Inger, Inga, and the Family on the Aursland Farm

For more recent research, see The Great-Grandparents Project: Inger and Torbjørn.

Inger

Inga

 

My great-grandmother, Inger Nielsdatter Øritzland (1838-1924) had a younger sister named Inga (1848-1931). Growing up in the same house, I’m sure there was more than occasional confusion…

 

MAMA:

Inga!

 

INGER:

Yes, Mama?

 

MAMA:

No, I was calling for Inga!

 

INGER:

(sigh)

 

I am guessing that they were close, for years later when Inger, widowed with seven children, decided to move the family to America, Inga came with them. However, after coming to America, Inger moved to Minnesota while Inga stayed in Iowa, and no family stories about her have been passed down. So I was excited to make some discoveries. You can read about them here. But for now, back to Inger and Inga.

 

Their parents were Nils Nilsson and Astrid Torgersdatter, owners of the Øritzland (now Aursland) farm in the parish of Tysvær (formerly within Skjold Parish) in southwestern Norway. At some point, the family name evolved into Oritzland and Øritzland. (And for those in the family who came to America, the name further morphed into Orsland.) The family that remained in Norway later moved from the farm to the nearby town of Haugesund, south of Bergen. (Marilyn Monroe’s father came from the area, and there is a statue of her in the Haugesund harbor.)

 

Haugesund in the west, Aursland farm in the center, and the Håvik farm just to the north

 

As farm owners, they were in a class well above that of the lowly tenant farmer. When Inger married my tenant farmer great-grandfather, Torbjørn Andorsen in 1862, she took quite a step down the social ladder. She moved from what would have been a relatively nice home to a small, two-room, dirt-floored cottage called Grasdalen, part of the larger Håvik farm, where Torbjørn lived and worked. She must have married for love!

 

Grasdalen on the Håvik farm

 

During our visit in August 2016, my sister Jeanne and I were taken to visit the Aursland farm. The original buildings are gone, but new ones have been built upon the foundations of the old.

 

 

The stream beside the house, their source of fresh water

Stone shingles from the original farm house

 

Bygdebok

Here is the entry, first in Norwegian, then my translation in English, for Nils’ and Astrid’s family, found in the parish’s bygdebok(farm book).

 

A few editorial notes:

– Inger is listed both here and on her baptismal record as Ingrid.

– The location listed next to the birth year could is sometimes the birthplace, but is often simply where they lived at the time that the history was captured.
– Judging by what is included and not included, I am guessing that this information was collected and written down sometime before Inger’s emigration in 1889.

 

 

Tysvær: Gard og ætt, Vol. 5, p. 459

Farm: Aursland

 

21. Nils Nilsson f. 1797 på Aursland (10g), d. 1865, g. 1. 1826 m. Ingrid Knutsdatter f. 1803 på Nes (16b), d. 1833, g. 2. 1837 m. Astrid Torgersdatter f. 1811 på Romsaland (32g).

 

Born av 1. ekteskap:

a.  Marta f. 1828, d. 1828 (8 dagar).

b.  Nils f. 1830, USA, gm. Gurina Nilsdatter Eilerås.

c.  dødfødd gutebarn f. 1833, d. 1833.

 

Born av 2. ekteskap:

d.  Ingrid f. 1838, Grasdalen u. Håvik (54).

e.  Torger f. 1840, Haugesund, g.1.m. Sina Helene Nilsdtr, 2.m. Gustava Garvik.

f.  Erik f. 1842, Haugesund, gm. Lene Johanna Torsteinsdatter Mykje.

g.  Sigve f. 1845, Haugesund, gm. Alis Torbjørnsdatter Eikeskog.

h.  Inga f. 1848, Haugesund.

i.  Bård f. 1851, flytta i 1867 til Haugesund.

j.  Åsa f. 1854, Haugesund.

 

Skøyte 1825, skifte 1834.

 

Astrid Torgersdatter flytta som enkje i 1865 til Haugesund. Der budde ho framleis ti år seinare, som folgekone og med «underhold af Søn». Ti år deretter igjen, i 1885, budde ho hjå sonen Sigve i Møllerveien i Haugesund.

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

21.  Nils Nilsson was born in 1797 at the Aursland farm (10g), and died in 1865. He was first married in 1826 to Ingrid Knutsdatter, who was born in 1803 at the Nes farm (16b), and died in 1833. Nils married a second time in 1837 to Astrid Torgersdatter, born in 1811 at the Romsaland farm (32g).

