Genealogist's Page

is familiar to many of our members who have sought her help in researching their family history. Three of her grandparents came from Norway: two from Vang and the other was born in America of Valdres parentage. Be was born in Wang township of Renville County, Minnesota and attended high school in New York Mills MN and college at St. Cloud (MN) State. After putting in 9 years as a school librarian, she married James Gunelson, a direct descendant of Gunnul Olson Vindegg, one of the early settlers in Koshkonong Wisconsin. They have three sons, two of whom are married, and three grandchildren. James is retired and Be is working in that direction. They live on a lake in Crosslake in central Minnesota.

The Samband's Genealogist Emeritus Betty Rockswold provided many years of tireless service to the members of the Valdres Samband before handing off the day to day work of assisting our members to Be. Betty passed away on February 6, 2008. By introducing so many to their Norwegian ancestors, she created a wonderful legacy that will be shared by those families for generations to come.

Jonsoksdag

All Norway celebrates Jonsoksdag, today and as it was in ancient times. It is also called St. Hans Day or mid-summer day, June 24th. In Catholic times Jonsok night was a night for wake and our ancestors traveled to holy sites or to the old stave churches for midnight mass.
But the day was celebrated before Christianity was introduced. It was connected to the summer solstice. No special work was begun on Jonsok eve for if you did, the superstition was that your were in for trouble. People spruced themselves and their houses the day before and readied a large pile of wood or brush on a high place nearby.
Fire was important in the old days and people prayed to both fire and the sun. Fire had the ability to give the sun new power to heal and the Jonsok fire was believed to keep illness away from people and animals in the summer.
There may be a parade as people make their way to a gathering site. Games were planned for children and adults alike an a dance for everyone. The fire was lit when it started to become dark and the festivities began. In mid-summer the sun doesn't set until late, but children and grown-ups wouldn't miss Jonsokdag. It's an enjoyable time for friends and neighbors when a good time is had by all.

Valdres Dialect

The Valdres dialect is distinctive from other Norwegian dialects in Norway. This is not the Norwegian of the scholar or journalists but the dialect of our forefathers. Some students of Norse dialects say that Valdres is more melodic than any other Norse way of speaking.
Norwegians come to America to tape older Valdres descendants to compare with modern day speech. Those here retained much of the old words and phrases, but some is mixed with English.
Valdres is the official spelling of the name of the area but earlier forms were "Valdris" and "Valders". Spelling was not decided upon for sure until the early 1900's.

Norwegian Church Records

HISTORY

In the fall of 1546, Norway lost its status as an independent kingdom and at the same time was forced to accept the Lutheran faith. Within a year Norway's last Archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, had been exiled, the saints, relics and monasteries had disappeared along with most of the church records. Christian III, King of Denmark, was then the King of Norway and the head of the church. The beloved parish priests were replaced by Danes who for the most part were unqualified to be ministers. It took decades before there were enough trained Lutheran clergymen to fill the pulpits of Norway. It was not until over a century later that parish records were kept.
Most of the parishes did not begin to keep records until a law requiring them was passed in 1688. A Royal decree of December 1, 1812 said a duplicate copy of the church records should be kept by the parish clerk. The clergyman and clerk's books were to be compared and checked once a year. Regular inspections of the books were to be made by the bishops and deans. The 1812 decree also provided for a standardized printed form that was put into use in the winter of 1814-1815. Another Royal decree of December 2, 1820 required that a flyleaf be added to the record book with instructions on how to record entries. About 1830, a new and improved form came into being and a decree of July 13, 1877 established the form that is still in use today.

Early books, before the law of 1688 and up to 1735 contained only baptisms, marriages and burials. From 1736 to 1814 there are baptisms, introductions, confirmations, intentions to marry (to about 1799), marriages and burials. The printed forms of 1814 to 1876 provided for entries of baptisms with birth date, confirmations, deaths and burials, marriages, arrivals and removals and vaccinations.

BAPTISMS

Before 1814 a newborn child had to be baptized within the first eight days after birth. If there was any likelihood that the child would not live, the child was baptized at home shortly after birth. The least amount of information given in these records is: the date of baptism, the child's name, the father's name and the witnesses. All baptisms were recorded. Home baptisms are noted as such and the person performing the baptism, if not the clergyman, is named. If the child lived, the baptism may have been confirmed in the church later. Therefore, one occasionally finds what looks like two baptism records for the same child. Any child born out-of-wedlock is clearly marked. After 1814 the printed forms called for the entry of; the date of birth, the date of baptism, the name of the child, the names of the parents, the residence and occupation of the father, and the witnesses or sponsors. Males and females are usually recorded on separate pages.

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Languages

The Germanic (Teutonic) languages split off early into three groups: East Germanic, North Germanic and West Germanic. East Germanic evolved into Gothic North Germanic - by progression into Old Norse and then into Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic.

West Germanic split into two groups, high and low German. The High German is now the modern German language.

There is a close kinship between German and other modern languages, all of which derive through defunct dialects like Old Norse from the languages spoken by Germanic tribes who were settle in northern Europe before the birth of Christ. Pressed by invaders from Asia, some of these tribes later emigrated to the British Isles where their language eventually evolved into English. All Teutonic tongues have, in addition, been enriched by influences from Latin and Latin's descendants, the Romance languages. In the remote past both Teutonic and Romance tongues came from common ancestors, the India-European languages.

Koshkonong

Norwegians settled in what would become known as the Koshkonong settlement beginning in 1839. Named for a local lake, it was the largest and most prosperous Norwegian settlement in Wisconsin. The settlement was located southeast of Madison in Dane County. Koshkonong became the parent colony for Norwegian settlements throughout the United States. Gunnul Olsen Vindegg was probably the first to clear land and he became a well known writer of "America letters".