since 1911 october, 2008 volume 28, issue 3 sigdalslag saga
TRANSCRIPT
Report from the 2008 Sju Lag StevneStevens Point, Wisconsin by Dianne Snell
Kopseng DNAGenome Project
3
Corrine JohnsonLag President 1995-98
5
Eggedal’s formerStave Church
8
Minnesota NorwegianPioneer Project
9
Civil War SoldierOscar Thompson
10
Inside this issue:
Velkommen, nyelag medlemmer!
LINDA B. SCHLAAK
Menasha, WI
JOHN B. HALVORSON
Dalton, MN
HAROLD KOSBAU
Grand Rapids, MN
EARL MOLLERUD
Minneapolis, MN
EVONNE M. DEVOLD
Sarasota, FL
PAMELA ANDERSON
Saint Michael, MN
EVEN GRIMLEY
Walker, MN
BEVERLY NAGEL
Northfield, MN
CHERYL A. MASSIE
Kansas City, MO
DICK RIERSON
Albert Lea, MN
October, 2008
Volume 28, Issue 3
Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal, Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry
Sigdalslag Saga
Since 1911
The 2008 Sju Lag Stevne which met from July 15-19 at the Ramada Inn in Stevens Point,Wisconsin, is now history but the memories linger on.
The seven lags of Sigdalslag, Landingslag, Ringerike-Drammen District Lag, HadelandLag, Toten Lag and Telelag joined together once again for their annual gathering ofmembers.
Landingslag, led by President Sandy Hendrickson, did a wonderful job of organizing theStevne. Wednesday and Thursday tours by air-conditioned motor coach included someNorwegian settlements and churches in Portage and nearby Waupaca counties.
Thursday morning opening session entertainment featured comedians “Aslak og Enge-bret” and a program on logging in Wisconsin presented by Sterling Strathe of the Wis-consin Center for Environmental Education. He showed slides of early day logging op-erations and demonstrated some of the jobs and practices in the logging camps using reallive audience members.
Extensive materials were available from the seven areas in the genealogy room for thoseinterested in family research, and a variety of classes were offered ranging from Norwe-gian folk dancing and Hardanger embroidery to a study of Knute Rockne, how to useNorwegian records and the Scottish invasion of Norway. Vendors plied their wares suchas books, crafts, jewelry and clothing of Norwegian persuasion.
Following the Wednesday and Thursday tours, movies were shown including the awardwinning 2005 film “Sweet Land” and the 1945 classic, “Our Vines Have TenderGrapes”.
The banquet on Friday evening began with the annual Bunad Parade by those memberswho wore their Norwegian costumes. Entertainment was from the children’s dancegroup “Landingsleiken” from Land, Norway, and the “Twin Cities Hardingfelelag”, afiddle group from Minneapolis. Numedalslag was celebrating its 100th anniversary andwas given special Centennial Recognition.
The Sigdalslag annual business meeting was held Saturday morning at the hotel and fol-lowing the meeting some Sigdalslag members attended a picnic in nearby Plover withtwo other lags.
Next year’s Sju Lag Stevne has been scheduled for the University of Wisconsin campusin River Falls, Wisconsin from June 25-28.
Dear Fellow Sigdøler,
It was great to see those of you who attendedStevne and I think
all there had a good time. Good lectures, good tours, interest
-
ing meetings, great connecti
ng, fun entertainment, and except
for the rømmegrøt, good food.
For those of you not in attendance, the Chair of the Stevne had
been to StevensPoint twice before the Stevne and each time had
been served rømmegrøt, and it was deliciou
s. The night of the
banquetthey served this white liquid with melted butter and
cinnamonin a small glass like a wine glass.
It didn't taste
too bad, but we are not used to drinkingthis special
dessert!
They then served ice cream to make up for it! Anyway,it was
good for some laughs.
At the Stevne Scott Brunneraccepted
the appointment as editor
of the “Saga” and we are excitedto see what he will be doing.
He brings a lot of energy and ideas to the positionand while
Cindy and Marilynwill be a hard act to follow,
we think he is
up to it. Welcome,Scott.
If any of you have anythingyou
would like to see includedin the “Saga”,
please contactScott.
Although2011 seems a long way away, the Board is starting
to
think about the 2011 Stevne.That is the year Sigdalsl
ag cele-
brates its 100th Annivers
ary and it is also the year we are in
charge of planningthe Stevne.
Again, if any of you have sug-
gestionsor ideas relating
to these events,please let me know.