 

Children from the first marriage:

a.  Marta, born and died in 1828, after having lived only eight days

b.  Nils, born in 1830, moved to USA, married Gurina Nilsdatter Eilerås

c.  Stillborn boy, born and died in 1833

 

Children from the second marriage:

d.  Ingrid,born in 1838, later lived at Grasdalen, part of the Håvik farm (54)

e.  Torger, born in 1840, Haugesund, married first to Sina Helene Nisdatter, married a second time to Gustava Garvik

f.  Erik, born in 1842, Haugesund, married Lene Johanna Torsteinsdatter Mykje

g.  Sigve, born in 1845, Haugesund, married Alis Torbjørnsdatter Eikeskog

h.  Inga, born in 1848, Haugesund

i.  Bård, born in 1851, moved in 1867 to Haugesund

j.  Åsa, born in 1854, Haugesund

 

A property deed was filed in 1825, and probate occurred after Nils’ death in 1834.

 

Astrid Torgersdatter moved as a widow in 1865 to Haugesund.  She was still living there ten years later as a pensioner and was “taken care of by her son.” Another ten years later, in 1885, she was with her son Sigve in Møllerveien in Haugesund.

 

 

 

Here’s more about the family. It is assumed that each child was born at the Aursland farm. They were all baptized at the nearby Skjold Kirke. The church building from their time is gone now, replaced by one newer. However, they have thankfully kept the foundation of the original. It was very moving to walk up those stairs, knowing that generations of my family had regularly walked them, marking major life events – baptisms, marriages, and deaths.

 

Nils Nilsson (1797-1837)

Born to Nils Olson (1758-1834) and Inga Eriksdatter (1764-1806) on the Grinde farm in Tysvær parish, Rogaland County, Norway.

[Reference: Tysvær: Gard og ætt, Volume 5, p. 456]

Astrid Torgersdatter Romsaland (1811-1894)

One of nine children born to Torger Kistoffersen Romsaland (1768-1845) and Åsa Sigvesdatter (1774-1853) on the Romsaland farm in Tysvær parish, Rogaland County, Norway.

[Reference: Tysvær: Gard og ætt, page 83] 

The Romsalands seem to have been a prominent farm-owning family. We visited the Romsaland farm in August 2016.

 

d. Inger Nilsdatter Oritzland (1838-1924)

Born on 19 August 1838 and baptized at the Skjold Kirke on 2 September 1838 (line 22 on the parish record, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10954/18]

 

 

She was confirmed on 31 October 1852 (line 27, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10957/68]

 

 

e. Torger Nilssen Øritzland

Born on 26 August 1840 and baptized on 30 August 1840 (line 24, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10955/28]

 

 

He married Sina Helene Nilsdatter on 13 October 1883, and together they had six children. Sina died in 1895, and Torger later married Gustava Olsen, with whom he had four more children.

 

He died on 23 January 1926, and is buried in Haugesund.

 

 

f. Erik Nilssen Oritzland (b. 1842)

Born on 24 August 1842 and baptized on 16 October (line 20, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10955/39]

 

 

Erik married Lena Johanna Torsteinsdatter (1846-1922) on 26 November 1875 in Haugesund. They had three children.

 

g. Sigve Nilssen Oritzland (1845-1898)

Was born on 5 July 1845 and baptized on 27 July (line 22, below).

[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10955/57]

 

He married Alice Torbjørnsdatter Eikeskog (1851-1907), and they had eight children. One of them, Ditlef Moller Oritzland (1893-1952) came to America and for a time, lived with my grandparents, Charles and Pauline Hovick, at their farm in Madison, Minnesota. Moller, as he was called, ended up marrying a granddaughter of Inger’s, making them not only man and wife, but first cousins once removed.

 

Sigve died in 1898 in Haugesund.

 

h. Inga Nilsdatter Oritzland (1848-1931)

Born on 8 March 1848 and baptized on 25 April (line 15, below).

 

 

For much more on her life, read Great-Aunt Inga – Love in Her 40’s.

i. Bård Nilssen Oritzland (1851-1927)

Born on 12 February 1851 and baptized on 23 February (line 2, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10955/85]

 

 

Bård was the first of the entire family to immigrate to the United States, which he did in 1872 at the age of 21. On 12 March 1885, he married Martha Emily Buland (1859-1919). They settled in Buena Vista County in NW Iowa. When Inger’s family, along with Inga, came over between 1886-1889, they first came to live with Bård, who by that time changed his name to Barney Orsland. I need to do some focused research on his life and see what else I can turn up. He died on 27 March 1927.

