A question finally answered - the death of great grandfather Anders Sevaldsen

My great grandfather Anders Sevaldsen was an elusive fellow to research. I found lots and lots of information about his siblings, parents and ancestors, but information about him, not so much.  I surmised that perhaps it was due to him being a missionary for the Seventh Day Adventist Movement in Norway. Perhaps as a dissident of the Norwegian state church he resented filing with local priests responsible for the vital records of their local parish. Or, perhaps it was because my grandfather Paul, Anders oldest son, never mentioned him. Estrangement perhaps?

Through this blog I was contacted by a gentleman studying early Norwegian Adventist Missionaries. He googled my grandfather's name, up came "Welcome to Ranae's Norwegian Family Heritage" and bammm!! 

Thank you Trygve, I really appreciate now knowing the date and place of Anders death. Even more interesting are some of the details of the life of a man who dedicated his life to God.  I once said that the little I knew, or thought I knew, did not endear me to the man, but now? 

Morning "Aftenposten" newspaper 
Tuesday 18 Nov 1930 pg. 10 

    

 Always searching and looking forward to more of Trygve's discoveries,

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

STUSKIN - The ancestral home of Grandpa Paul's family

The ancestral home of Paul Sevaldsen's family is Stuskin in Verdal, Nord -Trøndelag, Norway.

Most small farms in Norway, before the twentieth century, were actually owned by the state run church and cotters rented out the property for a yearly fee and a portion of the yearly proceeds and/or a few days of labor for the church. The contract was generally for the life of the cotter and the first-born son had the right to rent that farm when their father died or retired due to poor health (retirement as we know it now was unknown to the working peoples of Europe at that time).

The farm Stuskin was known to exist by similar names since 1520. Through the years it was divided and the portion named Stuskin østre was owned outright by Paul's family. Anders Olsen 1722-1799 (Paul's third great grandfather) had bought the farm September 1756. All things point to the farm being fairly successful. Anders passed the farm to his eldest son Jacob Andersen 1753-1813. Jacob passed the farm to his eldest son Anders Jakobsen 1787-1875. Anders passed the farm to his eldest son Sevald Andersen 1818-1900. Paul's father Anders Sevaldsen 1863-1939, being the oldest son of Sevald, would have owned the property upon his father's death. It was not to be. Anders denied his baptism in the state church of Norway and became a Seventh Day Adventist. He trained to be a missionary along with his wife Anne Marie. He left the family farm and his birthright, never to return to Stuskin.

Sevald used an exception in the law to bypass Anders and "sell" the property to his second son Ole Sevaldsen for "kr. 6000 and a portion of the annual value of kr. 300." Perhaps Sevald, in advanced age and possibly ill health, wanted to assure the continuance of the family farm. Norwegian law gave Anders a 5 year window "right of refusal" from April 29, 1892, to buy the farm from Ole for kr. 7000 but Anders did not claim that right. Ole retained the farm. I often wonder if there were bad feelings between father Sevald and son Anders. Did he voluntarily walk away from his inheritance or did Sevald find fault in his choice of wife or new religion or both? Either option must have been difficult for the family as a whole. Anders and his wife traveled all about Norway as missionaries. His children were born in all different cities. Paul was born in Kragerø, Telemark on the opposite side of Norway.

Stuskin østre

Sad to note: Searching for my grandfather Paul in the 1910 Norwegian census I finally found him on this same farm, Stuskin. He was now 16 years old and the 1910 census says nothing of him being a relative. It states he is a worker on the farm, no more than any other farm helper. He is not even listed with his surname Sevaldsen, but merely as Paul Skoglund (his first and middle name).

After his mother had died (at the birth of her seventh child) his father Anders married quickly. That was not very unusual in Norway at the time but what saddens me is that he seems to have dumped the responsibility of his three oldest children. My grandmother told me that the baby Live was treated poorly by her stepmother. My grandfather? He was just 14 at the time of his mother's death and although at this time and place he most likely would be finished with his school and working, how degrading to be a farmhand now on the farm that by rights and Norwegian law should have some day belonged to him as the oldest son of the oldest son? His grandfather had died in 1900 and I wonder if he had lived to see this would he have made some provision for his grandson? The grandson who lost his inheritance because of the religious fervor of his father?

The story of the family farm Stuskin can be found in the bygdebok: Verdalsboka: en bygdebok om Verdal 3-54: Gårds og slektshistorie Chapter: Stuskin pgs. 576-597 by Einar Musum




I never knew great grandfather Anders. My great aunt Stina, a child of his second marriage, spoke proudly of him as a religious reformer. My grandmother Dagmar however spoke of his cruelty to his children. She told me that he had physically beat the children and she felt the beatings Paul got about the head contributed to his Parkinsons in later life. The bits I have heard do not endear me to this religious zealot. How blessed was I to have had such a kind, generous and loving man as Paul for my grandfather? Grandma Dagmar had a saying for the Anders type of religious person. "So heavenly minded they're no earthly good". Yet he did right by me. After all, if Paul had inherited the farm he most assuredly would not have met my grandmother Dagmar, nor left for America, nor become my Grandpa.

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

**to view each generation before Grandpa Paul see the page "Paul's Ancestry"**

Vuku kirke 10 juli 2017, Verdal, Nord Trøndelag, Norge

This YouTube was presented by Ole Morten Larsen.  My fourth cousin Anne Gunn Stenstrom brought it to my attention. A lovely aerial view of the Vuku church in Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag. The 200 seat wooden church dates from at least 1655. For many many generations the ancestors of my Norwegian immigrant grandfather, Paul Sevald(sen), were baptized, confirmed, married in this church. Many family members are buried in the surrounding churchyard.

