A Happy Family - Paul and Dagmar Sevald

I read somewhere that only those from happy families want to look into their family history/genealogy. I don't know if that is true or not but in the twenty years I have been involved in investigating my own family history I am proud of what I have found. 

 

A family member in Norway recently made this photo available to me. My grandparents Paul and Dagmar Sevald. They are the first generation of my family in the U.S.  My family history journey began with them. Hard working, salt of the earth, joy filled people who loved God and their family.  As my research branched out I found more and more of the same. Many people go into family history convinced of and to prove that they are descended from or related to someone famous or infamous, exciting, daring, brilliant, accomplished etc. etc. etc. I found no such surprises.  I have traced my family in all lines back many generations and have found no one considered extraordinary. No one  "rich"; my ancestors were generally poor tenant farmers, sailors and tradesmen. No one smart; only some in my own generation ever finished college, my ancestors mainly were literate but had a very basic education. No one famous or infamous; I have not yet found any criminals. Am I disappointed? Heck, no. I discovered my family lived through poverty, illness, war, tragedy and still they went on. Ever loyal to their faith and family. Yes, I come from a happy family. And THAT IS extraordinary.

Next Monday is Christmas Day and I will be busy making new happy family memories. 

until next year!

Nils Gundersen Øvald

Nils Gundersen Øvald 1875-1961 was my great grandfather. The father of my grandmother Dagmar, he was my only great grandfather still living when I was born. I was nine years old when he died, old enough to have remembered him but unfortunately I never knew him because he lived in Norway and I in Chicago. I recently was invited to a facebook group, "Gundersen Family Genealogy Group" which was started by a second cousin in Norway. Many of the grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren of Nils post photos and tell stories about Nils on Facebook. Many of those photos I had never seen and I have to admit a twinge of jealousy that I did not know him as they did. Just the fact that so many of his progeny still desire to get together and swap stories and photos of him, says something good about the man.

Nils was born in Eidanger, Telemark, Norway which was a small farming village which has long since been absorbed into the larger community of Porsgrund, Norway. His father was a poor crofter on the small Øvald* farm that had been run by his family since the mid 1600's. He was one of ten children. His mother died when he was just 11 after the birth of his youngest brother Karl Oscar.

Nils began his adult life, as many young men in Norway did at the time, as a sailor. Working up the ranks while raising his young family of 3 boys and 4 girls he eventually became a captain of a Union company boat on the Telemarken Canal. His three sons followed in his footsteps as sailors. He built a home for his family in Skien. A home now owned and lived in by one of his grandsons.

In photos he always appears well dressed and distinguished, back straight, looking you right in the eye, hand on hip. A few of the cousins referred to him as "the boss" but in an affectionate way.  Of course, I realize that if his daughter, my grandmother, had not emigrated to America I would not have even been born. Still, I wish that I too had known the man. Documents, photos and family stories must suffice to tell me who was Nils Gundersen Øvald, my great grandfather.

my great grandfather

Nils Gundersen Øvald

b. 13 Sep 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d. 02 Feb 1961 Skien, Telemark, Norway

double click on photos to enlarge for easier viewing

*the story of the family farm Övald can be found HERE

Christmas with the Andersons

 Christmas is now a few weeks off and today 

I wish to share a memory that I wrote about before. 

On my Swedish family blog I wrote this last year. 

A Christmas memory that returns to me with joy each year about this time.

Christmas with the Andersons - Love and Lutefisk in 1961

It's funny how some things or experiences you have as a child really stay with you.  A treasured memory of mine was our yearly lutefisk Christmas with the Andersons. Al, Mr. Anderson, was a good lifelong friend of my Dad's. He had known him from childhood. I think their parents even had been friends. He and his wife Ruth were wonderful people. Each year, sometime during the Christmas season, our family would go to their home for a lutefisk dinner. I never did like the lutefisk but Mrs. Anderson's meatballs were so so good. Mr. Anderson and my Dad would laugh over people they knew in their childhood, like "Snusbox Benson" and tell stories to each other in Swedish laughing all the while.

