Gunhild Helliksdatter 1789-1849

  Two hundred and twenty nine years ago my 4X great grandmother was born. All I know of her is the landmarks of her life carefully recorded by the parish priest. Gunhild Helliksdatter was born 29 January 1789 on the farm Skaudalen in Bø, Telemark, Norway.

Digitakarkivet: Kildeinformasjon: Telemark fylke, Bø, Ministerialbok nr. 5 (1785-1850) Kronologisk liste 1789, side 28-29

She was one of three children born to Mari Nilsdatter and Hellik Reiersen. Gunhild was just six when she lost her mother. As the only girl perhaps she took on family chores and responsibilities especially early even for those times.

She married my 4X great grandfather, Ole Haraldsen in 1817 and together they had five children. Their oldest would be my 3X great grandfather Hellek Olsen. She died 5 January 1849 at the age of 61, "old age"! as the cause of death. As ridiculous as that now seems I cannot even imagine the difficult hard scrabble life of Gunhild and all poor peasants living and working the farms of Norway during the early 19th century. Quite likely she was tired and "old" at 61.

Rural Norwegian farmhouse from early 1800's

Was she a good person, a loving wife and mother, a hard and accomplished worker, a cherished member of her community? I will never know but surely a bit of who she was passed on to me. Thank you Gunhild and Happy Birthday.

my 4th great grandmother

Gunhild Helliksdatter Haslekåsa

b: 29 January 1789 Bø, Telemark, Norway

d: 5 January 1849 Bø, Telemark, Norway

Gunhild Helliksdatter→Hellek Olsen→Ole Helleksen→Gunhild Marie Olsen

→Dagmar Gundersen→Grace Gunhild Sevald→ME!