volume 31, issue 1 sigdalslag saga · mary had a green underdress and red overdress, the child, a...
TRANSCRIPT
Inside this issue:
Velkommen, nyelag medlemmer!
LYLE ENDERUD
Bella Coola, British Columbia
LORNA TWETEN
Pine Lake, Alberta
LORA MICKELSON ROSE
Colville, Washington
ROGER NUPDAL
Clarksville, Tennessee
SANDRA LECAIN
Fort Collins, Colorado
HARALD FRØYSE
Eggedal, Norway
KRISTIAN T. MEDALEN
Eggedal, Norway
DARRELL KNUTSON
Tuscumbia, Missouri
DIANE HONSBRUCH
Aurelia, Iowa
TIFFANY HOFF PARSONS
Easton, Maryland
VIGDIS MELBYE
Prestfoss, Norway
KEITH ENGER
Sun Lakes, Arizona
MARK KING
Cloquet, Minnesota
February, 2011
Volume 31, Issue 1
Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal, Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry
Sigdalslag Saga
Since 1911
The 2011 Stevne is being held at the Best WesternDoublewood Inn, in Fargo, North Dakota. Welcomingactivities begin Thursday July 14th, at 6:30 p.m.
A variety of classes will be offered Friday and Satur-day. The Genealogy Room will be open Thursdayevening 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday 1 to 7 p.m., andSaturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
On Friday there will be two tours available, visiting theHjemkomst Center and Fergus Falls. On Saturdaythere will be a tour to Bonanzaville.
Cost of the Stevne is $20 per person. The banquet(chicken cordon bleu or slow roasted beef) will be heldSaturday evening. The cost is $23/person and includes entertainment.
On Sunday, July 17th, Sigdalslag will host a separate Centennial Celebration. Events startat 8:30 a.m. with the Lag General meeting. Cost is $23/person. This includes a largesmorgasbord lunch and entertainment.
Complete Stevne details and registration forms will be available in the May 2011 Saga. Ifyou wish to view further information ahead, it is already posted on these websites:www.7lagstevne.com and www.sigdalslag.org.
Over 100 Norwegians from the Sigdal area are expected to attend the Stevne. Hotelrooms are filling up fast, and everyone is encouraged to make their reservations early!Blocks of rooms have been held at these motels in Fargo, ND, July 14-17th, 2011. Whenmaking your reservation, ask for the discounted group rate:
Doublewood Inn, 3333 13th Ave South, Fargo, 701-235-3333, $76+tax, “7-Lag rate”.As of February 1st, the Doublewood Inn had only about 40 rooms remaining.
Hampton Inn, 3431 14th Ave S., Fargo, 701-235-5566, $99+tax, “Norwegian grouprate”
AmericInn Lodge and Suites, 1423 35th St S, Fargo, 701-234-9946, 81.90+tax, “7-Lagrate”
Country Inn and Suites, 3316 13th Ave S, 701-234-0565, $99+tax, “Norwegian group”
Holiday Inn, 3803 13th Ave S, Fargo, 877-282-2700, $94.95+tax, “Norwegian group”
Madonna Figure 3
Sigdal in Winter 5
Husmann Contract 6
Norway Trip 8
Gifts and Memorials
$15 from Diane Knutson
Sigdalslag, Host for the 2011 Stevne,
Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary!
Dear “Cousins”,
The cold of winter has us in its grip, but we can look forwardto
the warmth of summer and the warmth of renewingties with friends
and family at the Stevne,which this year will include
meeting130
or more of our Norwegian “cousins
” who are coming to join us in our
festivities. We are excited
and I understand they also are antici-
pating this reunion.
If you will go on www.sigdalslag.o
rg you can see the great new for-
mat which our webmaster Ed Espe has put up. This is in celebrat
ion
of our 100 years.If you go to the link to the 2011 Stevne you will
be able to check out the schedulefor the Stevne activiti
es and you
will also see the registration forms.
There is one for the Stevne
July 14-16 and one for the Anniversary Celebrat
ion July 17th. These
forms will be in the May “Saga” when you may fill them out and send
to Jan Johnson,our treasure
r. Or you can do it on-lineand we do
accept PayPal.
