Wordless Wednesday -- a Great-grandmother and a Great-great-grandmother

Click on the picture to enlarge.  Middle row: the second woman from the left is my gg-grandmother, Nikoline Andersdatter (1865-1950), and the third woman from the left is her daughter, my g-grandmother, Joergine Ludvigsdatter (1889 - 1972).  I believe this picture was taken in the mid-1920's.  One nice thing about the picture is that my g-grandmother is wearing a cross necklace I now own.  I was told she wore it daily, and now I know that she had it in the 1920's.  I am not sure when exactly, or how, she got the necklace, but I like to think my great-grandfather gave it to her. 

Wordless Wednesday -- Ludvig Hansen's House

This house in Vesten, Østfold, Norway was built by my great-great grandfather
Ludvig Hansen circa 1896. 

Wordless Wednesday -- Anders Pettersen

My great-great-great grandfather, Anders Pettersen (1823 - 1911), from
Vesten in Oestfold, Norway. 

Tombstone Tuesday -- Borge Kirke and Graveyard

http://www.borgemenighet.no/

Borge Church is built on the site of a pagan Norse temple during pre-Christian times.  The Christian church has burned several times, and this latest version was built in 1861.  Many of my ancestors from Borge, Oestfold (Fredrikstad area of Norway) were baptized, confirmed, and married here.  They were also buried in the graveyard.

Finding Ancestors with DIS Gravminner -- A Grave Database

The DIS Gravminner Web site is an excellent database to use when searching for graves in Norway. The database was created to help genealogists find graves, deaths and burial dates of relatives.  They have also been collecting and uploading photographs of the churches and tombstones.  However, some patience is required as there are graveyards that have not been catalogued yet.  I have not been able to research people in Baerum, for example, but I have been able to find records of graves in Østfold.  I have even been able to find records for the graves that no longer exist.  One can find out where the relative was buried and as much information as is known about the grave.  I have to admit, though, that finding out a grave no longer exists is pretty disheartening; but it seems when a grave is old enough and the lease no longer paid, then the grave is removed.  At least I think this is how it works.  Here is an example of a record for the grave of my great-great grandmother Nikoline Andersdatter, married name Hansen.  The grave no longer exists, but I can still obtain this record, which tells me where she was buried and when the grave was removed.  In this case, they must not know what was written on the headstone as there are no birth and death dates listed. 

The site is pretty easy to use.  There is a button to view the site in English.  Click on "Finn Gravplass" or "Choose Cemetery."  You will have to put in the county of interest and then you may search by parish.  Finally, insert the name of the ancestor you are seeking.  Please keep in mind naming practices in Norway.  Also, many graves will use a married name for a female ancestor.  Here is a picture of what the database search page looks like.  As you can see, it is pretty intuitive.

Vesten and Hvidsten Barrier

I thought I would post a piece that was written in Norwegian and translated by my father. The original piece is published on Odd Marthinsen's Web site -- http://www.oddmarthinsen.no/. Odd lives in Oestfold, Norway (Borge) and was instrumental in helping me find the real estate records showing the original place that gave birth to my surname, Haugen. I will share that exciting story on another day. In the mean time, here is the story written by Odd regarding the Vesten barrier. As you may recall from the poem I published the other day, written by my great-grandmother Joergine Amalie Ludvigsdatter, I have several ancestors who lived in Vesten and worked the timber on the Glomma.

Translated and used with permission by Odd Marthinsen.

The settlement which today is called Vesten and Hoellberje mainly dates from the era of timber floating and related activities. The place is called Vesten today but has gone by many names over the years --Weesteen, Hvidsten, Hvitsten. Hoellberje is named for the little farm of Hoelen. Its location was what today is Hoelsloekka or Hoelloekka, a meadow down toward the river, which was popular for ski jumping in times past when there was more snow during the winter. There was also a small settlement prior to the period of timber floating. Already before the year 1400 there were three or four farms by the name of Weesteen. But it was only by the middle of the 1800’s, with the timber floating, that Vesten became a lively place.

