My Great-Grandparents: Inger Nilsdatter Hovick (1838–1924) and Torbjørn Andorsen (1833–1881)
The Family of Grasdalen
Download a pdf version of this research, including all documentation, here, (108 pages)
Introduction
For the Hovick family of Madison, Minnesota—Inger and her children Hilda, Esther, Nels, Andrew, Charles, Tom, and Ida—Hovick had not always been their last name.
Norway, prior to the 20th century, did not use permanent surnames passed unchanged from generation to generation. Instead, they employed a patronymic naming system in which one’s last name was based on one’s father’s first name. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: Last Names.”) When coming to the United States, the Hovick family, like all Norwegian immigrants, had to select a permanent surname. They chose an Americanized version of the farm on which they had lived—the Håvik farm in Skjold Parish, Rogaland County, Norway. Inger’s husband Torbjørn had been a tenant farmer on a subdivision of the Håvik farm called Grasdalen. Therefore, long before they were known as the Hovick family, they were the family living at Grasdalen.
This immigrant generation is the family about which we knew the most, thanks to the writings of our late family historian, my beloved Aunt Mildred (Hovick) Monge (1907–2003). Her 1974 book, Remember, is a wealth of collected oral history. However, most of what we knew about them was after they arrived in the United States. I set out to learn as much as I could about their lives in Norway.
Inger Nilsdatter, as she was known in Norway, and her husband Torbjørn Andorsen, are my great-grandparents. My grandfather, Charles Hovick (1873–1948), born with the name Tjerand (pronounced SHARE-ahn) Torbjørnsen, was their fifth child.
Welcome to the Family of Grasdalen.
FAMILY TREES
Inger Nilsdatter’s Birth Family
Torbjørn Andorsen’s Birth Family
Inger Nilsdatter and Torbjørn Andorsen’s Family
The Family of Grasdalen
Southwestern Norway
The Håvik Farm
The Håvik farm of Skjold Parish is surrounded on three sides by the beautiful waters of the Ålfjord, an unpretentious southern arm of the dramatic Hardangerfjord. Much of the farm is exposed bedrock, so, like much of Norway as a whole, little of its land is suitable for farming.
The earliest evidence of people living on the Håvik land dates to the late Viking age in the 9th and 10th centuries. The name of the farm comes from hå, the Norwegian word for a species of small shark called the spiny dogfish, and vik, meaning cove or inlet. So together, Hå-vik means a cove rich with fish. The first written reference dates from 1610 when it was called Haauigh. Over the centuries, the spelling evolved, and during the 19th century, it changed from Haavig to Haavik, and finally to Håvik, as it remains today.
The Black Death struck Norway in 1349 and killed an estimated third to a half of Norway’s population. The Håvik farm sat vacant and unused for more than two centuries until a farmer named Sven resumed farming there in the late 1500s. During the 1600s, the farm was owned by the village priest, and as rent, the farm was to provide him with 20 pounds of butter and 175 pounds of grain each year.
Ownership of the farm changed many times in the next few hundred years, and by the mid-19th century—the time of my great-grandparents Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nilsdatter—the Håvik farm was owned by Ariel Helgesen (1838–1926) and his wife Anna Maria Jonsdatter (1842–1897). Torbjørn was a tenant farmer on the Håvik farm. Therefore, his agreement to lease Grasdalen was made with Ariel.
More recently, Håvik is famous for a rare find in 1961 of 120 coins found in a decaying leather bag buried beneath an old stove. The coins, mostly Dutch and German/Austrian, were minted between 1585 and 1666.
Grasdalen under Håvik
Like most farms in Norway, Håvik was subdivided into smaller units, many occupied by a husmann—a tenant farmer. A small green crescent of land on the Håvik farm, directly on the edge of the fjord, was cleared for one of these sub-farms in the late 1700s. Because it stood in such stark contrast to the bedrock of much of the rest of the farm, it was called Grasdalen (literally grass valley). When sub-farms carried their own unique names like this, they were often referred to as being under the main farm. So, this particular tenant farm was also known as Grasdalen under Håvik.
Very few tenant farmer houses from this era are still standing. However, Grasdalen is a lucky exception. The house was built prior to 1700 on the other side of the fjord, later disassembled, hauled across the frozen fjord in winter, and rebuilt in its current location, likely when the land for Grasdalen was cleared and established.
The house still bears the unique signature mark of the original builder, branded into the wood.
Like so many others in our extended family, my parents made a pilgrimage to Håvik and Grasdalen in 1978. The owner of the Håvik farm told them that the furniture still in the house was likely there when our ancestors lived there. It was particularly moving for my mother, Charlotte (Hovick) Lohman (1925–2015), to see the cradle which had once held her father. She would later say that her visit there was one of the best days of her life.
The house, in its idyllic setting, is surrounded by pasture, and this is where they would have planted their crops of oats and potatoes and grazed their livestock. A barn and additional out-buildings used to stand to the south of the house.
From the house, the ground gradually slopes down about 100 yards to the boat landing on the edge of the fjord. An old stone boathouse once stood there but is now in ruins. Surely much of the family’s sustenance came from fishing the beautiful waters of the fjord.
Near the end of her life, I had a conversation with my aunt Mildred (Hovick) Monge, daughter of Charles Hovick (born Tjerand in this house in 1873). She said, “When I think that my father was born in a two-room, dirt-floored house, I marvel at all the wonders I have lived to see.”
Her father had humble beginnings, indeed. And this small house seems to have always been full. Eight people lived in that small house in 1865, and nine in 1875. Sometime long after our family left, floors were put in and additional rooms delineated, but there is still no electricity nor running water.
