Princess Martha-Louise, daughter ofKing Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway,has become well-known in her native coun-try for her talent as a storyteller. She hasdone readings for children throughoutNorway and has hosted television showsreading fairy tales. Now she has turnedauthor, by writing a fairy ta le of herown. Princess Martha recently completeda tour United States tour and promotingher new book, “Why Kings and QueensDon’t Wear Crowns.” The bookgained acclaim in Norway in 2004 andthe first English edition was printed in2005 by Skandisk, Inc. Princess Mar-tha began her 10-day promotional tourin the United States on October 8 andmade stops in New York City, Minot,ND Hostfest, Seattle and Poulsbo,Washington, and Los Angeles. The book is fictional but based onfact, and tells the story of her grandfa-ther, King Olav, who was only twoyears old in 1905 when his parents,King Haakon and Queen Maud werechosen to become the first reigningroyalty of Norway in over 500 years. Previous to 1905, Norway had beenruled by Danish kings for 400 years fol-lowed by 100 years of Swedish rule. Aftergaining independence from Sweden theNorwegians decided that a monarchywould be good for Norway and set out tofind a new king. Their wise choice wasPrince Carl of Denmark as his ancestry

could be traced back to Norway. His fatherwas then the Danish crown prince and hismother was from Swedish royalty. Carlhimself was married to Maud, the daughterof King Edward VII of England and Dan-ish-born Queen Alexandra. On November18, 1905, Prince Carl was elected as King

of Norway and changed his name to Haa-kon. He also changed his son’s name fromAlexander Edward Christian Frederick, toOlav, a royal name from old Norway. OnJune 22, 1906 the coronation of King Haa-kon VII and Queen Maude took place.

(C onti nue d on page 3 )

Gifts and Memorials

$50 Memorial for KnuteOlsen from grandson PhilipPaynter

Norway’s Princess Martha-Louise Turns Authorby Dianne Snell

Fra Presidenten 2

To Norway this Summer! 3

2006 Stevne update 4

Anton Aasand - past lagHistorian & Saga Editor

5

New Member Spotlight 6-7

Saskatoon to Sigdal 8

Ibsen 2006 11

Members Surveys 11

Inside this issue:

Velkommen, nyelag medlemmer!

PAUL BRAATELIENWest Chicago, IL

ERVIN ROKKEBethlehem, PA

JOHN D. CYRUSChaska, MN

ERIC VICTOR FORMOSeattle, WA

PHILIP PAYNTERLabelle, FL

Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal, Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry

Sigdalslag Saga

February, 2006

Volume 26, Issue 1

Since 1911

Princess Märtha LouisePhotos by Dianne Snell

Here we are in m

id-January. Days

are short, nigh

ts

are long. I some

times wonder wha

t it would be li

ke to

live in northern

Norway at this

time of year, wi

th 24-

hour nights.

This is my sixth

year as preside

nt, and it is sh

aping

up as a momentou

s year. For one

thing, our new S

igdalslag

book, the sevent

h in the series,

should go to th

e printer

sometime this ye

ar. Many people

have contributed

to this

project, none mo

re than Lee Rokk

e and Judy Soste

d who are

editing and orga

nizing the mater

ial. When this b

ook rolls

off the press, t

here will be a c

elebration! Like

the

first six books,

this one will b

e a great resour

ce for

future generatio

ns.

Another momentou

s event this yea

r will be our to

ur of

Norway– if it c

omes to pass. We

need 25 reserva

tions by

April 15 in orde

r to carry on wi

th the planning.

If we

cross that thres

hold, we can acc

ept some additio

nal res-

ervations over t

he next 6 weeks.

I think it is a

good

trip at a good p

rice – see the i

nformation elsew

here in

this issue. Give

it careful thou

ght, and join us

if you

can. Remember to

get those reser

vations in befor

e tax

day, April 15th.

By the time you

read this, the E

xecutive Board w

ill

have had its win

ter meeting, whi

ch is our main b

oard

meeting of the y

ear. We'll be di

scussing the boo

k, the

trip, our financ

es, and some cha

nges including m

aking the

Saga available t

o members via th

e internet.

Ha det bra,

Earl O. Knutson

President, Sigda

lslag

are printed in Norwegian. If you are will-ing to assist her with this important offer-ing please call or email her at her addresslisted on the left side of this page.

As usual, I invite you to submit your ownarticles of interest for publication. In fewdecades your grandchild might be enlight-ened by your stories just as Philip Paynterhas! (see his letter in the Mailbag on pg. 5)

Regards, Cindy Peterson

Greetings from the editors desk! Thanksto all who submitted articles for the pastyear and to our new members for sharingtheir own family history with us. Withoutyou we would not be able to maintain thisvaluable link to our heritage!

Thanks to Dianne Snell for her wonder-ful contributions as our lag Historian! Tocontinue her work, Dianne is in need oftranslators for our archival materials that

Fra Presidenten:

Editor’s Corner...