Their Chicago home was small and simple but oh so welcoming and comforting that I really treasured those visits. They had a dog named Patsy. After my kids were born I insisted on a Springer Spaniel just hoping it would be like that great pup that laid under the Andersons end table. My Dad was a bit older than my Mom and the Andersons had married young so their children were already teens when we were very young so I don't remember much interaction with them. Except, their son Len had a foosball table! How rich was that I thought! and they set it up right in the living room just for us! And even better, a Lionel train that really smoked and a station master that came out with each circle of the Christmas tree! You know that I HAD to buy that same station master for my Lionel. My husband and I built a beautiful Christmas train layout but that station master is the favorite of my grandkids as it was for me. For some unknown reason they call him "Bob".

The Christmas of 1961, now over a half century ago, is one that stands out above the rest. The Andersons, after prayers, lutefisk, Swedish jokes and reminiscing gave us the best presents ever. That year I remember in particular because my sister and I got Storybook Shirley Temple Dolls. She got Shirley Temple dressed as Little Bo Peep and I got Red Riding Hood. I couldn't believe it!   Christmas with the Andersons, a yearly treat even if we did have to "just try" the Lutefisk.

 playing foosball while Mrs. Anderson reads to my little brother
 a Christmas with the Anderson's in the early 60's

Great Grandmother - Anne Marie Sevaldsen

Anne Marie Høyset 1871-1909

This lovely lady is my great grandmother, Anne Marie. This is the only close up photo I have of her. She was the mother of my maternal grandfather Paul. He was her firstborn. I never knew her, nor did my mother and I don't recall my grandfather ever speaking of her. She died young, as many women did back in the day, during the birth of her seventh child.  I do think that her life as a missionary wife was difficult. They moved often, their children born in all different areas of Norway and they most likely were poor. Was her hair red curly and unmanageable as mine? It appears so and I would wish it so. I would also like to think she was kind. Her eyes look kind don't they? My grandfather was a very kind and loving person. Perhaps it was she that passed that trait to him?

my great grandmother

Anne Marie Pedersdatter-Høyset Sevaldsen

b: 31 Mar 1871 Solum, Telemark, Norway

d: 14 Apr 1909  Hadsel, Nordland, Norway

Dad was a WWII Veteran and he never talked about it.

In a few days is Veteran's Day. We honor those men and women who answered the call of defending our country. My father Melvin, was a veteran. A World War II veteran and he never talked about it.

As a child I saw this picture of him in uniform, displayed proudly in my grandmother's home. I asked him if he had been in the war and he replied only that yes, he had been in World War II and he had been in the Army. Other than that, he never talked about it.

I know that he received Christmas cards and periodically long letters from men he had served with and even visited Army buddies on occasion. However he always went alone, never taking my mom or we kids with him. He never talked about it.

AP photo, now owned and a copy may be purchased from www.realwarphotos.com

In the late 80's I came across this AP photo in the National Enquirer. It was titled"Ghosts haunt Omaha Beach" with some typical bogus National Enquirer story of people seeing ghosts of the soldiers that died on D-Day invading Europe. The photo however distinctly showed my father in the foreground! I took the paper to him and his response was "hummm, looks like me, we came off a landing craft like that into the water, I had a helmet with a cross on it like that and carried the exact same supplies." The photo prompted him to also identify other men by name. He explained that he did indeed land on Omaha Beach but not on D-Day. He was part of the reinforcements. I questioned him more. It seems that he was more than willing to defend his country but didn't feel he could ever find it in himself to shoot someone for any reason. His helmet with the cross indicated that they made him a medic.  "You didn't believe you could shoot an enemy?" I asked him incredulously. "How long did that last?" He thought for awhile and with a small sad smile said, "Halfway up the beach". I remember questioning him further about the war, just general questions, and he rebuffed me with "you don't need to know about those sort of things." He never talked about it again.

After his death I found in his dresser quite a bit of WWII memorabilia. Photos of him and other soldiers in boot camp and somewhere in Europe, his discharge papers, draft notice and other memorabilia. Those photos were never displayed or in an album and that was the first time I had ever seen them.

He had never talked about it.

