Some countries have a natural affinity with winter. Canada, where I live, is one of them. Norway, where my 3X great grandmother Marith lived, is another.
This branch of the family lived up the west coast of Norway in Nordland. The area they came from included the area now called "Bardalssjoen" and is the source of our family's Bardahl surname.
The Bardahl family came from Nordland, Norway - Google Earth Image
Norway is often called the "Land of the Midnight Sun" because sometimes the sun shines there 24 hours a day. This occurs in the polar regions of earth in summer. The opposite of this "polar day" is the "polar night" when the sun does not appear above the horizon for a period of time in winter. The duration of the polar night depends on how far north one lives. This does not necessarily mean that everything is pitch black for weeks on end. In fact, there is a phenomenon known as the "blue hour" when the landscape appears a beautiful surreal blue. This, and the northern lights that often appear in the northern arctic region can, at least in normal times, be a big tourist attraction. Although many would find the weeks without sunshine to be depressing, it is said that many Norwegians enjoy the quiet beauty of this special time of year.
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| Polar night blue hour and snowfall over Øvervatnet lake in Fauske, Nordland 28 December 2016 photograph by Frankemann This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. |
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| Map of Nordland showing location of Frankemann's blue hour photo, the Arctic Circle Center and Marith's family sites |
Marith was born between 1766 and 1768 in Nordland, Norway. So far, no birth or baptism record has been located for her. That her father's first name was Christopher is clear, but beyond that we can only guess. Marith was married in winter and died in winter, but we don't know the season of her birth.
The first record of which we can be certain is that for the marriage between Lars Joensen Hellesvig and Marith Christophersdatter on 6 January 1793 in Alstahaug, Nordland. Lars would have been about 33 and Marith 25, fairly typical marrying ages in Norway at this time.
Lars and Marith were the second couple listed for 1793 marriages in Alstahaug kirkebok
Four sons and two daughters were born to them between 1793 and 1807, including my 2X great grandfather John Christian Larsen. Interestingly, all of her children were born between the months of April and October, with not a single winter birth. (That would mean, however, that their children were conceived during the long Norwegian polar winter.)
At the time of the 1801 Norwegian census, Lars was 41 and a farmer. Marith was listed as his wife, age 33.
1801 census for Hellesvig farm, Alstahaug, Nordland, Norway
Living with them at the time of the census is widow Sara Andersdatter, age 67, who could be Marith's mother. There was a marriage between a Sara Andersdatter and Christopher Pedersen in Hemnes, Nordland, Norway in 1767; this couple could certainly be Marith's parents, but without finding her birth/baptism record, we cannot be certain.
Marith's husband Lars lived to the age of 85, dying on the Hellesvig farm on 25 April 1845. Marith died there on 7 January 1848 at the age of 82. She wasn't buried until 23 April when the ground thawed in the spring. Several others were buried that same day. Although this was normal for the time and place, it nevertheless must have added another whole layer of anguish for Marith's family and the others who were forced to grieve a second time when the burial couldn't occur until after winter ended.
Not where Marith is buried! Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Painting by a contemporary of hers, Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1827):
"Megalith Grave near Vordingborg in Winter"
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| Not where Marith is buried! Image from Wikimedia Commons. Painting by a contemporary of hers, Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1827): "Megalith Grave near Vordingborg in Winter" |
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