Any Norway buffs? Olerud, Sandbeck, Walhhod, Hansdatter

Question

I am needing help with any of the above surnames. All out of Norway so the names are what are throwing me off. Mostly Olerud and the Kari's and Karens. There is a book written on the Olerud lineage, that myself and siblings are in that goes back to the 1500's I think. However, I do not know the title- an Olerud cousin contacted me a while back and told me her father wrote the book, however I have lost contact with her, she does live in Minnesota, currently. I do not speak Norwegian nor can I read it so information pre-migration to America is hard to decipher. Sadly, the last Sandbeck's I knew passed away in the 90's or earlier and I was too young to ask questions.

One thing I do know is, from Norway they went to Canada first and then to MN, then to Fargo. I also heard somewhere that Bernt and Karens', families were on the same ship to Canada, unaware of course. Not sure if they ever figured this out or not but this is something that was told me. Bernt, ended up as a state rep (or some state government official) in ND

So anyone who is all things Norway savvy, I would love some help.

Answer 1

Just for a start: There are various Olerud-farms in Norway, but more than 100 miles from northermost to southermost

https://www.norgeskart.no/#!?project=norgeskart&layers=1002&zoom=6&lat=6708213.16&lon=236091.87&markerLat=6776420.914826347&markerLon=503845.37400597136&panel=searchOptionsPanel&sok=Olerud

MANY Norwegian farmnames start with Val, Vål, Hval, Hvål, Kval or Kvål but Walhhod is certainly not Norwegian.

It best resembles Vålhovd. This map shows only two, but there should be a third not far from the SWern one

https://www.norgeskart.no/#!?project=norgeskart&layers=1002&zoom=6&lat=6702802.83&lon=171742.37&markerLat=6712619.329894484&markerLon=332529.86659777974&panel=searchOptionsPanel&sok=V%C3%A5lhovd

Hansdatter only means daughter of Hans, and is impossible to search

Comments

Thank you for the response. My great grandfather is Ingvald Severin Walhood. Walhood, never sounded Norwegian to me either. And I am sorry but my original post was a typo on the spelling.

Ingvald's father was Ole Walhood, b. 1860 Norway and his mother was  Anne Aarestad b. 1860 Norway.

If we go one more generation to Ole's father (this is where it is tricky) his name is Ole Lyshagen b. 1833 Norway and wife is Anne Andersdr b. 1800 in Hof, Hedmark, Norway. And the next generation the names change again

Lyshagen's father was Ole Johansen b. 1797 in Bardalseie, Nordsinni, Norway. His mother was Anne Marie Johansdr b. 1800 in Finland.

The only thing I have are Lutheren Baptism records from Fargo and Rothsay. I have some census records and pictures and thats it.

There is an Olerud lineage book...just have to find it as I lost contact with the cousin who's father wrote it.

Sandbeck surname is kinda the same story. My great grandfather was Bernt Sandbeck however his father was Nels Torstensen b. 1819 in Oppland, Norway. Nels father, again, Toersten Joensen b. 1784 Daeleneie, Norway.

Sorry to talk your ear off but its the same story when I follow the females surnames- Ragnhild Hansdatter who is Nels wife- her father is Hans Amundsen - Its all so confusing. When it comes to my Norwegian roots, I am going in cold which is sad because almost half of me is Norwegian.

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First of all: A woman born 1800 would not have a child in 1860, and Hof is a long way from Nordre Land, so Anne born in Hof 1800 was not Ole Olsen's mother.

And the likeliehood that anybody in rural Southern Norway around 1820 would marry somebody from Finland is TINY.

The "bygdebok" Ødegaard, Svein-Erik: "Boka om Land, IX, Torpa A, Gardsnummer 46-76", Nordre Land kommune, 2002 has the family of Ole Olsen born 1833 on page 256

https://www.nb.no/items/e3303babb1e31d4c612cabfe6e76387b?page=259

From 1856 to 66 they lived at a croft called Nedre (Lower) Brennbakkhaugen under farm Felle (https://www.digitalarkivet.no/census/person/pf01038072002287)

https://www.norgeskart.no/#!?project=seeiendom&layers=1002&zoom=11&lat=6768877.27&lon=231826.46&markerLat=6767778.465621562&markerLon=233381.44442632067&panel=searchOptionsPanel&sok=Brennbakkhaugen

They later lived at Løkken under Skartlia 1868-71, at Værhaug under Skinnarlia 1875-76 (https://www.digitalarkivet.no/census/person/pf01052103005456) and at Lyshaugen under Vålhovd before they emigrated - Ole in March 1882

Remember: These are addresses - not names. Until 1923 rural people had just a first name and were DESCRIBED firstly by their patronym and only secondly by where they lived. For crofters that could change many times throughout their lives. This is why the Norwegian WikiTree agreement is: The Patronym as LNAB is the default rule for most Norwegians born before the legal requirements for surnames.