Already at the beginning of the 1700’s it was attempted to have the timber bypass the Sarpfossen by a duct, but with rather poor results. The reason was the big avalanche in 1702 when all of Borregaard slid into the river and killed 14 people. Many houses and equipment were lost. On the east side of the river, this catastrophe caused a flood which destroyed several mills, timber, and other goods belonging to citizens of Fredrikstad. There were several large mills on the Hafslund side.

New attempts were made to build a duct to bypass Sarpfossen (waterfall) in 1726 and 1742, but the work was postponed both times. During the winter of 1847 - 1848 the brothers Pelly & Co. built a duct at Borregaard for floating timber to its own mill, as well as floating for a fee to timber dealer P. Gellertsen in Fredrikstad. The income became substantial for Borregaard, who earned more than 2,000 specidaler in 1852 from floating timber destined for Fredrikstad. But it was only when the beam trade got its own representatives in Fredrikstad in 1840 that floating through Sarpfossen took on real importance. And this floating increased along with the growing timber trade in the Fredrikstad area. But, as already mentioned, the waterfall was a real problem, as the timber got bunched up ad led to much breakage. All kinds of solutions were discussed. The timber duct built by Pelly & Co. on the Borregaard side in 1847, and which operated for just a few years, was destroyed by a big flood. During the following years there was discussion of both a canal and of a railroad.

The timber destined for the mills in Fredrikstad was sometimes held above the Sarpfossen, but could not be sorted there. The beam traders in Fredrikstad, therefore, had to find ways to stop the timber below the waterfall to be sorted. This was for some time done in the so-called salvage barriers along the river between Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad. This work did not get properly organized until solutions were forced by the shipping in the river, which had big problems with the freely floating timber.

In 1854 a timber barrier was built at Vesten. It was initially only a collection barrier where the timber was separated and made into rafts. After a few years, a sorting function was added, using the same principle as that of the Nes barrier. Soon it became necessary to expand the capacity, due to the rapid growth of the timber trade in the Fredrikstad region. Now, people also started building houses at Hoelberje, because work was available. The wages were about 300 - 400 kroner pr. year.

In 1884 a completely new and technically superior sorting device was put into operation. The timber duct was built of wood and made independent of the speed of the river current, which could vary considerably at Vesten. It was in 1885 that the floating director, Richard C. Furuholmen, was given the assignment to rebuild the Vesten barrier, where he was subsequently employed. One of the new features was a machine he had invented which would layer the logs 9 high and tie them together with chains. These log piles were then floated to the respective mills along the river toward Fredrikstad. This machine could handle the entire quantity of timber being floated past Vesten.

The machine was in use from 1885 to 1908, when the floating stopped. By that time, the timber tunnel at Eidet was completed and timber destined for Fredrikstad was led through Lake Minge and the Isnesfjord, to Eidet. The type of stacking machine used at Hvidsten barrier was not used anywhere else in Norway, though possibly in Sweden and Finland. The Furuholmen stacking machine was awarded a prize at an exhibition in Stockholm in 1897.

These were the conditions that characterized Vesten and Hoelberje. People found work and they thrived. In the year 1900, about 40 of those living in Vesten worked at the timber barrier. A similar number were employed in Tune. Some were stone workers in the Tofteberg Stoneworks, and a few were sailors or servants at the nearby Amundsen farms. The latter were actually better off than the timber workers. They earned as much and had room and board in addition.

As one wanders around Vesten today one can still envision the past, with the timber barrier, the "Tripp boat" pier, the stacking machine, and busy ship traffic on the river. There was also ferry service across the river, up until 1967.

Life on the Glomma River

Today I wanted to share a poem written by my great-grandmother. I LOVE this poem because it gives a good idea of life in the late 1800's, and because it tells me a lot about what she was like and what mattered to her. I actually knew her, but she died when I was quite young, so I don't remember her. But I am putting up a picture of her during her younger days. I think it might be her confirmation picture. At the end of her poem, she says to never forget your home or your loved ones. I take that to mean not to forget where I came from... not to forget her. So I gladly post this in her memory. Oh, and the house she says her father built up the hill... this is the house pointed to in yesterday's blog.