The Skjold Kirke
The center of their religious life was the Skjold Kirke (church), located in the nearby town of Skjold. There had been a stavekirke (stave church) on the site during the Middle Ages, later replaced with a timber, cruciform-shaped church in about 1645. This was the church in which our family worshipped, celebrated, and mourned. That church was replaced in 1887, the year before our family left the parish.
It was in this newer 1887 church that they would have said their farewells as they began their exodus from Norway in 1888.
The foundation of that church still remains, and I was so moved to walk up the very same stone steps used by my ancestors.
Skjold Parish Priests
These were the priests who served Skjold Parish during the time of our family. Included are the years they served, and the family events over which they officiated.
Growing Up in Skjold Parish
Torbjørn and His Family
Torbjørn Andorsen, my great-grandfather, was born at Grasdalen under Håvik on 17 March 1833. He was the third of five children born to Andor Tjerandsen (1802–1846) and Brønla Torbjørnsdatter (1800–1861). His father Andor was a tenant farmer who had moved to the Håvik farm as a hired hand shortly before his marriage to Brønla in 1827. By 1829, he had signed a lease to the Grasdalen land. The family kept livestock, farmed, and fished the waters of the fjord.
A mere sixteen days after their marriage, Brønla gave birth to their oldest child. Tjerand(1) Andorsen, the first of their sons to bear that first name, was born on 6 December 1827. However, but he only lived for one half hour. In keeping with custom, their second son was named after their deceased child. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: First Names.”) Tjerand(2) Andorsen was born almost two years later on 12 September 1829 and died 20 May 1854.
Torbjørn, their third child, was baptized at home on 25 March 1883 when he was eight days old. Home baptisms were often conducted when children were born so sickly that it was feared they might not survive to be baptized in church. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: Home Baptisms.”) Given that he would later die at the age of 48 after a presumed long illness, he may have been plagued with health problems from birth. His baptism was performed at home by his mother’s older brother, Ariel Thorbjørnsen (1789-1867), a farmer who lived elsewhere on the Håvik farm, and someone who played various roles in the early lives of Torbjørn and Inger. Thankfully, Torbjørn survived, and his informal baptism at home was later solemnized thirteen days later on 7 April at the Skjold Kirke.
He received the smallpox vaccination on 13 August 1834. First administered in Norway in 1801 and made compulsory in 1810, the smallpox vaccine had a dramatic impact on death rates in Norway. This led, in part, to Norway’s 19th-century population explosion, a major cause of the mass emigration to the United States. Proof that one had received the smallpox vaccination was required to be confirmed, married, or secure reputable employment.
Andor and Brønla had two more children: Sigrid Andorsdatter, born on 27 June 1836 and Rasmus Andorsen, born 9 April 1843. They both continued to live at Grasdalen even after Torbjørn and Inger wed. Both siblings served as witnesses to the baptisms of most of Torbjørn and Inger’s children.
Sigrid was a seamstress. She never married, and it is likely that she lived at Grasdalen until Inger and her children immigrated in the late 1880s. She remained in Norway, later became a housekeeper on the nearby Lilland farm, and died impoverished on 12 March 1922. Rasmus was a schoolteacher, and likely lived at Grasdalen until he married in 1874. He and his wife later lived on the nearby Hatlastad farm and had fourteen children. He died on 16 June 1938.
A photo of Torbjørn does not exist. Most certainly, they were far too poor during his lifetime to afford anything as extravagant as a photo. Therefore, the photo of Rasmus, above, is the closest we shall ever know of what Torbjørn may have looked like.
Torbjørn’s father Andor died in 1846 when Torbjørn was 13. Presumably, his older brother Tjerand(2) (1829–1854) then took over the farm.
Torbjørn was confirmed at the age of 14 on 14 November 1847. His religious knowledge and diligence were deemed “good in all things” by Johan Peter Berg, the parish priest. Like the smallpox vaccination earlier in life, confirmation was compulsory. Usually taking place around age 14 or 15, it was considered a major rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, and many young people left home soon thereafter to begin earning their own living.
Torbjørn’s older brother Tjerand(2),who had presumably been running the farm since the death of their father, died of unknown causes at the age of 24 in 1854. Probate was held the following year, and the list of his belongings provide a glimpse into the daily life of their family. Among his possessions were six rams, a sheep, a black lamb, good fishing equipment including seven nets, a pair of rain boots, a leather jacket, pants, and a shared ownership of a fishing boat with sail and accessories.
Torbjørn was 21 when his brother died, leaving him the eldest surviving child. The running of the Grasdalen farm then likely fell to him. His mother Brønla died on 24 June 1861.
Inger and Her Family
Torbjørn’s future wife, Inger Nilsdatter, was born on 19 August 1838. She was the oldest of seven children born to Nils Nilsen (1797-1865) and Astrid Torgersdatter (1811-1894). Inger, my great-grandmother, was baptized on 2 September 1838, and among the witnesses was Torbjørn’s uncle Ariel, who had performed his home baptism in 1833.
Two months later, Inger received the smallpox vaccination, and curiously, it was administered by Torbjørn’s uncle Ariel.
Inger was confirmed on 31 October 1852. She received high marks for her religious knowledge, and just slightly lower ones for her diligence and behavior.
Her father Nils owned the neighboring Øritsland (now Aursland) farm which lies about 15 kilometers or 9 miles south of the Håvik farm.
This was the second marriage for Nils, his first being to Inger Knutsdatter (1803–1833). Their first child, Marthe Nilsdatter, was born 3 August 1828 and died eight days later on 11 August. Their second child, Nils Nilsen (junior), was born 9 May 1830. He later married and immigrated to the United States. Inger (the wife of Nils senior) died in childbirth on 18 March 1833 along with their third child, a boy.
