Nils and Gunhild Gundersen

 A photo of my great grandparents recently found on the family tree of a second cousin. I would guess it was taken most likely in the early 1950's.

my Great Grandparents

Nils Gundersen Øvald
b. 13 September 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway
d. 2 February 1961 Skien, Telemark, Norway

Gunhild Marie Olsdatter
b. 14 December 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway
d. 9 February 1959 Skien, Telemark, Norway

Great Grandparents Nils and Gunhild Gundersen

My great grandparents Nils and Gunhild Gundersen Øvald standing proudly in front of whose car? It certainly wasn't theirs. Nils, as always, dressed finely with his captains hat on. Great Grandma Gunhild still wearing her kitchen apron? She most likely was busy and coerced into posing for the photograph. Those clenched fists seem to say she wasn't all that happy about it either.

my Great Grand Parents

Grandma Dagmar's parents

Nils Gundersen Øvald

b. 13 September 1875 in Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d. 2 February 1961 in Skien, Telemark, Norway

Gunhild Marie Oldsatter

b. 14 December 1875 in Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d. 9 February 1959 in Skien, Telemark, Norway

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

Nils and Gunhild Marie Gundersen

On a visit to Norway in 1958 my grandfather made a movie of the family. This is a very tiny clip that my grandfather Paul took of his in-laws. These are the parents of my maternal grandmother Dagmar Gundersen Sevald, Nils and Gunhild Marie Gundersen.  I never met them and I have to admit I am more than a bit jealous of all their other great grandchildren who lived close-by and had the pleasure of knowing them. All the more reason I treasure this clip.

Nils Gundersen Øvald 

b. 13 Sep 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d. 2 Feb 1961 Skien, Telemark, Norway

Gunhild Marie Olsdatter

b. 14 Dec 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d. 9 Feb 1959 Skien, Telemark, Norway 

Great Grandmother Gunhild

1956 Skien, Norway -
A lovely photo of my great grandmother Gunhild with one of her many great grandchildren.

Another lovely photo of my great grandmother Gunhild, in the possession of a second cousin in Norway who remembers it was taken as great grandma was bringing her mother a stick of butter to bake a cake.

my great grandmother

Gunhild Marie Gundersen Øvald

b: 14 December 1875 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d: 09 February 1959 Skien, 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!

A precious gift from a far-away cousin

This morning, a second cousin I have never met but connected with through Facebook, sent me this precious photo. From 1902/3 Our great grandmother Gunhild Gundersen with her first two girls. His grandmother Gudrun is the little blond on Gunhild's right while the little dark haired girl is my grandmother Dagmar. This is the first picture I have seen of my grandmother as a child!

Thank you so much cousin Arild Fehn!

1902/3 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway
Gunhild, Gudrun and Dagmar Gundersen

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

Nils and Gunhild at Nordre Gravlund

Great grandparents Nils Gundersen Øvald and Gunhild Marie Olsdatter are buried in the Nordre Gravlund cemetery in Skien, Telemark, Norway. Just a short walk from my grandmothers apartment, I took this photo on a visit in 1984. Their oldest son Finn Øvald is also buried there. He died first in 1946. My grandmother told me she believed he died from leukemia at the young age of 36. Since this photo was taken Finn's wife Margot and also my grandmother Dagmar are buried at this site.

my great grandparents

Nils Gundersen-Øvald

b: 13 Sep 1875 Muhle, Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d: 2 Feb 1961 Skien, Telemark, Norway

Gunhild Marie Olsdatter

b: 14 Dec 1875 Røra, Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

d: 9 Feb 1959 Skien, Telemark, Norway

1910 Norwegian National Census - Nils Gundersen Family Gjerpen, Telemark, Norway

each Sunday I explore a census record and list the genealogical clues it contains (or doesn't)

The Nils Gundersen, Gunhild Marie Olsdatter Family
(my maternal grandmothers parents)

This is the most recent census that Norway has released to the public.

• The family now has adopted the surname of Gundersen. The days of patronymics are over. Where my grandmother Dagmar was noted in the 1900 census as Dagmar Nilsdatter, she now is called Dagmar Gundersen. The family has adopted as their surname, Gundersen, which was the patronymic of Nils, the head of the family.

• The family is no longer in the small village of Eidanger but in Gjerpen. They have been living here since at least 1904 as my great aunt Hanna is the first family member born in Gjerpen. Nils has built a house for his growing family for which I have documentation which states they moved there in 1909. I know the house is in Skien, apparently Gjerpen was incorporated into the larger city of Skien some time after 1910.

• My great grandfather Nils is no longer a sailor or "somand" but is now a"Skibskaptein" or ship captain. I know he captained a boat going up and down the Telemarken canal, however I do not know if he has that particular position at present.