P age 2 S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

2004-2005SigdalslagOfficersEARL O. KNUTSON President722 Second Street SWWillmar, MN 56201(320) 222-1613eoknutsn@en-tel.net

GARTH ULRICHVP 1/Membership

Box 130, Spalding SKSOK 4CO, CANADA(306) 633-2274gulrich@sasktel.net

JUDY SOSTED VP 2/Heritage1118 Lia CourtNorthfield, MN 55057jsosted@hotmail.com

RODNEY PLETANVP 3/Technology

7414 W BroadwayForest Lake, MN 55025-8474(651) 464-6636rodaud@pclink.com

DR. DEAN SKADELANDTreasurer

7315 NW Barry RoadKansas City, MO 64153816-741-9449dskad@sbcglobal.nwt

AMY MICHELSEN Secretary18730 Roanoke St. NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971(763) 753-5484amichelsen@usfamily.net

LEE ROKKE Genealogist13465 Garden View DriveApple Valley, MN 55124(952) 432-9767leerokke@aol.com

DIANNE SNELL Historian31646 110th Pl. SEAuburn, WA 98092253-351-0926dalesnell@comcast.net

MARILYN MOEN Co-Editor32557 Clay Bank RoadErhard, MN 56534mmoen@prtel.com

CINDY PETERSON Co-Editor3520 Banyan StreetSanta Rosa, CA 95403707-573-1504vikingsby7@msn.com

Consider going on our planned trip to Norway, August8-18, 2006. The main stop will be Sigdal-Eggedal-Krødsherad, where we will have four days and nights tomeet distant relatives and walk the trails our ancestorswalked. We will a lso visit Oslo, Lillehammer, Trondheimand Røros.

The cost of about $2150 includes airfare, motor coach, 5nights in hotels, 5 breakfasts, and 2 dinners. For the fournights in Sigdal-Eggedal-Krødsherad, travelers may maketheir own arrangements to stay with relatives or we can helpin booking hotels.

Linda McCormick of Borton Overseas Travel in Minnea-polis, who will be happy to answer questions, is arrangingthe trip or us. She can be reached at 612-822-4640, ext. 12,or linda@bortonoverseas.com. Linda will be happy to sendyou a brochure and a reservation form. You can also contactEarl Knutson at eoknutsn@en-tel.net or 320-222-2613.

For those with internet access a pictorial preview of the(C onti nue d on page 9 )

P age 3S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

TO NORWAY THIS SUMMER!

This is precisely where Princess Martha’s book begins,when the new Royal Family takes up residence in the palacein Kristiania, (Oslo) and begins the process of changingthemselves into Norwegians and learning Norwegian wayssuch as skiing. Little Olav comes to thepalace all excited about the thought of sittingon his throne wearing his crown, but soonfinds out that those activities were not nearlyas much fun as he had imagined they wouldbe. The Princess turned author wowed theaudiences with her narrations of some Nor-wegian fairy tales and by telling the childrenwhat it is really like to grow up as a princess.She “accidently” lost a shoe on the way outon stage, and then asked, “Is there a PrinceCharming in the crowd.” She told aboutgetting in trouble as a child for trying onQueen Elizabeth’s fur coat and boots whileEngland’s monarch was attending a StateDinner in the dining room with her parents. The highlightof her presentation was a partial reading of the book, andthen the signing began. Many people in the packed house

had multiple copies for her to sign, and she graciously com-plied, greeting each person that passed by. Princess Martha Louise was born in 1971 and has one

brother, now Crown Prince Haakon.Martha Louise gave up her royal titlebecause she wanted to become a part of“normal society.” She is married to AriBehn, a writer, and is the mother of two

daughters, Maud and Leah. Martha Louisestudied English literature at Oxford and iscertified as a Physical Therapist. She is anadvocate for disabled children and managesher own business as a cultural mediator.She recently released a CD with the OsloGospel Choir, and as an avid horse lovershe produced a television series abouthorses.

“Why Kings and Queens Don’t WearCrowns,” is delightful reading for all agesand the whimsical illustrations by Svein

Nyhus add much to its charm. The book is available inbook stores and through Vesterheim.(Sources: Viking Magazine, October 2005; Why Kings and Queens Don’tWear Crowns, book jacket; Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, WA)

(C ont i nu ed f r om p ag e 1)

Sigdalslag tour group in 2000. Oh boy, did we have Fun!

P age 4 S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

List of 2006 Stevne/EventsFrom the Norwegian-American BygdelagenesFellesraad homepage. For the most currentinformation and contacts, please visitwww.fellesraad.com

MAYAnnual Meeting always 1st Saturday

in May, May 6, 2006 (Times and costto be determined by April 1.)