Four years later, Nils and Astrid married on 16 July 1837. In keeping with custom, when Inger was born, she was named after Nil’s late first wife. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: First Names.”)
Nils and Astrid had six more children after Inger. Torger Nilsen was born 26 August 1840. Together with his younger brother Sigve (5 July 1845–15 December 1898), he entered the fishing industry when the family moved to Haugesund in 1865 following the death of their father, Nils. Haugesund was a major center of herring fishing, and that industry would greatly shape the future of the Øritsland family. Torger and Sigve started as ship carpenters, later became ship owners, and ultimately ran one of the most successful herring fishing companies in Haugesund, operating in both Norwegian and Icelandic waters. Together, they were known as the Brødrene (brothers) Øritsland (having adopted their former farm name as their surname). Torger died on 23 January 1926, and Sigve on 15 December 1898.
back: Erik Nilsen Øritsland, Sigve Nilsen Øritsland
front: Åsa Nilsdatter Øritsland, Torger Nilsen Øritsland
Erik Nilsen was born on 24 August 1842 and became a cooper, likely providing barrels for his brothers’ fishing company.
Their fifth child, Inga Nilsdatter, was born on 8 March 1848. She immigrated with Inger’s sons Nils, Andreas, and Tjerand in 1888 and settled in Sioux Rapids, Iowa. In 1894, at the age of 46, she married a widower from Norway, Thore Colby. She died on 28 August 1931.
Nils and Astrid’s sixth child, Bård Nilsen, was born on 12 February 1851. In 1865, he started living with Inger and Torbjørn for a time, working on the Grasdalen farm. He moved to Haugesund two years later. Seven years later in 1872, at the age of 21, Bård would be the first in the extended family to immigrate to the United States. He Americanized his name from Bård Nilsen Øritsland to Barney N. Orsland. He lived for a time in Illinois where he married in 1885, but by 1887, he had settled outside of Sioux Rapids in Buena Vista County in northwest Iowa. Inger and her children would later join him there when they immigrated between 1887 and 1889. Barney died on 17 March 1927, and his obituary referred to him as a “kindly man” and a “considerate uncle and friend.”
Their youngest child, Åsa Nilsdatter, was born 11 November 1854, and would marry a ship’s captain nine years her junior. Åsa died sometime in 1935.
Increasingly in the late 1800s, Norwegians, particularly in urban areas, were moving away from patronymic last names and adopting permanent surnames. By 1885, Inger’s family had adopted Øritsland. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: Surnames.”)
Marriage and Children
Torbjørn and Inger grew up as neighbors and attended the same church. But exactly how their romantic relationship started is unknown. Inger, as the daughter of a farm owner, was “marrying down” by marrying the son of a tenant farmer, an indication that this could have been a marriage of love, not merely one arranged by their fathers.
Marriages in 19th-century Norway were often negotiated between the fathers of the bride and groom. Once the details of money and dowry had been settled upon, a legally-binding agreement (a festermål) was created. This was followed by a public announcement and a small celebration of the impending wedding. Importantly, at that point, the couple was considered all but married in the eyes of the community, and thus, could begin living together. The upcoming ceremony in the parish church was more of a formality. As a result, many brides in Norway were already pregnant at their wedding. This was very much the case for Torbjørn’s parents, who had their first child only sixteen days after their marriage.
Before any marriage could take place, however, marriage banns, or announcements, had to be made in church on three successive Sundays, giving people an opportunity to speak if they knew of why the couple should not wed.
Inger and Torbjørn were married on Thursday, 12 June 1862 at the Skjold Kirke when he was 29 and she was 23.
One year after their marriage, Inger gave birth to their first of seven children, Brønla Torbjørnsdatter (24 June 1863–5 February 1950), followed two years later by Astrid Torbjørnsdatter (2 September 1865–8 February 1945).
A Full House at Grasdalen
Between their children and siblings, Grasdalen was full, with eight people living in that small house in 1865 and nine in 1875.
Inger’s father Nils died on 27 February 1865, and by the end of that year, the entire family—her mother and six siblings—had left the Øritsland farm. Her mother Astrid, along with the elder children Torger, Erik, Sigve, and Inga (who would later immigrate with Inger’s family in 1888), had relocated to the island of Hasseløen in the nearby coastal town of Haugesund (see map below). The youngest two children—Bård, age 14, and Åsa, age 11—went to Grasdalen to live with Inger and Torbjørn. Bård worked on the farm, and Åsa helped to take care of young Brønla and Astrid. Also living with them were Torbjørn’s siblings, Sigrid and Rasmus.
Inger and Torbjørn then had four boys in a row: Nils Torbjørnsen (6 April 1868–9 September 1942), Andreas Torbjørnsen (13 January 1871–14 July 1957), my maternal grandfather Tjerand Torbjørnsen (2 May 1873–22 February 1948), and Torger Torbjørnsen (13 September 1875–5 July 1967). Their last child was Inga Torbjørnsdatter (20 October 1878–18 April 1956).
In 1865, the Grasdalen farm had three head of cattle and nineteen sheep, and planted 1¾ barrels of oats and 2½ barrels of potatoes. Ten years later, they had four cows, twenty sheep, and four goats, many that they kept for others elsewhere on the Håvik farm. They had planted 1½ barrels of oats and 2½ barrels of potatoes that year and estimated they would harvest eight barrels of grain and ten barrels of potatoes.