 

j. Åsa Nilsdatter Oritzland (1854-1935)

Born on 11 November 1854 and baptized on 16 November (line 12, below).
[Reference: media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1649/10954/89]

 

 

The only photo that we have of any of Inger and Inga’s siblings is this one of Åsa, taken in Haugesund.

 

 

She married Sivert Brogenvik at some point, and passed away in 1935.

Bygdebok: The Family of the Grasdalen Farm

Before I share what is written about the family living at the Grasdalen (“grass valley”) farm, let me put this into some geographical context. As I wrote about in my last post, Norway is broken into nineteen counties and over a thousand parishes. Each parish is then broken into farms. And sometimes farms are split into sub-farms. That is the case with where my grandfather was born.

My grandfather, Charles Hovick (born Tjerand Torbjørnson in 1873) lived with his family (parents, six siblings, two aunts and two uncles) in this two-room house on the Grasdalen farm, which is a sub-farm, part of the larger Håvik farm.

The Håvik farm is in the northwestern corner of the parish of Skjold.

And Skjold parish lies in the county of Rogaland in southwestern Norway.

So when it came time to find out what light could be shed on my family history by the bygdebøker (the historical farm books), I looked to the two-volume set on the Skjold parish.

Skjold Gard og ætt Skjold Farm and Family

The chapter on the Håvik farm begins on page 17 of volume I. And here, on pages 31 and 32, in Norwegian, is the information on my family living on the Grasdalen sub-farm. 

GRASDALEN (og kalla Dalen)

Skyldsett i 1955 som bruk 8.

53.     Andor (Anders) Tjerandson (Kjreranson)fra u. Førde i Sveio (147a), f. 1802 u. Berge i Sveio, d. 1846, g. 1827 m. Brønla Torbjørnsdtr f. 1800 pa Årek (10n), d. 1861.

Born:

a. Tjerand f. 1827, d. 1827 (½ time).

b.  Tjerand f. 1829, d. 1854, ug.

c.  Torbjørn f. 1833, Grasdalen u. Håvik (54).

d.  Siri f. 1836, d. 1922, ug. (skredderske/fattiglem).

e.  Rasmus f. 1843, Grønnemyr u. Bjerga (29) og Hatlastad (38).

Andor kom flyttande hit som «TienesteKarl» eit par månader før han og Brønla gifta seg i 1827. Brønla var søster til Ariel Torbjørnson, ein av gardbrukarane her.

Det blei halde skifte etter eldste sonen Tjerand i 1855. Auksjonen over det han åtte, hadde innbrakt-nesten 55½ spesiedalar. Denne summen blei ikkje redusert med meir eon vel 8 dalar under skifteforretningen. Ungkaren Tjerand Grasdalen åtte seks verer, ein sau og eit svart saulam då ban dødde. Han var elles godt utstyrt som fiskar med m.a. eit par gamle sjøstøvlar, skinntrøye og skinnbukse og sju vårsildegam. Han åtte vidare halvpar­ten i ein fiskebåt med segl og «øvrigt Tilbehør». Båten hadde ein verdi på 14 dalar, sildegama kom opp i 12½ dalar.

54.     Torbjørn Andorson f. 1833 i Grasdalen u. Håvik (53c), d. 1881, g. 1862 m.

Inger (Ingrid) Nilsdtr f. 1838 på Aursland (21d).

Born:    

a.  Brønla f. 1863, flytta i 1887 til Iowa, USA.

b.  Astrid f. 1865, flytta i 1887 til Haugesund.

c.  Nils Andreas f. 1868, flytta i 1888 til USA.

d.  Andreas f. 1871, flytta i 1888 til USA.

e.  Tjerand f. 1873, flytta i 1888 til USA.

f.   Torger f. 1875, flytta i 1887 til Hauge­sund.

g.  Inga Serina f. 1878, flytta i 1887 til Hau-gesund.

Torbjørn er allereie i 1855 nemnd som husmann i Grasdalen. Først sju år seinare, etter at mora var død, gifta han seg. I 1865 heldt han og kona Inger tre krøte_r og 19 sauer på Grasdalen-plasset. Dei hadde satt 1¾ tønne havre og 2½ tønner poteter. Ti år seinare var buskapen auka til tre-fire kyr eller ungfe, 16-20 sauer og fire geiter. To av kyrne; 12 av sauene og alle geitene heldt Torbjørn i foster for andre. På åkerteigane sine hadde plassfolket i 1875 sått halvanna tønne havre og same potetmengda som ti år før. Av dette rekna dei med å hausta åtte korntønner og ti potettønner.

