Hønefoss, Buskerud, Norway: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2026, Week 35 Theme: "A Spot on the Map"

One of my major goals on a recent trip to Norway was to visit the location my Grandma Louise Nelson Bardahl's family had come from. Grandma's parents were Carl Johan Nelson and Karen Nilsdatter; both had been born, baptised, confirmed, raised and married in the area of Hønefoss, Buskerud, Norway. As this was to be our first trip to Norway, I was pleased to learn that the town of Hønefoss, located just 63 kilometres northwest of Oslo, is easily accessed by road and rail. It proved to be so much more than a mere"spot on the map".

Norderhov Kirke, Buskerud, Norway photo by author 14 May 2026

Over the years of researching my Norwegian ancestors, I had developed a strong sense of the importance of the Lutheran Church in their lives. As the state church in Norway from 1537-2016, it was tasked with being the official record keeper for Norway's vital statistics; these were recorded in the kirkebøker (church books) available freely online at digitalarikvet.no.

Not being fluent in Norwegian meant that my word recognition was limited to the words around births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. Much of the nuance escaped me and I continue to discover more when I revisit records found some time ago. Part of the overlooking results from the organization of the parishes in Norway where the church records for parishes (sokn) under one main pastor might be grouped together in the name of his prestegjeld.

Entries relating to the Haug church are a good example of my failure to appreciate what I was overlooking. During the time of my  Hønefoss ancestors, the relevant prestegjeld was the Norderhov prestegjeld. It's easy to read the Norderhov church books and jump to the conclusion that any baptisms,  marriages or burials listed there would have occurred at the Norderhov kirke. In fact, the Norderhov kirkebøker include records for Haug, Hønefoss, Lunder, Viker as well as Norderhov churches. Sometimes records clearly indicate the relevant church -- and sometimes they don't.

Norderhov church book marriages 1795 - marriage of Torger Hanson and Sonev Nielsdatter

For example, the marriage of my grandmother's grandparents did actually occur at Norderhov Church ("Nordrehaug") on 7 April 1795 as shown in their marriage record (above). 

Norderhov Kirke, Buskerud, Norway - photo by author 14 May 2026

Grandma had visited Norway in 1967 and proudly shared the following photograph of the church associated with her parents and identified it on the back as shown. An examination of the steeples will show that her picture was not of Norderhov Kirke.

Grandma had identified it as being at Lucken (Løken farm associated with her family). It took just a bit of digging to determine that Grandma's picture is of Haug Kirke. 

Haug Kirke photo 14 May 2026 by author

Haug Kirke photo 14 May 2026 by B Graham Barnard

Upon our return home,  I revisited some of the old records I had found years ago to see if I could find more clues about certain events having actually occurred in this or any other specific church in the Norderhov prestegjeld. Here are the birth/baptism records for Carl and Karen, and, sure enough, a careful look under the baptism date shows "Haug". (And, yes, I do understand that Carl's record shows him to have been born to unmarried parents.)

birth and baptism Carl Johan Nelson (above) and Karen Marie Nilsdatter (below)

Other examples of records from the Norderhov kirkebøker indicate events from other of the local parishes in the group. For example, Carl's mother Guri Larsdatter's records indicate that she was associated with Viker (Wiger) Kirke.

Baptism record for Guri Larsdatter 31 May 1807 at Viker ("Wiger") Church

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Viker Kirke photo by author 15 May 2026

Viker is definitely farther afield from Hønefoss than Norderhov and Haug, as can be shown on the following map. For this reason, Viker became affiliated with Adaal rather than Norderhov from 1832. 

Map showing  Hønefoss town and area; Norderhov, Haug and Viker Churches - Google Earth

Because our time was so limited and the churches were of greater interest to me, we did not spend any time wandering around the town of Hønefoss. 

Hønefoss viewed from the train 29 May 2026

A couple of weeks later, on a train journey from Myrdal to Oslo we did pass through the area again and I snapped a few images from the train window. No longer just a spot on the map, I now have much better sense for the lay of the land and the interrelated nature of the local churches of the Hønefoss area.

Hønefoss area landscape from train window 29 May 2026 -Tyrifjorden

 

Borgund Stave Church: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2026 Week 34 theme: "Long-Lasting"

 

Borgund Stave Church - photo by author 28 May 2026

The Borgund Stavkyrkje in Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane had been added to my "must-see" list for a visit to Norway after discovering a few years ago that I had ancestors from there. When we visited there earlier this year, it surpassed all my expectations and will form a long-lasting memory.

