Bygdabok for Vik i Sogn - Le Farm - Part 1

by Olav Hoprekstad, 1957

WO says that there are 2 volumes to this bygdabok. She has sent me 4 pages, 206-209 in September, 2011. This is page 206.

There are 2 volumes to this bygdabok. This one is labeled III Fyrste Halvband and it contains the Arnafjord parish, and the Kvamsoy parish which is in Balestrand side across the Sognefjord. It has 329 pages. 

The other volume in the set is larger, 817 pages, same title and author, but published in 1958, and the title is III Andre Halvband. It covers Vik and the Vik main area farms. 

Fyrst = first; andre = other or second.

The bygdebok doesn't list exact dates, and sometimes doesn't list all children. 

Page 206 of the Vik i Sogn bygdabok has the farm Le (in Arnafjord) and says something like: 

The marks at the top were used on tools, most likely NOT used as a brand on animals. In 1666, the farm had 4 "tons" of corn (meaning grain - most likely barley, the unit "ton" is not the same as ours), 26 cattle and 2 horses. 

After the black death, the chuch at Flete owned part of Le and the pastor the other part, and there may have been other owners. 

The first farmer here that I know of is Johannes in 1603, then Lasse in 1611 and 1620s; in 1645 there were 2 farmers here: Kristoffer Kristofferson with wife Asa Amundsdatter, and Ivar with wife Dorte Knutsdotter. 

(that was more or less my a translation with my self taught Norwegian. Note it has Kristofferson in this paragrah but the next paragraph has Kristenson. WO)

Note: Kristoffer Kristofferson with wife Asa Amundsdatter are our ancestors.

Le farm # 1: Kristoffer Kristenson (our line) is on this farm in 1645 and he was here until 1701. He was born in 1610. He had many sons, but I don't know of all of them: Kristen went to Dalsvaer, Gunnar had a part of Le for a time; Sjur died unmarried; Hans got the farm after his father; Amund got farm 2 on Le. 

(This is the author saying I don't know, etc. Next is something about these brothers but I don't quite understand it. I think it may say these brothers weren't getting along with each other. If you printed this page from the bygdabok, perhaps you could get someone from Sons of Norway - in Indiana or MN that is, to read it for you. WO)

(I entered that text into the Google translation site and it seems to be saying that Gunnar and Sjur were fighting because one of them, I believe Gunnar, had been doing unseeingly things with someone.  It says he was found "hugging and stroking someone..." They fought with Gunnar drawing blood. Later he had to pay damages of 3 x 6 vertical silver units (must be some kind of silver unit), the equivalent of 9 riksdalar and to give 4 cows. This is kind of garbled in the Google translation, so I am not 100% sure. Nor does it say for sure that it was Sjur's wife or who it was....)

Then the next paragraph continues: Hans Kristoffereson Lee (our line), who was born in 1666 (being 2 years old in 1668), got the farm after his father. He married Ingebjorg Larsdotter. Gunner, his brother, was holding the farm for a while but died in 1710 - in fact his whole family, wife and children died. He got a lease in 1720 and died in 1745 (note that John G's research has him dying in 1751) and his wife died in 1750 (which is the same as John G. ) Of his children, Christopher (Kristoffer Hansson Lee - our line) got the farm, Lars died old and married, Brita was married to Anders Person Hellen, and Gertrude was married to Endre Amundson Valsvik. 

(some of the above text is on page 207, but I have included it here because it is clearly connected.)

Kristoffer Kristenson abt 1610 - 1710

Kristoffer Kristenson married Ase Amundsdotter and they lived on the Le (or Lee) Farm. They are our GGGGGGG Grandparents.

I have some time and I have been going over old emails from Wilda Obey from last year. I have been saving these emails to add the information once I had all the basic family tree information input into the database and organized and checked. Bit by bit, I hope to add the relevant information to the database and to the blog for everyone to share in. 

Kristoffer Kristenson and Ase Amundsdotter lived on Le Farm which is in Arnafjord of Vik in the Vik Bygdebok. 

