Monday, April 3, 2023

Easter 2023

 Easter, 2023

 

Dear Grandchildren, Brett, Austin, Kiira, Corrie, Eric, Rachel, Lauren, Samantha, Steven, Zoe and Fyn: 

 

When National Geographic offered the first DNA test, I took it, and I learned my DNA was significantly Orcadian. What???? Is that a new ethnicity???  No, the Orkney Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland were occupied by Norwegians many centuries ago.  When we went to Scotland, my hairdresser, Sasha, said I would not see one pretty Scottish woman because Vikings kidnapped them all. He said my ancestor was a kidnap victim of the Vikings!  She may be the source of my ancient Norwegian DNA!  

 

I traveled to Norway three times fascinated by Norwegian art, customs, and its rich history. The best thing I do for a trip is to first study history.  For the Norway trip, I read the book, Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset who received the first Nobel Prize for a woman in literature.  It is a magnificent book, made into an award winning movie with English subtitles, about medieval Norway and the introduction of Christianity.  

 

During my first trip with my aunt Fran, we cruised on the Sognefjord, the Great Fjord!  We rode the train from Flam to Myrdal where I wept with joy  at the magnificent waterfalls; we also explored Oslo.  Aunt Fran wanted to put her hair up in curlers early, so we did not venture out evenings. 

 

The second trip was with Papa; we covered the width and breadth of Norway.  We flew to Tromso, went cod fishing in the North Sea, north of the Arctic Circle, and visited relatives in Forde, Norway, and Vold and Gandrud relatives in Flaa, Buskerud County.  We spent two nights on a four-hundred-year-old sheep farm, sleeping on straw mattresses where I got Norwegian scabies.  The itching was unbearable.  

 

On the third trip, Ron and I took a ferry from England to Denmark, to Oslo where we took an amazing two-week tour with Brekke Travel.  We rented a car for another two weeks, traveling to the most southern point of Norway to visit friends who hand-crafted the Ambars made for granddaughters.  We traveled next to Buskerud County in the Hallingdal Valley. Everyone seems to have married distant cousins. I was amazed to learn that in 2014, the entire population of Norway totaled five million people, about the same as the population of Houston, Texas.  Pictures from the third trip are posted on the blog, http://norwegiangenealogy.blogspot.com/  

 

The church of Flaa, Norway was built about 1859 to replace an old Stave Church. The Vold farm is across the road - about where the photographer stood when the church photo was taken.  In 1860, Ole Halgrimsen walked across the road from his home to the church to make his vows to Brynhild Engebretsdatter Gandrud. In May of 1861, Ole, and his bride of one year, got the "Amerika Fever." Ole sold the Vold gaard and set sail for America to join three of his siblings, Margit, Truls, and Sever, who were already in Rice County, Minnesota. Ragnild stayed behind in Norway. For me, it was an exciting moment to step into the high pulpit of this church and imagine the mixed pride and horror that my great-grandparents would have felt knowing their great-granddaughter was a member of the clergy.

Ole and Brynhild set sail out of Drammen, Norway in May 1861, on the ship, Flora, bound for London and then embarking onto Quebec, Canada where they landed in August. They journeyed onto Wisconsin for supplies and prepared to move by covered wagon to Rice County, Minnesota in the spring. They settled near Nerstrand where they farmed for eleven years before settling permanently in Worth County, Iowa. 

 

A large oil painting of Kari Pedersdatter (of Sevre) hangs in the church's narthex in Flaa (mid-19th century). How cool is that? One normally finds images displayed in a church narthex of Jesus in the Garden or with the little children. It is indeed compelling because Vis-Kari (Wise Kari) was not only God Forbid, a female, but she was a lay preacher even to kings, long before it was acceptable for such unheard-of practices. Her preaching brought about great religious fervor against the backdrop of the Pietistic Haugean lay movement that swept Scandinavia. Kari spoke out strongly against the use of alcohol and such frivolities as music and dancing.