We have the time to be creative. If you have the capabili
ty of
receiving the “Saga” online,
it would be a real financial bene-
fit to the Lag to send it to you that way. You can advise Scott
of your willingness to receive
the “Saga” in that format.A
real benefitis that all the pictures
are in color.I am just
back from taking a grandsonto England-
Cornwallto look at an-
cestralsites.
In anotheryear I hope to take a granddau
ghter
to Norway to do the same. The Rokkes took some of their family
to Norway this summer,also. It is a great way to build memo-
ries and share family historyand lore with the next generati
on.
Have a good Fall and take care until we are in touch again.
Judy
For over 25 years I have taken an active interest in my family history. I am excited to be
appointed to this new role as Editor of the Sigdalslag Saga! I hope everyone will share
their ideas and suggestions, and submit articles and family news.
Our former co-editors, Cindy Peterson and Marilyn Moen, have done a fantastic job the
past six years. They reformatted the Saga into the modern and professional-looking
newsletter we have today. A special thanks to them both for answering many e-mails and
phone calls, helping me transition into this new position.
Fra Presidenten:
Editor’s Corner...
Page 2 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
2008 SigdalslagOfficers
JUDY SOSTED President1118 Lia CourtNorthfield, MN [email protected]
EARL O. KNUTSONVP 1/Membership
722 Second Street SWWillmar, MN 56201(320) [email protected]
RUTH MANNING VP 2/Culture4816 Ruggles StreetOmaha, NE 68104-3018(402) 455-7221
RODNEY PLETANVP 3/Technology
7414 W BroadwayForest Lake, MN 55025-8474(651) 464-6636
DR. DEAN SKADELAND Treasurer
7315 NW Barry RoadKansas City, MO [email protected]
AMY MICHELSEN Secretary18730 Roanoke St. NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971(763) 753-5484
LEE ROKKE Genealogist13465 Garden View DriveApple Valley, MN 55124(952) [email protected]
DIANNE SNELL Historian31646 110th Pl. SEAuburn, WA 98092253-351-0926
SCOTT BRUNNER Saga Editor555 Hilltop DriveGreen Bay, WI [email protected]
ED ESPE [email protected]
Over 80 colorful
photos of the 2008
stevne are
displayed on the
Sigdalslag website!
Page 3Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
DNA, the ultimate genealogical search
A few years ago I saw the program on the National Geo-graphic Channel describing the work of Dr. Spencer Wellsand his discovery of the human genome. Since that dis-covery he has been testing his theory, and that of others, infollowing the trail of the beginnings and distribution of thegenomes. The National Geographic society and IBM havefunded a Genome project and for $107.50, including tax,one can obtain a kit, take a cheek swab and have ones ge-nomes tested. For males, one can pay and get both thematrilineal line or the patrilineal line. Females, havingonly X chromosomes, can only get the matrilineal line.
I decided to do mine, my mother's lineage going back toVik in Sognefjord. The results were that I am a descen-dent of a rather common Northern European lineage, noth-ing exotic. Since then I have convinced a cousin to dohers, her matrilineal lineage is German (my paternal grand-mother) and that was interesting as the line is predomi-nately that of the Samis! An uncle did his and that is Cor-nish (English) (my maternal grandfather) and goes back to
a common Northern European line.
Then I asked Art Kopseng, who lives here in Northfield,and who is an acquaintance of mine and whose father andbrother and I have shared information and know that in thelate 1500s we shared the same ancestors (going back to theKopseng farm in Eggedal). Art is a direct descendent tothat male lineage and was willing to donate a cheek swab tothe cause. We finally got the results in May. The resultswere R1b. This is a Northern European lineage, many inthe British Isles have it, but then we know that many ofthem are descended from Vikings!
If anyone is interested in seeing the information you need togo the Internet website: www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic. There it will say “Enter Your GenographicProject Kit ID” and you need to enter the following code,FWKMXMMH78. Then check “Show me my results”.This will give you the write up about the lineage and if youlike you can copy it off for your own records.
Children’s dance group “Landingsleiken” perform at the Friday night dinner banquet
Twenty-six members attended the 2008 Sigdalslag annualbusiness meeting: Earl Knutson, Betty Knutson, DianneSnell, Karen Olson, Lee Rokke, David Rokke, ShirleyAugustine, Don Skadeland, Lynn Skadeland, Judy Sosted,Rosella Goettelman, Paul Larson, Donna Kulenkamp, RodPletan, Audrey Pletan, Dale Hovland, Carol Meade,Birgitta Meade, Scott Brunner, Ruth Manning, HowardBerg, Ruth Berg, Linda Schlaak, William Schlaak, EdEspe, and Charlotte Espe. Business reports listed total
membership at 277, and a 2007 year-end balance of$13,470. Sigdalslag is now a non-profit organization andcan accept tax deductible donations. Elections were heldwith all current officers reelected to another year’s term.Discussion focused on possibilities for the future 2011Centennial celebration. Complete minutes of the Sigdal-slag board meeting and annual business meeting can befound on the Sigdalslag website, or can be obtained bycontacting the Sigdalslag secretary.
