GENERATION 5

GENERATION 4

Biography

AANUND SVEINUNGSSON was from the village of Morgedal in the Kommune of Kviteseid, Telemark, Norway. Morgedal is about 200km southwest of Oslo on highway E134. It is now known as the "cradle of skiing." It is the birthplace of Sondre Norheim (1825-1897) who is credited with popularizing skiing as a sport. Sondre is called the "father of modern skiing," and in his honor the Olympic torch was lit in Morgedal for three Olympic games - 1952 Oslo, 1960 Squaw Valley, and 1994 Lillehammer.

The nearest church is in the nearby village of Brunkeberg. The original "Bruggaberga Kirkja" was a stave church built about 1200. It was torn down sometime before 1790, when the present wooden cruciform church was built. The church is beautifully decorated with biblical motifs, and contains some items from medieval times. In this church, the Drangstveit children were baptized and confirmed.

Morgedal and Brunkeberg are just two of the villages that make up the municipality (Kommune) of Kviteseid. Another village is Kviteseid, which bears the same name as the larger Kommune. It lies on highway 39, south of Brunkeberg, and is the business area for the township. The canal boat "Victoria" makes scheduled stops here in the summer.

Seven children were born to AANUND and GRO, three daughters followed by four sons. Between 1863 and 1882 the oldest four children married in Norway. Olav, the fourth oldest married in 1882, and that same year, Tarald died at age 19. By the next year, 1883, all the remaining children (except Gunnhild) had immigrated to America. AANUND and GRO came in 1883. All settled in Trempealeau County, WI, except for SIGRID, who immigrated to Fergus Falls, MN, with her family. Gunnhild remained in Norway.

Except for Rannei, the family chose to use their farm name, DRANGSTVEIT, in America. Rannei married Aslak Torjusson, and they chose to use the name Thompson. Their children adopted various forms of their Norwegian farm name, using Omli and Omley, after their farm homestead of Aamlid or Omlid.

AANUND died in 1891. GRO died Nov. 29, 1899. Both are buried at the Trempealeau Valley Church Cemetery, though there are no markers and the exact burial site is unknown.

Rannei, the oldest child, was born in Morgedal, Oct. 2, 1840, and was baptized in Brunkeberg, Oct. 25, 1840. She married Aslak Torjusson, Sep. 25, 1863, in Kviteseid. They emigrated to Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, in 1872, and took the last name, Thompson. They had five children:

      Torjus "Thomas"  - b. Feb     1864 NOR   - d. Apr  2, 1949 Ferndale, WA           
      Gro "Julia"      - b. Jan 24, 1869 NOR   - d. Jul 12, 1948 Ferndale, WA
      Aanon "Oney"     - b. Aug  6, 1872 WI    - d. Nov     1962 Alaska
      Sophia           - b.         1876 WI
      Gena             - b.         1878 WI

The oldest daughter, Gro ("Julia Thompson") married Guttorm Torjussson ("George T. Omli") in Jackson County, WI, on Oct. 03, 1884. George was the brother of Aslak, and thereby Julia's uncle. About 1886, George and Julia left Wisconsin, settling in Richwood, Becker, MN, for several years. In 1889, they left Richwood, with their four children, and moved to Whatcom County, WA. Seven more children were born in Washington.

The entire family ended up in the extreme northwestern corner of Washington, including Rannei and Aslak. Most of the males worked in fishing and logging, spending the summers in Alaska, as far away as the Bering Sea. They would return to Washington in the winters, where they helped with the family dairy farm in Ferndale.

Gunnhild was the only child (other than Tarald, who died in Norway) who didn't emigrate from Norway. She married Johannes Johannesson AARDALEN in 1869. Their first child, Johannes Johannesson BREKKE, was born the following year at the Drangstveit farm. They decided to stay in Norway, and had three more children. Their son, Johannes, married and had nine children. Another son, Aanund married and had eight children.