If you are planningon joining
us for Stevne and want to stay at the
Best WesternDoublewo
od Convention Center,
I would recommend that
you make your reservations soon. One group of Norwegia
ns will be
stayinghere and the others across the street at the Country
Inn.
We are delighted that Birgitta
Meade is going to have children’s
classesFriday afternoo
n and Sat. afternoon. Linda Mohn will also
have a class for childrento learn some Norwegia
n dance steps.If
you have childrenor grandchi
ldren we think there will be something
to interesteveryone
as Donna Kulenkamp and her committe
e has gotten
an interesting collecti
on of presenters and entertai
nment.Jean
Knaak has worked with the chef to providesome good menus and we
will have a Smorgasbord on Sunday which will include
some Norwegian
specialties.
The nominating committe
e chairedby Rod Pletan will be calling
mem-
bers in the next few months.If you think you would like to serve
on the Sigdalslag Board, please do not be shy about offering
your
services. It is a fun group of people to get to know better and you
won’t have to plan a Stevne for six years.They will be looking
for
a President, a V.P. and a Secretar
y. If contacted, please seriousl
y
considerjoining
the Board.We are also in need of a web master/
mistress. If you have any ability
or interestin this appointe
d po-
sition,please let someone
on the Board know. Contactfor Rod is 651
-464-6636 (home) 651-245-
6292 (cell) or rodpletan@mywdo.
com.
Also needed for the Stevne will be greeters, hosts for the present-
ers and hosts for the memorabilia room. Please let me know if you
would be willingto give a little time for one of these function
s.
We look forwardto seeing you all at the Stevne in Fargo, ND.
Sincerely,
Judy
Fra Presidenten:
Page 2 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
2010 SigdalslagOfficers
JUDY SOSTED President1118 Lia CourtNorthfield, MN 55057
EARL O. KNUTSONVP 1/Membership
722 Second Street SWWillmar, MN 56201(320) 222-1613
DONNA KULENKAMP VP 21292 Dunberry LaneEagan, MN 55123
KAREN OLSON VP 3P.O. Box 225Northome, MN 56661
JANICE JOHNSON Treasurer8451 Nicollet Avenue SouthBloomington, MN [email protected]
AMY MICHELSEN Secretary18730 Roanoke St. NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971(763) [email protected]
GARTH ULRICH Genealogist3099 Dunn DrivePrince Albert, SKS6V 6Y6 CANADA
DIANNE SNELL Historian31326 122nd Court SEAuburn, WA 98092(253) [email protected]
SCOTT BRUNNER Saga Editor555 Hilltop DriveGreen Bay, WI 54301
ED ESPE [email protected]
Page 3Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
The Madonna FigureArtifacts/Fixtures in the old Eggedal Church
Article from Under Norefjell, 2009 No. 1Written by Sigrid Kvisle (translated to English by Rosella Goettelman)
In the book Norges Kirker I Buskerud by Sigrid and Håkon Christie in 1981, we find the fol-
lowing description:
“Mary with child (UO 10785), presumably from the latter part of the 1100s, somewhat redone
and repainted in the 1200s, additionally repainted and repaired after 1750. The Mary figure is
essentially carved from one block of wood. It originally had a tight headdress under the
crown. This became cut away and replaced by billowing hair, presumably in the 1200s. The
palm shaped middle point of the crown is presumably of the same time. The hands, which are
held forward, are likely from the restoration after 1750. The Christ Child, which was stolen
in 1966, had a separate carved point in the crown, likewise, the hands and feet were carved
separately. As seen from the front, the rest of the headdress lies as a cape over the shoulders
with broad, flat folds. The overdress is draped by the knees with wide folds and the under-
dress has wide, parallel folds between the legs. The feet have delicate pointed shoes. The
figure sites on a low throne and the feet rest on a bench or cushion. The child had a long tunic
and large cape with V shaped folds over the chest, held together with a knot or clasp on the
right shoulder. Traces of the 1100s colors were detected at the technical examination in 1966.
Mary had a green underdress and red overdress, the child, a green tunic and red cape. In the
1200s the figure got new base coat and was painted with a blue underdress and edged with a
gold band, gilded overdress with red in front. The throne chair was painted red, white, tan
and green with rounded arches in black, black shoes, red foot cushion. The figure got new
colors after 1750. Only the face and throne retained the paint of the 1200s. Height 56.7 cm,
width 21.1 cm, depth 13.6 cm.”
