Genealogy Report Oscar M. Hagen
This generation will deal with the oldest known ancestors of Oscar M. Hagen, therefore, it is time to offer some background of where these persons originated and some history of what had come before. The writer of the article presented below is, Tor Dagre. He is former editor in chief of Nytt fra Norge. The article is produced for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Nytt fra Norge (from my best translation, that means "News from Norway". It is printed with permission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the author.) The entire article is not reprinted, only that portion from the beginning, and, up to the time when our direct ancestors left Norway has been reproduced here.
The first men to appear in what is now Norway, emerged from dim pre-history when the great inland ice sheets were retreating over Scandinavia. 10,000 years ago the fore-fathers of today's Norwegians hunted reindeer and other prey on their long trek north. The land they came to had for centuries borne the weight of the icecap, so the coastline was about 200 metres higher than it is today. The oldest proofs of human activity were discovered on a hill in the southeast region of Østfold, not far from the southern frontier with Sweden. At that time the hill was probably an offshore island, just south of the glacier tip.
There is no general agreement on where the ancestors of today's Norwegians came from, or on the routes they took on their journey north, but one of these routes certainly passed through Østfold. Artefacts found at settlements there are of the same type that have been discovered in southern Sweden and in Denmark. A further possible route may have led from the so-called North Sea continent to southwest Norway.
These first Norwegians were hunters who, wherever nature permitted it, settled in small groups. They left proof of their existence in flint tools, clay vessels, and not least, rock carvings. In every part of Norway remain specimens of their art, hewn or ground into the rock. The carvings depict their prey: reindeer, moose, deer, bears and fish. People, or boats appear only seldom.
The transition to agriculture started in Norway approximately 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, initially in the area around the Oslofjord. By the Bronze Age (1500 - 500 B.C.) it is the farmers' cultural relics that dominate the archeological finds, particularly in south Norway. Finds from this same period in north Norway show that the people were hunters. At many locations in far north Finnmark there were sizeable settlements of hunters, clear proof of seasonable cooperation between many people.
From the Roman Age ( 0 -400 A.D.) grave finds show that there were links with the civilized countries to the south. Utensils of bronze, and glass were discovered, as well as weapons. The art of writing, in the form of runic letters also became known in the Nordic lands at this time.
The migrations of 400 to 550 A.D. were a restless period of continental Europe's history, and relics found in Norway indicate that the same conditions prevailed there too. The existence of farms in marginal areas indicates that settlement had reached saturation point. Pollen analyses reveal that at this time the coastal areas to the west were deforested. The troubled times led tribes to establish defence systems such as forts, and on the eastern banks of Norway's largest lake, Mjøsa, the remains of these are evident over a stretch of 50 km.
The Viking era marks the termination of the prehistoric period in Norway. There were still no written sources of knowledge, and what is known about this period is largely based on archaeological remains. Nevertheless, the Sagas shed some light on this age. Al-though they were written down later, the Sagas were based on word of mouth tales passed down from one generation to the next. In synthesis they reveal that the Viking age must without comparison have been the richest of all the prehistoric periods in the north.
Many scholars regard the looting of the monastery of Lindisfarne, off England's northeast coast, in the year 793 as the beginning of the Viking Age. Over extensive parts of west and southwest Europe they are still regarded as cruel brigands, who wraught havoc on their victims with fire and the sword. This is only partially true. The Vikings also came on peaceful errand, to trade and to colonize. Norwegian Vikings settled in the Orkney Isles, the Shetlands, the Hebrides, and on the Isle of Man. The mainland of northern Scotland and Ireland also became their home, and Dublin, founded by the Vikings in the 840s, was under Nordic rule right up to 1171.
In Iceland and Greenland the Norwegian Vikings found uninhabited land. There they settled and built communities. Present-day Iceland is a direct consequence of the Viking colonization. On Greenland, however, the Norse communities, for reasons unknown, died out some few centuries later.
The Norwegian Vikings came mostly from the south and west of the country, where the land had been utilized to the maximum it could tolerate. In southeast and north Nor-way, on the other hand, settlement based on agriculture and other activities spread to previously uninhabited areas, particularly in the mountains and valleys.
