Ingebrigt Olsen Skarheim and Ingeleiv Johannesdatter, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 45 theme: "Multiple"

My 7th great grandparents Ingebright and Ingeleiv lived out their lives in Borgund parish in Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane County in Norway in the late 17th-early 18th centuries.

22 August 2006 Flickr: Borgund Stavekirk, Norway; author zoetnet 

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Borgund Stavekirk, built in the year 1200, was already many centuries old at the time Ingebrigt and Ingeleiv were parishioners there. 

Ingebrigt Olsen Skarheim was born c.1652 to Ola Anfinnson Skarheim and his wife Guri Bjornsdatter. Ingeleiv Johannesdatter was born c. 1665 to Johannes Erikson Tonjum and his wife Brita Alvesdatter.

In Norway, the church books (kirkebøker) record the vital statistics for the country. Unfortunately, the church books for Borgund are not available for the time prior to 1711 when one would expect to locate the birth, baptism or confirmation records for Ingebrigt and Ingeleiv. Nor have details been found for their marriage that would seem to have occurred about 1680-85.

The couple had multiple children (9), including my 6th great grandmother Rannveig Ingebritsdatter Skarheim born in 1693.

Fortunately, census records are available for at least the male half of the population in the Manntall in 1701. This census was conducted for military purposes. For Skarheim (Skaarem) farm, Ingebrigt  is listed at age 47 (making his birth year about 1654). His sons Ola 15, Erik 13, Bard 4 and Alf 2 are also listed, along with a couple of 20 year-old male servants. 

1701 Manntall for Skarheim, Lærdal for Ingebrigt Olsen

Sadly, the next record that can be found relates to the deaths of Ingebrigt and Ingeleiv. They died together and were buried  on the same day as multiple neighbours. 

Borgund kirkebøker chronological list 1732, page 54

 

On the second Sunday after Pentecost (15 June in 1732) multiple  burials occurred. Ingebright Olsson 82, and Ingeleif Johannesdatter, 67 were in good company. Nine others were also buried from the beautiful Borgund stave church that same day -- 5 men and 4 women ranging in ages from 20 to 62. No children were listed among the dead. Ingebright and Ingeleif were the oldest. 

An examination of the entire chronological list for the prior year 1731 had a total of 10 deaths plus 6 still births; my understanding is that still births included babies born alive who died within the first 24 hours. In 1732, the total was 37 plus 26 still births. There seemed to be groupings of burials every month or two, rather than on a weekly basis. In both years, the number of deaths exceeded the number of live births.

What was going on in the Borgund community to cause these multiple deaths? Disease? Famine? Accident? Or just a sad coincidence? No explanation has been found for the  loss of nearly a dozen men and women in this relatively small community in June of 1732.

Some Resources:

• The National Archives of Norway, Arkivverket, Parish Register 1732 for Lærdal sokneprestembete, AV/SAB-A-81201: Ministerialbok nr. A 1, 1711-1752, s. 54
• The National Arcives of Norway, Arkivverket, Manntall 1701, Sogn og Fjordane County, Outer Parish Bailiff and Inner Parish Bailiff, p 117.