Ole Olsen was born in 1833 at Midtre (Middel) Sætre under farm Felle (page 247 in same book) as son of Ole Johannesen (1798-1881) who was born as illegitimate son of Johannes Gulbrandsen Mælum and Berte Reiersdatter (daughter of Reier Olsen and Gjertrud Jonsdatter), so in census 1801 he was living with his mother and her parents at Mortenstua under Bardalen. In 1819 he married widow Marit Johannesdatter (1795-1861) who lived at a croft under Felle. Ole Olsen was their youngest child.

Ole Olsen married Anne Andersdatter from Bagn in Sør-Aurdal about 1855. I believe she must have been born 18 Nov 1832 as illegitimate daughter of soldier Anders Johannesen from Toten and Kari Arnesdatter

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Re Årrestad:

The family is mentioned under Orrestad/Årrestad in Valand, Petrus & Heskestad, Olav: ”Hetland skipreite i 450 år, Bind II, Helleland sokn - Gard, ætt og folk”, 1971, pp.679-80

Anne Christine, like her siblings, was born at Rekefjord, Sokndal, Rogaland. https://www.digitalarkivet.no/kb20051214020736 (at bottom)
Her parents were wheelmaker Tønnes Larsen from Store Ålgård in Sokndal (see https://www.wisted.net/store-algard.html 22c) and Karen Rollufsdotter. They moved to Årrestad, Helleland (today in Eigersund) at the latest in 1875

Answer 2

Olerud sounds like a Norwegian farm name. It is generated from the common first name "Ole" and "rud", which means "clearing", so basically "that land that Ole cleared". These names typically date back to viking ages, and there are few examples where there is any recollection of who the person the farm is named after was. If you search the Norwegian digital archive: https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/search/persons?s=Olerud, you will get more than a 1300 hits for this name, and most of them are listed with Olerud as their residence.

Sandbeck sound more like a typical Swedish name to me, meaning "Sandy Brook".

Walhhod gets zero hits, check spelling.

Hansdatter is the second most common patronymical, litterally "daughter of Hans". It is not a family name that you can learn anything from, without a lot more context.

Unless you have records with more details that you can trace, these names will not get you anywhere.

Answer 3

Regarding Karen Marie Olerud, you write on her profile that she was born in Gran, Oppland, and may have had a connection to Sweden.

If you examine the baptism protocols for Gran around the date you have for her birth, here: https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8969/229 you will find that tthere is only one close match, Karen Maria, b. 19 Nov 1869. She was the daughter of Alfred Larsen from Sweden, and Marthe Anfindsdatter of Torverudeie. The parents were not married.

To find out if this is correct, you should try to find her immigration records, so that you have a date when she arrived in the US. That will make it easier to trach her, if she has moved around. I could not find the parents in Gran in the census of 1875.

Answer 4

Regarding the Sandbeck line, I believe I have found a good starting point. This is the baptism of Bent Nilsen: https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000002688473

He was born on 31 Dec 1858, the son of Nils Torstensen and Ragnild Hansdatter. They were smallholders living at Sandbakløkken, a place in Gran just north of Brandbu, and west of Olarud.

https://www.norgeskart.no/#!?project=norgeskart&layers=1002&zoom=13&lat=6707830.58&lon=253360.92&markerLat=6707877.517335321&markerLon=253404.55760941526&panel=searchOptionsPanel&sok=Sandbekk

And here is the emigration record when Nils and his family leaves for America on 15 Apr 1862: https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8969/586

• 88) Hmd Niels Torstensen Sandbækløkken (born there), b. 7 Mar 1819
• 89) wife Ragnild Hansdatter, b. 16 Mar 1818
• 90) son Torsten, b. Hougseiet in Tigstad, 20 Sep 1844
• 91) son Hans, b. 26 May 1849
• 93) daughter Ingeborg, b. 21 Aug 1855
• 94) son Bent, b. 31 Dec 1858

Number 92) is missing in the list...