JUNEHallinglag - June 8-11 , BigwoodEvent Center, Fergus Falls, MN

Vestlandslag - June 8-10 , LutherCollege, Decorah, IA Also seeindividual lag sites: Nordhordland& Sunnhordland, Hardanger, Møreog Romsdal, Rogaland, Sognalag,and Vosselag

Nordlandslag & Lappmark Lag -June 16-17, Isle, MN

Valdres Samband - June 22-23 , St.Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Sunnfjordlag - June 29-July 1,Luther College, Decorah, IA

JULYSeven Lag - July 13-15, 2006

Holiday Inn Convention Center inSioux Falls SD http://

stevne.hadelandlag.org/news.htm

AUGUSTTre-Lag Stevne - August 2-5, 2006

the Plaza Hotel and Suites in EauClaire, WI

Contact people:Dixie Hansen - Nord Hedmark og

Hedemarken 651.690.0872Betty Strand - Gudbrandsdal

763.571.1831Linda Schwartz - Trøndelag

734.769.2877

Sognefjordlag Stevne - August 4-5th in Westby and Coon ValleyWisconsin. Contact person isKathy Johnson, at 608-238-1785or kjohnson44@ameritech.net

SEPTEMBERNordfjordlag - Sept 16, 2006 at

Green Lake Bible Camp, Spicer, MN

“From the Fjords to the Falls”7 Lag Stevne July 12-15, 2006, Sioux Falls SD

Plan ahead for the stevne this year in South Dakota to be held at the Holi-day Inn Centre - 100 W. 8th Street in Sioux Falls.

Below is a tentative schedule, as the Hadeland Lag coordinators are busyat work planning an exciting event! Final details will be published in theMay issue of the Saga. Until then, you may also access the Hadeland Lagwebsite for event updates at www.hadelandlag.org

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12TH

Tour - leave Holiday Inn at 1:00pm1. Butterfly House2. Pioneer Buildings at Augustana College Campus.3. East Nidaros Lutheran Church, rural Baltic4. Remer Lutheran Church - light supper.

Registration - will begin at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Hospitality Room - 2nd floor, Holiday Inn. 6 pm-10 pmThere will be coffee, cookies, bars & snacks to enjoy while youare visiting with other Lag members.

THURSDAY, JULY 13TH

Opening Session, 10th Floor Holiday Inn. - 9:00 am

Registration, Classes, Lectures, Genealogy - 10:30 am -5:00 pm

Vendors - 10:30 am - 5:00 pm

Optional Tour to EROS - 2:00 pm free admissionThe U.S. Geological Survey "Earth Resources Observation Sys-tems (EROS) Data Center. It holds one of the world's largestcollections of images of the Earth's land surface. EROS staffmanage and distribute these data, acquired by civilian satel-lites and aircraft, to scientists, policy makers, and educatorsworldwide. These data are used to study a wide range ofnatural hazards, global environmental change and economicdevelopment and conservation issues.

"The Vikings Film" 5:30 - 6:30 pm$5.00. Washington Pavilion Cinedome, 3 1/2 blocks south ofthe Holiday Inn.

(C onti nue d on page 1 0 )

P age 5S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

Anton Aasand and his wife Emmawere part of the glue which kept theSigdalslaget together during the pe-riod from the 1940’s to the early1970’s. Anton was Lag historianand Saga editor during the writingof the 1949 Sigdalslaget annual, and

wrote several of the articles in that publication. Antonserved as Lag secretary from 1953 to 1971 and continuedas “Sagaskriver” and historian during those years.

Anton Aasand (Åsand, Aasen) was born August 20,1888 in Eggedal Parish to Stener Stenersen Aasen andwife Anne Pedersdatter. The Aasand farm sits on a highplateau far above the valley and is still owned by theAasand family, the current farmer being Steiner L.Aasand.

Anton’s parents had 13 children, 4 of whom eventu-ally emigrated to America. When Anton arrived in 1908his first destination was to Grafton, ND, where he hadrelatives. During the early years he worked for the Con-crete Cement Mine at Concrete, ND and attended the agri-cultural school in Crookston, MN and the Bruflat Acad-emy in Portland, ND. He also proved up a quarter of landnear Arnegard, ND in McKenzie County.

In 1912 Anton moved to Manfred, ND and stayed atthe home of his older brother Steiner. He worked at thehardware and millinery store owned by Jacob Klev, and in1916 Anton purchased the store and continued it as a hard-ware store. One of his first projects was to install a 32-volt Delco electric plant in his store and he strung a wireacross the road to the church so its kerosene lamps couldbe replaced with electric bulbs. Anton took to business,and in 1917 he purchased another store in Manfred whichsold groceries, dry goods and other items.

In 1919 Anton was married in Manfred to Emma Op-dahl, the daughter of immigrants from Valdres and HurdalNorway, who were pioneers of Manfred. In 1920 Antonand Emma purchased a third business where they soldhardware and erected a new cream station along the westside of the building. Anton joined Vang Lutheran Churchin 1917, serving as Trustee for two terms and always ring-ing the church bell. Emma served as the president and

treasurer of the Ladies Aid.In 1925 Anton and Emma sold out their two remaining

Manfred businesses and Anton started working at Harveywhere he later moved the family home using two steamengine tractors. During the tough years of The Great De-pression in the 1930’s business was bad, so Emma encour-aged Anton to try farming. They moved from Harvey to afarm one miles west of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

After ten years of farming the family moved toMcHenry, ND in 1944 where Anton purchased a mercan-tile store and two quarters of land. He and Emma lived atMcHenry for the remainder of their lives. Anton enjoyedbeing at his store every day until the day he died, July 15,1975, at McHenry. The building is now serving as theMcHenry Senior Citizens Center.