The Death of Torbjørn
By 1875, it is clear that the family was struggling financially, for Torbjørn was receiving partial poverty assistance from the government. This could indicate that he was suffering from a long-term health problem. However, he died, not of a long-term illness, but from the sudden onset of what was later surmised as a ruptured appendix. Torbjørn died at the age of 48 on 2 November 1881. Inger was 43 at the time, Brønla 18, Astrid 16, Nils 13, Andreas 10, Tjerand 8, Torger 6, and Inga 3.
His funeral was held on 8 November, likely officiated by the priest Sigvard Martin Nielsen. Because Torbjørn died in winter when the ground was frozen, his burial had to wait until 2 April 1882. (See “Norwegian Cultural Background: Graves.”)
The financial struggles only got worse after Torbjørn’s death. My grandfather, Tjerand (later Charles), remembered that it seemed as if they were always hungry. By 1885, in order to help earn money for the family, Brønla had moved to Haugesund. No doubt using her uncles’ connections in the fishing industry, she lived on the island of Risøya in the Haugesund harbor and worked for a shipbuilder named Halvor Wiig. Nils was later referred to as a former commercial fisherman, so presumably he was working in the family business at this time as well.
The Exodus
The family’s financial situation was such that they began to contemplate leaving Norway. Likely encouraged by letters from Bård/Barney, telling of plentiful food, work, and land, it was decided that someone should first go alone to see if the tales of plenty were true. The appointed family scout was eldest daughter Brønla, then 24 years old, who bravely traveled alone and joined her onkel Bård (now Uncle Barney) in Iowa.
Brønla reported back that conditions in America were indeed good. So, the family made the difficult decision that they would all—Inger, her remaining six children, as well as her younger sister Inga—leave Norway.
The family’s immigration would ultimately come in three waves: 1887, 1888, and 1889. Brønla’s solo journey comprised Wave #1.
In 1880, passage from Stavanger to New York cost an adult $32, and children under 13 cost $16. At those prices, the cost to get everyone from Norway to the United States totaled $240, the equivalent of over $6,000 in 2021. For a family struggling to feed itself, coming up with that kind of money would have been impossible. The only option was for Brønla and Barney to earn money in the United States and send it back to the family in Norway.
Enough money was earned and sent in the first year to pay for four family members to immigrate. Thus, began Wave #2.
Inger and her children all left Grasdalen for the last time on about 19 May 1888. How bittersweet that must have been. Yes, they had endured such hardships there, yet it was home.
After saying their final farewells to all their friends, they joined Inger’s family in Haugesund. In addition to owning a successful herring fishing company, Torger and Sigve, the Brødrene Øritzland, also owned an inn known as Kronå or Møllerkrogen, an establishment once owned by a man named Ditlef Møller. (Sigve would later name his son Ditlef Møller Oritzland. Møller would immigrate in 1908, and like Bård, Americanize his surname to Orsland, and would marry his first cousin once removed, Beatta Urdahl, the daughter of Brønla Torbjørnsdatter/Hilda Hovick.)
Inger (49), Astrid (22), and the two youngest, Torger (12) and Inga (9), would remain at Møllerkrogen for a year, while Nils (20), Andreas (17), Tjerand (15), and Inger’s sister Inga (40) would travel on together, forming Wave #2 of immigration.
Before departing for America, the four travelers likely spent a week or two with their extended family, knowing they would likely never see them again.
Before being allowed to emigrate, a minor needed permission from both an older male family member and the parish priest, who would issue a certificate providing proof of smallpox vaccination, confirmation, and that they were free of any military or marital obligations. My grandfather’s certificate is below.
In anticipation of the journey, Nils obtained a passport in 1887.
The route of immigration was complicated.
All traveling under the surname Torbjørnsen (even Aunt Inga), they took a boat from Haugesund to Stavanger, where they purchased their tickets to New York. From there, they took a ship to Hull, England, followed by a train across England to Liverpool, where they likely boarded the SS Alaska on 16 June.
The Alaska, built in Glasgow in 1881, was a record-breaking British ship, which in 1883, was the first liner to cross the Atlantic in under a week.
Their journey to New York took a mere eight days, a dramatically shorter voyage than in the days of sailing ships, when only a couple of decades prior, the trip could take up to ten grueling weeks. They arrived in New York on 25 June 1888.
In Remember, Mildred wrote:
“Standing alone on the rail of the ship Alaska, scanning the horizon for the first glimpse of Ellis Island [not yet established as the immigration depot] and the Statue of Liberty with her welcoming, open arms to all immigrants, Tjaeran (Charley) Hovick felt in his pocket again to be certain his immigration permit from his church parish was still safe [see above]. Tante Inga, his mother’s sister, and his two brothers Nels [Nils] and Andrew [Andreas], were still below deck packing their few belongings. The two weeks’ [eight days, actually] journey was coming to an end.
“Only fifteen years old, this tall, handsome, dark wavy-haired youth stood with mixed emotions of relief, joy, and sadness. Joy at seeing his oldest sister Hilda [Brønla] again, and grief over leaving his mother and other sisters and brothers back home in Norway.”
“His thoughts flew back. Why was he here? What was to come?
“Seven years ago, his father Torbjørn Hovick had become desperately ill and died suddenly of what they surmised later was a ruptured appendix. Times had been very hard and cruel, and after this father’s death, even more so. His mother, Inger, was left alone to provide for her seven children… and it seemed they were always hungry.”
Now, they “were waiting on deck for their first look at America with a renewed hope for the future and a reunion with their sister Hilda.”
From 1855–1890, immigrants to the United States were processed at the Emigrant Landing Depot at Castle Garden on the southernmost tip of Manhattan (Ellis Island did not open until 1892).