by Judy Sosted
Page 4 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
I am Harold Kosbau, born to Frank and Elizabeth(Thompson) Kosbau at Waskish, MN. My mother wasthe oldest of 11 children and was born in Brookings, S. D. Iam the president of Lodge Nordstjernen (Sons of Norway),1-563, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. My wife Betty and Ihave lived here for 40 years. I was a teacher, and dept.head, of business education at the Itasca Junior Collegeuntil 1970. I left teaching to join my brother in the attemptto raise wild rice as a farm crop. I continued in that occu-pation, which included farming, agri-business and mar-keting, until I retired in 1997. As a new member of Sigdal-slag I am searching for relatives who may have informa-tion about our ancestors. After joining this lag ScottBrunner and Lee Rokke provided me with genealogy re-cords from Norway dating back to the 1600s. This startedwith my telling them that my grandfather was OlausThompson, born 10/05/1871 in the U. S., and he marriedBertha Nerdahl on 11/1/1897 in Madison, South Dakota.
Scott and Lee provided me with the following: My greatgrandfather was Ole Torstensen, born 12/22/1842 inEiker, Buskerud, Norway; baptized in Eiker Parish3/12/1843. He married Helge Jonsdatter, born1/30/1843 in Eggedal, Buskerud, Norway; baptized3/5/1843 in Eggedal Parish. They came to the U. S. in1870 with 3 children: Torsten Thompson, born11/29/1863 in Eggedal; John Thompson, born7/27/1866 in Eggedal; and Karine Thompson, born9/16/1869 in Eggedal. Child 4 was born in the U. S. wasmy grandfather, Olaus Thompson. It seems like thename Torstensen was changed to Thompson in the U. S. Iwould like to know where this family lived in the U. S.,
where my great grandparentsare buried, where the brothersand sisters of my grandfatherlived, and who are their de-scendants and where are theyliving now.
Ancestors all seemed to live inthe Sigdal area, and those pre-dating my great grandfather and great grandmotherwere as follows: Torsten Olsen Krogstad, married toRandi Carine Andersdatter; Jon Knudsen Engarmarried to Aase Christiansdatter; Ole Torstensenmarried to Margit Gudbrandsdatter; Knud John-son Frøvoll married to Kari Olsdatter Aasland; andChristian Clausen Grasvik married to Helge Ellevs-datter Kopseng.
We have not had very good luck in searching the recordsof South Dakota because it was a territory and kept norecords. The same may be true of Minnesota and NorthDakota. Towns mentioned in some of the records are Nor-way Lake and Spring Grove, Minnesota; Portland, NorthDakota; and Brookings and Madison, South Dakota. Mygrandfather, Olaus Thompson, is buried at Nebish, MN.
Our address is 1498 SW Forest Hills Avenue, Grand Rap-ids, MN 55744, phone 218-999-5057, [email protected].
Thanks for the help in finding my ancestors, Scott and Lee.My wife and I do plan to attend the stevne at River Falls,WI, in 2009, and hope to meet a lot of my relatives.
New Member Spotlight!
Mel C. Haugan
I was born in Minot, North Dakota. My grandparents hadfarmed in Bottineau County since 1913. They would liveout their lives there as farmers, raising their six children.My family continues to operate a farm in rural RenvilleTownship.
My paternal grandparents were Carl Haugan and IngaUggen. Both were born in Minnesota, Carl in Otter Tail
County and Inga in Rice County. Both were also born toimmigrant parents from Sigdal, Norway.
I am related to several members of the Sigdalslag includ-ing Jan Uggen Johnson and Verna Haines. Both Jan andVerna have written extensively regarding family history.I have benefited greatly from their research.
Levon John Bjertness was born, grew upand lives in Hatton, N.D. He heard aboutSigdalslag while cruising Norway Net.
I have direct ancestors to Sigdal. My Mor-Mor,Sigrid Lokken, nee Sigrid Olsen Vatnaas lived inthe Vatnaas house in Sigdal. This is the house that isnow in Minot, N.D. We will not be able to attend theLag meeting this summer but do want to stay in-formed as to the activities of the Lag. Sincerely,John B. Halvorson
Page 5Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
Following the successful tenure (1982to 1995) of Marilyn Somdahl as Sig-dalslag’s first woman president, Cor-rine Lesteberg Johnson was elected asLag President in 1995 and servedthrough July of 1998.
