Great Aunt Solveig Vollen

 A very young Solveig Gundersen Vollen. I can't say for sure but I think she was my grandmother's favorite little sister. Here she is, a pretty young girl, no more than her late teens. 1925?

my Great Aunt

Solveig Gundersen Vollen

b. December 30, 1907 Skien, Telemark, Norway

d. October 22, 1996 Skien, Telemark, Norway

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

Solveig Gundersen Vollen

Grandmother's sister Solveig, almost a century ago, when she was young.

My Grand Aunt

Solveig Gundersen Vollen

b. 30 Dec 1907 Skien, Telemark, Norway

d. 22 Oct 1996 Skien, Telemark, Norway

Grandma and her siblings

This photo was taken on the occasion of Grandma's oldest sister Gudrun's 90th birthday. Missing is their brother Finn Gundersen Øvald. Finn, who was born in 1910, died in 1946. Grandma Dagmar believed he died of leukemia. 

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

Sibling Saturday - The Gundersen sisters

1952

On one of her many visits to her family in Norway 

my grandmother Dagmar poses with her sisters.

                    my grand aunts
                    Dagmar Gundersen Sevald (top left)    10 Jun 1900 - 12 Jun 1991

                    Hanna Mathea Gundersen Gubberud (top right)    7 Dec 1904 - 22 Mar 1989

                    Solveig Gundersen Vollen (bottom left)    30 Dec 1907 - 22 Oct 1996

                    Gudrun Marie Gundersen (bottom right)    19 Dec 1898 - 19 Oct 1989

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

Dagmar's Stories - "The Baby Stealer"

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

                         KIRKEGÅRDSPROSJEKTET, GRENLAND ÆTTEHISTORIELAG.

Nordre Gravlund Cemetery

Avskrift gjort av/Transcribed by Thorbjørn Rogstad sommeren/summer 1997.
Registrert av/Registered by Reidar Ballestad

  H  6  1  Frithjof Gubberud 28.09.1900  25.02.1968
  H  6  1  Hanna M. Gubberud 07.12.1904  22.02.1989
  H  6  1  Roar W. Augestad 29.06.1926  11.01.1987
  H  6  1  Eva Augestad 05.11.1930  25.05.1995
  H  6  2  Olaf Vollen 12.12.1906  22.04.1973
  H  6  2  Solveig Vollen 30.12.1907  22.10.1996

This is a partial listing of those buried in the Nordre Gravlund Cemetery, Skien, Telemark, Norway

I found the listing on the website SKIEN GENEALOGICAL PAGE

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Hanna is my great aunt, grandma Dagmar's sister, and Frithjof is her husband. Solveig is another of grandma Dagmar's sisters and Olaf is her husband. In 1984 I visited my grandmother Dagmar in Norway and one of Solveig's great grandchildren referred to Hanna as "the baby stealer". Questioning my grandmother, she told me this story.

Hanna and her husband were childless and not by choice. Solveig and her husband Olaf had four daughters. Upon the birth of her youngest Solveig was very ill. Hanna took in "temporarily" their oldest girl Eva, to "help out Olaf" who was having a difficult time managing his children alone while Solveig was ill. Hanna spoiled the girl so much she cried when her father came to pick her up to go back home. Hanna refused to give her up and went to her mother, my great grandmother, Gunhild. Gunhild intervened and sided with Hanna. She told Solveig that she should "let Hanna have the girl since she (Solvieg) had three other girls anyway and Hanna had none". To keep peace in the family they let it go awhile and again attempted to bring Eva back home. According to Dagmar, Hanna had "poisoned the girl's mind against her own parents" and she again refused to leave and Hanna refused to give her up.

Hanna kept Eva and raised her as her own. Eva "called her mother" and took on their last name of Gubberud. Feelings were never the same. Solveig abided by her mothers wishes although she was hurt and mad but Olaf would periodically "have a few drinks" and threaten to get his daughter back until the day he died.

Eva was forever estranged from her birth mother and her sisters "by her own choice". I don't understand why Solveig gave up her quest for her daughter, but times were different then, family relationships were different then also. I do know that Solveig loved her daughter and felt a great hurt and void from her loss.

Eva and her husband Roar Augestad were also childless. Hanna and Fritjof left everything ("they were well off")to Eva. Now here they are all buried in adjoining plots! Maybe I am dreaming but I would like to think that this indicates that the story of "the baby stealer" ended with one family or both families regretting the hard feelings and somehow making amends. Or maybe not........Eva was buried with her birth parents on one side and her adoptive parents on the other, although even in death she is in plot 1 with Hanna and Frithjof.

*click on photos to enlarge for easier viewing*

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