Anton and Emma were parents of six children: Ar-nold, Anna, Palmer and Charles, all born in Manfred;Marilyn (Saint) born in Harvey, and Richard, born in De-troit Lakes.

Anton kept up his ties with Norway, and visited therethree times. He also wrote many articles for the local Nor-wegian newspapers about life in America and the events ofSigdalslag.

Anton Aasandby Dianne Snell, Lag Historian

From the SagaMail Bag:

From Florida…

“I am Philip Paynter grandson of Knute Olson.My mother Helen M. Olson, Paynter, Lattmann wasthe first born daughter of Knute and Minnie.

My aunt Jane Olson-Carlstrom sent me a copy ofthe Sigdalslag (Oct. 2005). I knew some of the Olsonfamily history but was amazed at the informationthat was in the Saga.

Please find enclosed check for $75 - fifty for me-morial to Knute Olson. I loved my Grandfather andGrandmother Olson so very much, and think of themoften.

Thank you.Philip Paynter

P.S. I was born in Hudson, Wisconsin 16 Oct 1937.”

P age 6 S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

I appreciate the welcoming letters from

the various people who have contacted

me and will be happy to furnish the infor-

mation you requested.

My maiden name is Jane Marie Olson

and I was born in Hudson, Wisconsin

Aug. 6, 1927, the third of 3 children born

to Knute Olson and Minnie Regina

Skresvig. My eldest sister, Helen Mar-

guerite Olson preceded me in death in

August 16, 2005. She died in Hudson,

never having left her birthplace. My next

sister, Orlain Carol Olson died July 10,

2005 in Tucson , AZ. She had lived in

Waukesha, WI., South Bend, Indiana,

Manhattan, Kansas and finally in Tuc-

son, AZ. Helen Olson Paynter Latt-

man had 1 son, Philip who still lives in

LaBelle, Florida. Orlain had an adopted

daughter Penny Porter Blume who

lives in Edwardsburg, Michigan. My

husband, Donald Carlstrom (of 55

years) and I have 3 children, Mary,

Marty and Matthew. Mary and Marty

and 2 children each live in Denver and

Erie, CO and Mathew and son in Sacra-

mento, CA. Marty and Matthew are

adopted children.

My membership in Sigdalslag was a gift

from Diane Snell, which I appreciate.

She called me "cold" from what I assume

was the Denver telephone directory.

I think my father first came to North Da-

kota to visit relatives, then met my

mother on a train going I know not

where. They settled in Hudson, WI where

my father worked as a carpenter and

later as a welder on the Omaha railroad.

My parents came to visit us in England

where my husband was stationed with

the US Air Force in 1959 and we drove to

one of the English ports, crossed to Ber-

gen and were met by my dad's brother,

Olaf. We drove together to Oslo and

visited various relatives. As far as I

know, only my cousin Olaug is still liv-

ing, someplace near where her mother

and my father grew us, as far as I know.

She visited America sometime around

1963. We correspond at Christmas.

Jane Carlstrom

janecully@earthlink.net

____________________________

My name is Paul T Braatelien. I grew

up in Moline, I llinios.

I originally heard about your website

from my father (Newell T Braatelien)

who grew up in North Dakota and has

done a lot of research on the Braatelien

name (he was, in fact, the first Braatelien

to return to the Braatelia Farm since we

emigrated). He suggested that I join the

Sigdalslag. I am also going to Norway at

the end of this month. I have taken a job

with a Norwegian firm (Tandberg) for

work and am going to visit the farm

while there for training.

My emigrant ancestors name was Tollef

Pedersen Braatelien who emigrated

in the spring of 1885 to Rothsay, Minne-

sota. Tollef was married to Hanna

Olava Wagre from Ringerike. Tollef &

Hanna had 13 children.

Paul T Braatelien

2989 Braemore Dr

West Chicago, I l 60185

pbraatelien@comcast.net

My name is John Cyrus, I grew up in

Minnesota and I llinois. I was born in St

Louis Park, Minnesota and lived in Ply-

moth until I was five. I lived in Blooming-

ton, I llinois next until I was 15. Since

then, I have lived in Chaska, Minnesota

(9 years). I know, I know I 'm young. In

fact from what my family tells me, I am

the youngest person they know interested

in genealogy. I have been researching my

family for 3 years with much success.

I was given the link to the Sigdalslag

website by a volunteer at rootsweb doing

lookups for the Sigdal-Eggedal area. I

joined to learn more about the area and

my ancestors.

My emigrant ancestors names were

Svend Ellefson (Ellefsen) of probably

Humlegaarden. His parents were Ellef

Halvorsen and Aase Svendsdatter of

Humlegaarden. Svend was from Krød-

sherred as were Ellef Halvorsen and Aase

Svendsdatter. Ellef was born in Krød-

sherred and Aase was born in Sigdal.

Svend registered for immigration March

7, 1872. He departed on the ship, Ganger

Rolf on April 7, 1872 from Kristiania.