After the death of my grandmother I became interested in my family history. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" was out and I wondered again what part my Dad had in the war. I pulled out Dad's discharge papers and did some internet sleuthing. He was in the 3rd Armored division, Spearhead unit that along with others fought their way from the beaches of France, cold, hungry and often with inadequate supplies all the way to Berlin. His particular unit, the anti-tank company, 423rd infantry, had high casualties. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge where 19,000 American boys died in that battle alone. His unit had liberated a concentration camp. He never talked about it.

from the pamphlet (passed by censor for mailing home)
Spearheading with the 3rd Armored Division, in the Bulge, Duren-Cologne, The Ruhr Pocket, East to the Elbe

Dad was part of what we now call the "Greatest Generation:" Those men and women, out of duty and love of country went when called during WWII. They saw lots and did what they had to do. They saw no need to glory in it.  Although I am sure what they experienced, saw and were forced to do must have haunted them, they did what they had to do, for their country, for their family, for their children.  They bore the burden of those memories to protect us. "Those are things you don't need to know about." 

He never talked about it.

Thank you Dad,

November 11 and every day

Remember all of those men and women who served. 

They did what they had to do

...for our country...for our families...for our children.

HONOR OUR VETERANS

***click on above photos to enlarge for easier viewing***

The love story of Sebastian Heußler and Maria von Boeselager, my ninth great grandparents

My maternal grandmother came from a small area in south eastern Norway where her ancestors were recorded living for generation upon generation. They lived and worked the farm Øvald in Eidanger, Telemark for hundreds of years. However a German couple once long ago became a part of our Norwegian family!

In past blogs I told of how my grandmother claimed to be descended from the German noblewoman Maria Lukretia von Boeselager. That blog post can be found HERE. Maria came to Norway as a widow. This is the story of her husband, Sebastian Heußler, my ninth great grandfather.

Sebastian Heußler was from a family of Bookprinters in Nürnberg, he was the oldest son of Leonhard Heußler. Not much is known about his youth other than that he apprenticed in the family trade and in 1599 was working as a typesetter. Upon the death of his father Leonhard in 1597, and with perhaps as many as twelve family members to care for, Sebastian took over the family business. He was married in August of 1601, to Sabina Prünsterer, marriage being a requirement to become a Master in the Guild. He was twenty years old, his occupation a book printer. In 1603 he paid 1000 Guldens for a House in the nailmakers alley, where he set up shop for himself. In the official Guild book records he was recorded as a Bookprinter from the years 1601-1603, and 1606-1607. He printed additionally, news items, devotional booklets and items for the church in Nürnberg. 1607 ended Sebastian's occupation as a Bookprinter, His name disappeared from Nürnberg Guild Books.

Since a youth he had been interested in, "the Knightly Arts of Fencing" (as Sebastian described it). Fencing was less appreciated and practiced in Germany, so he traveled in 1604/05, and from 1608 on Sebastian was in Italy, France, England and the Netherlands and took lessons from famous Fencing masters. He not only increased his skills of fencing but used his knowledge of book binding to author and publish books in Nuremberg on the theory and skill of fencing, along with engraver Gabriel Weyer (1576-1632), who drew the different fencing images. He became a fencing master of the rapier sword and dagger. The books and fencing style of the fencing master Sebastian Heußler are in use even today.

Sebastian Heußler is described as both a Kriegsmann (man-at-arms) and monatsreiter ("month-rider"), which seems to indicate that like many fencing masters he supported himself as a mercenary. Sebastian Heußler, was a major in the Royal army of Christian IV, king of Denmark-Norway. He likely held the elite position of color guard in his unit,as he would later also author a book on the art of flag-waving.

After 1608 it seems that he did not stay in Nuremberg. He moved his wife to a new home in 1615, but in 1617 when the old home was sold, his wife Sabina negotiated the deal in his absence. Sabina, died in 1628.

**********

Maria had been born in 1609 in Honeburg close to Osnabrück in Niedersachsen, Germany. The youngest daughter of Wolfgang von Boeselager and Anna von Kerssenbrock she grew up in noble surroundings. Around 1630 the young Maria gave birth to Sebastian's daughter. Sebastian at the time was close to 50 years old. It was written that Maria was expelled by her family in Germany. It is easy to assume that a child born by a single mother, which she most likely was, was not particularly appreciated by the elite family von Boeselager. The fact that the father, Sebastian Heussler, was 28 years older probably made it worse for Maria. Her brother-in-law, Mathias von Buchwald, married to the sister Heilwig (born 1606), wrote to Maria's father, not even having heard about the wedding; "er ist schir ein alter mann" (he is already an old man).Sebastian and Maria did perhaps have a second daughter before he died. We do know that after his death Maria lived as the widow of Sebastian in Copenhagen. Being expelled from her family she took (or stole?) some family monies and moved to Grenland Norway about 1650 bringing her daughter/s with her. There in Eidanger she found a new home and a new husband.