For their many expeditions the Vikings needed fast and seaworthy ships, and men with the skill to navigate them over open seas. The fact that these hardy men repeatedly voyaged to America and back is evidence enough of their mastery of the longships. The Sagas relate that it was Leif Eriksson who discovered "Wineland the Good" in the year 1001, but present day scholars claim that other Vikings had reached America before him. The Viking Age finally culminated in 1066 when the Norwegian King Harald Hardruler and his men were defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in England.
Up to the 800s the regions that later became Norway were not unified. But both groups and individuals attempted to bring them together. Two main types of community were formed: * assemblies or "tings" organized around a central "Allting" and * petty kingships.
There must have been several reasons for this. Not least of them was the farmers' need for peace and continuity, particularly in the coastal areas, that were repeatedly troubled by robber bands and the harryings of the homecoming Vikings. The coastal areas possessed at this time substantial riches in the shape of stolen and traded goods. Safe on their "thrones" sat the petty kings, who thanks to the kinships created by intermarriage, were a tight-knit group with considerable power.
The petty kings in the Viken -- the areas surrounding the Oslofjord, played a major role in this process. Their might increased steadily as district after district was brought under their rule. After a battle at Hafrsfjord near Stavanger, believably fought in the year 872, King Harald Fairhair strengthened his position as ruler of large areas of the country. This unifying process, however, continued for several more decades, bringing harsh struggles between warring Norwegian chieftains, and between Norwegian and other peoples of the north. By 1060 the unifying process appears to have been completed.
Christianity was introduced into Norway over a lengthy period of time, possibly two hundred years. It was a natural result of the Norwegians' contact with Christian Europe, through trading connections and Viking raids. Missions from the churches of England, Germany and Denmark had also contributed to a weakening of traditional belief in the Nordic gods. This development culminated with the three missionary kings, Håkon the Good, Olaf Trygvasson, and Olaf the Stout. The latter's martyr death, at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 gave him saint's status. The Church had won the final victory.
Note: On my Norway trip in July, 2000, my son, Tom and I stayed at Dale-Gudbrands
Gård (farm). This residence is very similar to what we in the western
world refer to as a Bed and Breakfast. The farm is located in Hundorp which is in
Sør
Fron. The past history of this place is described as such: In the year
1021 this farm was owned by Dale-Gudbrand, who was the most influential and
powerful farmer in the valley. Olav Haraldsson (King Olaf and later St. Olaf) came to the valley
during the year 1021 with the goal of Christianizing the valley.
Dale-Gudbrand had all his neighbors assembled on his farm and Olaf had his army.
They held a "Thing" (Norwegian for meeting). During the process Olaf
was to prove to the farmers of the valley that his invisible God was more
powerful than Thor, the statue god that they worshipped. The symbol that Olaf
was going to use for his invisible God was the sun. The first two days of the
"Thing" were cloudy and the sun did not appear so Olaf could not show
the power of his invisible God. The farmers became restless and so Olaf said
that on the morning of the following day his God would appear and show that he
was more powerful than Thor.
In the meantime he had his soldiers turn all of the farmers horses loose and
sink all of the farmers boats that were in the river, Lågen.
The next morning, as King Olaf had predicted, it was a clear day and as the sun started to rise over the
mountain, Olaf exclaimed, "Look here comes our God the great light."
The farmers all turned to view the rising sun.
At the same time, a soldier of Olaf's, takes a club and destroys the statue
Thor. It is said that "cats, rats, mice and snakes" came out of
the statue.
The farmers were confused and tried to escape but they had no horses and their
boats were sunk. It is written that "the people now lose faith in the old and turned
to the true God who reigns over all things".
Dale-Gudbrand allowed a church be built on his farm. Historical facts and
poetic license converge to tell the story, but there is no doubt that
Dale-Gudbrand was an historical person, and that this story is based on real
events.
The history of Norway continues.
From the middle of the 11th century the legislation that was enacted, the songs that were sung, and the monuments that were erected demonstrated the firm establishment of Christianity in Norway. Shortly before the year 1100 the first bishoprics appeared, among them the see of Nidaros, later Trondheim, where the archbishop held office from 1152. The Norwegian archbishop also played a political role. In 1537 the Reformation was enforced in Norway by royal decree. At this time the country was under Danish rule, and the Reformation was enforced simply by making the so-called Danish/Norwegian church ordinance applicable in Norway too. From the early 1600s the Lutheran creed was the sole creed of Norway .