My Borgund ancestors are from earlier lines of my Dad's paternal grandmother Anna Elton (1849-1938). Anna emigrated with her  parents to America in 1854 from Vang/ Øye region in Norway's Valdres Valley, Oppland.  The distance between Borgund and Vang is about 50 km. Anna's grandmother Synneve Haakensdatter Kvamme, born at Øvre Kvamme (farm), Borgund was baptised at the Borgund Stave Church on 23 September 1791. Somehow she had managed the 50 km. trek by 7 August 1814 when she married Knud Emdressen Haalien at Øye, Vang in Oppland. (Interestingly, there is another stave church at Øye but that and the Vang area will have to await another visit.)

A map shows the geographical connections of the relevant areas.

Google Earth map showing locations of Borgund, Hatleberg, Kvamme, Oye, and Vang

1791 birth and baptism of Synneve Haagensdr at Borgens (Borgund), Laerdal

Kvamme stones at Borgund cemetery - perhaps distant relatives? photo by author 28 May 2026 

There may have been long-lasting family or community interactions between the two areas since Knud himself had third great grandparents from the Borgund area. In his case it was to the family farming the Hatleberg farm not far from the Borgund Stave Kirke: Anders Anderson Hatleberg (1612-1692) and his wife Gunvor Olsdatter. We drove past Hatleberg on our way to Borgund.

Hatleberg, Laerdal, Norway, photo by author 28 May 2026

Although the church books for Borgund do not begin until 1711, there are some census records available before that time, at least for the male half of the population.

1666 census (male) for Hatleberg in Borgund, Laerdal: Anders Anderson 53 and his 3 sons ages 4-20

Aside from records of my long ago ancestors in the Borgund area, the physical long-lasting evidence for the lives of all the people who called Borgund Stave Church "their" church is in the church itself. Dating from between 1150-1180, it has been a long-lasting feature of the community from medieval times. The pine trees used for the staves are believed to have been 150 to 300 years old when they were cut, making the trees themselves really long-lasting now. What stories they could tell!

The steeply pitched roofline highlighted with dragon heads is reflective of the Viking age while interior motifs are primarily Christian. Saint Andrew Crosses date from Pre-Reformation Catholic times. After the Reformation, the church was the parish church for the Lutheran Norwegian Church.

Looking up inside the Borgund Stave Kirke to the Saint Andrew Crosses, photo by author 28 May 2026

Even when it was decided in the 1800's that a "new" Borgund Church was needed, the historical relevance of this ancient stave church was appreciated. It was taken over in 1868 by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments which continues to preserve it and make it available for public visits. 

Metal collection tin inside Borgund Stave Kirke, photo by author 28 May 2026

The "New" Borgund Church (1868) sits just south of the stave church, photo by author 28 May 2026

Another feature on the site is the free-standing stave bell tower that covers the remains of the foundry where the church bell was cast; the bell tower itself is probably mid 13th century. 

Stave bell tower, photo by author 28 May 2026

The Borgund site acts as a physical connection to this long-lasting community of people who have called  this beautiful part of Norway their home. 

Author in front of Borgund Stave Kirke, 28 May 2026, photo B.G. Barnard

Suggested Resources:

• https://www.kringom.no/en/laerdal/borgund-stave-church
• https://www.stavechurch.com/borgund-stave-church/?lang=en
• Norwegian digital archives for church records and census information can be found at https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/

This Genealogist's Dream: Chester Fritz Library (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 19 Theme: "At the Library")

Accessing Norwegian bygdebøker (farm books) had been high on my wish list for many years. Farm books were compiled by respected historians over a century ago, using numerous sources, including kirkebøker (church parish registers), census, probate, tax, land and court records. Local residents were also interviewed at the time of the compilations. The result is a series of books (in the Norwegian dialect of each community) providing valuable information about the people living on farms in the various communities throughout Norway.

University of North Dakota
17 August 2017 photo by author

These treasured books are not easily obtained or accessed. Interlibrary loan is not an option. Although there are digitization projects that will make access easier in future, for my purposes in the early 2000's, a visit a brick and mortar library was required. The American libraries that include bygdebøker in their collections are few in number and are located in communities that had a sizeable settlement by Norwegian immigrants. It always appeared that the best bet for me was the Chester Fritz Library (Arne Brekke Collection) at the University of North Dakota.