Many good things happened duringCorrine’s time in office, including theLag’s 85th anniversary celebration in1996; the publication of English trans-lations of the Sigdalslag yearbooks for1914, 1920, 1929, 1932 and 1941; andone bad thing - she suffered a seriousfall during opening ceremonies at the1997 Stevne in Wahpeton which re-sulted in a broken arm and twomonths of physical therapy.
Not one to be hindered by adversity,Corrine was back in 1998 and wasinstrumental in the initial planningstages for the Sigdalslag heritage tripto Norway in 2000. During the Stevnein Decorah, Iowa that year she re-signed as President to concentrate onher genealogy pursuits and publicationof family history book.
Corrine is the granddaughter of Krød-sherad immigrants Narve Olson Leste-berg and Ingeborg Kvarneplassen(Pladsen) who were married at OlbergChurch in Noresund in 1872 and emi-grated from Norway to the USAshortly thereafter. The Lestebergssettled first in Kandiyohi County,Minnesota to work for a cousin, EvenReuilson, to pay off the cost of pas-sage to America. In 1874 Narve andIngeborg homesteaded on land inHayes Township, Swift County, Min-nesota. They built a sod home therewhile clearing and farming the 140acre plot, and about 20 years later alarge five-bedroom house was com-pleted.
Corrine was born May 7, 1925 in thathouse on the Lesteberg farm near theScandinavian communities of Kerk-hoven and Sunburg in west centralMinnesota. She was born to Nestorand Mabel (Norman) Lesteberg, andgrew up with two sisters, Hazel(Wennerberg) and Elaine (Edman/Peterson) and two brothers, Roy andDennis.
Corrine’s first language was Norwe-gian. Her sister Hazel began schoolnot knowing English, so from then onher parents spoke English in thehome and Corrine learned the lan-guage at age three. She attendedgrades 1-8 in School District 40 Eastwhich was located a mile across thepastures and fields. High fences andangry cattle, snowdrifts and north-west winds were the greatest chal-lenges of those carefree school days.Corrine graduated from KerkhovenHigh School in 1942 and attendedone year of further education at theLitchfield Normal Teacher TrainingSchool before she taught in ruralschools of Swift and Kandiyohicounties.
In 1946 Corrine married HarveyJohnson, of Swedish descent and ofthe same Kerkhoven community.After four years of apartment-livingthey built their first home in Kerkho-ven where Harvey owned and oper-ated his own trucking business. Fourchildren were born to them: Sharyl,Galen, MariJane and Barbara. Afterselling the trucking business, thefamily moved to Richfield, Minne-sota where Corrine still resides.
Harvey continued working in truck-ing until he suffered several heartattacks and was physically disabled
at age 50. By then Corrine had be-gun her summer trek to St. CloudState College in order to be recerti-fied as an elementary schoolteacher. Harvey’s illness increasedCorrine’s educational goals, whichmeant night classes, Saturdays andcar-pooling to St. Cloud for threesummers and two quarters as a full-time student. She graduated in Juneof 1963 and received a BS degree inElementary Education and RemedialReading. She was hired to teachsecond grade in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District #191.The following year she was em-ployed as a Remedial Readingteacher in the five elementaryschools of that district.
Corrine continued her education at theUniversity of Minnesota during sum-mer school and evening classes and asabbatical year of full-time classroomstudies. She received her Master’sdegree in Special Education, focusing
(Continued on page 6)
Corrine Johnson in her Krødsherad bu-nad which she sewed and embroidered herselfby taking classes at Oden's Husflid in Bar-ronette, WI to learn the stitches and assemblethe outfit. (Photo by Dianne Snell at 2001Stevne in Rapid City, SD)
Corrine Lesteberg JohnsonSigdalslag President 1995-1998
compiled by Dianne Snell, Historian
Page 6 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
(continued from page 5)
on the areas of teaching children who were emotionallydisturbed or with special needs. After several years of aRemedial Reading assignment she became the lead teacherin Special Learning Disabilities and continued in that ca-pacity until her retirement in 1987. Her husband of 37years passed away in November of 1983. All of their fourchildren earned college degrees, married and raised fami-lies.
Corrine - as most of us did - became interested in research-ing her ancestral roots after her parents and aunts and un-cles were no longer living, but to date she has found andmet about 100 second and third cousins in Norway andSweden and two of her father’s first cousins. None ofthem knew they had relatives in America but vaguelyknew some of their grandparent’s siblings had emigrated.Corrine was the first American to come looking for thedescendants of her ancestors. Corrine quotes: “Meetingthe Lestebergs and walking on the farm where GrandfatherNarve had once lived was a mixture of joy and excitementwhich I just cannot explain. I needed to rely on my limitedNorwegian to communicate with the families but after thethird and fourth visits I was called ‘the American whodrives so fast and talks such good Norwegian!’”
