"Ancestors I'm Looking for You"

One of the incentives for this trip was to learn more about  my Dad's Norwegian ancestors.  Since moving to Anacortes the Norway "thing" has gotten stronger.  Carl and Linda, Jeff and Joyce, and Floi were among those who told us about their Norway trips.  Our visits to Petersburg, Alaska immersed us in their 17th of May independence celebration.  It was time to go.

Last Christmas, while in Iowa, I learned of a 4th cousin living south of Bergen and north of Stavanger (our great great grandmothers were sisters) .  She lives on the farm where my great grandfather Gunnar (George) Olson had once lived.  George came to the USA when he was six years old.  The family first settled in La Salle county, Illinois.  George's mother, Anna Serina is buried in Leland, Illinois.  Sometime after George married Amelia Jacobson in La Salle in 1893 they moved to Iowa where there was cheap land.

Here in Norway we have met others on a similar ancestor searches.  In Balestrand we met Louise and her husband from the Quad cities in Iowa.  In Bergen we met Gail and her husband from  Jamestown, NY.  Gail lived in Illinois near where Anna Serina, George's mother is burried.  In Visevik we met Andi from Luther College in Decorah, IA.

Sovik farm is just to the right of Aksdal

From Bergen we bussed to Haugesund where we spent a night.  While in Haugesund we made use of their Bygdebok collection to see if we could make sense of Gunnar's family.  We were feeling pretty good when we drove from Haugesund  to just past Aksdal to meet Torhild Sovik,.  She greeted us warmly with food ready.  Fortunately we were forewarned so we hadn't eaten lunch.  Torhild had a complete collection of the Tysvaer Bygdeboks so we continued our research.  David set up a spreadsheet to keep it all straight.  He has been invaluable in collecting the information.

Haugesund waterfront, David and I with our "animals" and Our Savior Lutheran Church

We rented a nice Toyota Yaris hybrid in Haugesund for our drive around Tysvaer and on to Stavanger

Torhild is David's age.  She has lived on the Sovik farm since 1983.  Currently she has 99 sheep, 62 are this year's lambs.  She raises them for food and sheepskins.  In her house there are sheepskins on the chairs and a lovely sheepskin rug in the living room.  Torhild doesn't speak English and my Norwegian was not sufficient to converse.  Fortunately the Google translate app on my computer worked even without wifi.  We did a lot of conversing via computer.

Sovik farm overlook Grindefjord

When not looking in the Bygdeboker, and not eating, we drove around the Tysvaer municipality (similar to our counties) soaking up the scenery.  It was fjords and farms.  Grindefjord and Skjoldalfjord dominate the area.  I have ancestors with connections to the following farms:  Erland, Ikdal, Munkhus, Mehus, Vara, Nes, Nesheim, Sovik, Aursland, Vatland, Oygarden, Espevik, Musland, Tosvoll, Ersland, Eggja, Frovik, Skogen Sore, Dalva, Store Nessa, Indre, Nessa, Indre Amdal, and Ringja.  Basically they were everywhere around those fjords. 

Views around Tysvaer including the Skjoldastraumen Church

Lots of signs

After leaving Torhild we headed to the island of Rennesoy to seek Amelia Olson's, (George's wife) ancestors.  The library in Vikevag had the Rennesoy municipality books. .  We were good to go.

When we asked about food and lodging there was nothing in Vikevag (it was Sunday), but there was going to be a classical concert in the museum (associated with the library).  We went back to the car and ate our "emergency apples" and then went in to the concert.  It is a good thing we did as it was just David and I and the librarian in attendance.  It was a really nice Sunday and I guess that kept people outside.

The sights of Rennesoy - it was time to make hay!

Rennesoy and Mosteroy - land of Amelia's kin

The concert was good.  Remon Janisse from the Netherlands on the guitar and Marijana Walczak from Serbia on the violin.  We had a nice chat afterwards and the librarian appeared with some food and tea.  She was the one we asked about food and lodging.  I think she felt bad that we hadn't eaten.

The neighborhood across the water looks a little like our Skyline neighborhood in Anacortes

David heading in to hear Marijana play

Our good luck was just starting.  We headed to Osthusvik where the librarian thought we might find food and lodging.  We found both at the Fjord Bris Hotel.  We were put in an apartment right on the water for the price of a hotel room.  The Sunday buffet dinner met our food needs.  This cute little place right on the water serves as a conference hotel for the oil industries in Stavanger. 

Our "apartment" in Osthusvik

Monday was divided between driving around Rennesoy and researching at the library.  It was time to drive through the Mastrafjord tunnel to the island of Mosteroy.  We asked about the green houses we has seen while driving.  Tomatoes we were told.  This area grows 70% of the tomatoes sold in Norway.

Cows, sheep, fish farms and green house tomatoes

On the northwest end of Mosteroy is Utstein Kloster.  My records showed that Amelia's dad, Jacob Jacobson was born there.  The Abbey was built in ~ 1260.  After the reformation the Abbey was empty.  In 1750 Christopher Garmann moved into the area to farm and the Abbey was converted into a farm house.  This lasted until the 1930's when restoration work began.  Jacob Jacobson was born in 1823.  It is possible that Jacob's father worked one of the farms that made up Utstein Kloster.

Utstein Kloster on Mosteroy

 After Mosteroy we drove a longer tunnel under the Byfjord to Stavanger.  Stavanger is the 3rd largest city in Norway with a population of 211,000.  Stavanger is known as the oil capital of Norway. 

We are staying at the Access Apartment and have a kitchen and access to washers (amen).  Our first full day in Stavanger is cloudy so we opt to do the museums.  The Maritime museum talks about the past with the herring canning and the trade that resulted.  Stavanger was the port that many emigrants used when leaving for the USA.  The Restauration a 54' sloop sailed from Stavanger on July 5, 1825 starting the emigration from Norway to America.  The ship sailed with 52 people on board.  Three months later they arrived in New York with 53.  Steam ships soon took over the trade and passenger routes.  Gunnar and Anna Serina and family came over in 1866 on the three mast sailing bark, the Hercules with captain Neilsen.  Their voyage took 4 weeks and two days and they arrived in Quebec.

The canning museum not far from the Maritime museum showed the canning process and machinery.  The old can labels reminded me of the Anacortes canned salmon labels.

Stavanger Maritime and Canning Museums - herring barrels, sail loft, labels and the "new" steamship

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum (Norsk Oljemuseum) provided a very informative look at the Norwegian Oil industry.  Oil has transformed Norway into a rich country.  They estimate that they have 50 years of oil remaining and 100 years of gas.  The government is banking much of the oil profits for the day when it will decline.

In their own words

Our last day in Stavanger was beautiful so we headed outdoors.  We took ferry to Tau and a bus to the start of the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) hike.  The hike features a lot of up, but the view is tremendous. 

Preist Rock hike - someone has done a lot of work on the trail and we thank them!

There is no way I would get close to that edge!

Time to head back to Bergen and get on the Hertigruten ship to head up the coast of Norway.