But the tale gets stranger still: Kari was called Vis or Wise because she was a mystic: Norway's only known mystic. Kari had "spells." She spoke of visions when she awoke from one of her spells or unconscious periods. And the crowds became quiet; they listened to words speaking truths they were not accustomed to hearing. Hundreds of men (get that????) obeyed her call to give up drinking and to burn their musical instruments.

Reading about Vis-Kari brings to mind mystics ranging from Hildegarde of Bingen, St. Teresa, and St. John of the Cross - to Dag Hammarskjold, one of our modern-day mystics. What exactly is the definition of a mystic? Wikipedia: 
"A mystic believes in the existence of realities beyond human comprehension." I suppose the same can be said for schizophrenics. Not all mystics have visions either; some speak of an existential experience of the immanent or transcendent God that is life-transforming, yet words fail them as they try to describe an encounter with "Something." They don't hear words or see visions, but they comprehend and grasp the deeper realities of God's presence among us in wondrous ways.

Kari's story is intriguing to me as a Lutheran clergywoman. I witnessed the difficulties women faced entering the ministry in the first ten years following the ordination of women in the Lutheran Church. Yet, here is an uneducated farmer's daughter who experiences a "call" to ministry over a hundred years earlier than the ordination of women in the US. She is not only accepted, but she walks hundreds of miles preaching to the king. He not only receives her, but he listens to her. She lectures to men, and they obey as though God Almighty is speaking directly to them. She had visions at a time it was certainly not politically correct to hear from God apart from the written word (in Norwegian). And the people are so amazed they call her Vis-Kari. Who can help but stand in awe and wonder at the mystery of God using a young woman to bring such changes?

Vis-Kari lived at the same time and place as my great-grandmother, Brynhild
 Engebretsdatter Gandrud; no doubt they knew each other.  Brynhild's aunt Kristi was Kari's stepmother whose surname was Sevre - as was her mother-in-law, Anne Olsdtr. Sevre/Sefre.

While I cannot agree that her fervor against dancing, or burning musical instruments, was the Word of the Lord- I can rejoice to see her image displayed in the church at Flaa, knowing she was a community treasure.


Now comes the History of Hallingdal.

 

 

 

June 2007


 

THE HISTORY OF HALLINGDAL


I just returned from attending the Centennial celebration of the Hallinglag in America. A Lag is a society or organization of Norwegian descendants of Hallingdal, Norway. I want to share some of the histories of Hallingdal that I learned for the first time, thanks to Edna Rude and the mayors from Norway.

Edna transcribed many documents and gathered them into a good article, too lengthy to reprint in this blog. And I will try to sum up Edna Rode’s history over the next few days:

Hallingdal became a kingdom in about 800, and its first king was named “Hadding.” He lived at Hoff in upper Al, and his son succeeded him as king at Garnos in Nes. The name Haddingdal was used long before it became “Hallingdal.” Hadding was the son of King Raum of Telemark and a brother of King Ring of Ringerike. In 870, Hallingdal accepted Harald Fairhair as king, along with all of Norway.

So the history of our people begins with the civilization of a settled people, from about 800 to 1000 A.D., known as the Viking Age.  While the Vikings raped and pillaged Europe’s coasts and planted colonies. Nobody was safe from the Vikings. The name Vik means bay or inlet, and the men who swarmed out of these bays in the far north included Danes and Swedes, who were since known as Vikings. A king in France invited a group of Vikings to settle on their shores in exchange for peace and a guarantee that the Vikings would protect France from other bands of Vikings. That area is called Normandy, and it has been said that Normandy is the only place in the world where French is spoken with a Norwegian accent.


But now we know that there was a settled civilization in Hallingdal by 800 A.D., the question remains: "Where did they come from?"

 

There are six communities in Hallingdal: Al, Hol, Gol, Hemsedal, Flaa, and Nes. Edna Rude tells us that the earliest settlers around Al and Hol came over the mountains from the Sognefjord and Hardanger areas. They had followed ancient trails made by earlier migrant hunters. Gol and Hemsedal were occupied by those coming through Valdres and from the east (Sweden). It is unknown if they had settled in Sweden or were just passing through. Nes and Flaa were taken over by people coming through Denmark and Estonia, taking the water route to Drammen and up the Hallingdal River.