The year 1130 was a water-shed in Norwegian history. A period of peace was disrupted by conflicts; the civil wars which lasted right up to 1227.
But 1130 was a special year in other ways too. It is regarded as the start of the so-called High Middle Ages, a period of population growth, consolidation within the Church, and the rise and development of the towns. As Crown and Church brought district after district under their rule the degree of public administration and authority increased. Historians say that only then could Norway be termed one realm.
The power of the monarchy increased in the 1100s and 1200s, ending in victory both over the Church and the nobles. The traditional secular aristocracy was replaced by a serving aristocracy. The status of the farmers changed in this period, from that of free-holder to that of tenant. However, the farmer, who usually rented his lands on a lifetime basis, enjoyed a free status that was rare indeed in most of contemporary Europe. The slaves of the Viking age also disappeared in the High Middle Ages.
During this period the political centre of gravity in Norway moved from the southwest to the districts surrounding the Oslofjord. During the reign of King Håkon V, in the 1200s, Oslo became Norway's capital. Prior to this it had been an insignificant clutch of houses in the innermost reaches of the Oslofjord. When the Black Death reached Norway, in 1350, the town allegedly housed no more than 2,000 people. At that time Bergen had a population of 7,000 and Trondheim 3,000.
The state revenues in the High Middle Ages were extremely modest by European standards. Towards the end of the period they were scarcely adequate to finance any expansion of the administrative apparatus of Crown and state. The Black Death had raged with terrible effect, reducing the population to one half or possibly only one third of its pre-1350 level. This development prompted the King and the nobility to seek revenues from lands and feudal estates, regardless of national boundaries. This contributed towards the growth of the political unions in the Nordic lands.
Right from the 1319 to 1343 period Norway and Sweden had a joint monarchy, an institution later expanded through the arrangement of inter-Scandinavian royal marriages. Håkon VI (1340-80) -- son of the Swedish king Magnus Eriksson, and Håkon V's daughter Ingebjørg -- was lawful heir to the throne of Norway. He married Margrete, daughter of the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag. Their son, Olav, was chosen to be Danish king on the death of Valdemar in 1375. He inherited the throne of Norway after his father in 1380, thus bringing Norway into a union with Denmark which lasted right up to 1814.
The late Middle Ages were a period of marked economic deterioration in Norway. The population had been drastically reduced by the ravages of the Black Death and other plagues during the fourteenth century. Many farms in the marginal areas were deserted, and incomes sank. Some claim that a worsening of the climate and the grip of the Hanseatic League on Norwegian economy were the cause of the decline. Others believe that a steady impoverishment of the soil contributed to the deterioration.
The economic depression brought political consequences in its wake. Denmark assumed increasing importance as the major Nordic land. Danish and German nobles were appointed to the highest official offices. Lands and episcopal residences passed into foreign hands. The Norwegian nobility dwindled. Thus was the will and the ability for national self-assertion gradually sapped.
From 1450 the union with Denmark was established by treaty -- a treaty supposedly meant to ensure the power of the Norwegian Council of the Realm when a monarch was being selected, though this stipulation was never respected. The treaty was also to serve as a guarantee of the equality of the two realms. This was the theory; practice proved otherwise.
In 1536 Norway ceased to be an independent kingdom. This came about at a national assembly in Copenhagen, where King Christian III had pledge to the Danish noble-men that Norway was henceforth to be subservient to the Danish Crown, like any other Danish possession. Norway's Council of the Realm was disbanded, and the Norwegian church lost its autonomy. The Danish noblemen could from then on freely take over positions as officers of the law in Norway, and could earn their incomes from Norway too.
This close political link with Denmark drew Norway unavoidably into the wars that Denmark waged with Sweden and the Baltic Sea powers. It led the Danish king to surrender Norwegian land to Sweden; Jemtland and Herjedalen in 1645, Båhuslen and the fief of Trondheim in 1658, the latter, however, was returned to Norway two years later.