Arne Brekke Collection in the Chester Fritz Library
photo 17 August 2017 by author

A road trip to observe the total solar eclipse in Grand Island, Nebraska in August of 2017 provided the perfect opportunity for a detour to Grand Forks, N.D. 

After determining my preferred date for a visit, I called the Library's archivist to discuss access. I didn't want to show up and discover that the library was closed or inaccessible to me for any reason. He was very helpful, assuring me that although he himself would be away, the library would indeed be open for business. I described what I had done to prepare for the visit and he confirmed my plan and advised me of opening hours and parking.

As for my preparation, I knew that I would need to know county, parish and farm names for any ancestors I wished to research in the farm books. That would be relatively easy if you just had one or two farms to investigate. With Norwegian ancestors on both my father's 100% Norwegian background and my mother's 38% Norwegian background,  I had dozens that I knew of from four counties (Buskerud, Nordland, Oppland, Telemark). But I had just one day allocated for research! (There are limits to how patient a husband might be left to explore Grand Forks on his own!)

Preparation for the visit included: 

• reviewing the bygdebøker information available on the Family Search research wiki
• printing reports from my database for the families to be researched for each Norwegian county, including parish and farm names as well as names and dates for relevant individuals 
• reviewing the information available on the Chester Fritz Library site and printing off the lists of relevant authors/titles/call numbers to enable efficient access
• purchase of a good USB memory stick for storing the documents scanned at the library

My husband dropped me off at 8:00 A.M. on 17 August 2017. A very helpful librarian gave me a quick orientation to the books and the scanner and I was off to the races! I was so fortunate that I was the only patron there all day and had lots of table space and immediate access to the high-quality scanner. I stopped for a quick lunch in the cafeteria to keep me energized. In truth, my success was feeding on itself to build momentum as the day went on.

Accessing the Farm Books photo by author 17 August 2017

When my husband picked me up at the end of the day, I felt very satisfied that I had found and saved everything I had hoped to find that day. He captured this picture of me getting into the car which speaks for itself about the kind of day I had had!

Photo of author after a day at the Chester Fritz Library
by Graham Barnard

Norwegian Ancestor Kittel Guttormsen (c1758-1836) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 46) Theme: "Different Language"

 Having more than 50% Norwegian ancestry, it was clear to me from the beginning that at some point I would be faced with researching in Norwegian.  It turned out to be not only manageable but fairly accessible, even to someone with little knowledge of the language.

Complications with the Norwegian language arose because of Norway's history of being controlled by Denmark for several centuries until 1814. For a long time, Norwegian was much like Danish and then another version developed to move away from Danish and be more distinctly Norwegian. This resulted in a couple of variations of the Norwegian language, which have subsequently moved into a single form. As a result, modern Norwegian usage may be quite different from that found in the old church records. 

Another thing that distinguishes Norwegian is that is has 29 letters to its alphabet rather than the 26 we have in English. The additional three letters are all vowels (æ, ø and å) and occur after "z" - something to always keep in mind when searching an index for a word in alphabetical order! Although these additional Norwegian vowels do not appear on most keyboards, there are codes for getting these letters to type in computer programs.

To add additional challenge, the old style Gothic writing in the kirkebøker (church books) varies considerably in legibility and, even with the best penmanship, can be difficult to decipher.  See some examples further below.

Notwithstanding these challenges, it is important to recognize that you don't need to be fluent in a language to be able to read basic records. You can quickly pick up the basic words relating to gender, number, birth and baptism (døpte), marriage (viede, copulerede), death (døde), burial (begravede), censuses (folketellinger). Often, there is some similarity of the Norwegian word to its English counterpart.

In addition to using an online translator such as Google Translate, a Norwegian-English Dictionary can come in handy. Remember that you might find a Danish-English Dictionary of more use in some cases. For most basic research, a list of the usual Norwegian words used in genealogy is sufficient, such as the one at the Family Search wiki (see Resources below). 

English-Norwegian-Danish Dictionary compiled by Haldor Hanson, Chicago:
John Anderson Publishing Co., Publishers Skandinaven, 1912

Because the state Lutheran Church was mandated to keep all the vital records for Norway, excellent records are available well back into the 1600s. When I first started researching my Norwegian ancestors, it was necessary to scroll patiently through microfilms, sometimes several for each parish, by ordering them from Salt Lake City. Subsequently, most church records and several censuses have been freely obtainable online from the National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket). 

