The Thirty-Two: Part A - The First 8 (Bardahl ancestors)

With the number of direct ancestors doubling each generation, we generally have 32 third great grandparents. (I say generally because sometimes cousins marry and conveniently reduce that number.) This summer's challenge from my local DNA genealogy group is to identify all 32 of one's ancestors for this generation. Although stories and details are lacking from that far back, a list of names seems a bit thin to me - I wanted to at least find out when and where they lived and see if any decisions made by their generation have an impact on our lives today.

These 3rd great grandparents were all born in the years between 1760 and 1791 and lived in the last half of the 18th and into the 19th century. Each of my 4 grandparents has 8 great grandparents making it easy to divide my 32 into 4 groups based on the grandparent they belong to. Here is the first quarter:

A. John Bardahl's ancestors (my father's paternal line)

1. Lars Joensen Hellesvig (1760-1845)

Although this is my "Bardahl" male line, the Norwegian patronymic naming system in use at the time meant that Lars was given the first name of his father with "sen" or "son" added; thus, we know his father's first name was Joen. Hellesvig was the name of the "farm" where the family lived and is more of a location identifier than a surname. 

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".

The Bardahl family came from Nordland, Norway - Google Earth Image

Without surnames and locations, it can be difficult to pinpoint relationships. Although census data enable us to know that Lars was born about 1760, there are at least 3 baptism records for the appropriate time and area with sons named Lars being born to fathers named Joen. Even though we know that Sarah Andersdatter was Lars's mother, the church baptism records at the time frustratingly did not include the mother's name. Norway may be a feminist's dream today, but that was not always the case!

The first record of which we can be certain is his marriage to Marith Christophersdatter on 6 January 1793 in Alstahaug, Nordland. Lars would have been about 33 and Marith 25, fairly typical for the ages for marrying in Norway at this time. Four sons and two daughters were born to them between 1793 and 1807. 

Lars and Marith were the second couple listed for 1793 marriages in Alstahaug

At the time of the 1801 Norwegian census, Lars was 41 and a farmer. He lived to the age of 85, dying on the Hellesvig farm on 25 April 1845.

2. Marith Christophersdatter (1768-1848)

Marith was born about 1768; so far, no birth or baptism record has been located for her, nor has a Confirmation record. That her father's first name was Christopher is clear, but beyond that we can only guess. The first record located for her is when she married Lars in 1793. The couple would go on to have about a half dozen children between 1793 and 1807 including my 2nd great grandfather John Christian Larsen.

Marith died in Alstahaug, Nordland, Norway on the 7 January 1848 at the age of 80. She wasn't buried until 23 April when the ground thawed in the spring. Several others were buried that same day. It 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 happen until so long after the death of a  loved one.

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" 

3. Ole Johnson Vasdal (1760-?)

Ole Johnson was baptized on 31 August 1760 so we can assume he would have been born shortly before that. His father was Joen Olesen and mother was Anne Olsdatter. 

When he was 29, he married Dordie Nielsdatter and had a son Anders Johan Olesen with her a couple of years later. After Dordie's early death, he married Marith Arntsdatter Hoyjord in 1794 and went on to have several more children with Marith, including my ancestor Olina Olesdatter.

 

When the 1801 Norwegian census was conducted for Naesne, Ole was 41, in his second marriage. Listed next were his his wife Marith, his son Anders and his and Marith's children Arnt, Kirstina Dorothea, and Maren. In 1806 Olina would arrive to complete their family.

1806 Baptism of Olina Maria 

4. Marith Arntsdatter Hoyjord (1769-?)

Marith was baptized 2 June 1769 in Nesna, Nordland, Norway. Her father was Arnt Jorgensen but we don't know who her mother is although she bore him at least 3 sons as well as daughter Marith. 

Marith married widower Ole Olsen in 1794 and became step-mother to his son Anders.

In the centre of the page: "Copuleret: Ole Jonson Vasdal og Marith Arnstsdatter Hoyjord"

Death records have not yet been found for either Marith or husband Ole.

