I was so excited to stumble unto this site. I realized that all the people who posted messages on this board are actually related. That astounded me and after you read this story, you very likely will be, too.
We are all descendants of John Olson Borstad, born 1799 in Stjordal, Norway and Ingeborg Madsdtr Kleven, born 1808, in Hegra, Norway. They had eight children. Two of them emigrated to America. Ola Johnson Quittem, born 1839, came through Canada on his way to Wanamingo, Minnesota. His brother, Johan Johnson Kvittem, born 1849, emigrated in 1871 to the Kenyon (Cherry Grove Township), Minnesota area, a short distance away. You may be wondering, “How can this be? Why do they all have different last names? Then you are well on the way to the discovery why these two brothers didn’t spell it the same, either.
In Norway, you were given your first name at birth. Your second name was that of your father. Your last name told something about you, to separate you from others with the same name. Kvittem/Quittem means “White house.†In other words, you were the one who lived in the white house, or on the farm with the white house. They moved onto or purchased a portion (possibly lower eastern) of the Kvittem farm in 1847. Prior to that they were on the Borstad farm. With your last name changing from place to place, it didn’t take on much significance for these folks. The 1880 census found one brother simply calling himself Johan Johnson. In the mid 1700’s, Lars Hofstad took over the Borstad farm, probably through marriage. He was John Borstads grandfather. My earliest record of the Kvittem ancestral line begins with Lars Hansen Hofstad, born in the mid 1600’s.
I don’t get too concerned about whether my name should be spelled Kvittem or Quittem, when it is apparent that it could have been spelled Johnson or Borstad or Hofstad… At least the first two are close to the same spelling. Because of this, the likelihood of other Kvittems being related to us is slim. For all of you who have left messages on this board to be related is amazing. Most likely each of you recognized the proximity of your origins.
I have extensive records of the Johan Kvittem descendants. I do not have any of the Ola Quittem descendants. I would be interested in filling in this branch, as well. I also have all that can be found (probably) of the records of their Ancestors. Some of our relatives still live on the Kvittem Farm in Norway, located between Stjordalshalsen and Hegra, 15 to 20 miles east of Trondheim.
My lineage is John Borstad -> Johan Kvittem -> John Adolf Kvittem -> Myron Kvittem -> Owen Kvittem.