Her eldest daughter, whose name unfortunately is not known to us, married the vicar of the church in Eidanger, Jon (Johannes) Lauritsson Theiste. Their daughter Sophie was given a christening gift by her grandmother Maria. That gift was the family farm Øvald. The same farm on which my grandmother, seven generations later, was born in 1900.

my ninth great grandparents

Sebastian Heußler

1581-1647

Maria Lukretia von Boeselager

1609-1685

→unknown Pedersdatter→Sophia Jansdatter→Jørgen Bendtzsøn→Malene Jørgensdatter→Ole Gundersen→Johanne Elizabeth Olsdatter→Gunder Andreas Nilsen→Niels Gundersen→Dagmar Gundersen→Grace Gunhild Sevald→ME!

***abundant thanks to my second cousin once removed, Jørn Erik Øvald. He is an educator and amateur genealogist, who has researched and continues to study our German connection, freely sharing his many findings with the family.***

Mystery Young Men - Do you recognize us?

I love to wander through old antique shops, boutiques, and second-hand stores. You never know what you will find. One thing that always disturbs me. There is always a large box or pile of beautiful old family photos. Weddings, Vacations, Family groups, babies....all who were loved and photographed by their loved ones for a remembrance of them.  Those photos were most likely once displayed with great pride in the family home. Here they are abandoned because no one now alive can identify who these people, once cherished, were.

I have posted this photo before. Two young handsome men that look to be no more than older teens or early twenties. Can you identify them or do they resemble a family member of ours? Please contact me.

DEAD FRED is a genealogy website. They host these abandoned photos hoping to find a home with current family. I posted this photo on that site. I love that site and in fact found there a photo of my great grandfathers' cousin. You never know what you will find. Check out the site for yourself.

↓

DEAD FRED Genealogy Photo Archive - Search, Preserve. Record, Remember

And please please take a bit of time to write your name and date on the back of that great photo of you with your prize catch (and all the others too). Your great great granddaughter/son will thank you.

2003-Otto Feick-Granite Lake, Ontario,Canada

Family History Month, how I began my family history journey

October is Family History Month. Family History/Genealogy is a very popular hobby right now. I am guessing that it is a hobby mainly of those of us who are older, the huge amount of baby boomers who have seen the passing of grandparents and parents and are now facing their own mortality. Who are we and where did we come from? 

I remember as a child wanting to think of myself as strictly American. I am ashamed now to say I was a bit embarrassed of the thick accents, and what I thought friends would perceive as strange ways, foods, clothing and culture of my grandparents. Why did we not question Grandpa and Grandma? We only now appreciate the answers and knowledge they could have given us if we had only thought to ask before they left us.

Grandma Sevald. She was my reason and the one who spurred my interest in family history. My maternal grandmother, Dagmar Gundersen Sevald, left Oslo, Norway on the ship Bergensfjord in 1924. She landed two weeks later at Ellis Island where my grandfather, who had emigrated the year before, was there to meet her. She and my grandfather Paul raised a family and lived 40+ years in Chicago. After my grandfathers death she returned to live in Norway but would periodically return to Chicago to visit. After the death of my mother and uncle (her only children) I realized she was now elderly and most likely would not return. So I visited her in Norway three times. We did some sightseeing and visited some relatives but mainly we talked and talked. She told me stories of her life and her family. We looked at her photos, identifying them on the backside. She prompted me to write names, dates and places she remembered. After she passed, a cousin sent me a box that contained those photos and memories. I wasn't sure how to honor her memory or the memories/photos/stories she had entrusted to me. A local librarian first introduced me to building a family tree and loaned me a computer program to organize my box of Grandma's memorabilia. It was 1992 and I was on my way. 

I have since branched out to explore my paternal Swedish ancestry and the ancestry of my German born husband but it all began with and is dedicated to Grandma.  This is the dedication which I will always leave at the top of this blog.

Dedicated to Dagmar

Long ago I read that each of us will have, on average, ten great grandchlldren. 

Only two of those great grandchildren will even know what our name was.