An assembly of the States General at Copenhagen in 1660 acclaimed Fredrik III as heir to the throne and assigned to him the task of giving the kingdoms a new constitution. In this way the two kingdoms were subject to an absolute monarchy, a factor which affected Norway's position throughout the remaining period of the union of the two lands. Although Norway was governed from Copenhagen, the monarch was often in no position to rule. The real power lay in the hands of the state officials. By and large Norway profited from this, as among the state officials dawned some comprehension of the Norwegian standpoint. On issues relating to Norway in particular, the views of the high-ranking Norwegian officials were often respected.
In this period of absolute rule a policy was formulated whereby Denmark and Norway were to be treated as a single economic unit. Thus, Denmark was accorded sole rights to the sales of grain in southeast Norway (1737), while a corresponding monopoly on sales of iron from Norway was introduced in Denmark. Through the so-called town privileges in 1662 all trade in timber was concentrated in the towns, where the inhabitants were granted exclusive rights to purchase timber from the farmers and the sawmill owners. The intention was to create a wealthy middle class in the town -- and this goal was achieved.
The middle class which emerged in the wake of economic developments bore the seeds of a certain national awareness. This was especially marked in the 1700s. It could have resulted from the strong economic growth of this social class, but probably the decisive factor was the growing resistance to the rulers' efforts to make Copenhagen the economic nub of the two lands. The Norwegian traders could not compete with the mighty trading houses of the Danish capital.
In the late 1700s most imports were shipped through Copenhagen. The timber retailers of southeast Norway made a concerted demand for a national Norwegian bank, and at the same time supported the demands of the senior officials for a Norwegian University. These demands were denied, as the government feared any move which might give Norway a more autonomous position, and impair the strength of the union. The concept of a Norwegian University and national bank gradually came to symbolize the growing national consciousness.
The trend accelerated during the Napoleonic Wars of 1807 -1814. Denmark/Norway were allied with France, and the resulting blockade isolated Norway both from Denmark and from the market. Shipping and timber exports came to a halt, and famine and hunger spread through the land. As Norway could no longer be administered from Copenhagen, a government commission of senior officials was appointed to carry out this task. The King, Frederik VI, submitted to demands for a national university, which was consequently established in 1811. All these events formed the backdrop for what was to take place in 1814.
At the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 Napoleon suffered heavy defeat. One of his opponents on the battlefield, the kingdom of Sweden, had previously lost Finland to the czardom to the east, and now wished to have Norway as a safeguard on its western border. Sweden's allies had therefore pledged Norway to it as one of the spoils of war.
The allied victory at Leipzig was followed by diplomatic pressure in Copenhagen and a military attack on the double monarchy, by way of Holstein. In January 1814 Fredrik VI surrendered, cut the links with Napoleon, and handed Norway over to his Swedish opponents. In this way ended 434 years of union between Norway and Denmark.
However, the agreement between Denmark and its opponents contained political elements that were of major importance to Norway. The terms firmly established that Norway was again to take its place among the independent states, in union with Sweden. In a subsequent proclamation from the Swedish king Carl XIII, it was stated that Norway was to have the status of an independent state, with its own free constitution, national representation, its own government and the right to levy taxes.
The Norwegians were not immediately agreeable to accepting this state of affairs. Governing Norway at that time was the nephew of the Danish King, Prince Christian Frederik. In understanding with his uncle, the governor paved the way for a Norwegian revolt, to prevent a Swedish takeover and presumably also to secure a reunion of Denmark and Norway.
The governor's action led to the convening of an assembly whose purpose was to forge a constitution. They met at Eidsvoll, some 70 km north of Oslo and on May 17 1814 formally adopted the constitution, choosing Christian Frederik as Norwegian king. To this day, May 17 is celebrated as the Norwegian national day.
The victors of the Napoleonic Wars however, were unwilling to accept any deviation from the terms of the agreement. The Swedes exerted diplomatic pressure, and when this proved to be of no avail, they launched a military campaign of trained troops who rapidly subdued the Norwegians. In August an agreement was signed at Moss, south of Oslo, whereby the Swedes accepted the Norwegian Constitution signed at Eidsvoll, with the amendments made necessary by the Union of the two kingdoms. King Christian Frederik relinquished his power on 10 October 1814, and left the country. Norway had entered into another Union.