But Ola O. Bakken also had an insert in Buskeruds Blad, November 17, 1944:
“Mary, the queen of heaven, ‘the holy virgin’ was shaped with longing and love, hundreds of years
ago in various forms. Mary, Madonna, in the Italian designation, the powerful, at the same time,
loving, messenger between the wretched, earthbound and sinful humans and the almighty, heavenly Lord. The one who
goes wandering from the transitory to the eternal existence, from the lowest to the highest. The Mary-form in the church’s
cathedral is, at the same time, an artful decoration to worship. Not bound by borders, races or language, but over all and
with all, the same gentle and eternal Madonna. From great people and rich church homes to small nations and poor God’s
houses, eternally and always the same, through generations and generations, from the small and insignificant to the great
and might, they revered that mystical and astonishing form.
What in reality is that form? If we go into sacred history, we find Mary from Nazareth. The New Testament Apocrypha
relates that she was the daughter of Joakim and Anna. Then she became engaged to Joseph, the carpenter. And thus it is
that we meet the Madonna, ‘the Holy Virgin’, with the child - Jesus. She became a queen, ‘my queen’. The romanticism of
the Middle Ages wrapped that holy halo around her. So she stepped in earnest into the Christian Church in the arts of sculp-
ture and paint. She became a rich subject for familiar and unfamiliar artists in all lands. In the church art of the Middle
Ages, ‘The Holy Virgin’ dominated in all her variations. But through all and over all, the Madonna was ‘Jesus’ mother’.
Even though as a foreign southerner, she stepped up to us here in the north. She became accepted as one of our own. We
know her in several variations. She is familiar, but still unfamiliar.
The depiction in wood, with rich painting and gilding, is what we know best. The Madonna from the old Eggedal Church,
sitting on her throne, with crown and scepter, in the lap, the child Jesus. Firm, but mild, pure features. The work of an
Mary, presumablyfrom the end of the1100s, redone in the
1200s. The child wasstolen in 1966.
Page 4 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
outstanding artist, with an ability for sensitive formation. A work that can be compared with those which were produced
earlier. Art and sanctuary. The best artistic work in the old stave church. 500 years older than acanthus baroque fixtures.
Wood sculpture from the 1200s. Chalked then to be reduced to nothing. And now it has become appreciated and admired,
not because of its divine power, but for its high artistic value. Still a divine form, even if it is put in the realistic outlook of
the time.”
“The church and art are closely tied together. And the singular thing is that both of its ideal natures carry the thought about
the servant and not the ruler.” (Dr. Eivind Begrav)
“The church and art have always gone together. They have spoken their dialect for serving, always for giving. The art has
always had its sister relationship with religion. The art gives color and the church a rich life.” (Instructor Carsten Lien, in
his lecture: The Church and Art.
What is the Madonna from Eggedal? A wooden sculpture from the 1200s. Nothing else? In its time, it was Jesus’ mother,
a messenger from the temporal to the eternal, the queen, regal, but gentle. But today there is some more. Dr. Harry Fett
asks in ‘Our Lady, Virgin Mary’ - “What does the Madonna from Eggedal consist of? She has something domestic and in-
ternational, something close, and at the same time distant, something mechanical—an archaic cult status. Is she a Mediter-
ranean princess or Norwegian mother of God or something quite different? If someone simply met her at a masquerade or
in a temple, in any case, at the same time the life seems foreign and strange, something feminine, which is difficult to
place.”
We do not know—But for us, she is Madonna, ‘that holy virgin’ from Eggedal Church - a tangible connecting link between
that which was and that which is. (O.O. B-n)
THE SIGDALSLAG
Centennial Book
1911-2011
Help needed for our future Centen-
nial Book! If your Norwegian an-
cestors have not been chronicled in
the previous Sigdalslag works,
please take time and write up their
biographies and submit their story
with pictures. Send family histories
to our Lag historian, Dianne Snell, e
- m a i l a d d r e s s :
Does anybody in the USA own or know of anyonewho has a “Varsla fiddle” that was made by JensPederson Varsla, born 1816 in Sigdal? Jens wasa shoemaker and fiddle maker. It is believed thatJens Pederson Varsla made over 50 fiddles, andmany of them went with people emigrating toUSA. Jens and his wife Kari did not emigrate.Jens’ portrait was painted by a painter namedGløersen. Can anyone confirm this artist? Thatportrait went to Sweden, and its whereabouts isnow unknown.
