by Ole Rolvaag, who married Jenny Berdahl (a relative, probably Alison's great-grandmother's niece) who apparently supplied a good deal of the settlement information to Rolvaag. Alison's great-grandparents on her father's maternal side immigrated from Norway in the late 19th century/early 20th century.
ALISON WANGSNESS CLEMENT - MATERNAL LINE
Alison's grandfather, Bill Stead, was born near Manchester, England, but his single mother, Elizabeth, could not care for him. So when Elizabeth's sister and her family moved to America, she sent her 7-year-old son with them. He crossed the Atlantic on the Lusitania in 1911 (the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915). Mother and son never saw each other again, but they did keep in touch with letters and pictures. When Elizabeth died, per her request, she was buried with a picture of Bill's three daughters. Alison's grandmother, Jane Stead, was the only girl in a family of six children. Jane's grandparents immigrated to the States from Germany about 1885, settled in Pittsburgh and had nine children. They eventually bought a 40-acre farm in Standish, Michigan. In 1919, their house burned to the ground. Two of their sons built a new house on the property. The farm is no longer in the family, but most of the Steads and Schreibers still reside in Michigan.
MATT CLEMENT - PATERNAL LINE
Clement is a sept of the Lamont Clan, one of the oldest of Scottish clans. The Clement farm in North Berwick, Maine was deeded to the Clement family in 1834, although the farm was built at an earlier date.
MATT CLEMENT - MATERNAL LINE
Matt's grandmother, Eliza Aubert, was one of 18 children.
REUNIONS
Jane Stead's 90th Birthday Party/Family Reunion September 2000
Clement Family Reunion July 2001
Eliza Aubert's 90th Birthday Party/Family Reunion April 2002
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