All of the above people spoke a similar Germanic (Teutonic) language. They either lived peaceably next to each other or fought to determine boundaries because they stayed. Yet, Edna says, they admit a difference in speech, customs, actions, and appearance to this day. There is a distinct line between Nes and Gol.

The people of Hallingdal were farmers with enough livestock to carve out their existence. During the summers, they followed the green grass high up on the mountains to a portion of their farm called the seter. The women (get that!) turned the herds loose and stayed with them. They made the finest butter and cheese from the milk up there, as the grass was so sweet and nourishing. Some summers, the animals had to be carried out of the dark stable to eat the grass around the stable to gain the strength to walk up to the seter. For centuries, they tried to keep too many animals on too little food during the winter.

Going to the seter was like a vacation. The air was so light, and the sun shone more hours in the day than down between the mountain walls of the valley farms. They lived in primitive shelters in the seter, and the hard work required solid bodies and strong wills.

 

Edna Rude tells us, “From an old history book, we find this description of life on a valley farm, whether in Hallingdal or elsewhere in Norway. Each “settlement” or community consisted of one “big” farm handed down through generations of one family since the beginning. The location would be by a river, fjord, or tarn (lake). The owner was called “odelsbonde” or storbonde” meaning the prominent landowner. Because of his wealth, he was automatically the leader in the community. Wealth was synonymous with wisdom! He kept armed bodyguards, many hired workers, plus some slaves. Near the buildings were pastures, fields, and a small orchard. A garden contained cabbages, onions, and plants used for dyes-blue, gold, etc. The whole farm was enclosed in a fence.

There were many buildings on the main farm, all built of logs so large it took just three stacked on each other for each wall. As there was no foundation, the first log was laid directly on the ground, and each record was “slabbed” on two sides, so walls were flat down inside and outside. The roofs were laid with planks, covered by birch bark (which never rots), and then sod on top of this. If the grass grew too long on the roof, it was the privilege of one of the goats to be placed up there to nibble it down. Chimneys were unknown until the 18th or 19th century. The main house was long and narrow with a packed earth floor that had been excavated, so it was lower than ground level. People would step down into the house. A ledge of the earth was left around the as covered with planks, so benches were for many people. Two or three stone hearths were lined up along the middle of the room.

A hole in the roof relieved the space of some of the smoke. The spot served as a window for light during the day. There we no other windows. And a sort of trap door was attached to a pole so the opening could be closed during bad weather and darkness. Heavy crossbeams held the building together. One end of the house was divided into two small rooms, an entry, and a storage room for food supplies. This was a forerunner of the kitchen. And in the entrance was a ladder to the sleeping loft above the storage room. There were many other buildings, separate stables for cows, sheep, and goats, and a “stabbur” (storage) with a sleeping loft above for the hired girls to sleep. Other help usually slept in the horse stable. There was also a blacksmith shop, a boatshed, and a type of sauna used every Saturday by the men. This practice continued until about 1800 AD.” (pp. 2-3, People’s History of the Hallinglag of America 1907-2007).

Edna Rude gave me permission to copy her Brief History of Hallingdal. No one else has told the story so wonderfully or so completely. It is fascinating to read her work and recognize the traditions passed down for generations and carried to America – customs and traditions that were part of my history. This is especially true as she describes the social life of the Hallings, although on a far, far smaller scale.

“Social life for the big landowner and his family could be some rather grand affairs lasting several days and sometimes including hundreds of guests. The preparations for such an affair kept the servants busy for a long time, and the housewife “managed” the whole thing. It began with a thorough house cleaning, and then the walls were decorated with hand-woven tapestries depicting gods, heroes, and great events. Over these tapestries were hung well-polished weapons and shields, floors spread with fresh straw, and tables brought in. Everyone arrived dressed in their finest toward evening.”

The host went out to meet them, and his servants took charge of their horses and weapons until it was time to leave. The host took his place on the “high seat,” an oversized, heavily carved chair marked by two tall, carved pillars standing guard at his right and left. Male guests were seated on the long-wall benches on either side of him and directly opposite, facing him. Women were sitting at the end of the walls. Guests received a bowl of water held by the hostess to wash their hands – and then the host would stand, welcome, and announce that it was time to eat.