Ellef Halvorsen and Aase registered and

departed on March 17, 1876 also from

Kristiania with their two youngest chil-

dren, Dorte and Gunder.

Svend, Ellef, and Aase all had destina-

tions of Willmar, Minnesota. The oldest

daughter of Ellef and Aase, Ragne, im-

migrated through Kristiania in 1873 with

a destination of Willmar, as well. By

1882, Svend was in the Grafton, Walsh

County, North Dakota area, as that is the

year he was married. Ellef Halvorsen

and Aase were in Grafton Township,

Walsh County, North Dakota by 1892.

Ellef was listed on an old Grafton Town-

ship map showing landowners. He was

living on the neighboring farm of Svend.

In the 1900 Walsh County census, Ellef

New Member Spotlight!

We are thrilled to have received information to share from our newmembers to Sigdalslag. If you have not shared your information as amember we encourage you to contact Marilyn Moen (see sidebar, pg. 2)

P age 7 S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

and Aase are the household above Svend

and his family.

John Cyrus

Cyrus150@hotmail.com or

johncyrus@chaska.net. I can send my

home address if you would like by con-

tacting me through email.

_______________________

My name is Cindy (Hampton) Sar-

miento. I grew up in San Leandro,

California, about 30 miles east of San

Francisco. I married, Alexander, in 1989.

My daughter, Sara, was born in 1994.

My late dad had told me that we were

somehow related to the famous artist,

Christian Skredsvig. He showed me a

postcard, picture, and a newspaper arti-

cle of him in his mother's scrapbook.

I recently started to research this. In

doing so I have found out that Christian

Skredsvig is my Great, Great Uncle!

In doing a Google search on the internet,

I came across the Sigdalslag website,

and Marilyn Moen. Which I am very

thankful for and have since joined my

new family of Norwegians. I also put a

query in at Rootsweb.com seeking info

on my Grandmother, Borghild Caro-

line BYE. I received a reply that

showed me a whole new world. He for-

warded a copy of the 1900 census with

her and her family there in Norway. I

had made the continental jump!. He also

sent me the naming practices of the Nor-

wegians. Through this, I found her true

name, Borghild Eriksdatter. I then

located her family in the 1865 census in

Tomta, Modum, Buskerud, Norway. Her

mother was known as Regine Skreds-

vig. There she was with all but one of

her sisters and brothers. And there was

Christian. I was excited, maybe that was

him. I then did some research through

Familysearch.org and found his Parish

records. I ordered a book about him

which had a picture of my great-great

grandfather, Erik Hansen, a sketch he

did of my great-great

grandmother, Berthe

Karine Nilsdatter, and

ggg grandmother, Anne Iversdatter

and a sketch of the family farm, Tomta.

Since then, I have been in contact with

Hege Skredsvig at Hagan, welcoming

me to the family. Also, numerous cous-

ins, including Adwina, from Woodville,

Wisconsin, who is a niece of Christian

Skredsvig.

My great grandmother, Regine, emi-

grated to the US in 1902 with her family.

The ship manifest lists their final desti-

nation with her Regine's brother, Elling

Skredsvig (Who came to US in 1880),

in Baldwin, Wisconsin. In the years fol-

lowing that, some of the family moved

to Minnesota. In the late 1920's her hus-

band Jorgen Sonsteby, returned to

Norway. Regine moved to Oregon with

her daughter's, Sigrid and Ingrid (Sarah

and Joyce). My grandmother married

my grandfather Aaron Hampton in

1922 in Montana and settled in Idaho,

until they separated, where Borghild

moved to Oregon. Their son, Frank

Sherman Hampton was my father.

Cindy Sarmiento

My FamilyTies @comcast.net

Tomta 1869. Barnetegning, 16x21.5 cm. Barndomshjemmet på Modum, tidligere husmannslplassunder Skredsvig-gården. Her bode far, mor, bestimore og ni barn. Idag er husene forlengst revet.

(Hand written below this text reads “Here lived father, mother, grandma and nine children”)

My late grandmother’s cousin and fellow Sigdalslagmember, Harvey Voldeng, and I had been discussing takinga trip to Norway for some time and during the winter that itshould take place during the upcoming summer of 2005.Ourplans were to visit Oslo, Sigdal, Toten and Valdres. Mygreat-great-grandmother (and Harvey’s grandmother), Jor-gina Jensdatter Gren, emigrated from Sigdal with severalsiblings and her parents, Jens Olsen Gren and Turi Steners-datter Halvorset, in 1882. They went first to Dakota County,Minnesota but the following year moved to Marsh Grovetownship in Marshall County, Minnesota. Our roots inValdres and Toten are from one generation further back asthey are the places where Jorgina’s husband’s parents werefrom.

I flew out of Saskatoon on June 10 and met up withHarvey at the airport in Toronto from where we continuedon our journey. We arrived in Oslo the following day andmade our way to our place of accommodation, the RainbowHotel Munch. We had an easy first day and just did somewalking and found our bearings. The next day we firsttoured the National Art Gallery and, it being Sunday, at-tended services the Domkirke, where a special mass washeld in honor of the 100th anniversary of the dissolution ofthe union between Norway and Sweden. We were pleasedwith the unexpected surprise of also having several mem-bers of the royal family attend the same service. A busy af-ternoon followed with a visit to the Akershus Castle and theNorwegian Resistance Museum, The Oslo Harbour, and theViking Ship Museum. In the evening we met with a relativeand his girlfriend who tookus to see the Holmenkollenski jump and the Vigelandstatue park.

