Time Travel

There is a movie currently playing in theaters called "The Time Traveler's Wife" based upon a novel by Audrey Niffenegger.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book when I read it a few years ago.  I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I am intrigued by the concept of time travel -- especially the practical and ethical aspects of it.  Niffenegger's book explores those concepts while telling a romantic tale.  (1)

 

If you're wondering what this has to do with my Nordic ancestors -- not much.  But it does have something to do with my passion for genealogical research.  I find researching family histories involves a sort of time travel -- not the sci-fi sort, but a mental exercise.  One of the highlights of research is being able to transcend time and bring an ancestor to life in my imagination.  By emersing myself in details of his life, time and place, my image of him gains animation.  As I imagine him living his life, I am briefly transported to his world.  
  
The portal for this type of time travel is research.  Before stepping into my ancestral world, I  develop a dossier of sorts.  In addition to whatever personal information I have about him, I add information about the social, commercial, religious, political, geographic or climatic characteristics of his place in history.  I may not use all the information I gather, but having a well developed foundation allows me to add depth and color to his known characteristics.

 
I recently decided to focus my attention on the world of my gg-grandparents, Sevat and Kari Starkey.  Since they were born in Norway around 1820,  part of my research has to cover early to mid 19th century Norwegians.   This is my first time to delve into Norwegian research, so my initial task was to develop a list of sources.  I decided to begin with a couple of Norwegian-American genealogy websites and drill down through their references, capturing promising ones as I progressed.  This can be a time consuming process and is not as exciting as looking at data specific to my subject, but it is key to a successful search.  Investing the time in developing sources and a research plan generally saves time later by making it easier to recognize mismatches and inconsistencies.  Still, it requires some discipline to invest in this step before getting to the fun stuff. 

Not long into my pursuit of Norwegian research materials, I discovered two searchable databases previously unknown to me which I expect will be of great value as I go forward.  Although I knew it was premature to start an efficient search of these databases, my curiosity got the better of me and I  threw discipline aside and decided to take a peek.  I entered Sevat's byname (Stake), the supposed name of the farm where he was born, and searched a database of Norwegian farms.  To my surprise and delight, it reported a match on one locale!  (2)

I was excited, but knew the match does not prove it is the farm of Sevat's youth.  Nonetheless, it's location added to my curiosity.  It is located in Buskerud County near Gol.  This area was familiar to me from previous reading of local histories in Allamakee county, Iowa (where Kari and Sevat lived as their family matured).  These histories and a few mini-biographies told of a group of families coming from Gol, Norway to America, settling first in Rock County, Wisconsin, and soon moving to Allamakee County, Iowa.  Their migration together was not accidental, but coordinated by members of the group.  These people were neighbors (and possibly family) of Sevat and Kari and of others who at one time or other  adopted Stake or Stakke as a surname.  Though it is not conclusive evidence, it does improve the probability that Sevat and Kari came from the area.  (3)

   

Armed with this information, I turned to the other database and searched church records for the area near Gol.  I found three records that document significant events in Kari and Sevat's lives.  One is their marriage record from June of 1846; one their daughter's birth in April of 1847; and the last, their departure from the church (for emigration to America) in May of 1847.  I need to do a lot more research before I say with a high degree of confidence that the Sevat Knudson of Stake and Kari Syverson of Hesla, whose marriage is recorded on line 18, page 374 of the 1837-1863 Gol ministerialbok, are my gg-grandparents.  In the meantime, I am excited at the discovery and look forward to learning more about that area of Norway.  (4)
   

