In the summer of 1846 then, Valle and Kittelsland located in Clayton County,[409] buying a farm together, about three miles southeast of the present village of St. Olaf.[410] Through letters from Valle the locality was soon brought to the attention of Norwegian settlers in Rock Prairie and Koshkonong. In the spring of 1849 Ole Herbrandson and family came out there from Koshkonong; he was an immigrant from Mörkvold, Rollaug, in 1842 and had, it seems, visited Valle in Clayton County in 1848 and found the locality to his liking. In June[411] Halvor Nilsen Espeseth, Knut Hustad, Ole Sonde, and Ingbret Skarshaug, came from Rock Prairie;[412] going to the western part of the county, Nilsen selected land in Grand Meadow Township, becoming the founder of the Clermont extension of the settlement, which, as Norwegians began to come in gradually, expanded north into Fayette and Winneshiek Counties. Other arrivals of the same summer were Abraham Rustad and family, Bredo A. Holt, Jens A. Holt, all from Hadeland, Bertle Osuldson, Tallak Gunderson and family from Arendal, and Ole Hanson and family. These located in the Clermont region; Jens Holt on section 17, Marion Township, and Hanson on section 6 in the same township. About simultaneous with these, Fingar Johnson, Helge Ramstad and wife, Thorkel Eiteklep[413] Ole E. Sanden, with wife Guro and family, located in the eastern settlement.[414] [409] The first white child born of Norwegian parents in the county was Jorund Valle (Mrs. Lars Thovson, St. Olaf), daughter of Ole Valle. [410] See article by Rev. Jacob Tanner, entitled: "En kort Beretning 50 Aars kirkelight Arbeide; Clayton County, Iowa," in _Lutheraneren_, 45 (1901). My facts here are gathered in large part from this article. [411] The date was June 11th according to _History of Clayton County_, 1882, p. 831. [412] The last three were from Hallingdal. [413] According to others these two did not arrive till 1850. [414] Tanner's article. Sanden and Fingar Johnson settled in Wagner Township. The founders of these settlements nearly all came from Rock Prairie, where they had lived the first few years after immigrating. During the years 1850-1851 a large number of immigrants joined the colony. The first of these were Lars Valle, Hellik Glaim,[415] and Austen Blækkestad, all from Numedal, Ole Engbrigtsen and Peter Helgeson from Sigdal in Numedal, and Ole Gunbjörnson and Knut Jæger from Hallingdal, while Halstein Gröth and family from Næs in Hallingdal and Kittil Rue located in the western part of the settlement. The Gröth family located in Marion Township, where also James and Jacob Paulson Broby, who came from Hadeland the next year, settled. Mrs. Holger Peterson and son (Peter Holgerson) came in 1851 and settled in Wagner Township. Sören O. Sörum and wife[416] settled in Farmersburg Township in 1850, being the first Norwegians there.[417] [415] See above page 143.