The next morning werented a car and drove toSigdal. We stopped in Nore-sund to buy the Krødsheradbygdeboker and also touredVilla Fridheim before con-tinuing on to Prestfosswhere our accommodationwas at the Folk-musikksenter. We toured themuseum that afternoon andlater our relatives, Ivar Rav-nås, Reidar Green, andReidar’s granddaughter

Charlotte joined us for cof-fee and lefse. We thendrove with them to the Hol-men church where severalof our Green relatives areburied and stopped at Rei-dar’s home for coffee andcake. (Reidar’s grandfatherwas the only one of Jor-gina’s siblings that re-mained in Norway).

The next morning Rei-dar, Charlotte, and her par-ents, Svein Helge and Ran-veig, picked us up. Our firststop was for a tour of theartist Th. Kittelsen’s home Lauvlia and next we drove on toour ancestral farms. We visited Skavredalen on Gren sørewhich was the husmannsplass that our Green ancestors wereliving at the time oftheir emigration.The house thatstands there todayis too new to havebeen lived in by ourancestors but it isprobable that someof the outbuildingsare from their time.We then went on tosee Grensplassen avGren Mellom, thehome of Jens Ol-sen’s parents. Thishouse was olderand inside we foundsome of the furnish-ings still intact. AtVest Halvorset, thehome of the parentsof Jens’ wife Turi, the old house was now being used as astorage shed but it was interesting to note the very oldframed picture of Martin Luther that hung on the wall in-side. We also toured Vatnås church where Jorgina had beenbaptized.

Following our tour we returned to the home of Reidar(C onti nue d on page 9 )

Saskatoon to SigdalStory and photos by Garth Ulrich

P age 8 S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

Charlotte and Reidar

Vatnås Church

P age 9S ig da lsl ag Sa ga V ol ume 2 6 , I ss ue 1

Just For Fun…On a dark night in the middle of a terriblethunderstorm an out-of-state traveler was onthe side of the road, hitchhiking. T ime passedslowly and no cars went by. It was raining sohard he could hardly see his hand in front ofhis face.Suddenly he saw a car moving slowly, ap-proaching and appearing ghostlike in the rain.It slowly and silently crept toward himand stopped.Wanting a ride real bad, he jumped in the carand closed the door. Only then did he realizethat there was nobody behind the wheel, andno sound of an engine to be heard over therain. Again the car crept slowly forward andthe guy was terrified, too scared to think ofjumping out and running.He saw that the car was approaching a sharpcurve, and still too scared to jump, he began topray and begged for his life. He was sure theghost car would run off the road into the ditchfilled with water, and he would surely drown!But just before the curve a shadowy figureappeared at the driver's window and a handreached in and turned the steering wheel,guiding the car safely around the bend. Then,just as silently, the hand disappeared throughthe window and the hitchhiker was aloneagain!Paralyzed with fear, the guy watched the handreappear every time they reached a curve.Finally the guy, scared to near death, had allhe could take and jumped out of the car andran to town.Wet and in shock, he went into a bar and withhis voice quavering, he ordered two shots ofwhiskey. He then told everybody about hissupernatural experience. A silence envelopedthe room and everybody got goose bumpswhen they realized the guy was serious andnot just some drunk.However, within about half an hour, two guyswalked into the bar and one said to the other,"Look Lars, ders dat idiot dat rode in our carwhen we wuz pushin it in da rain."

and his wife Anne Elise to enjoythe delicious meal of reindeer thatshe had prepared while we wereaway. Later in the afternoon wewere joined by Reidar’s sister andbrother in-law, Orlaug and BjarneKoppergård, and Reidar and Or-laug’s nephew, Ivar Ravnås andhis wife. We all had a good laughwhen Ivar brought out a letter thatI had wrote to him when I was thir-teen years old. He then apologizedfor never replying and returned the

one dollar bill that I had enclosedfor postage.

The next morning we leftPrestfoss and followed Reidar andAnne Elise to see the church inEggedal and to tour the home ofthe artist Christian Skredsvig. Af-ter saying goodbye Harvey and Icontinued on to Valdres, and thento Toten. I left Norway on June 21to visit my relatives in Austria andHarvey returned to Canada fromOslo the following day.

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Reidar and Harvey leaving Grensplassen

trip can be seen at our website,www.sigdalslag.org. A completeitinerary can be seen atwww.sigdalslag.org/2006trip.asp.At the bottom of that

page, there are links to an elec-tronic brochure describing the tripand a reservation form that can beprinted out.

Please pass this message alongto others, including non-members,

who might like to travelalong with us. We

need 25 reserva-tions, $400 each,by April 15th tomake this trip asuccess!

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TO NORWAY THIS SUMMER!