Torbjørn og Inger heldt to tenarar i 1865. Tenesteguten var 15 år og heitte Bård Nilsson. Åsa Nilsdtr var «Barnepige». Begge to var sysken av Inger. Dei to andre som budde på plasset, Rasmus og Siri, var sysken av Torbjørn. Rasmus var skulelrerar og Siri skreddar.

Torbjørn var delvis «Fattigunderstøttet» i l 875, sjølv om han berre var vel 40 år. Kan henda var det sjukdom som v􀀡 skuld i at han måtte ha hjelp utanfrå. Berre seks år seinare døydde han før 50 årsleitet var nått. Enkja Inger flytta i 1887, saman med nokre av boma, til Haugesund. Andre av dei drog til Amerika. Dottera Brønla budde elles alt i 188 5 i Haugesund. Ho arbeidde «for løn hos Skipsreder Halvor H. Wiig».

Thanks to Solveig at the Norwegian American Genealogical Association & Naeseth Library who translated this for me. A few words on how to interpret this information: 

• Each number indicates a nuclear family. So number 53 below is the record of Andor and Brønla (my great-great grandparents) and their five children; number 54 is of Torbjørn and Inger (my great grandparents) and their seven children. 
• There is no indication that number 52, Anders and Alis are in any way related to my family. I believe that they were simply the prior occupants of the house. 
• Children are assigned letters in order of birth (oldest = a, second-oldest = b, etc.).
• There are parenthetical references throughout to numbers and letters. Because one person can be both a child in one nuclear family and a parent in another, this is the system for making those connections. For instance, in family number 53, Andor is the father. As indicated, he will also be found in the Sveio parish on the Førde farm as the oldest child of family number 147 “(147a).” His wife Brønla will be found in the same parish on the Årek farm, the 14th child (!) of family number 10 “(10n).”
• A hussman translates to a cotter, a tenant farmer with a lease to the land.

So many stories of joy and sadness are only hinted at in the few short paragraphs of this historical record. And yet I have such profound gratitude that even these hints have survived!

Skjold: Gard og Ætt, I

Skjold: Farm and Family, Volume I
Chapter: Håvik

GRASDALEN (also called Dalen) under Håvik

53.  Andor (Anders) Tjerandson (Kjæranson) from the Førde farm in Sveio (147a), was born in 1802 at the Berge farm in Sveio, and died in 1846. In 1827 he married Brønla Torbjørnsdatter, who was born in 1800 at the Årek farm (10n) and died in 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 (54).

d. Siri born 1836, died 1922, unmarried (tailor/pauper).

e. Rasmus born 1843, Gønnemyr under Bjerga (29), and Hatlastad (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.

54.  Torbjørn Andorson was born 1833 in Grasdalen under Håvik (53c) and died in 1881. In 1862 he married Inger (Ingrid) Nilsdatter, born 1838 at the Aursland farm (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.

d. Andreas born 1871, moved in 1888 to USA.

e. Tjerand born 1873, moved in 1888 to USA.

f. Torger born 1875, moved in 1887 to Haugesund.

g. Inga Serina born 1878, moved in 1887 to Haugesund.***

In 1855, Torbjørn was already referred to as a cotter at Grasdalen. Seven years after the death of his mother, he married. In 1865, he and his wife Inger had three cows and 19 sheep at the Grasdalen place.  They planted ¾ barrel**** oats and 2½ barrels potatoes.  Ten years later the stock had increased to 3-4 cows, 16-20 sheep and 4 goats.  Two of the cows and twelve of the sheep and all of the goats Torbjørn took care of 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. 

Tobjørn and Inger had two hired-hands in 1865. A fifteen-year-old boy named Bård Nilsson and Åse Nilsdatter the “baby-sitter.”  Both were Inger’s siblings. The two others who lived on the place, Rasmus and Siri, were Torbjørn’s siblings. Rasmus was a school teacher and Siri a tailor.

In 1875 Torbjørn was supported by welfare even though 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 50^th 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.

* an archaic monetary value
**  another monetary value

*** details on how their names were altered and Americanized are here
**** 1 barrel = about 4 bushels

***** the widowed Inger and all her children immigrated between 1886-1889.