Please contact Kjell Varsla with any informationregarding the above at e-mail: [email protected]
Page 5Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
Sigdal in Wintersubmitted by Kjell Varsla, Sigdal Correspondent
Untouched snow vs. readyprepared slopes
When I wrote about Trillemarka, I did not have a photo of the “Madonna with the child”.
At Bjørneskornatten, altitude 1020 meters, by the gate to Trillemarka, the Madonna
looks out all the way to Gaustatoppen in the South and to Norefjell in the North. That
area was given to Sigdal commune by Anne Margrethe Bugge. Her wish was that a
statue of Madonna with the child should be placed there. She died 1995, but her wish
was never forgotten. Turid Angell Engh made this statue, placed here June 20, 2009.
Trillemarka
Here’s some pictures showing how nice the area can be in winter time. There are
hundreds and hundreds kilometers of slopes, ready prepared for the ski tourists.
This winter, like last year, we have a lot of snow and the temperatures have been
the coldest since 110 years of registry. If you travel up to Haglebu, you will have
ski tows and very nice downhills, both for beginners and experienced users. It is
also a very nice trip if you go further on the same road over the mountain to Hal-
lingdal. The road ends at Bromma. A lot of new, big mountain cabins are built
in that area the last few years. Here is a picture of one of the newer ones.
This cabin is similar to many oth-
ers . It contains all the luxury
equipment you need, and more. It
is remote controlled so they can
start the heat before they leave
home. It has electric power, cold
and hot water, TV, so nothing is
missing compared to home.
Vatnås kirke
When driving State Highway 287 from Åmot and up towards Sigdal, you will see a lot of interesting places. One of these is
Vatnås Kirke at a place called Greenskogen. You take off from 287 onto 131 at Kolsrud. After driving a few kilometers,
you will see Vatnås Church on the right side. The Church was build here in 1660, on a place of an old church which had
not been used since the Black Death (1350). The church is built in lumber, and not very big. There are always services here
during the summer, especially at St. Olaf’s Day. People of Sigdal want to have their children christened in this church.
It seems like the church was built in 1660, but there is no certain source to support that information. The church is what we
say a “gift church”, meaning that the government does not support the management. It is a privately owned church, but the
Norwegian ministers of religion are bound to held all the services there.
To the right is a photo of the Vatnås
Kirke. The story tells about a holy
spring nearby the church, blessed by
St. Olaf (Old Norse: Olafr Haralds-
son), the King that fell in the battle
at Stiklestad in 1030.
Page 6 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
The Husmann Contractsubmitted by Garth Ulrich, Sigdalslag Genealogist
Haugan’s oft referred to Norwegian English Dictionary defines husmann as “cotter, crofter”, while Otto Jorgensen's Norwe-gian-American Dictionary defines it as “cottager, tenant farmer, crofter, smallholder, person who rented a house with(husmann med jord) or without (husmann uten jord) a small plot of land on a larger farm; rent was paid by doing part timework for the farmer”. If the husmann did have a piece of land it was almost always for domestic need and rarely used forfarming per se. Others have said that the term ‘peasant’ is really a better definition for the word husmann.
Many of Saga readers will be familiar with the book The Cotter’s Son: A Story From Sigdal by H.A. Foss, originally pub-lished as Husmannsgutten: En Fortelling fra Sigdal and later translated into English by Joel G Winkjer.
Below is a summary of the Husmann contract pages displayed on the following page:
Gullik Olsen søre Sund gives Ole Halvorsen the rights to cultivate a part of the forest belonging to Gullik.The husmannsplass is to be called Nyhus.
In Sund’s forest Ole Halvorsen can have the necessary wood materials for fences and firewood, and pasturefor his animals, including one cow. (But) Gullik does not yield the materials needed to build and maintainthe houses on the new farm.
Rent: The first year Ole Halvorsen is to pay one Ort = 24 skilling = 1/5 of a Specie-Daler. Every year therent is increased with 1 Ort, until, after 12 years Ole will have to pay 3 Daler.