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Leaving Nordland, we head to Oppland, Norway for my father's paternal grandmother's line.

5.Andris Erikson Elton (1786-1869)

The Eltons came from Vang, Valdres in Oppland, Norway. Andris was part of a long line of male descendants alternating each generation between the patronymic names Andres Erikson and Erik Andreson. It can be very confusing! This Andris was baptized 6 January 1786 and could have been born late 1785 or early 1786. His father was (not surprisingly) Erik Andreson and his mother was Ingebjorg Gulbrandsdatter Uvdal (or Opdahl).

Location of Vang in Oppland, Norway - Google Earth Image

The Eltons were farmers at Øye. Andris would grow up to take over the Nordigarden farm at Eltun from 1806-1838.

Before his marriage to Tora Ivarsdatter Kjerstein on 8 July 1815 at Øye Kirke , he and Ingebjorg Nolsdtr Lunde had a daughter Ingebjorg (1813-1905).  He and Tora went on to have a large family, four of whom died young. Their first-born was my ancestor, named (again, not surprisingly!) Erik Anderson Elton, born 12 January 1817. Erik and his family, along with several other family members, would leave for America in 1854, selling the Elton farm to sister Anne and her husband Iver.

After his wife predeceased him, Andris went to live with his daughter Anne Andersdatter and her husband Iver Torgerson and their family on the Elton family farm. This is where he is found at the time of the 1865 census.

Widower Andris died at the age of 83 on 4 May 1869; a funeral was held on the 12th but he wasn't buried until 13 June. The ground must have still been frozen in May of that year as several other burials occurred at Øye Kirke on the same date.

Øye Kirke in Vang, Valdres - images courtesy Erling Blad, Wikimedia Commons

6. Tora Ivarsdatter Kjerstein (1794-1861)

Tora was born to Ivar Torsteinsson Kjerstein and his wife Anne Kristoffersdatter Leirol on the Kjerstein farm in the summer of 1794. She was baptised in the local Vang church on the 20th of July that year. When she was 15, she was confirmed as a member of that church.

As the Kjerstein farm was only a mile or two from the Elton farm, she must have known her future husband from childhood even though she was about 8 years his junior. Shortly before her 21st birthday, she married him and raised a family of several children.

She died at the age of 66 and is buried at Vang. There is no indication that her life ever took her very far from Vang where all the important events of her life occurred.

7. Knud Endresson Haalien (Holien) (1783-1840)

Knud was baptised on the 6th day of 1783 at the same Vang Kirke as shown above. His parents were Endre Knudsen Holien and Sigrid Torsteinsdatter Kjerstein, making Knud a first cousin of Tora (#6 above). He was confirmed in this same church at age 14 and married there at the age of 30 to Synneve Haakonsdatter Kvamme.

Knud was a farmer at Øye Annex. He and Synneve had 6 children, the oldest of whom was my ancestor Sigrid (or Sarah) Knudsdatter Holien. It was Sarah and her husband and family who made the move to America in 1854.

Knud did not live long enough to see some of his family leave for America. He died at Høle, Øye, Vang, Valdres, Oppland, Norway on 4 December 1840 at the age of 54 and was buried from the same Vang Kirke as where he had been baptised and married.

8. Synneve Haakonsdatter Kvamme (1791-1861)

Synneve's family came from Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane, the adjacent parish and county to ancestors #4-7 who were in Oppland. She was born at Øvre Kvamme, Borgund on 22 August 1791 and baptised on the 23rd of September at the beautiful old Borgund Stave Church. The church would then have been over 500 years old! It now houses a museum and is considered to be one of the finest remaining stave churches in Norway.

Borgund Stave Church
Photo from Wikimedia Commons created by Finnish photographer Simo Räsänen (Ximonic)

At the age of 22 she moved to nearby Vang in Valdres, Oppland, to marry Knud and raise their family. She lived to see all her children except for eldest son Endre leave for America in the 1850's. With all the emigration at the time, she would have had friends and family who also suffered similar losses, but it must still have been very difficult. Synneve died 7 June 1861.