She was born on a small farm in Eidanger, Norway on which her family had been crofter's since the mid 1600's. She had only a fifth grade education after which she worked as a cook on her father's boat. She lost her first true love and married a man on the rebound "because he could dance and he had a car". Her husband's dream was "Amerika". He left for America, worked hard and sent home money and two pre-paid tickets for his young family to join him. She buried her infant daughter in a paupers grave and two weeks later took a three hour train ride alone to Kristiania where she boarded a boat for America. She expected never to see her mother, father, brothers or sisters again. She arrived almost two weeks later at Ellis Island, New York. She spoke no English. She prayed that her husband would be there when she arrived. She had twenty five dollars pinned to her underskirts, one small suitcase, a train ticket and a tag tied to her coat that read "Chicago".

I want her descendants to know her name and more importantly, who she was.

She was Dagmar Gundersen Sevald from Skien, Telemark, Norway.

Dagmar, was my mother's mother. She had black curly hair and brown laughing eyes. She was not very tall but amply built. A joyous, positive woman of strong faith and spirit who never passed up a chance to tell you exactly what she thought or believed. She made me feel safe, special and loved. Before she died I visited her, living again in her beloved Norway, three times. She shared with me the stories and pictures of her life and that of our family. My interest in family history and genealogy had begun. I have dedicated all my family research to her. "Don't forget who you are" she would say. Don't worry Grandma, I won't.

Grandma, the way I remember her best.

The Aunt I didn't have, Gerd Sevaldsen

Gerd Sevaldsen was my mother's older sister and my grandparents' first child.

On a visit to Norway, my Grandmother confided to me that she was pregnant with Gerd when she and Grandfather Paul married. Knowing how strictly religious she was I dared to question her on her, shall we say, timing? "But I was engaged!" she vehemently protested. Apparently in rural Norway in earlier times marriage was the religious event. The engagement or trolovelse was recorded by the parish priest with generally two witnesses present. It was the binding agreement between man and woman and the woman often joined the man's family at this time. They would later post banns at the church and the religious event would take place a few weeks after at the discretion of the local priest. If the young couple was expecting, as they often were, the marriage ceremony was expected to be performed before the baby's birth. No one thought poorly of this as it was the intention that mattered. Dagmar and Paul were married in Skien February 22, 1922. Gerd was born May 14 of the same year.

"My most beautiful baby" is how Dagmar referred to Gerd, her firstborn. She had dark hair and brown eyes like Dagmar and a sweet disposition. Paul left for America when Gerd was just 15 months old. He sent money and prepaid tickets for Dagmar and Gerd to join him. Gerd never made it to America. They were scheduled to leave for Kristiana just a few weeks after the Christmas of 1923. Dagmar hesitated to celebrate Christmas with her family as her youngest brothers, had just had the measles. Her mother, who feared she would never again see her daughter after she left for America, begged her to come, believing the boys would not be contagious. She was wrong. Little Gerd got the measles which swiftly turned into pneumonia. Dagmar had to bury her baby in an unmarked paupers grave and board the train for the three-hour ride to Kristiania alone. Pauls sister wrote her brother in America telling him of his daughters' death. When Dagmar arrived in America Paul never questioned her. In fact, they never even discussed the child or spoke the name "Gerd" again. Dagmar felt he blamed her for the little girls' death. Dagmar kept this picture of her "most beautiful baby" on her dresser always.

my Aunt

Gerd Sevaldsen 

born:14 May 1922 Gjerpen, Telemark, Norway

         died:14 Jan 1924 Gjerpen, Telemark, Norway   

      

Who are these ladies?

A photo taken on a 1937 visit to Norway. It is not the best quality but I do recognize the little boy as my uncle Arnold Sevald. My great grandmother Gunhild is all the way on the left and my grandmother Dagmar is behind Arnold in the white dress. I really wish I knew who the other two ladies are? Gunhild did have three sisters; Helene Marie b. 1871, Olava b. 1878, and Valborg b. 1887
Any ideas?

Gunhild, ? , Dagmar, ?
Arnold
Skien, Norway 1937

update: The woman between and behind Great grandma Gunhild and Uncle Arnold is Margot Skaugen Øvald. She is great grandma Gunhild's daughter in law, the wife of grandma Dagmar's brother Finn. In 1937 Finn, Margot and their son Nils were living upstairs of my great grandparents on Vinjesgate in Skien. Thank you Arild!