Thank you Ole Morten for sharing,

1865 Norwegian National Census - Three generations of Stubskind family

The Norwegian National Census of 1865 was a lucky one for me in finding ancestors. Census records are the first go-to source for the family researcher. Unfortunately, in Norway, the earlier countrywide census was taken in 1801. From 1801 to 1865 is a long time and people could die fairly young back in the day. Often a whole generation was lost and the gap could be hard to jump.

Værdalen (an older spelling of Verdal), Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.
This is the family farm, Stubskind østre, of my maternal grandfather's family. Three generations of the family!

my great grandfather

Anders Sevaldsen 

1863-aft 1915

my great great grandparents

Sevald Andersen

1818-1900

Karen Maria Oldsdatter

1828-1896

my great great great grandparents

Anders Jakobsen

1787-1875

Anne Martha Sevaldsdatter

1795-1870

A great find in just one census record. Another reason to love the Norwegians? (and there are plenty) Norway digitizes, transcribes and posts their archival information on the internet, available to all and for free, Much is available in an English translation. ↓ 

THE DIGITALARKIVET - NORWEGIAN NATIONAL ARCHIVES (English version)

Thank you Norway!

1910 Norwegian National Census - Paul Sevaldsen in Verdal, Nord Trøndelag

1910 - my grandfather Paul is working as farm labor on the farm Stubskind Østre in Værdalen, Nord Trøndelag, Norway. Why did grandpa Paul emigrate to America? One of the factors involved in his decision to leave Norway becomes evident here, in this census.

*click to enlarge for easier viewing* 

Paul's paternal uncle Ole is the owner and head of the farm. Uncle Ole lives with his wife Oline Halvorsdatter, his sons Sevald, Harald and Olav and his daughters Margit and Gudlaug. The older sons Sevald and Harald are 16 and 17 ( same age as my grandfather Paul) and are also listed as farm workers.

Here's the rub. 

Paul is listed only by his first and middle name, NOT Sevaldsen. Paul's father Anders,  as the oldest son, by Norwegian custom should have inherited this farm after the death of his father, Sevald Andersen, who died in 1900. Anders denied his heritage to become a missionary for the Seventh Day Adventists. See the "fl" after the place of Paul's birth? That symbolizes him as a lodger who is related to the owner of the farm. A lodger. The farm went to Ander's younger brother Ole. Ole's son Sevald will in turn inherit the farm after him.  Paul, due to the choices of his zealot father, will get nothing.

Anders Sevaldsen born January 21, 1863

Today is the day of the birth of my great grandfather Anders Sevaldsen. He was my grandfather Paul's father. Anders was born January 21, 1863 in Verdal, Nord Trondelag, Norway. He was baptised into the Norwegian state church March 22 of the same year. He was born on the farm Stuskin, the firstborn son of Sevald Andersen. The farm had been in his family from the time of his great-grandfather Jacob Andersen-Stuskin. As the firstborn he was in line to inherit the rights to the family farm. At some point he became a convert to the Seventh Day Adventist Movement in Norway. August 20, 1885 he denounced his baptism in the church of Norway and was baptised Seventh Day Adventist. He became a missionary for the church. He also turned his back on his rights as the firstborn son and the family farm went to his brother Ole. Ole's family and descendants live on that property to this day. I never knew the man nor did my grandfather ever speak of him. At least not to me. My grandmother said her father in law was a religious zealot who was quite cruel to his children. I don't know if he was on good terms with his extended family or not. I did meet his youngest daughter. My great aunt Stina was the half sister of my grandfather and spoke well of her father. She was very proud of him and his religious work. She said he was one of the first to baptize adults in Norway. I have no clue as to when he died, only that it was some time after 1915. Although I guess I should be thankful to him for the gift of my grandfather, who was a wonderful Christian man, I resent that he cheated my grandfather out of the inheritance that should have been his (my grandfather was HIS firstborn son). And even though I acknowledge that his times, culture and thoughts on raising children were quite different from mine I cannot forgive him for beating on my grandfather as a little boy. He deserved better.

1900 Norwegian National Census - Anders Sevaldsen Family Fredrikshald, Østfold, Norway

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

Norwegian National Census of 1900
Fredrikshald, Østfold, Norway

This census was not easy to find. This is my grandfather Paul with his first two siblings and his parents. It was not easy to find because his parents were missionaries and traveled all about Norway until the family finally settled in Skien, Telemark, Norway.

Paul Sevald in 1900       

From this census I learned or can now verify

* In 1900 the family lived at 799a13 Ouskleven Street in Fredrikshald, Norway and the longest they could have lived there is 3 years assuming they moved there immediately after the birth of their third child Karen Sally

* The birth year of each family member and Paul is the oldest of 3

* Anders is a missionary for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, a movement begun in America but now spreading throughout Scandinavia

* Each child was born in a different town which means they traveled for the church frequently and Anders was most likely converted before he met Anne Marie since she was born on the opposite side of Norway from his birth

*I now know in which fylke Anders and Anne Marie were born and can begin the search for their parents and family. Unfortunately the next earlier national census in Norway was in 1865 and Anne Marie was born in 1871. Anders however will likely be found in the 1865 census.

*Anders and Anne Marie are married (g=gift), likely in 1893

*They are not well off financially as they share living quarters with another family (who appear also to be SDA) and it is no more than an annex to a farmhouse

*They are more modern city folk as all carry the same surname (the children are not carrying the patronymic Anderson or Andersdatter). Sevald may be the name of Anders father or it could even have been his grandfather. We therefore also don't have a clue as to Anne Marie's birth family except they are most likely found in Solum

*Sevald, the surname Paul carried in America was shortened from Sevaldsen.

***note of 20 February 2025 - Ten years later I have found many more ancestors of my grandfather Paul. This census record however was a great start!