Found in the 1920 U.S. Census! The Martin and Kari Fjeld Family

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Sunday...

This morning, for the first time in ages, I noticed a little leaf attached to my great grandfather, Ole Martinsen Fjeld (1892-1954), on the Ancestry website. It turns out, the little leaf hinted at an entry for the 1920 U.S. Census. My Fjelds were listed as "Feld" in the 1920 census, which, actually, is a close approximation of how "Fjeld" is correctly pronounced in Norwegian.

Interestingly, they are not enumerated as "Feld," but are indexed by Ancestry as "Feld." In the actual document, the surname is spelled correctly - F-j-e-l-d. At this point I'm just happy they weren't listed as Felt or, worse, Fert (or Fart), as some regional pronunciations of Fjeld can sound, to the untrained ear, as ending with a sound approximating an English r or rt.

Indexes don't always make family research easier.

Members of the Martin Olsen and Kari Knudsdatter (Ruse) Fjeld Family listed in the 1920 Census are:

• Martin Olsen Fjeld
• Kari Knudsdatter Fjeld
• Ole Martinsen Fjeld
• Alma Martinsdatter Fjeld
• Albert Martinsen Fjeld
• Melvin Martinsen Fjeld
• Agnes Martinsdatter Fjeld

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