In 1998 Corrine published a 450-page book with 650 pic-tures of her maternal grandparents’ ancestors and descen-dants. The Hardanger line from western Norway goesback 25 generations while other lines go back only eight orten generations. During the 2000 Sigdal trip to Sigdal,Eggedal and Krødsherad, Corrine presented each kom-mune mayor with an enlarged chart of her Lesteberg andRunn family trees. She has also researched and compiledinformation about her husband’s family lines.
Not only has Corrine made ten trips to Norway and Swe-den, she has cruised the Mediterranean, the Caribbeanseveral times and the St. Lawrence River seaway. She has
also traveled in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Ger-many, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands,England, Scotland and Wales. She has visited her son andhis family in Zaire and Burkina Faso, Africa. She espe-cially enjoyed the children of Africa when they came run-ning to see and wave as they heard a truck approach. Onone sightseeing trip in Zaire she was greeted and shookhands with President Mubutu. Most of the fifty states, in-cluding Hawaii, have been on her travel itinerary and shehopes to visit Alaska soon. At present she enjoys travelingto visit her seven grandchildren who live in Montana, NorthCarolina, California, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Corrine is very active in her local church in Richfield andhas been involved in teaching Sunday School and VacationBible School, served on the Church Council, led Bible stud-ies and served as a member and chair of Women’s Minis-tries. She arranges the serving of “Loaves and Fishes”meals to the hungry and in sewing fleece mittens and hatsfor needy children in the community.
For four years Corrine was “Queen Mum” for her chapterof thirty local Red Hatters. She was privileged to attend theInternational Red Hat Society Convention in Las Vegas lastJanuary. She holds memberships in Sigdalslag, HardangerLag, Sons of Norway, Norwegian Genealogy, Vesterheim,and Scandinavian Friends of the American-Swedish Insti-tute, Swedish Genealogy and the Vestergotland Society.
Now in her 83rd year and still going strong, Corrine makesher home in an apartment in central Richfield, Minnesotawhere she recently moved from upstairs to the first floor.Along with her church and community activities she par-ticipates in water aerobics three times weekly, 500 club,Scrabble, Tripoli and monthly coffees.
Sources: Sigdalslag History 2005 and E-mail correspon-dence from Corrine Johnson. Thank you, Corrine!
From theSagaMail Bag:
Verna Christine Haines will celebrate her 90th birthday next week on June 20th. She has recently co-authored a biography of her Norwegian immigrant great-grandfather, Engebret K. Haugan. Inhonor of her birthday, a copy of her book will be donated to the library of the Sigdalslag.
Her work on the book started with a request for information which appeared in the November 1983issue of the Sigdalslag (vol. III, No. 3). The story of her patient research leading up to the comple-tion of this handsome publication might make good reading for fellow members of the Sigdalslag.
Mel and Sharon Haugan
Page 7Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
The travelers made ready their departure,
To a new life in which they could thrive.
The trip before them most dangerous,
Who knew when they might all arrive?
Heartbreak was strong from the offset,
They hated this part one could tell.
Saying fair well to friends and to family,
Those dear faces they all knew so well.
They each took a package of keepsakes,
Just something familiar from home.
It might help remind them of old times,
And not the feeling of being alone.
A sea voyage was so prone to peril,
So full of great danger most sure.
Away from the land of their fathers,
To a new world with much more allure.
They waved goodbye to the mountains,
And the highlands and valley below.
To the houses, the church and the village,
To a home they would no longer know.
They had lived on a farm in the highlands,
Over looked by the mountains so high.
They lived here and worked here together,
Raising wheat, corn, barley and rye.
They left their home in the highland,
Traveling down to the valley below.
Their first stop was in their own village,
From here they had much farther to go.
Across their homeland they journeyed,
To a port on the edge of the sea.
Knowing where the next steps would takethem,
To the land of the brave and the free.
From a land with the flag of the cross,
This group of travelers would stride.
To the land of the stripes and the stars,
Moving across an ocean quite wide.
They would travel the ocean in steerage,
The first time they had been on a ship.
Wondering about their new homeland,
Which awaited the end of their trip.
The family set out on their sea voyage,
Consigned to their quarters below,
The trip for once in a lifetime,
Traveling as fast as the wind would blow.
They came to the top from their quarters,
On the deck they admired the view.
Far from their hearth and their home,
Upon an ocean of green and of blue.
They viewed the sailors with wonder,
As on the deck they all stood.