Labour: The cotter (as a duty) has to work 6 summer-days at 20 s per day, and 5 winter-days at 12 s perday, in addition he has to harvest 5 mål of grain crops on the main farm. (Today 1000 square meters iscalled a mål.) Also a woman is to work 3 summer-days at 6 s per day.
The payment for the work is to be drawn from the annual rent. The remaining is to be paid before the endof January the following year.
On these conditions the cotter and his heirs have the right to live on and use Nyhus for 50 years.
The document was signed by the two contractors, with Ole P Slette and Petter O Slette as witnesses. Nei-ther the farmer Gullik Olsen Sund, nor the cotter Ola Halvorsen Nyhus, could write their own names. Theysigned by holding in the pen while someone else wrote their names – therefore med iholdt Pen.
Sund the 2nd of January 1819 Gulich Olsen
med iholdt Pen
Til Vitterlighed
Ole P: Slette Ole Halvorsen
Petter Olsen Slette med iholdt Pen
The same day Ola Pettersen and Ola Halvorsen made a contract concerning a small part of Slette. The an-nual rent was to be 1 Specie-daler and one workday.
Also this piece of land was contracted for 50 years, after which the land would be returned to the owner ofSlette, provided no other agreement was made.
Page 7Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
The below three pages are scans of an original Husmann Contract dated 1819
Page 8 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
A Journey to Norway - June 2010by Dianne Snell, Historian
I departed June 1 (arriving in Oslo June 2 thanks to the time change) for a three week adventure in the land of my ancestors.My traveling companion Bev Emert and I had the trip planned for months, but at the last minute she had to cancel due to thesudden illness of her husband. Tragically, Phil Emert passed away on May 31, the day before we were to leave. I consid-ered canceling my trip also, but I decided to go it alone, not without a few nervous butterflies!
I flew on Iceland Air from Seattle to Reykjavik and then to Oslo. At the airport I caught the small Askeladden bus for apleasant hour’s ride to Honefoss and I immediately started feeling at home. My cousin Jorun Nerdalen picked me up at thebus stop in town and we drove that same evening to Eggedal where my great-grandfather Elling Enger emigrated from atage 18 in 1854. He eventually settled in Spring Grove, Minnesota, and was followed to America in 1861 by his parents,Peder and Aase Enger, and their six younger children.
Jorun and I stayed two nights with her brother and sister-in-law, Nils and Line Nerdalen on their beautiful mountainsidefarm. I couldn’t get enough of their outstanding view of the valley and the town site of Eggedal, with the iconic mountainAndersnatten visible in the distance.
While there we stopped to pick up a bygdebok from Sigrid Kvisle at the Prestfoss Museum and enjoyed a delicious lunchwith Per & Anne Marie Enger who hosted my late husband and me in 2000 on our first trip to Norway. Young Per andfamily live on the Enger farm in Nedre Eggedal and the parents have built their retirement home down the road. Westopped by the Eggedal Church and cemetery (both Nerdalen parents have passed away since 2000) and Jorun also droveme to the Skadeland farm above Nerdalen’s to take pictures for Bev.
Back to Honefoss the next day to Jorun’s charming condo and on June 5 she put me on the train to Bergen to meet up withthe 16-day folk art tour sponsored by Vesterheim Museum of Decorah, Iowa. After an overnight stay in Bergen and somesight-seeing there our group of 24 traveled by bus to the Voss Folkehøgskule with a brief rest stop at the Dale Sweater Fac-tory for some furious shopping. At the school we settled in to comfortable dorm rooms where we would be based for thenext two weeks.
The majority of tour participants were there to take rosemaling or wood carving classes with local instructors. One of thetour leaders was Sigdalslag member and master woodcarver Rebecca Hanna of Decorah, the only person I knew when I firstarrived.
The classes were held on week days, and some evenings we were taken by mini-bus to various places of interest in the Vossarea, with longer bus tours on weekends to museums, historic hotels and churches in the vicinity and even across the moun-tains to the fjord country, Hardanger, and Hallingdal. Vesterheim has established great connections with local peoplearound Voss so we were invited to private homes and places where tours do not ordinarily go.
The home of rosemaling instructor and noted artist Johild Maeland in Utne, where she and her husband are restoring an oldhome by the ferry dock by blending his architectural skills and her unique artistry.