Garnesmordet...What about Ole?

A few weeks ago I blogged about the GARNESMORDET or Garnes murders. Only two survived that horrendous night; my great X3 grandmother Anne and her young uncle Ole. I can see why Anne survived. It would take a particularly brutal person to kill a baby lying in her cradle and besides an infant cannot witness to the identity of the thieves/murderers. But Ole? The story he gave was that stabbed a few times the criminals left him for dead and when they left the room he hid. Hearing him rolling out of bed and scrambling for cover, they returned but in the dark could not find him.

So Ole was the lucky one? Depends on how you look at it.

👍16-year-old Ole survived the Garnes murders of 1806.
👎 but Ole suffered the loss of his father, two brothers and a sister.
👎He also lay for weeks recovering from his "disfiguring" wounds and blood loss. (Remember no antibiotics, pain meds or blood transfusions back in the day). Do you think someone stitched him back together? Ouch.
👍Ole recovered from his wounds, inherited a properous family farm, married Martha Jonsdatter Storvuku in 1809 and started a family.
👎In 1811 the entire farm burned to the ground. Four servants living on the farm were killed and Ole's wife Martha was seriously burned trying to save them.
👍The farm was rebuilt, prospered and Ole and Martha had 6 kids who have many descendants in Verdal today.
👎In 1843 Ole, coming home from an auction, attempting to cross the river Stenselven, drowned.

It was said he beat the killer's hand and fire but water took him down.

Norwegian Digitalarkivet (click here to go to original record)

Well, that's life I suppose. Sometimes you're lucky 👍, sometimes you're not 👎.

Like Mom always said, "who told you life would be fair?"

my 5th great Uncle

Ole Pedersen Garnes

b.1790 Garnes, Inndalen, Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway

d. 25 April 1843 Inndalen, Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway

*click on document to enlarge for easier reading*

Great Aunt Magda Sevaldsen

Great Aunt Magda Sevaldsen

Anna Magda Sevaldsen was my grandfather Paul's younger sister. Born 1906 in Hadsel, Norway her birth wasn't recorded until 1909 in the "dissenters" portion of the birth register. Even though she spent quite a few years living in the US, I never met the woman but I got a distinct impression that my grandmother Dagmar did not like her. She made a few vague negative comments about her that ended with her sucking in her breath and shaking her head.  Sisters in law often are just basically good folks that have nothing in common with each other but family ties throw them together in a way that irritates them both. Now, I do wish that I had known her.

Two cousins of mine in Norway, whose judgment I would trust, thought very highly of her. I have recently met through Facebook another remote cousin whose sister was a friend of hers and she told me that Magda was quite an intelligent lady and a poet. Another cousin by chance met Magda's daughter in, of all places, Hawaii. That daughter gave him four books of poetry written by Magda which he generously passed on to me. I am now in the process of translating them with the help of my old friend Google. Meanwhile, I googled Magda herself and find she was fairly well known in her area of Norway. Works she had written were included in the yearly Verdal books. Upon her death, she was eulogized quite kindly in the 1999 Verdal yearbook. 

Even those you love, admire, and trust dearly can be wrong sometimes. Magda seems like she was a free thinker, an artistic, imaginative woman with a very forward thinking, romantic view of the world.  Conversely, grandmother was a solid, "let's make a plan and get down to business" kind of a person. She had strong opinions about most everything. Dependable and constant. I loved that about her.  Magda and my grandmother were probably polar opposites. It is no wonder they weren't close. I loved Grandma but I wish I had known Magda also. Maybe for very very different reasons I would have loved her too. 

My Great Aunt 

Anna Magda Sevaldsen

b. 2 Nov 1906 Hadsel, Nordland, Norway

d. 22 Jan 1999 Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway

Grace was "Pa's Girl"

This photo was given to me by a second cousin in Norway. A photo of my mother Grace and my grandfather Paul in Chicago. I am guessing my mom to be about 10 or 12 which would date this photo to the late 1930's, during the "Great Depression".  I know my grandparents struggled economically during those years as did most Americans. This photo shows my grandfather as who he was and his relationship with his only daughter, my mother Grace. Often he was without work during those years and he was a machinist by trade yet he dressed impeccably. That trademark hat was always on his head. A full suit with tie and vest and although it wouldn't show in this pic I can bet the farm that he had sock suspenders and cufflinks on! A classy guy. And he loved, adored and was closest to his daughter, my mom Grace. My grandfather always had my mom by his side. He made sure she had all that she needed. I think my grandmother was a bit jealous of their closeness. 