All 3 farms where are relatives lived over the years are in Vik. Vangsnes is a peninsula near the main part of Vik, which is called Vik, Vik. Vangsnes is now the main ferry terminal to cross the Sognefjord from Vik to Balestrand and Leikanger. It is a very large farm with many sub farms = many different families living there. Le and Nistad are in the Arnafjord part of Vik. This is a remote, mountainous, beautiful area with small farms with only one or a few families living at each farm. However Lie/Lee is a very common name, meaning meadow or pasture, and possibly the Lee in question is a sub farm of a larger farm.

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. The bygdebok doesn't list exact dates, and sometimes doesn't list all children.
Page 206 of the Vik i Sogn bygdabok has the Le farm (in Arnafjord) and says something like:

After the black death the church at Flete owned part of Le and the pastor the other part, and there may have been other owners. The first farmer here that I know of is Johannes in 1603, then Lasse in 1611 and 1620s; in 1645 there were 2 farmers here: Kristoffer Kristofferson with wife Asa Amundsdatter, and Ivar with wife Dorte Knutsdotter.

(That was more or less my a translation with my self taught Norwegian. Note it has Kristofferson in this paragraph but the next paragraph has Kristenson. WO)

Le farm #1: on this farm in 1645 has Kristoffer Kristenson and he was here until 1701. He was born in 1610.
He had many sons, but I don't know of all of them:
Kristen went to Dalsvaer,
Gunnar had a part of Le for a time;
Sjur died unmarried;
Hans got the farm after his father;
Amund got farm 2 on Le. 

(This is what the author is saying. Next is something about these brothers, but I don't quite understand it. I think it may say these brothers weren't getting along with each other. If you printed this page from the bygdabok, perhaps you could get someone from Sons of Norway - in Indiana or MN that is, to read it for you. 

Bygdebok/bygdaboks are in many libraries in the U.S. You can get lists online. In MN St. Olaf College in Northfield has a very large collection. U of MN in the Twin Cities has some. LDS library in Salt Lake City has some, U of ND ak (or is it ND State - the northern one, the one not in Fargo) has many. Perhaps in IN the Fort Wayne library might have some. I have no idea.WO)
Note: Our family tree database does not include someone named Amund as a child of Kristoffer Kristenson. One more thing to check out. But the children's mother is Ase Amundsdotter, so Amund could be her father or a child we do know now about who was named after her father.

More Photos of Nellie

I always enjoy adding more photos of my grandmother, Nellie, one of the children of John E. Vangsness.

This is how I remember grandma!

...and so pretty, too,...

But, she was a young girl, once

High School Graduation??

All dolled up. How I remember that old driveway!

Grandma at the nursing home

Grandma and Aunt Jayne

Grandma and me, in 1950! I must have been about 3....

More Photos of Grandpa Paul C. Sylvester

I have received more photos from Shelley for Paul C. And combining those with photos I have received before, here are lots of nice photos of Paul Connor Sylvester.

Paul C as a boy

Paul C at the swimming hole

Paul C as a young man

Paul C in uniform, 1918, adoptive mother, Stella, far right

Paul C, a Pvt at Quantico Va, 1918

At Quantico, Va

Paul C and Grandma Nellie in the Military

Stella Young's Death Notice

Paul C at Union Depot in Terre Haute, In.

Paul C with first child, Virginia

An older Paul C

Paul C died June 26, 1963

The Sjoquist - Vangsness Family Tree

Thanks to all the work by Dave Vangsness on Find a Grave, I have input all the Sjoquist Family data that is listed there. I had not really noticed that he had so much information available online until recently. I will update the Vangsness Family Tree Database too.

You can see the chart online here. Sometimes it is easier to zoom in on these charts via these links:
Sjoquist-Vangsness Family Tree Chart.

You can see the start of the Sjoquist Family Data here at this link.

Two Grandpas

I wonder what Grandpa Sjoquist's full name is? And who is Sarah below?? Don't you just love these old photos. They speak for themselves!!

Grandpa Sjoquist, Phillis, Dolly, Grandpa John E Vangsness

Olga and Sarah

Virginia, Paul John, and Una, Part 2

More photos of the kids!

Kids with Paul C, their dad, 1935

Kids with Grouchy the dog, 1935

Nellie and Paul John, 1942

Nellie and Virginia at 3 months, 1924 (?)

Nellie and Virginia

Again, Nellie and Virginia

 Two photos of Paul C Sylvester and Virginia as a baby!

Paul C and Virginia