In the years immediately following 1814 the newly organised state fought repeatedly for its existence. Norway was hit by the worst economic depression it had ever suffered. The common market with Denmark was dissolved and the British market was closed to Norwegian timber. Mines and sawmills lost foreign custom. Many of the wealthier middle class citizens in southeast Norway went bankrupt. The crisis was hard and long.
During this period of economic woes there were a number of trials of strength between Norway's parliamentary assembly, the Storting, and the Swedish monarchy. The Constitution was used as a means of abolishing the Norwegian nobility, partly to prevent the Swedish King from enlisting support for himself through creating more nobles. In 1821 a crisis arose when the Swedish monarch assembled troops outside Oslo to force the Storting to accept increased power for the monarchy. The proposals were rejected.
From the 1830s Norway enjoyed a period of economic buoyancy, which fed demands for freer trade and customs regulations. Trading rights were expanded and customs tariffs were given a free trade bias. In other ways too, Norway started to take part in general developments in Europe. The first railway line was laid, between Oslo and Eidsvoll, in 1854. Telegraph lines were erected. New management methods were introduced in agriculture.
The foundation for modern industry in Norway was laid in the 1840s, with the establishment of the first textile factories and engineering workshops. Between 1850 and 1880 the size of the Norwegian merchant fleet increased drastically.
I will close Tor Dagre"s article at this point because it is in this time period in the 1800"s that our Norwegian ancestors left Norway to look for their fortune in America.
There were no christening records or dates of birth discovered for either Lars Olsen or Marit Torgersdatter. There were no filmed records available for the parish where they belonged prior to the building the Sør Fron church. The first records that I found for Sør Fron was the year 1799. It is not known where they were born or the exact date of their birth.
The first information about them was found in the 1801 census for Norway. I have extracted information from The History Department, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. They have computerized the 1801 census and it is available on the Internet. They also have written an interesting article about this census and why it was conducted.
"On 28 November 1800 a royal decree ordered that a census should be held in Denmark, Norway and Iceland on 1 February 1801. The result was the first census to be held in Norway, where the name and other information were collected for each person.
Most Norwegian parishes have preserved from the years 1663- 66 two, three or more lists of the male population. While the first of these lists generally includes only males over the age of 12, the latest, from 1665- 66, includes all males. Women were only included when they were leaseholders or freeholders of farms. Moreover, the censuses covered only the country districts and did not include urban municipalities.
The first real census was carried out in 1769, when for the first time women were counted. Only professional military persons were excepted. Contrary to the earlier censuses, this census did not include information on individuals, only summary data on age, sex and profession, at the parish level.
The census of 1 February 1801 was the first census by name in Norway, and as such it constitutes the primary source on Norwegian demographic and social history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Not until 1865 was this form of census regularly used, as the censuses held between 1801 and 1865 (namely, 1815, 1825, 1835, 1845 and 1855) only gave summary information for most rural and urban areas.
The reason why a census was held in 1801 is not clear. The opening of a new century probably played a considerable role, since both England and France held censuses in 1801.
The actual work of the census was carried out in two different ways; the first covered all the towns, and the mines and factories. In the rural districts, where some 90 per cent of the population lived, the counting was done by the Parish Priests (sokneprestar). Although they were able to seek help from their sextons and schoolteachers, it is clear from the lists that they largely did the work themselves.
Both the Supervisors and the Parish Priests were to use printed forms that were adapted to provide two different ways of listing the dwelling; street- and house number in the towns and in the villages, or name of the farm (gard) in the country. The forms also described two different counting procedures. The Supervisors were to go from house to house in their small districts (rodar) gathering the information from the heads of each family. But since the priests were required only to question the head of the household after the Sunday Service, it was reckoned their work would take several weeks. However, it has to be emphasized that in both cases the information was not collected directly from each individual by the census taker, but via an intermediary, the family head.
The Census was to take place on 1 February 1801. However, since there were good grounds for believing that the work could not be finished that day, the census takers received further instructions. Thus it was decreed that they should not count children born after 1 February, but should include those who were alive on the census day even if they died soon after. However, nothing comparable was said on how travelers should be dealt with***."