Ringness Farm s tubburs , Cindy P eterson

In Memory

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ORLANDER BERNARDSTOVERN

Orlander Bernard was born onAugust 14, 1905, in Crawford,SD, the son of Nels and AnnaDravland) Stovern. His familylived in Rosholt, SD, Ratcliff,Saskatchewan, Canada and laterDuluth where he graduatedfrom Duluth Central HighSchool in 1926. He lettered infour sports, basketball, baseball,football and track. On October12, 1929, he was united in mar-riage to Grace Fuller in theLittle Brown Church in Iowa.Following their marriage, theylived in New Effington, SD,where he was a meat cutter andhad a hatchery and they livedfor a short time in St. Paul be-fore moving to Willmar in1946. Grace died on April 19,1963. On September 26, 1964,he was united in marriage toHildur Hydeen at TripolisEvangelical Lutheran Church.Following their marriage, they

lived in Willmar. He retired in1970 after spending over 30years, as a Postal RailroadClerk. After retiring, he drovebus for 13 years and also um-pired home baseball games.Hildi died on September 26,1997.

He was baptized and confirmedin Rosholt, SD and was a mem-ber of Tripolis EvangelicalLutheran Church where he hadserved as the church secretary -treasurer.

O.B. was a Mason for over 70years, a member of the AmateurTrapshooting Association andthe Willmar Rifle and PistolLeague. He received the AllAmerican Trapshooting Awardin 1972 from the AT A. He wasinducted into the MinnesotaHall of Fame in 1990. Besidestrapshooting, O.B.'s other pas-sion was the Minnesota Twins.

O.B. died Monday, November14, 2005 at Rice Memorial

Hospital in Willmar. Survivingare his daughter, LonnettaSchroeder of Willmar; sixgrandchildren, Jolene Sobottka,Brenda Schroeder, Jeff (andBrenda) Schroeder, Bonnie (andMark) DeZeeuw, Jay Schroederand Bobbie (and M ike)Schmidt; 14 great grandchil-dren; six great-great grandchil-dren; step-children, Harold (andLorraine) Hydeen of Kandiyohi;Violet Bricher of Coral Springs,FL; Kelly (and Irene) Lindbladof B enso n; fi ve s t ep -grandchildren and 9 step-greatgrandchildren. Also surviving ishis sister-in-law, Linnea Nordof Angwin, CA and specialfriend, Mae Grieve of Will mar.

Besides his wives, Grace andHildi, he was preceded in deathby his parents, infant daughter,Kathrine and brother, Lloyd.

(source: Earl Knutson)If you have information on adeparted member, please contactthe editor.

Genealogy evening hours- 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

FRIDAY, JULY 14

Registration, Classes, Vendors, Genealogy - 9:00am - 3:00 pm (closed noon - 1 pm)

Hospitality Room open til 5:00 pm.

Banquet 10th floor Holiday Inn - 6:00 pm

Dinner, Program & Bunad Parade. This will be a sitdown, served meal. (Final meal price pending. Possi-bly $21.00) Music by Minnehaha Mandskor.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Lag meetings and lag scheduled activities - 9:00am at Holiday Inn

FREE DAILY ACTIVITIES:

Old Courthouse Museum - open daily 9:00 am to5:00 pm; Thursday evening til 9:00 pm. Theyhave an interesting display, "If you were a PioneerImmigrant - what would be your choice of: Prop-

erty ownership; type of home you would provide,crops, etc.” Located 2 blocks north of the HolidayInn

Power Point pictures - 2005 Norway scenes will beshown in the Hospitality Room.

Trolley Rides thru downtown area and Falls Park.10:00am - 9:00pm

Light & Sound Show at dusk at Falls Park

Sculpture Walk on Phillips Ave downtown S.F.

Several city parks and golf courses.

Center for Western Studies - Fantle Bldg, Augus-tana College has a display of a Norwegian pioneerhouse. All the furnishings were bought in Norwayby the Fantle family and donated to the College.

LODGING is available at the host hotel 605-339-2000($79) or contact the Sioux Falls Convention and Visi-tors Bureau at 1-800-333-2072, or 605-336-1620, orvisit their website at www.siouxfallscvb.com. TheHadeland lag website also has campground informa-tion.

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Sigdalslag Members Send in SurveysSigdalslag Surveys have been received from:

John Cyrus, Chaska, MN on the descendants of SVEND ELLEFSENfrom Råeneie in Krødsherad.

Pauline Felelon, Janesville, MN, on the descendants of EMBERTBERNHARDT LYTH ORUMSEN HARTZ

Cheryl Nousaine, Sutter Creek, CA. On the descendants of FINGARKRISTOFFERSEN FRØVOLLFLATIN.