I have conducted research on dozens of my Norwegian ancestors with the very basic Norwegian language skills I have picked up. As an example, this week's story will focus on one of my mother's Norwegian paternal ancestors. 

Kittel Guttormsen is my 4X great grandfather. Norwegian naming practices also vary from what we are used to in the English/American world where we tend to have a given first name, sometimes a middle name and always a surname, usually passed down from the father. In Norway, there was a given name and a patronymic name based on adding the suffix "sen" or "datter" to the father's first name.  Just from his name, we know that Kittel Guttormsen's father's first name was Guttorm. To get away from the problem of so many names being essentially the same, individuals could be differentiated by adding their (farm) location as an identifier. Hence, Kittel is sometimes known as Kittel Guttormson Opsahl. To add to the confusion, however, if a person moved during his lifetime, that part of the name changed accordingly!

Kittel was the second child born to Guttorm Bjørnsen Nareim and his wife Siri Kittelsdatter Mjøseng. (We can see that Kittel was named for his maternal grandfather, a common practice.)  At the time of his birth in about 1758, his father was farming Nareim farm in Sigdal parish, Buskerud. Kittel was baptized there on 15 July 1759.

Døpte (Baptism) record for Kittel Guttormsen from the Sigdal Kirkebok

In 1778, Kittel's father bought half of the Nedre Opsal farm in Lier parish some 30 miles distance from Nareim farm in Sigdal parish. After the father's death in 1784, widowed mother Siri transferred half this land to Kittel and the other half to his brother Gullik. The farm book describes a lot of financial transactions, including mortgage loans and payments made, values for the property and earnings. Apparently there was a mill on the property valued at 500 dlr. 

On 24 July 1792, Kittel married Johanne Nilsdatter.

Copulerede (marriage) record for Kittel and Johanne from the Lier Kirkebok

The land transactions  remained convoluted and continued over the years. Complex descriptions in Norwegian are definitely beyond my current skill level with the language. The Farm Book describes the following according to Google Translate:

In 1792, Kittel sold in 1796 from a fehage, 1 lp.m which lay on the north side of the garden. In 1801, along with a part of Klemmetsdal, Gullik sold a small piece of wood, "located at the top of Opsalfjellet", to Asle Nilsen from Strømso. The owners of this piece of wood should answer 6 divorces. Annually, "all-time owners of Garden Opsal." In 1804, Kittel digged on Gullik's part of the garden for 600 dlr, and then took the mortgage for the entire purchase price. In the beginning of the 1800s he entered into contact with the other users at Nedre Opsal regarding the dragon horse . Kittel took a mortgage loan of 100 spd. In 1819. The following year, debt grew by 170 spd. In 1823 he issued a joint for 800 spd. and the livestock of the son Gunder Kittelsen. . .

You can see Google Translate does not provide a nice comprehensible translation. Norwegian friend Ragnild assures me that Norway does not have dragon horses and this should have probably been translated as a draw horse for pulling loads. Goodness knows what answering 6 divorces really should have said!

Aside from all these property transactions, Kittel and Johanne also raised their family. They had sons Gunder (my 3X great grandfather) and Nils and daughters Ingebor, Siri, and Anne. 

Gunder and  Johanne and their first three children show up in the 1801 Norwegian census living at Opsahl farm in Lier, Buskerud.

Folketellinger (census) from 1801 for Lier, Buskerud

Kittel died 25 February 1836 and was buried at Tranbye on 10 March. 

Døde og begravede (death and burial) Lier Kirkebok 1836
accessed from the Norwegian Digital Archives

Understanding just a few basic words in Norwegian took us all the way from Kittel's baptism to his burial. Now I must expand my language skills to figure out what that translation about the 6 divorces really meant!

Some Resources:

• FamilySearch.org research wiki for aids to researching in Norway, accessible online at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Norway_Genealogy and for a list of the more common Norwegian words used in genealogy at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Norwegian_Genealogical_Word_List
• Thomsen, Finn A., Genealogical Maps & Guide to Norwegian Parish Registers, Thomsen's Genealogical Center P.O. Box 588, Bountiful Utah 84010, 1988
• Norwegian Digital Archives accessible online at https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/
• Bjerkås, Ola, Liers Historie Bind III Gårdhistorie, Utgitt av Lier Bygdeboknemnd (Farm Book for Lier, Buskerud)

Carl Johan Nelson (1839-1911) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 45) Theme: "Bearded"

When I sit to spend time on my family history, my Dad's two sets of grandparents watch over my shoulder, as if trying to ensure that I tell their stories fairly. They gaze at me rather sternly, seemingly rebuking me for some failure on my part. How I would love to have a nice chat with them to get more detailed stories in their own words so that I could truly do them justice!