Watching for things more familiar,
Listening for words understood.
This ship would soon take them,
From one world into the next.
From a life in many ways simpler,
To a world for them more complex.
They all had mixed thoughts about this,
And wondered about how they would fair.
Placing their fate in the Lord’s hands,
Moving forward on a wing and a prayer.
They had charted their trip with care,
For here they had chosen to be.
From a land with few options at most,
To a new land offering prosperity.
They watched the horizon to be,
The first to view this great sight.
Watching for the sign of first land fall,
Through the day and into the night.
Their view on this voyage had changed,
From the stern to the bow of the ship.
As their focus moved from the past,
To the end of their very long trip.
Together they stood by the starboard,
Making the most of this great new sport.
The old, the young and the wee,
All watching for signs of the port.
At last it came into view,
And all would remember this day.
Now to build a new life and a new home,
In this land in which they would stay.
To A New LandPoem written and submitted by Mel Haugan, 2008.
Page 8 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
The old church was built about 1200-1300. There musthave been some dissent about where it should be built. Thedesignated place was “a hill” far south on Frøvoll land, bythe fording place “Strengevad”. To this day the place iscalled the “church site”. The place lay central in the com-munity along the road that was in use at the time. The win-ter and riding roads from Nordbygda, Vestbygda,Midtbygda and the lower part of Eggedal came throughthere.
There was an old pagan temple at Hovland, and possiblysome powerful men who wanted the church built there.[Note: Hov = pagan, temple, place of worship in ancientScandinavia]. The legend tells that the material was col-lected at the “church site”, but the night before the buildingwas to start, the material moved to Hovland. (It was obvi-ous that the inhabitants of the Netherworld were to blame).Maybe it was for religious reasons. The church was onlyabout 5 x 4 meters [approximately 16½ x 13 feet], so therecertainly weren’t many wagon loads. This legend seems tohave been historically documented. But the year it wasbuilt is somewhat unclear.
The Antiquities Collection at the university contains acarved animal head from the Hovland Church dated to the1100s. Maybe it could have stood at the old sacrificialplace. A carved figure called “Sjøl-Jacob”, dated about1300, also came from the church.
In 1336 a “Sigurd Prest” was mentioned at Hovland.Maybe he lived at Prestgarden, so the name may have itsorigin at that time. The church was Catholic until the Ref-ormation in 1536, when the king took over the church, anda “king tithe” had to be paid, which the church must collectfrom the “common people”.
In 1723 Iver Olsen Kolsrud (1685-1758) got a deed trans-ferred from King Fredrik IV, but the common people cer-tainly had a big stake in the upkeep. In 1723 Iver Olsengave a new altarpiece (this is now installed in the newchurch). He probably felt that it was good for the salvationof his soul. Three years before he died, along with his thirdwife, he established a mutual bequest for half of the “kingtithe”. But it was the people of the area who had to takecare of it.
After the reformation in 1536 the church was enlarged in theshape of a cross with a steeple. The graveyard was smalland poor, with gravel for the graves. A stone wall was builtand 400 wagonloads of sand and clay were hauled up fromlower Eggedal. This cemetery was in use until 1891. Thechurch was torn down in 1881 and sold in pieces around thearea. Much of it was collected back and was used in theremodeling of the new church. The new church was built in1878 at Teigenhaugen. The church was quite a decisivefactor for the roads in the area. The old road went past the“church site”.
The Legend of the Old Church in EggedalArticle from Under Norefjell, by Bjarne Nerdalen, 2008.
submitted and translated by Rosella Goettelman
Eggedal Stave Church. Interior from the chancel towardsthe west. Painting by Ernst Josephson 1872.
Page 9Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
Minnesota Norwegian Pioneer Project
This year Minnesota celebrates its 150th anniversary ofstatehood. If you have Norwegian ancestors who lived inMinnesota at the time of statehood in 1858, they were truepioneers. A Norwegian Statehood Pioneer Project wasformed to recognize those Norwegian pioneers who werehere when the state was born and contributed to the devel-opment of its institutions and culture. Recognition of ourearly Norwegian settlers will be four-fold: Pioneer plaques,Pioneer Certificates, a Heritage Book, and Banquet Cele-bration. Sigdalslag member Anne Sladky has been instru-mental in putting the entire Norwegian Statehood PioneerProject together. Her ancestors from Eggedal, Bjørn Gun-derson and wife Helge Christophersdatter, came to FillmoreCounty in 1857.
