Gudmundsrud and Gjeldaker farms

In Norway, families took the name of their farms as their surnames. Gudmundsrud (pictured at left) was the name of the farm that Nils Knudsen Gudmundsrud purchased in 1833 and sold to his son Nils in 1868.


Gjeldaker (or Gjeldokk) is the name of the farm that Nils K. Gudmundsrud bought in 1857 and sold to his son, Lars Gjeldaker, in 1869.

The farms were near Ål, Hallingdal, high in the mountains of central Norway.

Birgit Myking Gjeldaker

Birgit Myking Gjeldaker (1841-1923) was Sigrid's stepmother and her aunt (sister to Anne Myking). Lars and Birgit married when Sigrid was seven years old.

Soon Sigrid had little brothers to contend with -- which she loved. Ola Ruud, Nils Gjeldaker, and Knut Nelson are pictured here with Lars and Birgit.

In 1896, Knut came to North Dakota to homestead. Sigrid writes:

"He helps the boys with ice-skating and helps take care of the small boys. Sigvald and Nels often sit one on each knee, and I say he is now paying back an old bill that I lent him one time."

I would love to get more details about Anne and Birgit. If any readers out there have more info, please send me an email (see the link in the right column). I'll share it with everyone in a future post.

Anne Myking Gjeldaker

Anne Myking Gjeldaker (1834-1857) was Sigrid's mother.

I still remember the afternoon when I realized who was in this picture. I was sitting at my parents' dining room table in North Dakota, going through envelopes of pictures that belonged to my aunt Tess. We had been working on the project for several months and the faces in these old photos were becoming familiar. Although I had seen this photo before, it finally clicked. This was Lars Gjeldaker as a young man. This had to be Anne. And this baby, tilting her sober little head, was Sigrid.

Maybe it's because I knew this story would soon take a turn--Anne would die, Lars and Sigrid would be alone--but I couldn't stop thinking about the look on Anne's face.

Lars Gjeldaker

Lars Gjeldaker was Sigrid’s father. In his day, he was considered the finest teacher in Ål. He was known for always being kind, loving, and gentle with children, and had a unique way of motivating children so they wanted to learn. He was a master storyteller with a lively imagination. He taught for 51 years, from 1846 to 1897.

When he retired from teaching, he received the King’s Medal for his fine work as a citizen. Over one hundred people attended a special festival; ninety were former pupils. After his retirement, he served as a substitute teacher for two years, even though he was 68 years old.

Like his father, Lars was well known for his writing skills. People still commented about his handwriting years later, and Sigrid mentions it several times in the letters.

He was a deeply religious man who took part in a religious movement in the 1850s. Many people came to him with their deepest spiritual questions. He wrote a history about the pastors in Ål, and helped build a new church.

In civic affairs he was involved in politics, and helped start the Ål bank. He also did family research and wrote his memoirs.

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I often wonder how he felt that last morning as he watched his oldest daughter ride away with her children, her trunk, and her hopes for a better future in America.

The Family: Nils Knudsen Gudmundsrud

Over the next several posts, I will introduce you to Sigrid's family members. We'll start with her grandfather, Nils Knudsen Gudmundsrud (1803-1883). From a humble beginning, he became a teacher, the first local man to serve as mayor of Ål and Hol, and the first director of the Ål Sparebank. He was known for his fine handwriting and often was asked to write letters and legal papers for people in the area.

In 1833 he bought the Gudmundsrud farm, where he and his wife, Sigrid, raised their family. Three of their sons are mentioned in the letters: Store Ole Nilsen, Reverend Ole Nilsen, and Lars Gjeldaker.

Letter Excerpt: February 25, 1892

February 25, 1892

Dear unforgettable Father! Mother and Brothers,

Now that at last your long-awaited letter has come, I want to send you my thanks for the letter. I often wondered why Father waited so long before he sent us a letter. How lovingly welcome to receive your dear familiar hand again and read the dear lines from Father. Yes, I thank God for letting that happen. With gladness I see that everything is well with you at home. And the same I can say from here because we have our health to date, which is the best of everything good. God gives us His grace.

First we must tell you that on November 4 we were blessed with a little well-shaped son, Theodore, who now is growing and bright for his age.

The crops were good last year, the first wheat harvest in Dakota. Now we will see if it will be better here. Some have given up their land and moved away.

Tosten and Micheal have much work in the barn, as we have many animals. They also bought a team of horses. There is much to buy when a man is beginning to farm, and here it is expensive. Machine and tools we need, but we are afraid to buy before we can pay.

You must all now live and greet everyone we know and would like to hear from us. Loving greetings from me and mine. Clara now has a pen. She will write to Grandfather later.

Sigrid

Live Well Letters: Introduction

In 1885 my great-grandmother, Sigrid Gjeldaker Lillehaugen, emigrated from Hallingdal, Norway to America with her three children. She joined her husband Tosten in Minnesota, and in 1888 they moved west to homestead in North Dakota.

I grew up on a farm three miles from where Sigrid and Tosten lived. Every summer we held a family reunion at their house. As I made my yearly survey of the items in her house -- spinning wheel, organ, books, tall buttoned shoes, a tiny pair of spectacles-- I wondered about their lives. Drawings and photos of sober faced ancestors watched me watch them. In a dark side room a few clothes still hung on hooks. What if I could go back just once and see what it was really like?

In 2002 I got a phone call that gave me that chance.

For years, my aunt Tess had been working on a project involving Sigrid's letters (more on this in a later post.) When it came time to publish them, I was invited to join the project, having worked in publishing for a few years. Not sure what to expect, I started reading. Right away, her voice rang through. She was even funny. "It appears to me that I have been written down in your forgotten book at your place. But to freshen your minds, I am sending you a few lines. It could happen that it might interest you." When she wrote about her sheep and spinning, I thought of my Dad. When he was a little boy, she would bring her spinning wheel and sit by the south side of their house, spinning in the sunshine. Eyes twinkling, she would tell him stories in Norwegian.

In 2004, we published Live Well: The Letters of Sigrid Gjeldaker Lillehaugen with Western Home Books. In this blog, I'll share some of her letters and tell you more about our project. Together, we'll walk through the door of her house and get a glimpse into her life 100 years ago.