Gol, part of the Hallingdal district of Buskerud fylke (county), is located about 200 kilometers northwest of Oslo and about 300 kilometers east of Bergen.  It lies where the Hemsil and Hallingdal rivers merge, on the northeast side of the two rivers.  Stake farm, where Sevat Knudson was born,  is located about 6 kilometers northeast of Gol along a road leading to a modern day ski resort.  Hesla farm, where Kari lived when she married Sevat and where their daughter, Kirjste was born, is located a few kilometers from Gol, on the west side of the Hemsil.    Though a highland area, Gol is flanked by higher mountains, especially to the north and west.  Ancient migration routes to western Norway traveled through the valley bringing traders who populated the area.  Iron from the local marshland provided a resource for trade and, with poor soil in the area, even farmers turned to trade to supplement their livelihood.  Cattle raised in the valley were driven to markets in Vesterlandet.   (5)

Perhaps this trading heritage made the local people good candidates for the adventure of going to America.  It may partially explain why so many from Gol emigrated to Wisconsin and Iowa.  At this point, I'm  not sure.  I have much more research to do to understand the history, geography, climate and customs of the Hallingdal.  But once I've gathered the information and compiled a more complete list of family members, I'll be ready to time travel -- destination 1840's Hallingdal valley Norway!

    Map of Gol on the Hemsil and Hallingdal rivers in Buskerud, Norway.

Hesla farm is located in the bottom, center;

Stake farm is located in the top right 1/3 of the map.

(double click map to enlarge)

Endnotes:   

1.  Niffenegger, Audrey, The Time Traveler's Wife, (Orlando, Florida:  Harcourt, Inc., 2003)

2.  Oluf Rygh: Norwegian Farm Names, searchable database of Volumes 1 through 17.  Online at:  http://www.dokpro.uio.no/rygh_ng/rygh_form.html [15 September 2009].

     v.5, p.109

     12, 8.  Stake.  Udt. sta2ke.

    Er vel identisk med det sedvanlige hallingdalske stakje "Stage", der enten har været  Navn paa en Høide i Nærheden (Bruget selv ligger i en Dal) eller er at forklare som Gaardnavnet Stang (jfr. Indl. S. 80). Samme Navn er Stage under Aal GN. 113.
3.   Bergmann, Leola Nelson, "The Norwegians in America", The Palimpsest, Vol XL No 8, August 1959, The State Historical Society of Iowa, pp 289-303, Online: http://www.sharylscabin.com/Allamakee/ImNat/norweg_tx2.htm  [15 September 2009 ]

     Flom, George Tobias, A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States fom the Earliest Beginning Down to the Year 1848, Iowa City, Iowa: privately printed, 1909,  Online:  http://www.books.google.com/  [18 September 2009].

     Hancock, Ellery, Past & Present of Allamakee County,  Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913, pp 288-301.  Online at:  http://www.sharylscabin.com/Allamakee/history2/chap19d.htm   [13 September 2009]

     Ulvestad, Martin, 'Nordmændene i Amerika', Allamakee County Translation, 1907,  Online: http://www.sharylscabin.com/Allamakee/ImNat/nordmaendene.htm  [ 15 September, 2009.

4.  "Skannede Kirkeboker", Arkivverket Digitalarkivet, Gol:  1837-1863, Ministirialbok, Ekteviede, 1846 (374-375), line 18, 23 June, Sevat Knudson and Kari Syversdatter,  Online:   http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=7751&uid=ny&idx_side=-198 .

     "Skannede Kirkeboker", Arkivverket Digitalarkivet, Gol: 1837-1863, Ministirialbok, Fodte og dopte , 1847 (96-97), line 11, 11 April, Kirsti, Online:  http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?show=54&uid=121954&urnread_imagesize=gigant&hode=nei&ls=1  .
     "Skannede Kirkeboker", Arkivverket Digitalarkivet, Gol: 1837-1863, Ministirialbok, Utflytedde , 1846-1848 (706-707), line 10-12, 11 Mai, Sevat Knudson Hesla, Kari Syversdatter, datter Kersti, Online:  http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=7751&uid=ny&idx_side=-355  .
5.  Statens Kartverk, Online map of Norway:   http://kart.statkart.no/adaptive2/default.aspx?gui=1&lang=2  [16 September 2009].