• There are now 5 children in the family Gudrun, Dagmar (my grandmother), Hanna, Solveig and Finn. Two more boys, Rolf and Oddvar will be born in the next few years

Dagmar's stories - stolen by the gypsies

remembering one of the many stories my grandmother Dagmar shared with me

Dagmar is stolen by the Gypsies

My grandmother referred to herself as a "Black Norwegian", a term that puzzled me. I guess it is an old phrase for those that are not the more common blond/blued eyed variety. Knowing what I now know about DNA and the history of Norway it makes more sense to me. Norway is very mountainous and the vast majority of Norwegians live on or near the coasts of Norway. For many men their life was the sea. From Viking times on Norwegian men went to their ships. The ships went out to sea to fish, to other countries to trade (or loot), and as now (and always) wherever men went they left their DNA behind. Or brought a dark-haired lovely home to raise their children in Norway.

I have traced Dagmar's line in Norway back to the mid-1600's. She was solid Norwegian. Her eyes were brown and her hair black and curly. She was a "Black Norwegian".

Great Grandmother Gunhild with
blond Gudrun and dark Dagmar

When Dagmar was three her mother sent her and her sister, five year old Gudrun, out to play. When she shortly went to check on them Dagmar was gone. Gudrun told her "the gypsies took Dagmar". Her mother took Gudrun and ran to the local police. There was a gypsy camp just a bit outside their town. The Sheriff took them in a wagon out to the camp. There Dagmar was playing happily with the gypsy children. Now, my great grandmother, Gunhild had strawberry blond hair and Gudrun was blond and blue eyed. "Look at her," said the gypsies pointing to my grandmother Dagmar, "she is dark and beautiful like us, not pale and ugly like that child. She belongs to us." The sheriff was not fooled. My great grandfather Nils was a friend of his. Nils was a sailor and out to sea but the sheriff knew. Nils was a "Black Norwegian".

1900 Norwegian National Census - Øvald Family Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

each Sunday I explore a census record and list the genealogical clues it contains (or doesn't)

Norwegian National Census of 1900
Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

This is the first census in which my grandmother Dagmar Gundersen is noted.

    

*Eidanger , a small farming community has 3872 registered inhabitants

*The extended family resides on the farm Øvald.

*Gunder Nilsen, born in Eidanger in 1842, is Nils' father and Dagmar's grandfather. His occupation is shipbuilder and carpenter. His father's first name - Nils
*Gunder is a widower (e) and I will have to find additional documentation to tell me the name of his wife and discover if she is the mother of all of the children listed.

*Gunda Marie Gundersdatter was born in Eidanger in 1877,  is Gunders unmarried (ug) daughter and runs the household meaning his wife is likely deceased.

*Lauritz Severin Gundersen, born in Eidanger in 1882 is Gunder's unmarried (ug) son. He is a sailor.

*Nils Gundersen, born in Eidanger in 1875, is Gunders married (g) son. He is also a sailor.

*Gunhild Marie Olsdatter, born in Eidanger in 1875, is Nils' wife. Her father's first name is Ole.

*Gudrun Marie Nilsdatter, born in Porsgrund December 19, 1898, unmarried (ug) is Nils and Gunhild's daughter and Dagmar's sister

*Dagmar Nilsdatter (my grandmother) is just an infant in this census, born June 10, 1900 in Eidanger

*She lives with her extended family in a farm community. Patronymics are still used. She is noted as Dagmar Nilsdatter while later her parents and all their children will adopt Nils' patronymic Gundersen as their surname. 

*The family has been in this location for some time. Three generations are all born in Eidanger with the exception of Gudrun who was born in a very close neighboring town

*they do not own the farm on which they live but are crofters on a small section.

**click on document to enlarge for easier viewing**

Happy Birthday Gunhild Marie Olsdatter!

My great grandmother Gunhild Marie Olsdatter was born 14 December 1875 on the farm Røra in Eidanger, Telemark, Norway.   She was baptised at the Eidanger Kirke into the Norwegian State Church (Lutheran) on 02 January 1876.  Her sponsors were Christiane Andersdatter, Kirsten Marie Olsdatter, Anders Eriksen, Martin Olsen and Hans Olsen. She was the legitimate daughter of worker Ole Helleksen and Hanna Matea Gunuldsdatter. She was not home baptised.

Kildeinformasjon: Telemark fylke, Eidanger, Klokkerbok nr. 1 (1863-1878), Fødte og døpte 1876, side 86. 
DIGITALARKIVET OF NORWAY - GUNHILD MARIE'S BIRTH RECORD

Happy Birthday great-grandma Gunhild! - Ranae

**clicking on photos and documents will enlarge them for easier viewing**