The above article continues on but it was considered that the information indicated above was an adequate explanation of what the census was and why it is important. From a genealogical point of view it is a very important document in the location of ancestors.
In the 1801 census that covered the Sør Fron Parish, Lars and his family was living on one of the Tofte farms. Which one is not specified in the census. A book, "Garder og Slekter I Sør Fron " ("Farms and Families of South Fron"), written by Einar Hovdhaugen shows that during this time period there were three main farms. They were Tofte Nigard, Tofte Uppigard and Tofte Utistugun.
There is no indication as to which one of these farms, Lars and his family were living on at the time of the census. The total number of men, women and children living on the three Tofte farms was 87 in 1801. This would mean an average of 29 people per farm. That is a little different from our idea of an American farm that normally consisted of one family and sometimes 1 or 2 hired hands. On the Norwegian farm these 87 people include farmers, servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, wagon makers, women and children.
Hovdhaugen"s book states that in 1801, Uppigard Tofte had 4 husmenn, Nigard Tofte had 2 husmenn and Utistugun Tofte had 5 husmenn. Remember that the word "husmenn" (Danish), -- "husmann" in Norwegian means "cotter", "tenant farmer" or "sharecropper" in English. All of our ancestors were cotter's, so Lars and Marit would have been one of the husmand families counted above.
I found no marriage certificate for Lars and Marit but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say they married before the birth of their first daughter, Anne. This would be about 1788. After Lars and Marit were married they had four children. Below is a copy of how they appeared on the 1801 census.
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CHRISTIANS FROEN FROEN HOVED SOGN TOFTE
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LARS OLSEN MAND 48 1 GANG HUUSMD MED JORD M
MARIT TORGERD HDS KONE 40 1 GANG K
ANNE DERES BØRN 13 K
TORGER DERES BØRN 10 M
OLE DERES BØRN 7 M
RØNNOUG DERES BØRN 4 K
This is a reproduction of the 1801 National Census for Norway as pertains to the Lars Olsen and Marit Torgersdatter family. In 1801 Norway was a part of Denmark, therefore, the language used in this census would be Danish. CHRISTIANS was the name of the county that would eventually be given the Norwegian name OPPLAND after 1814. FROEN is the parish that was later divided into South Fron and North Fron after Norway left Danish rule and was ruled by Sweden. FROEN HOVED SOGN is the subparish and TOFTE was the farm/house. The other words are translated as follows: MAND = Head of household; HDS KONE = His wife; DERES BØRN = Their child; 1 GANG = 1st marriage; HUUSMD MED JORD = Cotter with land; M = Mand for Male; K = Kvinne for woman or female.
From this information it appears that Lars Olsen was born about 1753 and Marit Torgersdatter about 1761. Ole Larsen, our next direct ancestor in line, was 7 years old, so he was born about 1794. Although no research has been done to locate the parents of Lars Olsen or Marit Torgersdatter we can assume the name of Lars' father must have been Ole and Marit's father Torger. However they did not follow convention in naming their children. The first daughter, Anne, should be the name of Lars' mother and the first son the name of his father. The first son is named Torger after Marit's father. There are always exceptions to the rule. This happened sometimes in cases where Marit's father may have died at approximately the same time as the first son was born, or, Marit's father may have given them some valuable gift, or, he was a more highly respected individual within the community than Lars' father and the first son was named Torger to honor him. The second son is given the name of Lars' father, Ole. The second daughter should be the name of Marit's mother. I have no way of knowing whether they also switched the names of their daughters.
None of the histories of the children appearing above have been researched except for Ole Larsen, the grandfather of my father. That history appears under the name of Ole Larsen in the Index.
I searched the records for the deaths of Lars Olsen and Marit Torgersdatter but was not successful in finding those dates. It appears that both of them were sponsors for Ole Olsen, the father of Oscar Hagen, at his christening in June 13, 1841, and, if so, there deaths did not occur until after that date. At this time Lars would have been about 88 and Marit about 80 years of age. Apparently the longevity of the Norwegian ancestors started early.
Until further research is forthcoming it will have to be assumed that Lars Olsen and Marit Torgersdatter lived and worked on one of the Tofte farms. They were cotters and at some point there cotter holdings were given the name Toftehagen. Since "hagen" in Norwegian means "garden". the name could be translated as saying, "Toftehagen, or, the garden of the Tofte farms."