Of course… the women were busy serving… but only one “poured.” She poured the ale into drinking horns carved from cow horns – and passed them to the guests. When the meal was finished, the women cleared the tables and disappeared. But the men continued drinking and told stories of long-ago events (sagas) while music was played on harps. When they were “well into their cups,” they argued and fought until they eventually stumbled out to find sleeping quarters or fell asleep on the straw by the fires. The following day they held an athletic competition.  


Family gatherings have changed over the generations, but the importance of families gathering has not changed.


 

I love you, my little Norske’s!

 

Grandmothe

 


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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

June 2018

26 June 2018,  How amazing four years have flown by since I updated the blog!  We were saddened to read Arne Brekke of Grand Forks, ND passed away because we so enjoyed our Brekke tour of Norway, recommending it to many friends. 

Thanks to Lena, my Norwegian friend, who was able to have a master wood carver reproduce the Norwegian clock created for my third great-grandfather, Gandrud.  The color choice is mine, and so is the scripture from my ordination.  



I am creating Norwegian heirlooms for my grandchildren.  My dear friend Lene Kjelvik of Christiansen, NOR, carved and did Rosemaling gifts for the girls. Leslie Landis designed and did rosemaling trunks for the boys. Approaching weddings, grandchildren will receive heirloom cake plates. 

Cake P;ates


Brett's Ale Bowl
Ale Bowl and Cups



Cale Taker 



Erics Trunk


Steven;s Trunk


The first photo is Grandmother with granddaughter Samantha, the second one is of son Jon, granddaughter Lauren with Ambar,  and Grandmother. 





Sunday, July 13, 2014

Norway 2014



13 July - a few photos from Flaa, Norway, yesterday and today.   The interior of the church at Flaa is beautiful.  We enjoyed visiting with the student pastor.  The congregation no longer enjoys every Sunday worship; fortunately they had worship today.  From there we drove to Stor Gandrud (the large Gandrud farm).  I will edit more when time permits over the next few weeks in Norway. The last photos are from Sandefjord where we are spending the night before driving to Kristiansand.
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Church at Flaa




The Vold Farm across the road  from the church.  House is not original.


Vis-Kari the Mystic

Church at Fl å where my Vold great grandparents were married. 






Cynthia in the pulpit where her great-grandparents Vold were married




Stor Gandrud Stabbur , a store house.

storage buildings at Great Grandmother Brynhild's Childhood Home


Lake in front of Gandrud's home 




Lake View From the House 




Child's Playhouse Shot by German Gun from Lake

Great-grandmother Brynhild Gandrud Vold's home






Bergen














11 Juli- Oslo, Norway:  The extremely, STRONG steward was sitting on the deck in a tee shirt as we watched the ship docking in Oslo; he laughed heartily when Ron complimented him on his Superman strength in front of his comrades and enjoyed a later opportunity to tell him how distinguished he looked in his uniform.  Ron generously tipped the steward who assisted us with our luggage to the taxi, asking him to share with the other man. Our room at the Grand Hotel in Oslo was not ready when we arrived, allowing us to take a short fjord cruise to the Viking Ship and the Kon-Tiki Museums. The pictures taken with the cell phone do not adequately tell the story of discovering the 1200-year-old Viking ships or the decay happening from within the wood, creating a current crisis.  A desperate race is on to discover a way to preserve the ships and their treasure, or this is the last generation to see them.  The Viking ships were used as burial chambers for two women and one man; likely the woman was a queen or very wealthy person gifted with food, animals, utensils, etc., for her journey to "beyond." Fascinating to learn 15 more Viking ships have been discovered this past week, exciting everyone with the new discovery.   We walked to the Kon-Tiki museum from the Viking ship museum to view the bamboo and balsa raft Thor Heyerdahl and five other men constructed in 1947. Some photos below are from last night's sunset; the rest were taken as we approached Oslo; the others are from the day's journey. We have an upgrade to our room, and a car rented for tomorrow's journey to Flaa, Norway.


Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Gandrud Farm



Thanks to Howard Gandrud for sending the photo of Stor (large) Gandrud farm he took while in Norway. Howard descends from the Vesle (small) Gandrud farm but he did meet cousin Nils Kolbjorn Skinnes, a Stor Gandrud farm descendant and current owner.  

Vesle Gandrud farm is visible on the upper right side of this photo, but the large white house on the left is the Stor Gandrud farm.

During the Second World War, the only site of actual armed battle between the Norwegian resistance and the Germans took place from the hills above the farm. The underground resistance shot down at a German U Boat in the lake; the U boat returned fire with some of the bullets lodging in the children's playhouse. The bullets are still in evidence in the playhouse.


The photo was taken c1920 by unknown photographer. The farm has been in the Gandrud/Gulsvik family since commoners could own land - about 1150 AD. At one point, Gulsvik was a very large area; the land was divided as sons and daughters married. A large lake is in front of the farm (about the bottom edge of the photo), although not visible in this photo. Behind the farmstead (top of photo) are hills that became well-known during WWII when the Norwegian Resistance fired down on a German U Boat in the lake. It was the only place in Norway where the Norwegian Resistance had an open battle. The German U Boat fired back, causing bullets to land in the children's playhouse. The bullets are still embedded in the playhouse.

My great-grandmother, Brynhild Engebretsdatter (Gandrud), was born on 7 September 1837 on this farm as were all of her Gandrud ancestors for centuries. Her father was Engebret Kolbjornsen Gandrud b. Before 29 November 1807. Her mother was Gunhild Knudsdatter Hilde, b. before 22 February 1801 on North Hilde. Later, I will post photos of the farm today taken of me with cousin Kolbjorn Nils Skinnes. Kolbjorn owns the farm; he is a descendant of Brynhild's brother, who took over the Gandrud farm when Engebret died. 

Cynthia Forde took the lake photo in front of the Gandrud house in 2014/





Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Vold farm stabber

The photo of the stabbur (storehouse) on the Vold farm was taken about 1952 by Laura Vold. The building has been replaced by a newer stabbur. The Vold farm is located across the street from the church in Flaa, Norway. It, too, is centuries old and was originally part of the Gulsvik farm. My great-grandfather, Ole Halgrimson Vold (Wold) was born on the farm on 19 March 1832. Ole's father was Halgrim Syversen Wold, christened 1790, on September 26. Halgrim's Parents: Syver and Ragnild Lie Wold. Test (witnesses): Ragnild and Embret Ganderud, Gunild and Syver Wold, Levor Olsen. (Parish record 5/57 Nes and Flå).

Marriage: 17 Feb. 1816. Bachelor, Halgrim Syversen Wold. 27 years old, and Anne Olsd. Sefre maid 23 years old. Best men: Ole Olsen Onsgaard and Parish Clerk Paulsen. (Parish record 7/394 Nes and Flå). Anne was the daughter of Ole Knudsen (Maelum) Sefre and Margit Trulsdatter 

Pictures: Ole Halgrimson Vold, the youngest son, in Worth County, Iowa, about 1900 

 


Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Norwegian Pulpit Supply Team























Pastor Arlen Fiske (seated) wearing an original Lutheran "ruff" collar and vestments. Pastor Fiske is the author of many novels about Norwegian life and customs.

Standing: Klokker (the layman who presided at the opening and closing of worship)

Pastor Frank (Pastor from Al, Norway)

Pastor CynthiaForde ... me  (Pastor from Texas)
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The Gandrud Cousins and Hans Bekken (Mayor of Flaa, NOR)

Posted by PicasaKrista Gandrud Sanda Johnson, Hans Bekken (Mayor of Flaa, NOR), and Cynthia under the big tent at Walcott, ND. This is the day Mayor Bekken became so sunburned he had to be hospitalized upon his return to Norway. Krista's great-grandfather Engebret and my great-grandmother Brynhild were brother and sister, descendants of Stor Gandrud from Flaa, Norway.




Wagon Train into Walcott, ND

Mid-day in Walcott, ND, we were treated to a wagon train showing us how our ancestors arrived in the midwest.
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