My Dad, Ken Bardahl, really appreciated family history. When he found these two pictures at the Bardahl homestead farm, abandoned  and unframed, he scoured the antique and collectibles shops until he found the two domed-glass frames. After Dad passed away, my siblings graciously agreed that I should take possession of these treasures, and that's how they come to watch over my shoulder, admonishing me to get their stories right.

 

Although both of Dad's grandfathers are bearded in their photographs (as was the fashion in the late 1800s), this time it's Carl Nelson's turn to be featured. Dad never met this maternal grandfather who appears in the top picture on the left. In fact, he only ever met one grandparent, namely Anna Elton Bardahl, and that just during one visit when Dad was 4. The stories about his other grandparents can be found here: 

• Karen Nilsdatter (upper picture, right)
• Anna Elton (lower picture, left)
• Hans Bardahl (lower picture, right)

Carl Johan Nelson c.1890
(No picture has been located for Carl without his beard)

Carl was born 26 August 1839 in Norderhov, Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway to Nils Olsen and Guri Larsdatter. His parents never married, and his baptism was unusually delayed, for almost a year, until 8 June 1840.

Baptism and birth record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

As was traditional, he was confirmed into the state Lutheran church when in his mid-teens. On 25 June 1854, his confirmation appears in the Kirkebok for Norderhov.

1854 Confirmation record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian Kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

The next time we find Carl in an official record is in the 31 December 1865 folketelling (census) for Norway. He is unmarried, 27 years old and working as a hired man on the farm of Anders Engebretsen in Norderhov. Living conveniently nearby, listed on the same page in the census, is a 24 year-old woman named Marie Nilsdatter. 

Carl married Karen Marie Nilsdatter on 3 July 1866 at Norderhov. Their daughter Gunhild (Julia) was born the following month. They were only married a few months when Carl, Karen and Gunhild joined thousands of their countrymen in emigrating to America. Bundling up their possessions and leaving all they knew to sail across the Atlantic in the dead of winter must have been challenging and at least a bit scary. 

Uttflyted record from the Norderhov Kirkebok
showing the family leaving the parish for America

At first, they settled in Salem Wisconsin but soon moved to Douglas County, Minnesota where they remained for 9 years.  While there, Carl became a naturalized American citizen on 3 October 1872.

1872 Carl Nelson American Naturalization

(It is interesting to note that in making this application, Carl had to renounce all allegiance to the King of Sweden and Norway. Norway at that time was under the reign of the King of Sweden in a rather complex relationship between the countries.)

Carl and his family made one final move in 1876 to the area of Erdahl, Grant, Minnesota where they lived out their lives.

Carl Nelson's land just southeast of Erdahl, MN
Erdahl Plat 1900

Carl and Karen had a family of 8 children, 7 daughters and one son. Most of the children were born during their time in Douglas County, MN, but the two youngest, Josephine and my grandmother Louise, were born after the move to Grant County.

Carl and Karen's Family c.1890 with identification of some of his daughters in Carl's fine handwriting
(Note the daughters' surnames are all given as Carlsdatter in the Norwegian patronymic tradition)

The following photograph is from 1898 at Carl's farm at Erdahl where he appears in his trademark beard working the land with son Nels.

1898 image of Carl (right) with son Nels, farming at Erdahl

One final photograph shows an apparently older Carl on his own, once again in his signature full beard.

Carl Nelson c.1910

Carl died at the age of 72 at 2:00 a.m. on 4 December 1911, after an illness of more than a year. From his obituary, we learn that "Mr. Nelson was an old member of the Pomme de Terre lake congregation of the Synod Lutheran Church, and took an active part in its work. His death is a distinct loss not alone to the congregation but also the community of which he was a part." His funeral was on Friday, 8 December and interment in the Synod Cemetery.