Note: There is some doubt at present as to whether these are the true parents of Goro. I shall keep them as her parents until something official is obtained to show the information to be in error.
Peder and Ane were found in the 1801 national census for Norway 3 where they were living on the Oden farm. This farm apparently is smaller than the Tofte farms since there were only 25 persons recorded on the census. The farm is located in the Sør Fron Parish and is only about 1/4th of a mile from the Sør Fron church. A reproduction of the view that one would have of the valley surrounding this church is shown on the previous page. Peder was a cotter with land on the Oden farm. Where he and Anne were born is not known but the year of their birth was about 1762. Peder was probably born on the Oden farm, and married Anne sometime before 1785, the birth of their first child, Ole. This is not necessarily true because illegitimate births were not uncommon in Norway.
The 1801 census concerning Peder Iversen and Ane Karlsdatter is reproduced below:
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CHRISTIANS FROEN FROEN HOVED SOGN ODEN
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PEDER IVERS MAND 39 HUUSMD MED JORD M
ANNE CARLSD HDS KONE 39 K
OLE DERES BØRN 16 M
GUNILD DERES BØRN 10 K
MARI DERES BØRN 8 K
IVER DERES BØRN 6 M
OLE DERES BØRN 4 M
GORO DERES BØRN 2 K
The first thing to notice is the Norwegian method of abbreviating names. Peder Ivers means Peder Iversen and Anne Carlsd means Carlsdatter. Also the name change for Peder’s wife. Ane Karlsdatter is the original Danish spelling for her name. Remember, Norway was a part of Denmark when this census was originally compiled. When the person at the University of Bergen worked on this portion of the census he/she chose to use the Norwegian spelling of Anne Carlsdatter. Sometimes this can be a headache for the genealogist. The other translations are the same as the those described for Lars Olsen and Marit Torgersdatter.
But why the name of Ole for their first child? Obviously Peders father’s name was Iver and Annes father’s name was Karl or Carl. Again we have an exception. There were times when child was named for a respected neighbor, farm owner, or other relative. This was not usual, but it did happen. Apparently, that is what happened in this case. Gunild and Mari could be the names of mothers of Peder and Anne. Iver has been given the name of his grandfather, and Goro could be the name of her great grandmother on her fathers side. The big question is why was there is no son named after Anne’s father, Carl? There might be a great story to tell if that could be figured out.
Goro Pedersdatter, the grandmother of Oscar Hagen, was christened 1 December, 1799 and was the first record of our ancestors that was found in the Sør Fron church files.
There was another child born to Peder and Anne after the 1801 census. Her given name was Anne, and she was christened 3 October 1802 .
As has been reported before, the parish church for this area supposedly burned and all of the records were lost. The Sør Fron church was built to become the new parish place of worship. It is an interesting structure and I found a rough translation of how it came to be along with some great history about this local area. Hundorp in the article is a very small village where the church is located. The article was translated from Norwegian to English by some unknown person and I have reproduced it as it was written:
"Sør Fron is rich in memories from the old times, and Hundorp knows all of us from Snorre. From this time the valley became consecrated soil in 1021 when Olav the Holy met Dale Gudbrand at Hundorp and Kilbein Sterke untied Torsbildet. (Torshovet stood still on the farm Haave, just north of Hundorp). Around Hundorp, lays many burial mounds. There are Olav’s monument, Dale Gudbrands stone and a stone over Harald Hardrade, who will have visitors somewhere.
The first church in Fron was built presumably on the farm on Haave’s property. That is in Snorre. Then baptized the bishop Gudbrand, and his son and thenceforth befan with ministers. They became friends who before were unfriendly to each other. Gudbrand let or permitted a church to be built in the valleys. How long that church, we do not know. Later a church was built (a stave church) on the farm of Listad’s. That farm is also known from the old Norse history of the emigrants. It was here at Listad’s where Olav the Holy overnighted when he was in the country. Otherwise in the Middle Ages was built an extended church in Sør Fron (farmstead churches or more advanced church. Ivar Kleiven says in the Fron’s book that without the parish church at Listad there were 8 churches in Sør Fron. One of these, Isumpapellet is restored in Maihaugen. The Sogne church at Listad has been torn down in the 1700’s when the present Sør Fron church was built little south of Listad.