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Schedule of Events

January 27 - March 5, 2006“THE MASTER BUILDER”Henrik Ibsen Aurora Theater,Berkeley, CA 510-843-4822www.auroratheatre.org

February 7 - April 2, 2006“REVISITED” Photos fromNorway by Helene SobolNordic Heritage Museum, Seattle,WA www.nordicmuseum.org

February 17 & 18, 2006Nordic Spirit Symposium"On the Cutting Edge: LeadingScientific, Technological, Envi-ronmental and Cultural Devel-opments in the Nordic Coun-tries". CA Lutheran University,Thousand Oaks, Ca 818-788-4552

February 19 - May 8, 2006EDVARD MUNCH: TheModern Life of the SoulMuseum of Modern Art, NYC212-708-9400

March 9 - April 19, 2006SENSUALITY & SURVIVAL:New Nordic Designs art &sculpture. Atrium Gallery & Court-yard, 600 Townsend St., San Fran-cisco www.nordic5arts.org

March 10 & 11, 200618th Annual NOBEL PEACEPRIZE FORUM Luther College,Decorah, IA 563-387-1001

March 11, 2006SNOWSHOE THOMPSONAnniversary CelebrationGenoa, NV 530-694-2266

May 6 & 7, 2006NORWAY DAY FESTIVALFort Mason, Herbst Pavilion, SanFrancisco www.norwayday.org

July 13-15, 20067 LAG STEVNE2006 Holiday Inn Convention Cen-ter, Sioux Falls SD .

Ibsen Year 2006The year 2006 will markthe 100th anniversary ofthe death of the Norwe-gian playwright HenrikIbsen. The NorwegianMinistry of Cultural Af-fairs has decided that thisis to be commemoratedas the Ibsen Year all over the world.

Throughout the year, a wide range ofevents will be arranged both in Norway andabroad, which will highlight the impor-tance of Ibsen's legacy and provide oppor-tunities for fresh interpretations of hiswork. At least one of his plays will be per-formed on a stage somewhere in the worldevery single day.

Ibsen proclaims the freedom of the individ-ual in his work, but his humanistic idealsare too rich and varied to be categorized ina single philosophy. What he does is toshow paths we can follow in our ownsearch for personal freedom, shaking lifeand forcing it to reveal its secrets, to bor-row James Joyce's imagery.

More than any other writer, he has forcedus to reflect on our fundamental rights andvalues. The social conflicts he confronts us

with are still relevant -very much so. Even today,some of his texts are cen-sured and some of hisplays prohibited in parts ofthe world by authorities

who consider them too controversial andtoo much of a threat to the establishment.

The program for the year will be extensive.The Norwegian program will be developedand coordinated by the National IbsenCommittee. The international program willbe coordinated by the Ministry of ForeignAffairs in cooperation with the NationalCommittee, the foreign service missionsand Ibsen societies in Norway and othercountries.

We are looking forward to presenting awide range of events that will take place allover the world in 2006. The Ibsen Yearwill be a tribute to the playwright's promi-nent position in the world of drama. Wehope that these events will be a source ofenrichment and inspiration for a new gen-eration of world citizens.

Author: Bentein Baardson, Director Ibsen 2006Source: Norway.org

Photographer : Johannes ElbertCopyright : The Ibsen MuseumIn OsloDate : 1891Place : Munich, Germany

MembershipAcross the Globe(as of Jan. 18, 2006)

U.S.A. - 158Canada - 11Norway - 6

These numbers do not reflect the 60+/-memberships that expired 12-05 who haveyet to renew

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Serving Norwegian-Americans of Sigdal,Eggedal & Krødsherad ancestry

Sigdalslag Saga FIRST CLASS MAIL

We’re on the Web!www.sigdalslag.org

SIGDALSLAG SAGA IS PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY,MAY AND OCTOBER

PUBLISHER3520 Banyan StreetSanta Rosa, CA 95403

Comments? Suggestions? SAGA solicits featurearticles, news, pictures and obituaries from mem-bers. Please contact editors Cindy Peterson or MarilynMoen (contact info on Pg. 2).Next deadline: April 10, 2006

Changed your mailing or e-mail address?Garth Ulrich maintains members addresses. Toupdate yours, write him at: gulrich@sasktel.net

Also, please note that the year shown on the mailinglabel next to your name indicates that your member-ship is paid thru that year.

JOIN SIGDALSLAG NOW! Date______________ Check if Renewal: or Gift:

Full name/s__________________________________________________________________

Street ______________________________________________________________________

City_____________________________________ State______________ ZIP_____________

E-Mail _________________________________________ Phone ______________________

BUSKERUD Family Origin in (circle one) - SIGDAL EGGEDAL KRØDSHERAD

Ancestor’s name ______________________________________________________________

Farm name ________________________________________ Year Emigrated____________

2006 Dues: USA and CANADA $10/YR or $25/3 YR, in US dollars ELSEWHERE $12/YR or $30/3 YR, in US dollars

Mail application and check payable to Sigdal Lag to:AMY MICHELSEN18730 Roanoke Street NWAnoka, MN 55303-8971

Residents of CANADA may mail application and checkpayable to Garth Ulrich to:

GARTH ULRICHBox 130, Spalding SKSOK 4CO, CANADA

Write “Sigdalslag dues (3 yr or 1 yr)” on the memoline of the check. Dues in Canadian dollars should bemade in the amount equivalent to $10 US (1 year) or$25 US (3 years) on the date written.

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