Showing posts with label Webjørn Webjørnsen Brekke-Karlsmyr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Webjørn Webjørnsen Brekke-Karlsmyr. Show all posts

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Introduction

Researching the Williams family history began in earnest as Vince and I were planning a vacation trip to Norway in 1975. We had a few family traditions to go by: (1) The Williams' (then called Webjørnsen) came to America from Eina in Toten (Toten is north of Oslo about 50 miles); (2) The surname could have been Vål or Sagness as well. (Walter, and other of his siblings, were confirmed as Sagness.) Walter had related to us a story he heard his father tell. It seems Sigvart had to skate across the fjord to get to church for his confirmation study, and he was warned never to skate on "rubber ice." However, he did one time. When he made it to the church, he was given such a "bawling out" from the pastor that he immediately turned around and skated back home.

Sangnes farms across the 'fjord' from the Eina church.
Sangnes farms across the "fjord" from the Eina church. Image courtesy of Norgeskart.no.

So on our trip to Norway we included the area of Eina on our itinerary. We wandered the streets, and drove the country roads. We stopped at the Eina church and walked in the cemetery. But we found no stones that applied to the Williams family. We also drove past a farm with the name Sangness on its mailbox. That was close to Sagness, so we stopped to ask some people close by who were working on their car. They didn't know any answers to the questions we were asking, but did treat us with eats and beverages as if they had known us for a long time. And they took us to an elderly lady who was quite a historian. She thought she remembered hearing some of the names we were talking about, but we gained no definite information. We did take pictures of the Sangness farm, and of the Eina church.

Some time later we were given an old hymnbook which had been given to Walter. And inside the front cover was written by Webjørn Webjørnsen Waal (Vål) his birthdate, his wife's and their children's. They were born in Kråkstad. The late Oivind Hovde, Luther College, translated the writing for us. The research began to reap results. With the help of the Kråkstad bygdebok (farm histories) and the Vesterheim Genealogical Center, Madison, WI, we found that Webjørn Waal moved to the Brekke farm where Webjørn Webjørnsen Brekke/Karlsmyr was born. He in turn moved to the Karlsmyr farm where Sigvart Anton was born December 1849. In 1854 the family moved to the Eina area where they lived first on the Jonsrud farm. This farm was on the east side of Einafjord, where the church we visited was later built. In 1857 they moved to the Sangness farm, and from there they left Norway in 1864 to come to America. Copies of the hymnbook family record, and a letter verifying the move to the Eina area and from the Toten area to America are enclosed in this history.

Kråkstad is south of Oslo on the east side of the Oslofjord. When we lived in Norway from Jan - May 1986, we visited the area several times, worshipped in the Kråkstad church, saw the Skotbu, Vål, Brekke, and Karlsmyr farms. Our guide and host was Oddvar Bjerke and his family. He is interested in family history too, and had figured out he was a 7th or 8th cousin of Vince's.


Saturday, November 7, 2009

Webjørn and Pauline WEBJØRNSEN


Photograph of Pauline and Webjørn WEBJØRNSEN. Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

UPDATE (30 Jul 2018): Roslyn and I traveled to Iowa City and also attended the Nordic Fest in Decorah. I was helping Mom clean out some of her old files and pictures and as I was going through them I struck genealogical gold–a copy of a picture of Webjørn as an older man.


Webjørn WEBJØRNSEN (Bef 1899). Image courtesy of Verla Williams. Image has been flipped horizontally and digitally enhanced by Mark D. Williams.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Marriage Certificate: Webjørn and Pauline WEBJØRNSEN (11 Apr 1843)

Certification of Marriage. Webjørn WEBJØRNSEN Brekken and Pauline Marie INGEBRETSDTR Ambjørnerud (11 Apr 1843). Oslo: Statsarkivet, 1981. Image courtesy of Verla Williams.

C E R T I F I C A T E

In the parish register No. 5 (1837-1847) for Kråkstad, fol. 129b, nr. 5, is introduced that

bachelor W e b j ø r n  W e b j ø r n s e n  B r e k k e n
and
girl P a u l i n e  M a r i a  I n g e b r e t s d a t t e r  A m b j ø r n e r u d

were married on 11. - eleventh - April 1843 - eighteen forty-three -.

Groom reported to be 21 years, from Brekken, son of Webjørn Webjørnsen.
Bride reported to be 24 years, from Korsegården, daughter of Ingebret Evensen.

Oslo on 20 October 1981
by proxy
A.-M. Hadland
[English translation by Google.]


Digitalarkivet also has a copy of the parish record for this marriage.


Detail of Akershus fylke, Kråkstad, Ministerialbok nr. I 5 (1837-1847), Ekteviede 1843, side 130. Image courtesy of Digitalarkivet.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Letter from Pål Gihle to Verla Williams (13 Dec 1980)


Letter from Pål Gihle to Verla Williams (13 Dec 1980). Image courtesy of Verla Williams.


PÅL GIHLE
TELEFON 60 907
2850 LENA


13. desember 1980

Dear Mrs. Williams!

Webjørn Webjørnsen immigrated to the United States in 1864. He got a certificate from the vicar June 18, 1864, but we have no information that he and his family left the Toten area at that date. Ten years earlier, in 1854, he moved to Toten and bought the farm of Jonsrud at Eina, but sold this farm October 13, 1857 for 1800 Speciedaler = 1800 dollars.

Later on the family lived at the farm of Sangnes. Webjørn was addressed "gaardmand" = farmer in the church register. It may be quite right that he skated across the ice of the Einafjord to get to church. But at that time he had to go to the church of Aas, because the Eina church, who is standing on the farm of Jonsrud's ground, was not built until 1890.

Webjørn Webjørnsen Sangnes was born in Kråkstad 1822: His wife was Pouline Marie Ingebrigt'sdaughter born 1820: (He was 42 years old when he became certificate in 1864, she 44 years.)

children:


Wilhelm Julius born 14/12-1843 confirmed at Aas church 10/10-1858.
Elen Dorthea born 1846 confirmed 10/9 1860, Aas.
Jens Martin born 12/3 1848 confirmed 12/10 1862, Aas.
Anthon Sigvart born 1849 emmigrated before confirmation.
Gunhild Melbe born 1851.
Heda Marie born 1/4-1854 on the farm of Jonsrud.
Laurine Wilhelmine b. 7/1-1855 -"- Jonsrud.
Helmer Otto b. 29/4-1860 -"- Sangnes

I wish you a merry Christmas!

Sincerely,
Pål Gihle.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Descendants of Vebjorn VEBJORNSON (1821-1899)


Four Generations Descendants chart (c. 1981). Webjørn WEBJØRNSEN Karlsmyr (1821-1899). Compiled by Gene Lundy. Image courtesy of Verla Williams via Marian Wilkins. Scanned and composited by Mark D. Williams.