1992 - Carl's grandson Ken Bardahl and his wife Elinor visit Carl's grave

Some Resources:

• BBC History Magazine article on the History of Beards accessed 18 October 2020 at https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/a-brief-history-of-beards/
• Norwegian digital archive records for Norderhov, Buskerud Kirkebøker (church books) accessed online at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb/browse

Knud Aslaksen Aakre (1710-1768) and Steinar Aslaksen Aakre (1698-1763) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 33) Theme: "Troublemaker"

First, just to be clear: Knud and Steinar were NOT troublemakers.

Instead, I've chosen to write about a fight between brothers, a story as old as Cain and Abel. Sometimes family feuds can end in unwelcome estrangements with one party or the other feeling like the odd man out or the "black sheep" or "the trouble maker" of his family. But, more often than not, if one brother is attacked by an outsider, his brother will be the first to come to the rescue. 

My 6X great grandfather Knud was born at Drangedal, Telemark, Norway just months before hisÈ soldier father Aslach Steinersen died. There is some confusion as to how much older his brother Steinar was; it seems likely that he was born in 1698 but was not baptized until the month after his parents married in the autumn of 1708. The boys' mother Aaste Aasulfsdatter, left widowed with two young sons to raise, remarried to a widower named Erik Person.  

1710 Baptism record for Knud Aslaksen
Drangedal, Telemark Kirkebok

No doubt the boys were best buddies during their childhood years, but the story that remains about them involves a life-threatening attack by one brother on the other. (This is where I wish my Norwegian language skills were better than they really are. I'm afraid I'm missing some crucial details and would welcome input from anyone who can read more into the following story than I can.)

Here is the Norwegian version from page 361 the Drangedal farm book:

Dei to brørane hadde ein gong vore saman I eit brudlaup i Sannidal. Der hadde Steinar I fylla og I vanvare stukke bror si med kniven. Steinar blei då arrestera og sett under tiltale. Då ;lensmannen kom til brudlaupsgarden, låg brørane og heldt om livet på hinannan og gråt. Knut bad for bror sin. Det blei vitna at dei alltid hadde vore gode vener. Knut sveiv lenge millom liv og død. Men han kom seg att. Seinare lived dei som grannar og gode verner all sin dag. 

My understanding is that the brothers ended up in a knife fight at a wedding at Sannidal. Another account of this story indicates that a knife fight had erupted between Steinar and another man. When Knud came to intervene, Steinar would not calm down and ended up injuring Knud with the knife. By the time the sheriff came on the scene, the two brothers were crying with relief that they were both still alive and hadn't killed each other. Steinar was arrested and imprisoned, but Knud forgave his brother and must have agreed with the testimony of neighbours that there was no bad blood between the brothers. Knud lay a long while hovering between life and death but did eventually recover. The brothers lived as neighbours and good friends for the rest of their lives. 

Knud's survival was likely crucial for the very existence of my mother's line of the Torkelson family who descend through Knud's great great granddaughter Signe Knutsdatter Tveitane. 

It isn't clear just how old the brothers were when they got into this fight, but my guess would be youthful high-spirits at a local wedding, indeed perhaps fueled by spirits. Both men ended up marrying (Steinar in March of 1728 and Knud in January of 1730) and having families. We descend through Knud's daughter Maria Knudsdatter Aakre who was born in 1742. 

The brothers probably thanked their lucky stars for the rest of their lives that things had not turned out worse. I wonder how often the story was revisited over the years, perhaps with many embellishments.

Steinar died at age 65 and was buried at Drangedal 20 June 1763. No doubt he was much missed by younger brother Knud. 

Steinar's burial record from 1763

Two possible death/burial records have been located for Knud. The first of these was for 14 November 1767 - it refers to him as being crippled, which is certainly a possible result of the fight, but the age (52?) appears to be wrong.

1767 Death record for a Knud Aslaksen

It is also possible that the first is a record of his death and the second (below) is for his burial date. Sometimes, Norwegian burials were postponed for months until the ground thawed in spring.

The second record that might be his death or burial is from 18 March 1768 and, given his stated age and farm name, is likely correct:

.

1768 death/burial of Knud Aslaksen

Not troublemakers, but normal brothers who were capable both of endangering one another's lives and also of defending and supporting one other when push came to shove.

Some Resources:

• Telemark Farm Book: Drangedal med Tordal ei Bygdesoga av Olav Sonnes, I Kommission Hos H. Holms /Bokhandel, Drangedal 1924.
• Kirkeboker for Drangedal, Telemark, Norway available online at the Norwegian Digital Archives: https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb/browse