During the week I teamed up with Marlene Amundsen of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Her husband Howard was a rosemaler.Marlene and I walked the mile or so to town once or twice a day - we swore it was uphill both ways - until we finallylearned how to figure out the bus schedules, but we usually could only catch the bus one way.
However, as much as I enjoyed these experiences, my main purpose for going to Voss was NOT to learn woodcarving orrosemaling, or visit museums, but for me it was a family history opportunity - I aspired to find the farms where my mother’sgrandparents were born.
The villages of Evanger (home of great-grandmother Britha Brunborg) and Bolstad (great grandfather Hans Hansen) are justa short distance from Voss by train, and although I didn’t find any local connections, one day I bought a round-trip trainticket, donned my back pack, and hopped the rails to find my roots.
I detrained first in Evanger. When I arrived there was at least an hour to kill before anything opened, so I checked out thechurch and cemetery and visited with a man who was working in the park. It turned out he was the brother of one of thewoodcarvers I had met in Voss. Then I spotted an auto repair shop with the name “Mestad,” on the sign—my mother’smaiden name!
Page 9Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
“Your name is Mestad?” I queried the young man seated behind the counter. It was Heine Mestad, and he was the shopowner. He said he lived on the Mestad farm and he offered to drive me there (about 5 kilometers) so I could take pictures.His father Ole accompanied us and although he didn’t speak English he was interested in looking at the family charts andpictures I had with me but he didn’t think we had family connections.
On the way to Mestad, Heine stopped in the middle of the road and pointed out a farm high on the mountainside. “That,” hesaid, “is Brunborg.” (where Britha was born in 1824.) There is no road to it, only a hiking trail, but I took pictures frombelow and I later got some close up photos from the “Voss Now” website. The present owners of Brunborg use it as a vaca-tion place and it is one of the favorite landmarks and wayside stops for hikers.
I took pictures of the Mestad farm where Heine and his father live and also rent out campsites along the beautiful riverwhich flows through both villages. I have found from the digital archives that my great-grandfather, Hans Hansen, lived onMestad at the time of his confirmation and the Brunborg and Mestad families were related. My grandfather took “Mestad”as his surname when he was an adult as there were too many John Hansons in Iowa!
Heine took me back to the station to catch the next train to Bolstad a little farther down the track. This was the birthplace ofHans in 1811. Hans and Britha immigrated to the United States at different times in the 1850s and were married in Wiscon-sin in 1862. At that time Britha had a son Christopher who was born in Wisconsin in 1859. He is one of the family myster-ies I still have to solve but I do know that Christopher was raised as Chris Hanson. Hans and Britha later homesteaded inIowa near Estherville where my grandfather was born in 1865.
I didn’t find anyone to talk to in Bolstad but I did find Bergegarden where the present farm owner, Karl Magne Bolstad,lives and operates a bed and breakfast. I had communicated with him previously by e-mail but unfortunately he was on atrip to northern Norway when I was there. Back on the train to Voss after a fulfilling day, I so wished my Mom Effie Me-stad Enger could have been there, but I definitely felt her presence. I am sure she was smiling down from heaven! Whenshe died in 1976 she knew only that her grandparents were from Norway.
The entire country of Norway is so breathtakingly beautiful that I kept asking myself, “Why did our ancestors leave thiswonderful place?” I don’t really know why mine left - I can only speculate - but I do know that many of the immigrantswere homeless or hungry, others came for the adventure of America Fever, but all of them hoped to make a better life forthemselves and their families. Little did they know what hardships would face them in the new land.
One thing I know for sure—walking where your ancestors walked is an incredibly moving experience!
Back: Dianne SnellFront: Per & Anne Marie Enger
Enger farm in Eggedal
Page 10 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
Member Please share with us your families news of marriages, graduations, long
term anniversaries, significant milestones, and the passing of loved ones.
In Memory…
Marion Hoff
(Marion’s daughter is Sigdal-slag’s former Vice President,
Ruth Manning)
Marion Ruth (Mrs. Orwell)Hoff, 91, a resident of FergusFalls, died Saturday November27, 2010, at Lake RegionHealthcare.
She was born on March 10,1919, at Sidney, Montana, thedaughter of Otto and Neva(Herbert) Olson. On Nov. 3,1937, she married Orwell E.Hoff on the family farm inAastad twp., rural Fergus Falls.They lived on the same farm for
more than 50 years, moving toFergus Falls in 1995.