The four children of Gunnhild and Johannes are:

      Johannes                  - b. 1870  - d. 1916 at Aardalen
      + Ingebjørg Aslaksdotter             - d. 1920 at Brekke
      Anne                      - b. 1872  - d. 1938 at home for elderly, unmarried     
      Aanund                    - b. 1875  - d. 1943 at Aardalen
      + Kari Knutsdotter        - b. 1874
      Gro                       - b. 1883  - d.      unmarried

Ole moved to Minneapolis in the 1900's. Tragically, he took his life there on Aug. 27, 1909. He is buried at Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis (Lot 74, Block H, 19th grave from the north).

Ole is mentioned in four different places in the book, Sondre Norheim Fra Morgedal. He is also mentioned in Morgedal Skisportens Vogge. He won first place in the Sandvika race of 1875, finishing ahead of his brother Sveinung, as well as finishing ahead of Sondre Norheim. He came in second or third in two other races in 1871 and 1879. Ole continued racing after coming to America.

What might have been Ole's most outstanding skiing accomplishment is described in Halvor Kleppen's Telemark Skiing: Norway's Gift to the World. In February, 1868, Sondre Norheim was invited to the first national skiing competition in Norway, held in the capital Christiania (now Oslo). Sondre brought two friends with him, one being Ole and the other Olav Torjusson Byggland. There were 50 of Norway's best skiers in the competition, but these three captured first, sixth and eighth places. It was the first time the "Telemark turn" had been seen outside of Telemark. Ole was only seventeen at the time. He received 2-1/2 "spesi-dollar" for finishing eighth.

Ingeborg was the daughter of Even and Birgit Olson. She was born in Telemarken on July 25, 1863. She came to America, when 3 years old, by sailboat. The crossing took 16 weeks. Her family settled in Tamarack Coulee, south of Arcadia, Trempealeau, WI.

Sveinung was an avid skier along with his two brothers. He finished third in the Sandvika race in 1875, beating Sondre Norheim. He came in sixth in the Sandåker race in 1880.

Sveinung and Ingeborg had 10 children:

      Edwin    - b. 1888 - of Westby, MT (near Plentywood), wife Gunda Nygaard
      Albert   - b. 1890 - of Minneapolis, MN
      Gertie   - b. 1893 - Mrs. Floyd Sanders of Minneapolis, MN
      Theodore - b. 1895 - lived on the home farm in Blair
      Clara    - b. 1897 - Mrs. William Kelly of Los Angeles (or Hollywood), CA     
      Bernette - b. 1904 - Mrs. Glen Milton Brandon of Minneapolis, MN
      4 others who died in infancy

Sveinung's obituary, in the Blair Press, November 27, 1941, states that all his brothers and sisters preceded him in death.

Aslak was born July 24, 1858. He emigrated to America at the age of 21, and settled in the Trempealeau Valley. He purchased railroad land from the Green Bay Railroad Company, and farmed the land for almost 30 years. In 1911, he sold the farm to Martin Thompson, and purchased the Rotenberg farm, north of Blair on Fly Creek ridge. He died Oct. 22, 1926, in Blair.

Signe Helgeson was born in Kviteseid, Aug. 18, 1859, daughter of Halvor and Aslaug (Knutson) Helgeson. She came to America with her parents in 1861, and settled in Racine County. The family later moved to Trempealeau County. Signe was confirmed at the Trempealeau Valley Church on Sep. 12, 1875, as one of a group of 60 confirmed that day. She married Aslak on Sep. 13, 1882, and moved to his farm. She had a twin brother, Knute Helgeson, who died Mar. 3, 1939. She also had a brother, Henry, and a sister, Thon. Thon was the wife of Ole Christianson.

Aslak and Signe had 9 children:

      Albert   - b. 1883 - of Black River Falls, WI
      Amanda   - b. 1885 - Mrs. August Anderson of Bengough, Saskatchewan     
      Gena     - b. 1889 - Mrs. Hans Renning of Minneapolis, MN
      Helen    - b. 1891 - Mrs. Roy Perin of Oakland, CA
      Arthur   - b. 1894 - of Strum, WI
      Mabel    - b. 1896 - Mrs. John (Gerald) Eddy of Minneapolis, MN
      Laurence - b. 1898 - of Minneapolis, MN
      Melvin   - b. 1900 - lived on the home farm on Fly Creek ridge
      Nora     - b. 1902 - Mrs. Herbert Hughey of Story, WY 

Aslak's obituary, in the Blair Press, October 26, 1926, mentions his sister, Mrs. SIGRID THORSTENSON of Plentywood, MT.