Therefore, it was here at Castle Garden that they took their very first steps onto American soil.
Immigrant ships would anchor in the harbor, while barges and tugboats transported passengers and their luggage to the pier. There they would be given a brass claim ticket for their luggage. After passing a health inspection, they proceeded into the building to be registered. From there, they could meet with railroad company clerks to book their travel to destinations beyond New York. Their bags were then transported to the train depot to begin the next leg of their journey.
Nils, Andreas, Tjerand, and Inga made their way to Iowa, where they settled and found work. Together, they earned enough to pay for the rest of the family to complete the exodus.
According to the current owner of the Håvik farm, Inger was unwilling to travel unless one of her sons came back to Norway to accompany them to America. It is not known whether or not one of the sons, likely the eldest, Nils, returned to Norway and accompanied the rest of the family.
Like Bård before them, they all changed their names after coming to the United States. The entire family chose to adopt Hovick, an Americanized version of Håvik as their new, permanent surname. In addition, all seven siblings changed their first names: Brønla became Hilda, Astrid became Esther, Nils became Nels, Andreas became Andrew, Tjerand became Charles, Torger became Tom, and Inga became Ida. Only Inger’s first name remained unchanged.
After years of grief and hardship, the three waves of immigration were finally complete, and the family was once again reunited. What joy there must have been in Iowa on that day!
Birth and Americanized names:
back: Brønla/Hilda, Nils/Nels, Andreas/Andrew, Astrid/Esther
front: Torger/Tom, Inga/Ida, Tjerand/Charles
Family Timeline
| YEAR | DATE | EVENT | NAMES AS THEY APPEAR |
| 1833 | 17 March 7 April | birth baptism | Thorbjørn |
| 1834 | 13 August | vaccination | Thorbjørn |
| 1838 | 19 August 2 September | birth baptism | Ingerid |
| 2 November | vaccination | Inger | |
| 1847 | 14 November | confirmation | Thorbjørn |
| 1852 | 31 October | confirmation | Inger |
| 1862 | 12 June | marriage | Torbjørn and Inger |
| 1863 | 24 June 26 July | birth baptism | Brønla |
| 1864 | 16 August | vaccination | Brønla |
| 1865 | 2 September 10 September | birth baptism | Astrid |
| 1866 | 2 November | vaccination | Astrid |
| 1868 | 6 April 13 April | birth baptism | Niels |
| 1869 | 5 November | vaccination | Niels |
| 1871 | 13 January 5 February | birth baptism | Andreas |
| 1873 | 2 May 22 May | birth baptism | Tjerand |
| 25 October | vaccination | Andreas | |
| 1875 | 13 September 24 October | birth baptism | Torger |
| 18 September | vaccination | Tjerand | |
| 1877 | 7 October | confirmation | Brønla |
| 1878 | 20 October 10 November | birth baptism | Inga |
| 1879 | 5 October | confirmation | Astrid |
| 1881 | 2 November 8 November | death funeral | Torbjørn |
| 1882 | 2 April | burial | Torbjørn |
| 8 October | confirmation | Nils | |
| 1885 | 11 October | confirmation | Andreas |
| 1887 | 23 August | departure for U.S. | Brønla |
| 11 September | confirmation | Tjerand | |
| 1888 | 19 May | departure for Haugesund | Inger, Astrid, Torger, Inga |
| 19 May | departure for U.S. | Nils, Andreas, Tjerand, Aunt Inga | |
| 25 June | arrive in New York | Nils, Andreas, Tjerand, Aunt Inga | |
| 1889 | unknown | departure for U.S. | Inger, Astrid, Torger, Inga |
THE RECORDS
Any editorial remarks―information not included in the original records―are enclosed in [square brackets], as are guesses as to what the sometimes-inscrutable handwriting says. Any words in these records that are illegible are indicated by “[–?–]”
Baptism of Thorbjørn Andorsen (1833)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 3, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1815-1835, p. 78, line 8, baptism of Thorbjørn, 7 April 1833; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1646/10919/87 : accessed 15 June 2019.
Extract and Translation:
Name: Thorbjørn
Date of birth: 17 March 1833
Date of baptism: 7 April 1833
Parents: Andor Tjeransen and Brønla Thorbjørnsdatter
Residence: Haavig
Baptism of Ingerid Nielsdatter (1833)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 6.1, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1835ꟷ1858, p. 115, line 22, baptism of Ingerid, 2 September 1838; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10954/18 : accessed 27 May 2019).
Name: Ingerid
Date of birth: 19 August 1838
Date of baptism: 2 September 1838
Parents: Niels Nielsen and Astrid Thorgersdatter
Residence: Øritsland
Smallpox Vaccination of Inger Nielsdatter (1838)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 6.2, Vaksinerte [Vaccinated], 1835–1858, p. 513, line 22, vaccination of Inger Nielsdat, 9 November 1838; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1650/10970/13 : accessed 18 June 2019).
