My 2012 Summer Tour to Norway Was a Family Affair

I chose to go with the Gudbrandsdalslag Norway tour this summer mainly because the itinerary included places that I hadn’t seen on my first two trips to the land of my ancestors in 2000 and 2010—but much to my delight the 2012 tour turned out to be much more of a “family affair” than I could have ever hoped for!

I am a member of Gudbrandsdalslag due to the fact that several generations of grandparents emigrated from the area during the mid-1800’s.  They were g.g.g. grandfather Hans Olsen Torgersrud, g. g. grandparents, Ellev Erlandsen Skogen (Ellef Ellson in America) and Ronnaug (Rena) Hansdatter Torgersrud; g. g. grandparents Christian Larson Gjedrud and his wife Anne Olsdatter Saeterbakken; and great grandparents Mathia Ellson Skogen (at age 6) and Matias Christiansen (Martin Larson in America) at age12, who eventually married each other in Wisconsin in 1878.  I was excited to see the areas where they came from but since they left Norway so long ago, I never expected to make contact with any real people.

Even Bergengstuen with Dianne Snell and Shirley Augustine

at the final tour banquet in Oslo

Fortunately, before the trip I had corresponded with a g. grandson of Ellef and Rena, James Ellson of California, who had been researching the family for some years.  He told me to get in touch with Even Bergengstuen who was a local genealogist in Svingvoll, but all he had was a postal address for him.  I wrote to Even but not in time to receive an answer before I left so I really didn’t expect to make contact.  Much to my surprise, when we arrived in Otta for the Kringen celebration I was told that Even planned to come and meet me there with information on the Skogen and Torgersrud farms.  Even was involved in compiling the bygedebøks for the Brottum area which also included the information on the Nordhagen and Gjedrud farms of Christian Larson.

            True to his word Even came to Otta and met with me and my cousin Shirley Augustine.  A few days later he picked us up at the picturesque Glomstad Gård where we had a dinner stop, to transport us to the Skogen and Torgersud farms.  In Otta I had given Even a copy of my family tree back to the Ellsons and he informed me that he had compared my line to his and we were sixth cousins. Another relative gained!!

Our first stop was Skogen, and Even went ahead of us to talk with the woman of the house.  She was delightful—her name—Gerd Ingrid Moen, the wife of Oddbjørn Skogen who was then up higher on the mountain with their sheep.  With her at home was her 25-year-old son Gudmund who had just returned from a summer of working in Saudi Arabia.  Gerd showed us around and told us that her husband’s ancestors had purchased the farm from my ancestral family.  She brought out a hand-written family tree showing my three times great grandparents, Erland Christensen, 1794, and Kjersti Eriksdatter, 1795, and their seven children.  Eldest son Even Erlandsen Skaugen, 1834, had taken over the farm after his father and after him his son Ole Evensen.  The farm was sold in 1886.

Gerd also had the information on my g. g. grandparents, Ellef Erlandsen Skogen 1842, and Rena Hansdatter Torgersrud, 1841, who left for America in April of 1868 on the ill-fated ship Hannah Parr.  After being shipwrecked and stranded in Limerick, Ireland, they arrived in America 107 days later. The Ellsons left Norway with three daughters and arrived in America with only one, my g. grandmother Mathea Ellefsdatter, age 6.  Their two younger daughters, Christine, 3, and baby Hanna, had both died on the voyage.  Also traveling with them on the Hannah Parr was Rena’s father, Hans Olsen Torgersrud, my three times great grandfather, who was a widower. He died in Norcross, Minnesota in 1882 at the age of 88 years and 5 months.

Gerd Ingrid Moen and her son Gudmund in front of the cabin on the Skogen farm.

From the Skogen farm we piled back into Even’s car and headed for Torgersrud.  When we arrived there the gate was closed and it looked at first glance as though no one was there. Even went into the yard and found the current owner Halvor Torgersrud, who just happened to be there.  He is a journalist in Lillehammer and he and his wife Liv Danielsen now use Torgersrud as their vacation home.  They were just leaving to have dinner with friends, but stayed back to talk with us and show us around.

Halvor knew the history of the farm and where the older homes had been located.  As a crowning gesture of hospitality he gave both Shirley and me a book of poetry, “Det gol ein gauk, og andre vers og viser” with verses by his father, Ole Arnfinn Torgersrud, who passed away in 1974.  Halvor added this inscription:  “August 26, 2012. Dear Dianne, Nice to meet you in Gausdal, Torgersrud. Best regards, Halvor Torgersrud.” What a treasured keepsake!

Halvor Torgersrud, owner of Torgersrud, and his wife Liv Danielsen

Shirley Augustine and Dianne Snell at ancestral farm Torgersrud

          Dusk was beginning to close in and it was time to leave—we still had a couple of stops to make.  First, the large stone Østre Gausdal church, and second,  the smaller Follebu Church.  After that it was too dark and Even made just a quick “drive by” of the Fåberg Church, where g. g. grandfather Christian Larson was baptized, before dropping us off at our Lillehammer hotel.  We saw Even again at our final banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, and he said that when we came back to Norway he would take us to Nordhagen and Giettrud farms. I plan to take him up on that promise!

         
Østre Gausdal stone church,  partially burned during the Seven Years war in the 1600’s and enlarged in 1715. and the smaller Follebu Church.  Both churches were built in the 1300's with later additions and restorations.

          The next day I learned that a scheduled group stop at the Fåberg church had been cancelled, so our tour guide Arna had arranged for a caretaker to provide a private tour for those of us that had family ties to Fåberg.  Arna served as interpreter and four grateful immigrant descendants met at the church just outside of Lillehammer—Sandy Aune, Kathy Peterson, Dick Lundgren and Dianne Snell. We were excited to climb the stairs to the bell tower to view the two historic bells, the oldest from the 1100’s.  Our tour guide gave us the history of the church and four cameras were clicking a mile a minute.  Definitely a major highlight of the tour!

The Fåberg Church near Lillehammer where g. g. grandfather Christian Larson was baptized.

The oldest bell (right) at Fåberg Church is from the  1100's with no markings. The newer bell (left)

from the 1700's was made in the Netherlands. Both bells are rung simultaneously for services.

Four awestruck immigrant descendants by the Fåberg Church pulpit;

From left, Dianne, Kathy, Sandy and Dick

An authentic runestone pillar in the church yard indicates an acient worship site on this spot

            When the Gudbrandsdal tour ended on August 30 Shirley and I traveled by bus from Oslo to Honefoss to begin another wonderful week with relatives on our fathers’ side of the family in Ringerike and Sigdal and we also joined the Sigdalslag tour which was already in progress. (That's for another blog!)

            I will conclude by saying that although the beautiful and historic places we saw and events we attended on the 2012 tour were wonderful experiences, for me the family connections were the best part—priceless!  When’s the next tour??  I’ll start packing!

A view from the top near Skogen and Torgersrud farms

in Gausdal, Oppland, Norway