Childhood Memories
By Joergine Amalie Ludvigsdatter (Hvidsten), my great-grandmother
Born May 23, 1889, Borge, Oestfold, Norway
Written circa 1949 in Norwegian and in rhyme
Translated by Roger Emil Haugen

I will always remember my first childhood home, which was situated below the hill where the Glomma (river) rushes by. There, I, mother and father, and three siblings lived in peace at my grandparents’ place.

Yes, those were happy days, that I can assure you, as the timber float in the Glomma passed by. And there was a lot of timber, and a lot of men, and I stood there often, watching them from shore.

Yes, Glomma, that was the boy who carried on his back all the timber that the mills along the banks later cut. And the timber was floated through the Sarpfossen (waterfall), and it was impossible to avoid it suffering some damage.

And so it was floated through the Visten barrier, but it did not stay there long. They pulled it through the barriers and along the beach, as they were busy as summer came along.

During winter there was no timber in sight, but it was fun to watch grandfather anyway, because grandfather had a large boathouse, where he built boats, something he had learned.

And I was there so often, as there was much to see. But grandfather probably wanted to be left alone. But he was so kind; I could not understand why he wanted to be rid of me.

Then I want to say something about my grandmother. I thought there was nobody on earth like her. I can visualize her when she wanted to look good, wearing her cape and her black dress.

She was so kind to everyone who came and asked for food. She always seemed to have something in her bowl. And often there were some who asked for shelter too, and were never denied.

And grandfather and grandmother both loved God. They wanted to try to abide by his commandments. And their home was always open to those who wanted to honor God.

So, let me not forget my dear mother and father. I don’t think many had better parents. They loved their children and we loved them. I have such good memories of my dear childhood home.

And the time passed, and I was seven. And that our home was getting crowded cannot be denied. So, father built his own house, on top of the hill, and during winter we moved up there.

And during spring, in our new house, a little sister was born, and we were five. But grandmother and grandfather wanted me with them, so I remained there and thrived.

And the years passed happily for me at my grandparents, until a sad event, as grandmother died and left an empty space.

Grandfather was sad and still wanted me, but that was not possible without grandmother. It was not so bad, since I had my father and mother, and all my siblings.

Grandfather later moved in with us, and the family increased as time passed. The flock of siblings grew, as eventually we were ten.

And time passed, it did not stay still. I will always remember my dear father. He is no longer with us, but with God. I remember he loved God and his Bible.

All of this is long ago and I now have my own home. I was not old when I stood before the altar. We were both young when we promised our God to remain true to each other for the rest of our lives.

God, I want to thank you for the children you gave us. There is nothing we love more in this world. And thank you that they are kind and have a good life, which is what makes me very, very happy.

My mother still lives, reaching old age. She will soon be 84. She now is waiting to go home to God and there have a happy reunion with her loved ones.

Now I also am getting old. I am 60 and if I get still older I will get the strength from God. My strongest wish is to meet again all my loved ones in the presence of Jesus, when we are no longer here.

To my dear grandchildren I want to say a few words: Never forget your childhood home, nor father and mother. And don’t forget Jesus and that he will walk with you and give you peace and happiness.

Thank you dear Mailis for the years of happiness you have given us. Nobody could have had a better daughter.

I well remember the day in July when we were expecting a guest and wondered if it would be a boy or a girl. Because boys, we already had two.

But girl we had only one, and really wanted another. And time went and the clock showed five. Then, you had arrived just as we expected father to come home.

And the boys ran to meet him and saw the suitcase opened and said, now you will be happy, as a baby girl has arrived, so now let’s go in.

Now we will finally see the baby girl, and father was happy and had to laugh. And the baby was loved by everyone, especially by big sister.

Now she is grown and married, and has given her love to Harald. I hope she will be as dear to him as she has been to all of us.

Now I wish you both happiness in all things, large and small. When the baby girl arrives and you have become a mother, everyone will cheer. Harald might want a boy, but whatever it is it will be good. Boy or girl, we will cry hurray.

Yes, you must not forget the home you left and the loved ones who were close to you. And don’t forget Jesus, who loves you so much and wants to be near you in your home.

Wordless Wednesday

Hvidsten/Vesten, today, on the Glomma River, Borge, Oestfold, Norway. The dark line points to the house my great-great grandfather Ludvig Hansen built in the late 1800's.