Dorothea was born on the Hilden farm, in the Gran area, to Gulbrand Andersen Hilden and Anne Andersdtr (who had married 6 Oct 1791 at Gran). The Hilden farm is located on the plateau a few miles above the town of Gran.
Dorothea married Hans Haavelsen on 21 Nov 1843 in Hadeland, Norway. He died 26 October 1862 on the Hilden farm, Tingelstad, near Gran, Oppland, Norway. On 10 April 1866 Dorthea and her four surviving children left Norway to come to America on the ship "Nymphen" from Drammen. (Her first children, Anne and Gulbrand had both died young at Hilden. )