Name: Inger Nielsdatter
Date: 9 November 1838
Father: Niels Nielsen
Residence: Øritsland
Confirmation of Thorbjørn Andorsen (1847)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 6.1, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1835ꟷ1858, p. 248, line 11, confirmation of Thorbjørn Andorsen Haavig, 14 November 1847; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10957/48 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 14 November 1847
Name: Thorbjørn Andorsen of Haavig
Date of birth: 7 April 1833
Parents: Andor Tjerandsen and Brynla Thorbjørnsdatter
Confirmation of Inger Nielsdatter (1852)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 6.1, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1835ꟷ1858, p. 268, line 27, confirmation of Inger Nilsd. Øritsland, 31 October 1852; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10957/68 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 31 October 1852
Name: Inger Nilsdatter of Øristland
Date of birth: 2 September 1838
Parents: Nils Nilssen and Astrid Torgersdatter
Marriage of Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nilsdatter (1862)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Viede [Married], 1856–1882, p. 303, line 5, marriage of Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter, 12 June 1862; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32748/9: accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 12 June 1862
Groom: Bachelor and tenant farmer’s son Torbjørn Andorsen of Haavik, son of Andor Tjerandsen
Bride: Maiden Inger Nilsdatter of Øritsland, daughter of Niels Nielsen
Names: Bachelor and tenant farmer’s son Torbjørn Andorsen and Maiden Inger Nilsdatter
Residences: Haavik and Øritsland
Fathers: Andor Tjerandsen and Niels Nielsen
Dates of smallpox vaccinations: 13 August 1834 and 9 October 1838
Baptism of Brønla Torbjørnsdatter (1863)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 30, line 41, baptism of Brønla, 26 July 1863; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32741/26 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Brønla
Date of birth: 24 June 1863
Date of baptism: 26 July 1863
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Baptism of Astrid Torbjørnsdatter (1865)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 41, line 50, baptism of Astrid, 10 September 1865; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/6315/32741/37 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Astrid
Date of birth: 2 September 1865
Date of baptism: 10 September 1865
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Torbjørn, Inger, and family in the 1865 Census of Norway
1865 census for Norway, Rogaland County, Skjold Parish, census district 003, image 43, line 27 (unnumbered), Græsdalen farm, Torbjørn Andorsen household; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/38221/43 : accessed 30 July 2019). For transcription, see Digitalarkivet, 1865 census for 1154P Skjold, census district 004, rural residence 0039 Græsdalen, transcription; (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/rural-residence/bf01052262001148 : accessed 13 March 2021).
Location: Græsdalen
Residents:
Torbjørn Andorsen, head of household, tenant farmer with land, married, age 33
Inger Nilsdatter, his wife, married, age 28
Brønla Torbjørnsdatter, their daughter, age 3
Astri Torbjørnsdatter, their daughter, age 1
Baard [Bård] Nilsen, servant boy, age 15
Aase [Åsa] Nilsdatter, servant girl, childcare, age 12
Rasmus Andorsen, lodger and schoolteacher, age 23
Siri [Sigrid] Andorsdatter, lodger and seamstress, age 30
Livestock: 3 cows, 19 sheep
Crops planted: 1¾ barrels oats, 2½ barrels potatoes
Baptism of Niels Andreas Torbjørnsen (1868)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 52, line 21, baptism of Nils Andreas, 13 April 1868; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32741/48 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Niels Andreas
Date of birth: 6 April 1868
Date of baptism: 13 April 1868
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Baptism of Andreas Torbjørnsen (1871)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 64, line 5, baptism of Andreas, 5 February 1871; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32741/60 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Andreas
Date of birth: 13 January 1871
Date of baptism: 5 February 1871
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Baptism of Tjerand Torbjørnsen (1873)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 18–18, p. 80, line 31, baptism of Tjerand, 22 May 1873; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32741/76 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Tjerand
Date of birth: 2 May 1873
Date of baptism: 22 May 1873
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Note:
The name Tjerand is very unusual, found mostly in southwestern Norway. As of 2019, there were less than fifty men in all of Norway with that name. The name is derived from the Old Norse words meaning army and shield.
Baptism of Torger Torbjørnsen (1875)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Miniesterialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 98, line 43, baptism of Torger, 24 October 1875; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/98 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Torger
Date of birth: 13 September 1875
Date of baptism: 24 October 1875
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Torbjørn, Inger, and family in the 1875 Census of Norway
1875 census for Norway, Rogaland County, Skjold Parish, census district 004, image 365, line 1, Græsdalen farm, Torbjørn Andorsen household; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/52262/366 : accessed 13 March 2021). For transcription, see Digitalarkivet, 1875 census for 1154P Skjold, census district 004, rural residence 0039 Græsdalen, transcription; http://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/rural-residence/bf01052262001148 : accessed 13 March 2021).