The Project has designed a 5 x 7 inch cherry-wood plaquewhich will become a true keepsake and proud reminder ofyour ancestor’s place in Minnesota history. If your ancestorarrived before 1858, you are eligible to apply for the Nor-wegian Statehood Pioneer Plaque. The nameplate on thebottom will identify your pioneer or pioneer couple beinghonored. Along with the plaque, approved applicants willreceive a small certificate that lists both the names of thepioneer and the applicant. Cost of the plaque is $25. At thetime of statehood many areas of Minnesota were not opento settlement. Those early settlers, who arrived after state-hood, will also be honored. For those whose ancestors ar-rived from 1858 to 1908, the Project will award a CenturyPioneer Certificate. Cost of the certificate is $10.
Applicants must supply a photocopy of documentationthat supports early Minnesota residence and line of de-scent. Examples of possible records are: birth and mar-riage records, excerpts from a county history written be-fore 1950, U.S. or Minnesota census records, certifiedchurch records, historic news articles or obituaries, landpatents/deeds, and naturalization records. The website,www.mn-nspp.org, contains applications and specificdetails on how to obtain a Statehood Pioneer Plaque orCentury Certificate. Applications will be acceptedthrough December 31, 2008.
Next February the Project will be publishing a soft cov-
ered Heritage Book, detailing the history of our Minne-
sota Norwegian pioneers. This book will contain the
names of all settlers honored with the Pioneer Plaque or
Certificate, and will also contain early pioneer biogra-
phies and stories. The book includes a short article on
Sigdalslag, and lists some early Sigdal immigrants to
Minnesota. Estimated cost of the book will be about $20.
On October 18th the Project will gather at the Marriott
Hotel in Rochester for a day long celebration of Norwe-
gian-Minnesotan roots. You don't have to have a Pioneer
Ancestor - or even have Norwegian ethnic heritage - to
enjoy this day of good entertainment, good food, educa-
tion and fun. An afternoon program will feature vendors,
booths, displays and speakers. A banquet dinner is
planned, although reservations must be made by October
5th. See the website listed above for ticket information.
Page 10 Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
Member News ... Please share with us your families news of marriages, graduations, long
term anniversaries, significant milestones, and the passing of loved ones.
In Memory…
Dr. Newell Braatelien
MOLINE – Dr. Newell T.“Braat” Braatelien, of Moline,Pathologist with the QuadCity Pathology group for 41years, died Thursday, May22, at Arkansas Hospice. Hewas 84 years old. Dr.Braatelien was born May 6,1924, in Pomona, California.
He grew up in Crosby, NorthDakota, attended the Univer-sity of North Dakota, andgraduated from the Universityof Illinois Medical School,Chicago Circle Campus. Hemarried Roberta Spiller in1947. She preceded him indeath in 1989. Dr. Braatelienenjoyed music, and for manyyears was a season ticketholder at the Civic Opera inChicago, and the Quad CitySymphony. He traveledwidely, including China, In-dia, Africa, and most coun-tries in Europe. Survivorsinclude Elizabeth (Kitzel)Braatelien and spouse Danny
Wewers; Gail Braatelien andspouse Richard Castner andson Andrew Castner; KristinBraatelien and spouse RickKetterling; Paul Braatelienand spouse Karrie, and chil-dren Roberta, Troy and Sean;Mary Sowers and spouseScott, and children Matt andRachel; and BruceBraatelien. A private memo-rial service was held May 28.In lieu of flowers, memorialsmay be made to ArrowheadRanch,www.arrowheadranchinc.com(309-799-7044).
Submitted by son PaulBraatelien.
There are two outstanding websites dedicated to honoring Civil War veterans of Nor-
wegian heritage. Vesterheim maintains a database with biographies of all Norwe-
gians that served in the Civil War: http://vesterheim.org/CivilWar/. Another site,
www.15thwisconsin.net, specifically focuses on the Wisconsin 15th Volunteer Infan-
try. It was called the Scandinavian Regiment because its soldiers were almost all im-
migrants from Norway. Both websites have biographical information with several
pictures. Some soldiers have extensive profile details on their family history and
military record; others have little known information available.
Until recently, little was recorded on the origins of Oscar Thompson. His profile
reads:
This summer I connected with a distant relative, Jesse Paulson, on Rootsweb who shared details on his family line. He
told me of Oscar Thompson serving in the Civil War. Oscar Thompson’s Norwegian name was “Asle Tovsen”. He was
born March 23, 1844, in Modum, Buskerud, Norway, to parents Tov Aslesen and wife Karen Mikkelsdatter. Oscar’s fa-
ther, Tov Aslesen, was from Sigdal! His family genealogy can be found under the Dalen farm in Mørch’s bygdebok
“Sigdal og Eggedal”. Both websites have been notified of this new additional information.