my grandfather

Paul Skoglund Sevald

b. 24 Aug 1894 Kragerø, Telemark, Norway

d. 5 Sep 1971 Chicago, Cook, Illinois

my mother

Grace Gunhild Sevald

b. 4 Mar 1927 Chicago, Cook, Illinois

d. 21 Apr 1975 Park Ridge, Cook, Illinois

Garnesmordet (The Garnes Murders)

This is story is an important event in our family history, involving various ancestors who lived and died over 200 years ago in my grandfather's ancestral home of Verdal.    The story of a family event I am unlikely to ever forget.   

GARNESMORDET

Last week a fourth cousin of mine, Anne Gunn Stenstrøm brought something to my attention that I had never before noticed. "Did you ever notice that your great x5 grandfather Peder Rasmussen Garnes, your great x4 grandmother Kjersti Pedersdatter Garnes and two of her brothers all died the same day, July 30, 1806?" I had not. "Did you know the story of how they died?" I did not.

The GARNESMORDET or GARNES MURDER is an event that I am sure most every citizen of Verdal knows or has heard about. I began to do some internet sleuthing and found articles written about the event. Some parts of the story are factual, some have now become colorful Verdal folklore, where even a play has been written about it. I had the good fortune in contacting the author of some of the articles, Kjetil Dillan**, and another gentleman, Ole Morten Larssen*. They both in photos, stories and verse are working to maintain the history and culture of this most beautiful part of Norway; Verdal.

Between truth and folklore and my almost non-existant knowledge of the Norwegian language I hope that with the assistance of Anne Gunn, Kjetil, Ole Morten and of course "Google Translate" I have presented a fairly good English version of the horrific and brutal events of the night of July 30, 1806.

GARNESMORDET

Peder Rasmussen Garnes was the head of a respected and properous farm, Garnes. He felt his daughter Kjersti was worthy of a good man of higher stature than Ole Larsen Skavhaug. Ole, whose family was poor, was well known around the parts as a tall, handsome, strong and fierce young man. It was said that he killed a bear while only 16 and now worked as a skiing soldier. Peder felt him to be too rough and unworthy of his daughter Kjersti. Kjersti, it would seem did not agree. On May 4, 1806 she bore a daughter named Anne. The baby was classified illegitimate but when baptised  on May 18 her father was named as skier Ole Larsen Skavhaug.

18 May 1806 parish baptismal record of Anne Olsdtr. Skavhaug

It was well known that on July 29, 1806 Ole supposedly visited the Garnes farm to plead with Peder for the hand of his daughter Kjersti. The visit did not go well. Ole left  in anger saying he would never return. 

Norwegian farmers did not usually lock their doors at night and there was no dog at the Garnes farm. A dog may have given the family a warning that two evil intruders were coming under the cover of darkness with robbery and ultimately murder on their minds.

 The younger intruder stood outdoors as a lookout. The older crept into the house, into the bedroom where Peder lay sleeping with his youngest son, ten year old Lars. With a large rock he hit Peder soundly in the head. Stunned, Peder fell across his son Lars. Lars, struggling to be free of his father's heavy body on top of him, was also knocked unconscious. The thief began to forage about the room for valuables and then noticed Peder, struggling to rise and fight the intruder. The intruder, armed with a knife, forcefully slit his throat. The same cruel cut was given to the unconscious Lars. They both died in their bed. The older intruder then went outside and commanded the younger into the living area where Kjersti slept with her newborn daughter in the cradle nearby. Kjersti had awakened (most likely from the commotion) and was beginning to rise.   The intruder hit her over the head twice which most likely ended her life at that point but he proceeded in "a blood rush" to stab her over and over again through the chest and breast so "the mother's milk and blood ran together" over her naked body. At the same time the older intruder ran quickly upstairs where Peders sons, Rasmus, 19 and Ole, 15 were likely waking to the noise. The older intruder struck them in their heads with stone. The younger followed up the stairs to assist by stabbing Ole twice. The older, grabbing the knife from the younger repeatedly stabbed Rasmus, killing him. Assuming both brothers were dead they proceeded to ransack the house, stealing food, valuables and even clothes. Upstairs, Ole regained consciousness and hearing the intruders downstairs rolled off the bed and hid himself behind a wall. Hearing that perhaps someone still lived upstairs the two intruders ran up the stairs and in the dark searched for Ole thrusting around the room a weapon, a fire iron perhaps? In the dark and with time passing they gave up looking for Ole and continued to overturn drawers and break through walls, finding additional valuables, cash and clothing. They then fled wearing some Garnes clothing abandoning their blood soaked clothes in the valley below.

