Bygdaboks

What are Bygdaboks

We are receiving help in looking for our relatives from Wilda Obey, a member of the Genealogical Society in her part of Minnesota. She has 3 bygdeboks for the Sognefjord area of Norway; Leikanger Vik and Balestrand. She was first in contact with Dave Vangsness and I was able to contact her with Dave's help. She has copies of several other important resources from the Vik area.

Thank you so much, Wilda!!

Wilda Obey says:

Bygdbok is bok = book and bygd = a rural community.

These books list all of the farms in one area of Norway, by farm. They usually start at about 1600 and mention the name of the farmers there then. They mention his wife and children and usually give some dates, by year only. They tell where the children went or who they married if they left the farm. It continues on with who lived at the farm down to the early 1900s.

Arkivvet is the Norwegian spelling of archive. (That is v v not w) This is online and has actual church pages and these are of baptisms, marriages, burials and also vaccination, confirmation, and those coming into and leaving the parish. It also has some censuses, not the actual page, but a transcription, and emigration information.

Names

Our first ancestor to come to America is named Iver Endreson, Nistad, his wife is Unni Andersdattor.

Wilda always tell everyone not to worry about spelling. There are several different ways to spell almost every personal name and the farm names. In Norway a child was usually named for a grandparent, sibling of the parents or first spouse who had died of either parent.

The patronym, Endreson, means he is the son of Endre. Endre's daughters would be Endresdatter, and they kept this name for life, as even after marriage, they are still Endre's daughter. The last name, Vangsnes, Lie, Nistad is the farm name. This should be thought of more as an address than as a permanent name. 

Iver/Ivar Endreson may have been born at Nistad, married and lived at Lie/Lee/Le (which is the Le in Arnafjord, Vik) and then moved to Vangsnes and taken that name. 

In the U.S. they could use the farm name, or the patronym, usually choosing a name that Yanks could pronounce and not make fun of. Or they might take a more Anglicized name, often starting with the same first letter as the original name.