Kari was the fourth of six children born to Halvor Iversen and Kari Johannesdatter, including a boy who died at age three and five girls. Kari was born on the farm Søre (south) Veslum (61.51330 9.39640), on the north shore of the lake Olstappen, in the Kvikne sogn of Nord-Fron Herad. The church records list her birth as 24 Feb 1836 (her grave marker says 17 Feb and I have also seen 17 Jan). She was baptized at the Kvikne Church Sunday, 27 Mar 1836. Her baptismal sponsors were Eli Dalen, Frederik Fosse, Lars Dalen, Rønnog Slaaen, and Rønnog Hagen.

Kari's next younger sister, born 10 Jan 1838, was also named Kari, so they were called Stor (big) Kari and Vesle (little) Kari. Their mother died 29 Apr 1841, when Stor Kari was five. Their father married Anne Iversdatter Hysjulien 23 Oct 1842. Halvor and Anne had two boys and a girl (their first boy must have died young).

Stor Kari was confirmed Sunday, 16 Jun 1850, at the Sødorp Church in Nord-Fron (people were often not confirmed at their usual church).

Kari married Jacob Olsen Thursday, 6 Jun 1861, at the Kvikne Church, with witnesses Peder Skabo and Johannes Groupe. As their two children who were born in Norway were born at Veslum, it appears that Kari only lived at Veslum during her time in Norway. Jacob and Kari had children Ingeborg (born 13 Nov 1861) and Ole (born 3 Jan 1864) before they emigrated.

Jacob and Kari signed out of the Kvikne Church Sunday, 27 Mar 1864 (Easter Sunday), bound for America. No details about their journey are available, but they probably went to Quebec by sailing ship and by lake boat from there. They settled at Coon Valley, Wisconsin, reportedly in July 1864. They later moved to a farm nearby in Greenfield Township, La Crosse County, Wis. They had seven more children born during their time near Coon Valley. Their children were baptized and confirmed at Øvre (upper) Coon Valley Lutheran Church in Coon Valley. Their oldest child, Ingeborg, died in 1879 and is buried in Coon Valley.

Between about 1886 and 1888, Jacob and Kari and family moved north to a farm in Sheridan twp, Dunn County, near Prairie Farm, Wis. On the 1900 census, their sons John and Ingeval lived with Jacob and Kari in Sheridan twp. The census says that Jacob and Kari can both read, and Jacob can speak English, but Kari cannot. Jacob died in 1904. On the 1905 Wis. census, Kari lives with her son John, probably on the same farm, along with her widowed sister Anne Hagen and a hired girl.

Kari died 13 Sep 1908 (according to her gravestone) and was buried next to her husband in Solum Cemetery, rural Prairie Farm, Barron County, Wisconsin.

Kari’s mitochondrial (maternal) DNA haplogroup was H1c10.