Location: Græsdalen
Residents:
Torbjørn Andorsen, head of household, married, tenant farmer, receives partial poverty support, born 1833
Inger Nilsdatter, wife, born 1837
Brønla Torbjørnsdatter, daughter, born 1863
Astrid Torbjørnsdatter, daughter, born 1865
Niels Andrea Torbjørnsen, son, born 1868
Andreas Torbjørnsen, son, born 1861
Tjeran Torbjørnsen, son, born 1873
Torger Torbjørnsen, son, born 1875
Siri [Sigrid] Andorsedatter, lodger, unmarried, born 1837
Livestock: 2 cows, 8 sheep
Crops planted: 1½ barrels oats, 2½ barrels potatoes
Confirmation of Brønla Torbjørnsdatter (1877)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1856–1882, p. 275, line 16, baptism of Brønla Torbjørnsdatter Haavik, 7 October 1877; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32744/77 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 7 October 1877
Name: Brønla Torbjørnsdatter
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Baptism of Inga Serina Torbørnsdatter (1878)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 121, line 57, baptism of Inga Serina, 10 November 1878; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/6315/32741/118 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Inga Serina
Date of birth: 20 October 1878
Date of baptism: 10 November 1878
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Confirmation of Astrid Torbørnsdatter (1879)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], 1856–1882, p. 285, line 9, confirmation of Astrid Torbjørnsdatter Haavik, 5 October 1879; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/6315/32744/87 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 5 October 1879
Name: Astrid Torbjørnsdatter
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nielsdatter
Death of Torbjørn Andorsen (1881)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 8, Døde og Begravede [Died and Buried], 1856–1882, p. 417, line 11, death of Torbjørn Andorsen, 2 November 1881; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6315/32739/55 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Name: Torbjørn Andorsen
Date of death: 2 November 1881
Date of funeral: 8 November 1881
Date of burial: 2 April 1882
Year of birth: 1833
Residence: Haavik
Confirmation of Nils Andreas Torbjørnsen (1882)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 10, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1882–1897, p. 85, line 23, confirmation of Nils Andreas Torbjørnsen Haavik, 8 October 1882; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1651/10982/3 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 8 October 1882
Name: Nils Andreas Torbjørnsen
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nilsdatter
Confirmation of Andreas Torbjørnsen (1885)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 10, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1882–1897, p. 91, line 13, confirmation of Andreas Torbjørnsen Haavik, 11 October 1885; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1651/92 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 11 October 1885
Name: Andreas Torbjørnsen
Parents: Torbjørn Andorsen and Inger Nilsdatter
Brønla Torbjørnsdatter Departs for America (1887)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 10, Uttflyttede [Out-Migrated], 1882–1897, p. 193, line 25, departure of Brønla, 23 August 1887; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1651/10984/4 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 1887
Name: Brønla Torbjørnsdatter
Destination: Iowa
Confirmation of Tjerand Torbjørnsen (1887)
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 10, Konfirmerte [Confirmed], 1882–1897, p. 98, line 29, confirmation of Tjerand Torbjørnsen Haavik, 11 September 1887; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1651/10982/16 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 11 September 1887
Name: Tjerand Torbjørnsen
Birthplace: Haavik
Residence: Buivik
Note:
Tjerand had left home and was working on the Buivik farm.
Inger Nilsdatter and Family Departs Skjold Parish
Skjold Parish (Skjold, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 10, Uttflyttede [Out-Migrated], 1882–1897, p. 193, lines 14–20, departure of Inger Nilsdtr Håvik, et. al., 19 May 1888; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1651/10984/4 : accessed 17 June 2019).
Date: 19 May 1888
Inger Nilsdatter Håvik, tenant farmer’s widow, born 1838; destination: Haugesund
Children:
Astrid Torbjørnsdatter, born 1865; destination: Haugesund
Torger Torbjørnsen, born 1875; destination: Haugesund
Inga Serina Torbjørnsdatter, born 1878; destination: Haugesund
Nils T. Håvik, born 1868; destination: America
Andreas T. Håvik, born 1871; destination: America
Tjerand T. Håvik, born 1873: destination: America
Inger Håvik’s Arrival in Haugesund (1888)
Haugesund Parish (Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway), Ministerialbok no. A 3, Innflyttede [Migrated In], 1858–1890, p. 206, lines 16–19, arrival of Inger Haavik, et. al.; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/6267/32442/4 : accessed 15 August 2019).
Date: 1888
Widow Inger Haavik, born 1838
Daughter Astrid, born 1865
Son Torger, born 1875
Daughter Inga, born 1878
Residence: Møllerkrogen
Passenger List, SS Alaska
“New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820–1957,” 25 June 1888, SS Alaska, lines 186–188 and 238, Nils, Andreas, Inga, and Tjerand Thorbjørnsen; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 March 2021); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication M237, roll 522, list number 854.
Ship: S.S. Alaska
Date of arrival: 25 June 1888
Nils Thorbjørnsen, age 20, farmer, from Norway
Andreas Thorbjørnsen, age 17, farmer, Norway
Inga Thorbjørnsen, age 30, spinster, Norway
Tjerand Thorbjørnsen, age 14, farmer, Norway
BYGDEBØKER
To learn about this amazing and uniquely Norwegian source of local farm history and genealogical information, see Norwegian Cultural Background: Bygdebøker and A Trip to the Library: Bygdebøker.
Torbjørn’s Birth Family on the Grasdalen under Håvik Farm, Skjold Parish
Torbjørn is listed first in his birth family (family 53, child c.), and secondly as the father of family 54.
Nils Olav Østem, Skjold: Gard og Ætt: Bind 1, (Stavanger, Norway: Dreyer Bok, 1999), 31.
GRASDALEN (also called Dalen)
Counted in 1955 as area 8.
53. Andor (Anders) Tjerandson(Kjæranson) from under Førde in Sveio (147a), born 1802 at under Berge in Sveio, died 1846, married 1827 to Brønla Torbjørnsdatter, born 1800 at Årek (10n), died 1861.
Children:
a. Tjerand born and died 1827 (lived for ½ hour).
b. Tjerand born 1829, died 1854 unmarried.
c. Torbjørn born 1833, Grasdalen under Håvik (see family 54, below)
d. Siri [Sigrid] born 1836, died 1922, unmarried (tailor/pauper).
e. Rasmus born 1843, later lived at Gønnemyr under Bjerga (family 29), and Hatlastad (family 38).
Andor moved here as a hired hand a couple of months before he and Brønla married in 1827. Brønla was the sister of Ariel Torbjørnson, a farm operator from here.
In 1855 probate was held for their son Tjerand. The auction of his belonging brought in almost 55½ spesiedaler. This sum was only reduced by 8 dalar according to the probate records. Tjerand Grasdalen owned six rams, a sheep, and a black lamb when he died. He also had good fishing equipment, which included a pair of old rain boots, leather jacket and pants, and seven spring herring nets. He also owned half of a fishing boat with sail and accessories. The boat was valued at 14 dalar, and the herring nets at 12½ dalar.