Tarald died, of tuberculosis, December 16, 1882, at the age of 19. By the following year, his parents and all his siblings (except Gunnhild) had emigrated to America.

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 name                       birth1       baptism   confirmation   marriage2     death3     emigration
 ______________________   __________   __________   __________   __________   __________   __________


 Aanund Sveinungson                    11-12-1809   10-30-1825   06-08-1840        -1891             
 Gro Olavsdotter          06-14-1820   07-09-1820   10-04-1835   06-08-1840   11-29-1899             

 Rannei Aanundsdotter     10-02-1840   10-25-1840   10-14-1855   09-25-1863                          
 Gunnhild Aanundsdotter   03-28-1844   04-28-1844   09-25-1859   12-28-1869        -1935 
 Sigrid Aanundsdotter     12-14-1847   01-09-1848   09-28-1862   01-23-1872   03-  -1929   05-21-1881
 Olaf Aanundsson          07-25-1850   08-11-1850   10-09-1864   04-28-1882   08-27-1909 
 Sveinung Aanundsson      04-06-1855   05-06-1855   10-10-1869   10-22-1885   11-15-1941   
 Aslak Aanundsson         07-24-1858   08-15-1858   10-06-1872   09-13-1882   10-22-1926   
 Tarald Aanundsson        01-14-1863   02-22-1863   09-30-1877                12-16-1882    

 1 - births are recorded in baptism record
 2 - marriages after emigration are not in Ministerialbok
 3 - deaths after emigration are not in Ministerialbok

           enumerated at Drangstveit (Søndre Morgedal), Brunkeberg, Hvideseid, Telemark, Norway
 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  navn            familiestatus      yrke         sivilstand  alder kjønn   Fødested        Overskrift
 (name)           (fam. member)  (occupation)     (marital)   (age) (sex) (birthplace)
 ________________ _____________  ________________ ___________  ___   ___  _______________  _______________
 
 Aanund Svenungs.  Husfader      Husmand med Jord   g (gift)    56    m   Hvideseid Prgj.  2 cows, 6 sheep,
                   (father)      (tenant farmer)      (marr)         male  (Kviteseid)     2 goats, barley
 Gro Olafsd.       hans Kone                        g           46    k   Hvideseid Prgj.  potatoes
                   (his wife)                                        fem. 
 Gunnild Aanundsd. deres datter  Inderste          ug (ugift)   22    k   Hvideseid Prgj.
                  (his daughter) (lodger)             (unmarr)
 Olaf Aanunds.     deres son     hjaelper Faderen  ug           16    m   Hvideseid Prgj.
                   (his son)     (helps father)
 Svenung Aanunds.  deres son     hjaelper Faderen  ug           11    m   Hvideseid Prgj.
 Aslak Aanunds.    deres son     hjaelper Faderen  ug            8    m   Hvideseid Prgj.
 Tarald Aanunds.   deres son     hjaelper Faderen  ug            3½   m   Hvideseid Prgj.

           enumerated at Bygland øvre (Søndre Morgedal), Brunkeberg, Hvideseid, Telemark, Norway
 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  navn            familiestatus      yrke         sivilstand  alder kjønn   Fødested        Overskrift
 (name)           (fam. member)  (occupation)     (marital)   (age) (sex) (birthplace)
 ________________ _____________  ________________ ___________  ___   ___  _______________  _______________

 Steffen Evends.   Husfader      Gaardbr. Selveier  g (gift)    30    m   Hvideseid Prgj.  1 horse, 5 cows,
                   (father)      (owner)              (marr)         male  (Kviteseid)     12 sheep, 5 goats, 
 Gunnild Iversd.   hans Kone                        g           29    k   Hvideseid Prgj.  barley, oats,
                   (his wife)                                        fem.                  potatoes
 Tone                                                            1    k
 Birgit                                                          3    k
 Even                                                            5    m                                             
 Sigri Aanunds.                  Tjenestepige      ug (ugift)   18    k   Hvideseid Prgj.
                                 (girl servant)       (unmarr)