Sør Fron church has an impressive beautiful and central location, just over from Europa way # 6. The church that is made of stone is sensationally huge. It has eight corners with a central steeple."
Another article that is from a handout that was given to me by Mrs. Roy Jacobs, Sparta, WI. She has been to the church in Norway and went through the cemetery. This is a part of the article that she sent:
"Sor-Fron Church is octagonal and built of stone, with room for a thousand people. It was built by Svend Halvorsen Aspaas who earlier had taken part in the building of Roros Church. These churches have many features in common. Sor-Fron Church was consecrated in 1793. .The church is built in the style of Louis XVI, while the mighty span of the high roof and the richly decorated altar show baroque influence. The lantern and the whole roof rest on four huge pillars shaped from gigantic plus logs finely fluted and marbled. The pulpit with its luxuriant acanthus decoration was carved by Lars Jensen Borg who earlier worked on the Oslo Cathedral. The pulpit stood originally in the old stave church at Listad. The stave church was pulled down at the end of the 18th century.
It was the verger of the parish, Kristen Listad (Master of the flower carving in Ringebu), who was responsible for the ornamentation of Sor-Fron Church. He was an outstanding artist, who has been justly admired, particularly in later years. Even Knudsen Sulengshaugen decorated the church with great good taste in 1860
Sigurd Grieg, late director of Maihaugen, says about Sor-Fron Church: ‘Svend Aspaas’s spirited masterpiece forms an impressive conclusion to the long history of church architecture in Gudbrandsdalen. It is the finest 18th century building in the valley.’
Why so much interest in the Sør Fron church at this time? The time period that the church was built is the same time period that both of the great grandparents and their families were alive in the Sør Fron Parish. They may have worked in the construction of the church and certainly attended the consecration. This is the church in which most of their children were confirmed and married. As stated previously only direct ancestors were thoroughly researched, I am sure that further research will locate the records for other members of these two families.
The deaths of Peder Iversen and Anne Carlsdatter.
Research failed to find any information on the dates of death of Peder Iversen and Anne Carlsdatter. Further research will be needed to obtain that data if it is available.
Summary of "The Ancestors of Oscar Melvin Hagen".
This is the story that started in Gudbrands Valley in the County of Oppland, Country of Norway. It was traced from the mid 1700’s and began with tenant farmers. These were referred to as peasants and with their entire families they worked for other people, day after day, year after year, with little opportunity of bettering their own way of life.
There are many reasons why people leave their homeland to go into the unknown, not really knowing what lies before them. In England and Europe, many times it was for religious purposes, at least initially, or, maybe it was the threat of war or rebellion that moved them to leave. As I researched our Norwegian ancestry it appeared that it was lack of hope and opportunity in their own homeland that made them dream of bigger and better things. In Norway only four per cent of the land is usable for farming. It has a total of 125,182 square miles of land, and that means that only 5007 sq. miles of the total land mass can be cultivated. Lets compare that to something close at hand. Get a map of Minnesota and locate Redwood Falls which is about 100 miles west and a little south of Minneapolis. Drop a line straight south to the Iowa border and another straight west to the South Dakota border. This square with Redwood Falls in the upper northeast corner contains more arable land than exists in all of Norway. The population of Norway in 1867, two years before Ole O. Hagen emigrated, was 1,702,000. Ninety per cent of these people lived on farms, or, only four per cent of the available land. Those are the reasons that Norwegians came here. They just became sick and tired of not being able to obtain a life better than what they had for themselves or their children. When we consider the percentage of their total populations, Ireland is the only country that had more people come to America than Norway.
I am glad that Ole Olsen Toftehagen/Hagen decided to take the risk. I don’t believe that I would have enjoyed his way of life prior to his emigration, and I don’t think I would be much good in a fight with a taped blade and a belt connecting me to my opponent (Information about the latter part of that sentence can be found in Ann Gesme's book "Between Rocks and Hard Places".)
There is much more information that can be researched, and I hope I will get that opportunity. Perhaps someday another longer trip to Norway or maybe someone within the family will catch the genealogical bug and continue this family history.