Ole later reported that he hid about an hour hearing the intruders robbing the house and dared not leave his place of hiding for yet another hour. He then wandered downstairs, grievously wounded with both stab wounds and head wounds. He stumbled to the babies cradle and took the crying Anne into his arms, rocking her back asleep as her mother lay brutally murdered. He then reports he went into his father's bedroom and seeing his dead father and brother wandered back to his own bed, in delirium, close to death.

An older woman, also living on the farm Garnes, came about 4am to tell Peder she was heading to town.  Entering the quiet house she saw the mutilated body of Kjersti laying in the bed. She left the house screaming which aroused the locals. Ole Larsen Skavhaug, standing over the mutilated body of his love Kjersti, vowed to bring the murderers to justice or never return.

A few of the locals put the suspicion on Kjersti's love, Ole Larsen Skavhaug. Ole was known as a rough and tough young man and the marital dispute between he and Peder Rasmussen was common knowledge. It was soon obvious that the perpetrators of this horrendous  crime were two known Swedes who were seen in the immediate area the day before the murders. Ole Bergmann, a 39 year old tailor and sometimes silversmith often did business in Norway where the pay was good and their work was needed. He would stay in the homes of those he worked for and it was said he used that opportunity to see what he could steal upon leaving. He was a known thief in both Sweden and Norway and witnesses heard him threaten those he had stole from with death. The year of 1805 he had hooked up with a younger man, 24 years old, Niels Toldsteen.  Niels, who had great promise in his youth originally studied for the priesthood but found liquor, women and easy money more to his liking.

Ole Skavhaug, good to his word, pursued the murderers well into Sweden barely stopping for rest or nourishment until, with the help of Swedish authorities, they were captured and brought to Trondheim to stand trial. They were found in possession of articles from Garnes.  Under torture on the wheel they confessed to their crimes in detail. 1807, May 20th, 8:00am Niels Toldsteen and Ole Bergmann were executed, beheaded on the scaffold I believe, with the full approval of the Danish/Norwegian King Christian. Below is the declaration of their execution.

Ole Larsen Skavhaug became somewhat of a local hero for the capture of the Garnes murderers. He was a tall and handsome man who later proved himself to be a brave and courageous military man. He distinguished himself in battle. His story and fame were told in local writings and even a play was written about him. Much of his story may well be embellished and the line between truth and folklore is blurry some 200 years later. 

And Kjersti and Ole's little baby girl Anne, who survived the slaughter of her family? Her father Ole Larsen  Skavhaug, shortly after the trial and execution, went before a judge to claim his daughter as his own. Anne's 16 year old uncle Ole Pedersen, now the owner of the farm Garnes, was hardly able to care for an infant and it is believed that little Anne lived with her father's sister, Gertrude Larsdatter. Gertrude had a child of her own close to Anne's age. Both girls were confirmed together in the church in Vuku. 

The story of the GARNESMORDET is part of our family history, 

 the tiny little survivor in the cradle was to be.....

my great great great grandmother

Anne Olsdatter Skavhaug

b. 4 May 1806 Garnes, Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway

d. 29 May 1895 Stuskin, Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway

Anne Olsdatter Skavhaug → Karen Maria Olsdatter Haga → Anders Sevaldsen Stuskin → Paul Skoglund Sevald → Grace Gunhild Sevald → ME!

My greatest thanks to Anne Gunn Stenstrøm, Ole Morten Larsen and Kjetil Dillan,

check out these other interesting internet sites about Verdal and the Garnesmordet

*Ole Morten's recommendation of Verdal Historielag ←click here

**Kjetil Dillan PDF article 200 years later GARNESMORDET ←click here