Civil War Soldier with ties to Sigdal
Image from Wisconsin State Hist. SocietyOscar Thompson
by Scott Brunner
“WI 15th Inf Co G. Residence: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin. Civil War:Age 18. Unmarried. Enlisted for three years on 2 Dec 1861 at Beloit andmustered at Madison, Wisconsin, 13 Dec 1861. Private. Was with the provi-sion transport from Stevenson, Alabama, in October 1863. Killed, shotthrough his head, at New Hope Church, Georgia, 27 May 1864.”
Page 11Sigda ls lag Saga Volume 28, Issue 3
Schedule of Events
Now through January 3NORWEGIAN ARTISTS AT THEAMERICAN TAPESTRY BIENNIAMuseum of Art and Craft715 West Main StreetLouisville, Kentucky
October 11SCANDINAVIAN FESTIVALOglethorpe University4484 Peachtree Rd. NEAtlanta, Georgia
October 18MINNESOTA’S NORWEGIANSESQUICENTENIAL CELEBRA-TIONMarriot HotelRochester, Minnesotawww.mn-nspp.org/reserve.htm
October 29 6 to 9 p.m.NORDIC CULTURAL FAIR2600 Park Avenue SouthMinneapolis, MN763-545-4827
November 15 10 a.m.SCANDINAVIAN JUL BAZAARShepherd of the Valley LutheranChurch1500 W. Maryland AvenuePhoenix, Arizona602-995-7268
November 15 10 a.m.SCANDINAVIAN FAIRHampton Inn Fox Hall3985 Bennet DriveBellingham, Washington360-592-4065
January 9-11GRIEG FESTIVALRollings CollegeHolt AvenueWinter Park, Floridawww.griegfestivalinflorida.com
Surveys & library Contributions
Sigdalslag Surveys have been received from:
Bob Morton, a document on the life of HELGE NILSEN HEFTA.
Levon John Bjertness, on the descendants of ANNE SYVERSDATTER HØGELI.
Jean Marthaler, on the descendants of ENGEGRET JONSON TJERNÅS.
Evonne DeVold, on the descendants of SOFIE TORSDATTER SKARSHAGEN, GJERTRUDE
TORSDATTER SKARSHAGEN and LARS TORSEN SKARSHAGEN.
Earl Mollerud, on the descendants of ANDERS OLSEN PIKOP and ANDERS TORGERSEN
MOLLERUD.
Jan Zastrocky, the CD “Blekeberg Reunion 2008, The Journey fra Gamlelandet”. Contains
much information about the ancestors and descendants of the BLEKEBERG family.
These have been added to the Sigdalslag library:
Engebret Kristiansen Haugan and family, Pioneers from Sigdal, Norway, gift from Mel Haugan.
Krødsherad I Bilder, gift from Corrine Johnson.
Sigdal og Eggedal, volume II and III, gift from Al Larson.
Buskerud, Den Norske Touristforenning Årbok 1957, gift from Dianne Snell.
Wanted …farm pictures!
The Sigdalslag website will soon be fea-turing photos of farms in Sigdal, Eggedaland Krødsherad. Links by farm will be setup as photos are collected and submittedby members. Send digital photos only toour Webmaster, Ed Espe, [email protected]. We encourageeveryone to send in photos to create thisexciting new collection. Submissions arenot only limited to photos; videos andother web-links can also be added to ourwebsite.
Dean Skadeland
Sigdalslag Treasurer
7315 NW Barry Road
Kansas City, MO 64153
Sigdalslag in America Coffee Mug
We now are selling this pictured coffee mug
displaying the Sigdalslag logo. Order now, it
would make a wonderful Christmas gift! Mugs
are shipped priority mail in a box. Cost is $5,
plus $5.60 for shipping. Make checks payable
to Sigdalslag and mail to:
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Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal,Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry
Sigdalslag SagaFIRST CLASS MAIL
We’re on the Web!www.sigdalslag.org
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.Email [email protected], or contact theeditor (see Pg. 2).
Next deadline: January 15, 2009
Changed your mailing or e-mail address?Don’t miss an issue! Please contact Amy Michelsenat: [email protected]
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
Ancestor’s name ______________________________________________________________
Farm name ________________________________________ Year Emigrated____________
2008 Dues: USA and CANADA $10/YR or $25/3 YR, in US dollarsELSEWHERE $12/YR or $30/3 YR, in US dollars
Mail application and check payable to Sigdalslag to:AMY MICHELSEN18730 Roanoke Street NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971
Residents of CANADA may mail application andcheck payable to Garth Ulrich 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 should bemade in the amount equivalent to $10 US (1 year)or $25 US (3 years) on the date written.
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