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.

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.