Torbjørn and Inger’s Family on the Grasdalen under Håvik Farm, Skjold Parish
Nils Olav Østem, Skjold: Gard og Ætt: Bind 1, (Stavanger, Norway: Dreyer Bok, 1999), 31–32.
Translation:
54. Torbjørn Andorson born 1833 at Grasdalen under Håvik (53c), died 1881, married 1862 to Inger (Ingrid) Nilsdatter, born 1838 at Aursland (21d).
Children:
a. Brønla born 1863, moved in 1887 to Iowa, USA.
b. Astrid born 1865, moved in 1887 to Haugesund.
c. Nils Andreas born 1868, moved in 1888 to USA.
e. Andreas born 1871, moved in 1888 to USA.
f. Tjerand born 1873, moved in 1888 to USA.
g. Torger born 1875, moved in 1887 to Haugesund.
h. Inga Serina born 1878, moved in 1887 to Haugesund.
Records, as early as 1855, refer to Torbjørn as a tenant farmer holding a lease at Grasdalen. He married seven years after the death of his mother. In 1865 he and his wife Inger had three cows and nineteen sheep at Grasdalen. They planted 1¾ barrel oats and 2½ barrels potatoes. Ten years later, their livestock had increased to three–four cows, sixteen–twenty sheep, and four goats. Of them, two of the cows, twelve of the sheep, and all of the goats were owned by and tended for others. In 1875 they had planted 1½ barrels of oats, and the same amount of potatoes as ten years earlier. Of this, they calculated they would harvest eight barrels of grain and ten barrels of potatoes.
Torbjørn and Inger had two hired hands in 1865—a fifteen-year-old boy named Bård [Baard] Nilsson and Åse [Aase] Nilsdatter who helped with childcare. Both were Inger’s siblings. The two others who lived on the place, Rasmus and Siri [Sigrid], were Torbjørn’s siblings. Rasmus was a schoolteacher and Siri a tailor.
In 1875 Torbjørn was supported by welfare, despite the fact that he was only 40 years old. It could be that illness was the reason he needed outside help. Six years later he died, right before his 50th year. In 1887 his widow Inger moved to live with some of her children in Haugesund. Some of the others went to America. Their daughter Brønla was living in Haugesund in 1885. She was employed by the ship builder Halvor H. Wiig.
Inger’s Paternal Grandparents on the Øritsland/Aursland Farm, Tysvær Parish
Nils Olav Østem, Tysvær: Gard og Ætt: Bind 5, (Stavanger, Norway: Dreyer Bok, 1999), 456.
Because parish boundaries have changed, the Øritzland/Aursland farm, while earlier in Skjold Parish, is now in Tysvær Parish.
Translation:
10. Nils Olson, born 1758 at Austrheim nedra (11g), died 1834. First marriage to Inga Eriksdatter, born 1764 at Aursland (9a), died 1806. Second marriage in 1812 to widow Marta Olsdatter from Litlaskog (6), born 1763 at Hatlastad (11e), died 1841.
Children from the first marriage:
a. Erik, born 1785, later lived at Aursland (11).
b. Anna, born 1786, later lived at Fjellheim (34).
c. Eli, born 1788, Svinakleiv (37).
d. Ola, born 1791, under Kalvaland (95), Aursland (20), Tveit indra (148) and Grinde (54).
e. Bård, born 1793, d. 1794.f. Ivar, born 1794, Fjedle u. Aurs-land (81).
g. Nils, born 1797, Aursland (21).
h. Erik, born 1799, Kringeland (13) og Tveit indra (46).
i. Torborg, born 1802, Sundfør (11).
j. Bård, born 1806, d. 1806 (lived 7 weeks).
There are documents of ownership of half the farm in 1781. From 1782, Nils was to use that half, and his father-in-law the other half. Nils took over the work on the entire Aursland when his father-in-law died [1790]. He became rightful owner of the whole farm in 1804. He sold half (part 1) to Erik Nilsson in 1809. He kept part 2 for himself until he rented it out to Ola Nilsson in 1816. He sold it to Ola in 1822. There was a document written to the widower Nils in 1811, the year before he remarried.
Inger’s Birth Family on the Øritsland/Aursland Farm, Tysvær Parish
Nils Olav Østem, Tysvær: Gard og Ætt: Bind 5, (Stavanger, Norway: Dreyer Bok, 1999), 459
Translation:
21. Nils Nilsson, born 1797 at Aursland (10g), died 1865. First marriage in 1826 to Ingrid Knutsdatter, born 1803 at Nes (16b), died 1833. Second marriage in 1837 to Astrid Torgersdatter, born 1811 at Romsaland (32g).
Children from the first marriage:
a. Marta, born 1828, d. 1828 (lived 8 days).
b. Nils, born 1830, immigrated to the USA, married Gurina Nilsdatter Eilerås.
c. Stillborn boy, born and died 1833.
Children from the second marriage:
a. Ingrid, born 1838, later lived at Grasdalen under Håvik (family 54).
b. Torger, born 1840, Haugesund, first marriage to Sina Helene Nilsdatter, second to Gustava Garvik.
c. Erik, born 1842, Haugesund, married Lene Johanna Torsteinsdatter Mykje.
d. Sigve, born 1845, Haugesund, married Alis Torbjørnsdatter Eikeskog.
e. Inga, born 1848, Haugesund.
f. Bård, born 1851, moved to Haugesund in 1867.
g. Åsa, born 1854, Haugesund.
Farm ownership documents from 1825, probate in 1834. Astrid moved as a widow in 1865 to Haugesund. She lived there ten years later, supported by her son. Ten years after that, she lived with her son Sigve on Møllerveien [Møller Road] in Haugesund.
Hovick Lohman History 