Survived by two daughters, Ruth(Daniel) Manning of Omaha,Nebraska, and Orla (Loren)Maahs of Fergus Falls; twosons, Allan (Patricia) Hoff ofFergus Falls and Herbert(Marjorie) Hoff of Hutchinson;11 grandchildren; 23 greatgrandchildren; and one sister,Mabel Brown of Sacramento,California.
Burial: Aastad Cemetery, ruralFergus Falls, Minnesota.
Maynard F. Green
(Maynard’s grandfather wasKrødsherad immigrant Truls
Svenson Green, who came toAmerica in 1870)
Funeral services for Maynard F.Green were held 11 a.m. Mon-day, Dec. 20, 2010, at the Grand
Meadow Lutheran Church withthe Rev Ann Siverling officiat-ing. Burial was in the BearCreek Cemetery. MaynardGreen, 92, of Grand Meadowdied Friday, Dec. 17, 2010, atthe Grand Meadow Health CareCenter.
He was born Oct. 31, 1918, on afarm near Sargeant, Minn., toTheodor and Emma (Wieland)Green. In his younger years, helived on his grandparents farmnear Stewartville, Minn., andwent to country schools. Hewas baptized at Bear Creek Lu-theran Church and was con-firmed at Pleasant Valley Lu-theran Church, both in ruralGrand Meadow. He graduatedfrom Grand Meadow HighSchool in 1936. In high school,Maynard played on the footballteam that went undefeated forfour years. In 1947, he wasunited in marriage to Amy Jen-
sen at the Bethel LutheranChurch in Rochester. He farmedwith his father for thirty yearsnortheast of Grand Meadow.When his father retired, May-nard and Amy moved to GrandMeadow and he went to workfor IBM in Rochester.
Maynard had many hobbies. Heliked music, singing and playingthe guitar. Maynard enjoyedfishing, hunting and trapping.He was very interested in rocks,gems, minerals and arrowheads.Maynard was credited with dis-covering the Indian quarry 1 1/2miles north of Grand Meadow.It is now on the ArcheologicalConservancy so it will never bedestroyed. Maynard is survivedby his wife, Amy, and daughter,Judy Green, both of GrandMeadow, and a daughter, Joanne(David) Olson of Sun City, Ariz.He is also survived by severalnieces and nephews and cousins.
Surveys & library Contributions - yours are welcome!Sigdalslag Surveys have been received from:
Barbara Dixon Hurst, additions to the file on HANS HALVORSEN ANFINRUD.
Gerald Boe, additions to the file on KAROLINE ELLEFSDATTER SOLIAH.
Leroy Nyhus allowed us to copy his family history and add it to the Sigdalslag library: GUNDER REIERSON & INGEBORG JUVE-
SEIE, Family History 1775-1987, compiled by Jean Y, Jacobson.
Darrell Knutson, family of OLE ELLEVSEN BUSKERUD & GUNHILD MARIE MATIASDATTER RUSTANDEIE, HELGE JA-
KOBSEN SANDSBRAATAN & KARI ELLEVSDATTER ROLSTADEIE, and MATIAS JAKOBSEN RUSTANDEIE & MARIT GUL-LIKSDATTER.
Byron Peterson, family of TOR PEDERSEN ERTESPRANG & MARIT HESTKIN
Genealogy News:
The 1910 Norwegian Census has been digitized and has recently been made available online at:http://da.digitalarkivet.no/ft/sok/1910
Website News:
Webmaster, Ed Espe, has completely redesigned our website. Check out the new look at: www.sigdalslag.org
Page 11Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 31, Issue 1
New Member Spotlight!I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but now live out in sunny Fort Collins, Colorado (You shouldall come out to go skiing!). I joined Sigdalslag because I have a third cousin who also belongs –Birger Moen. I visited Norway last summer and met many third cousins in the area. I have an-cestral ties to the Flesberg Church, Lyngdal Church and Vatnås Church, as well as the Dåset Farmmuseum.
My great grandfather, Hellik Gulliksen (1846 – 1905), was born in Flesberg on the Laagt farm.He later lived on the Homleiberget farm and the Bekjorden farm. His parents were Gullik Hel-liksen, who I hear is a legend in the area for how many children he had with several differentwomen!! Hellik’s mother was Kari Gulliksdatter.
