Ougendal
- a family history website!
This website is created in memory of my grandfather Hans Kristian Gundersen Åvendal. It consists mainly of articles included in a booklet I made when I visited relatives in the US in September 2000.
In addition I have also included quite a few new photos, and I have also updated some of the articles with more recent information.
Since I was a small child, I have taken an interest in my family genealogy.
Living in the same house as my grandparents obviously helped a lot,
and I remember that from an early age I found it fascinating sitting in their livingroom
and listen to stories about how life was when they were young.
In particular, my grandmother who originated from Rosland, just 6 miles from Åvendal, enjoyed
it when we wanted to listen to her.
I was also aware that we had many relatives in America, even though it was only when I grew
older I fully got to know just how many over there shared the same ancestors as myself.
My grandfather, Hans Kristian Gundersen Åvendal, lived in the US for more than 25 years,
and it is a long-time ambition that will be fulfilled this September by visiting the States,
see the places he lived and meet the family-members living over there.
Most things written about the history of our family is in Norwegian and therefore I thought
it could be interesting for relatives in the US to have a history in their own language.
There are probably other people better qualified than me to complete such a story,
and this is by no means a comprehensive history of all people that have lived at Åvendal
as I have concentrated on people I descend directly from and their immediate family.
When it comes to information, there are few written sources that give more information about
our ancestors than plain facts like when they were born, married and died.
I still hope you will find it interesting and informative. Please forgive me for any errors
that might occur.
Solveig Puntervold, who is married to my father's cousin, produced an excellent booklet some
years ago including information on all descendants after Gunder Jakobsen Ougendal,
my great grandfather.
I have used some of the information she collected in this booklet, and is also grateful for the help received in particular from Einar Birkeland, Mandius Golf and James Montain to be able to complete this brief history.
Many of the pictures used had been kept by my late aunt, Ingeborg Stapnes, who shared this interest with me and also visited the US some years ago.
Egersund, August 2000
Kjell Åvendal
e-mail: avendal@tiscali.no
Postal address:
Gåsungeveien 9,
4370 Egersund,
Norway
Telephone: 0047 514 94690
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