Additional Farm Names

Today's mail brought a book (Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, A biographical directory, 1825-1850, volume 3) I recently ordered.  I hoped it would shed additional light on the Knudsens who immigrated to Wisconsin in the late 1840's.  I was not disappointed although only two of Knud Endresen's sons are listed.  It corroborates information I've already collected as well as providing new information to be confirmed.  The new information provides the sailing information for Asle Knudsen, Sevat's in-laws' names, and their farm name. 

Asle departed from Drammen, Norway on the Albertine and arrived in New York on 12 July 1848.  His last home in Norway is listed as Stake, Gol, Buskerud, so he had remained on the family farm after Sevat and Kari married and moved away.

Kari's parents are Syver Knudsen and Barbra Evensdatter. Kari's and her father's homes are listed as Hersgaard, a farm about 1000 meters northwest of Hesla farm.   

One of the sources referenced for Sevat & Kari's information is the Luther Valley Lutheran Church records (presumably for Beloit, Wisconsin).

Number 292

A small piece of the puzzle of Knud Endresen's imprisonment has fallen into place.  Knud's prisoner number at Akerrshus festning slaveri was 292.  My original thought when I saw 292 following his name on the death and burial record was that it represented his prisoner number.  However, as I considered the information following his name might refer to his burial in consecrated ground, I also considered the number could refer to his burial plot.  The confirmation that 292 was his prisoner number is found in communicant records for the prison.  The 1842 and 1844 communicant records for Akershus festning slaveri list Knud Endresen of Stake, prisoner number 292, as one of those receiving communion on 27 February 1842, 16 October 1842, and on 21 April 1844. 

These records also indicate that prisoner numbers were reused.  Lars Engebredsen was listed as prisoner 292 in the communicant record for 21 May 1841.  The next entry for prisoner 292 is for Knud Endresen of Stake on 27 February 1842.  Following Knud's death in September 1844, there is no record for a prisoner 292 in the communicant records.

So it appears that Knud was imprisoned at Akershus between June 1841 and February 1842.  Unless Knud was transferred to Akershus from another prison, he likely commited his crime sometime in 1841.

Interconnected

I haven't yet been able to decipher Knud Endresen's death record.  My language instructor took a look at the record and suggested one of the words I've been trying to work out might be "selig" (holy, consecrated).  I agree it looks like it could be selig, but until she suggested it referred to his religious state, I hadn't thought the word made sense in the context of the record.  However, if it is referring to where in the cemetery Knud was buried, consecrated could fit.  The number that follows "selig" may indicate a burial plot rather than a prisoner number.  So, I've been looking for information about the cemetery and burial practices of the slaveri.  I've also continued to try to determine his cause of death.  I found some useful websites (see links) with cause of death terminology in several languages.  However, I still have not found a match for Knud's cause of death.  I'm leaning toward pneumonia since the word begins with "bryst" or breast/chest.  The second half of the word may be "losing" (loosening?) which doesn't quite make sense, but may if there are other translations that I haven't yet uncovered.  Eventually, I'm sure I'll be able to find the key to unlock this mystery.

As a break from poring over death records, I spent a little time searching for and filling in allied family on the Starkey family tree.  As I filled in a few more families, I noticed something that caught my interest.  My g-grandparents, Sever and Justine Starkey have a number of family members who are intermarried.  Justine's maiden name was Peterson -- the daughterr of Hans and Karoline Peterson.  I had noticed previously that Justine's sister, Emma, was married to Sever's nephew Sever K. Starkey.  I had not been aware, however, that Justine and Emma's brother, Peter, was married to Sever's niece, Clara Gilbertson, and their brother, Conrad, was married to Clara's sister, Josephine!  That adds up to four marriages between the descendants of Sevat Starkey and the children of Hans Peterson!

Here's how the Starkey's and Peterson's were interconnected through marriage:
1)  Sevat Knudson Stake and Karoline Syversdatter
     2)  Knute Starkey and Bertha Larson
          3)  Sever K. Starkey and Emma Peterson  (daughter of Hans)
     2)  Sever S Starkey and Justine Peterson  (daughter of Hans)
     2)  Christina Starkey and Andrew Gilbertson
          3)  Josephine Gilberston and Conrad H. Peterson  (son of Hans)
          3)  Clara Gilbertson and Peter Peterson  (son of Hans)

1)  E. Hans Peterson and Karoline ??
     2)  Justine Eline Peterson and Sever S Starkey  (son of Sevat)
     2)  Conrad H. Peterson and Josephine Gilbertson  (granddaughter of Sevat)
     2)  Peter Peterson and Clara Gilbertson  (granddaughter of Sevat)
     2)  Emma Peterson and Sever K Starkey  (grandson of Sevat)

Knud Endresen

The Digitalarkivet parish records for Akershus festning slaveri document the death of Knud Endresen of Stake on September 1, 1844 at age 63 years.  I'm having a little trouble deciphering some of the words on the record so I'm still unsure of the cause of death.  (My best guess is he died of a heart attack or pneumonia.)  If I'm unable to figure it out by Tuesday, I plan to take a copy of the page to class for some assistance.  In the meantime, I took another look at the Gol parish records for late 1844 and early 1845 and found a record for the marriage of widow Kirste Halvorsdatter of Stake, Gol and widower, Ailak Thoreson.  They were married in July of 1845, about 9 months after Knud's death.  According to my language instructor, it was not uncommon for widows or widowers to remarry quickly following the death of a spouse with the purpose of saving the family farm.  So, Kirste's marriage to Ailak may have had a more practical than romantic motivation. 

Another curiosity derived from these records is the question of Kirste's age.  The marriage record for Ailak lists her age as 46 and Ailak's as 48 years.  If accurate, Kirste would have been born in 1799 and would have only been 13 years when Knud's son Halvor was born.  Though not impossible, she would have been a very young mother.  If Knud had a wife before Kirste, I may be able to find church records of her death or marriage records for Knud and Kirste's marriage.  If Kirste was not the mother of Knud's first children, including his oldest, Halvor, I'm suspicious that Knud may have been married to an older sister of Kirste's  (another Halvorsdatter) prior to his marriage to Kirste.  Of course, locating Kirste's christening record would be useful in determining if she was indeed born circa 1799.  Unfortunately, it may be a while before I am able to find those records since they are not available in the Digitalarkivet at this time.

All of this is speculation and the facts may be quite different.  Whatever the truth, there are enough interesting questions to keep me busy for quite a while.