Hellik’s wife, my great grandmother, was Marit Kittelsdatter (1849 – 1914). Her parents wereBerit Oldsdatter and Kittel Olsen. Berit was a young widow and Kittel was married to a woman who never had children.Marit was born on the Bekjorden Farm in Flesberg. I don’t know of any living relatives on this side of the family, but would loveto meet some!
Hellik emigrated to the United States in 1870 and his wife Marit. Theyhad one child, Berit Gullicksen, born 1870 in Norway, but I under-stand she died young in the U.S. They first moved to Wisconsin, I thinkbecause Marit had a brother there. One child was born in Wisconsin,and the remaining four children were born where they settled in ForestCity, Iowa.
The picture I am including is one that Birger took and posted in a news-paper he works for. It is most of the group of third cousins that got to-gether when I visited last summer, in front of the Vatnås Church. I amin the first row in the pink vest!
My email address is [email protected] and would love to hear fromanybody!
Sandy LeCain
My name is Darrell A. Knutson. I was born in Thief River Falls MN, and raised in the Fargo/Kindred Area of North Da-kota.
My wife and I found the Sigdalslag web site when researching the Sigdal area for information about my great-grandparents.We decide to become members this year to join in on the annual stevne in Fargo. We have many cousins coming that we havenever met, and are really looking forward to the events. Wenche Moen coming from Norway is my third cousin.
My Great Grandparents were Helge Jacobson b. 14 Sept. 1856 Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway and Kari Ellevsdatter b. 19June 1854 Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway.
Helge, Kari and their two small children George and Mary immigrated to America in1881. Mary did not survive the trip.
They lived in Tordenskjold Township , Otter Tail County, Minnesota, for several years,then moved to New Solum Township in Marshall County, Minnesota.
Around 1910 they move to Oregon, but returned to Minnesota many times, moving backand forth between the two states.
Darrell & Diane Knutson, 2034 Hwy. 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082
Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal,Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry
Sigdalslag SagaFIRST CLASS MAIL
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SIGDALSLAG SAGA IS PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY,
MAY AND OCTOBER
SIGDALSLAG EDITOR555 HILLTOP DRIVEGREEN BAY, WI 54301
Comments? Suggestions? SAGA solicits featurearticles, news, pictures & obituaries from members.E-mail [email protected], or contact theeditor (see Pg. 2).
Next deadline: April 15, 2011
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NOTE: the YEAR shown on the mailing label nextto your name indicates that your membership ispaid thru DECEMBER of that year.
JOIN SIGDALSLAG NOW! Date______________ Check if Renewal: or Gift:
Full name/s__________________________________________________________________
Street ______________________________________________________________________
City_____________________________________ State______________ ZIP_____________
E-Mail _________________________________________ Phone ______________________
BUSKERUD Family Origin in (circle one) - SIGDAL EGGEDAL KRØDSHERAD
Emigrant Ancestor’s name ______________________________________________________
Farm name ______________________________ ________ Year Emigrated ____________
2010 Dues: USA and CANADA $10/YR or $25/3 YR, in US dollarsELSEWHERE $12/YR or $30/3 YR, in US dollars
Make check payable to Sigdalslag and mail to:AMY MICHELSEN18730 Roanoke Street NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971
Residents of CANADA should make check payable toGarth Ulrich and mail application to:
GARTH ULRICH3099 Dunn DrivePrince Albert, SKS6V 6Y6 CANADA
Write “Sigdalslag dues (3 yr or 1 yr)” on the memoline of the check. Dues in Canadian dollars shouldbe made in the amount equivalent to $10 US (1year) or $25 US (3 years) on the date written.
Over 100 Norwegians from the Sigdal area will beattending our 2011 Stevne in Fargo. The trip has
been arranged by the Sigdal Museum and newspa-per Bygdeposten. They are all looking forward tovisiting the places where their American relatives
settled and connecting with family relation.
In the picture we see from the Sigrid Kvisle fromthe Sigdal Museum and journalist Birger Moen
from Bygdeposten with a large trunk and Americanflag. Such a “suitcase” was used by Norwegian
immigrants to the United States.