Jorand Mikalsdatter Hornnes

Olav Knutsen Lauvrak, Jorand Mikalsdatter Hornnes with two of their children, Birte or Bibbi and Knut, ca 1901.
[photo courtesy of Alf Georg Kjetså]

Jorand was born 13 January 1869 in Hornnes, Aust Agder, Norway the fourth child of Mikal Aflsen and Anne Gundersdatter. Lil Anna wrote in her journal about the wedding of Jorand and Olav Knutsen Lauvrak 30 October 1894. Lil Anna would have been ten years old at the time and remembered the redecorating of the house in preparation for all the guests including the silver maple leaf wallpaper in the main room of the house at Espetveit. The wedding party lasted a week and must have truly been a memorable occasion.

Olav was born 30 August 1864 in Herefoss, Aust Agder just south and east of Hornnes. He and Jorand had four children the first two were Knut born 18 August 1895 and Birte or Bibbi born a year later 8 September 1896. In 1900 the family was living at Løvrak 8 as tenants. Olav is listed as farmer and forester (logger) tenant while Jorand is identified as the wife, housekeeper and tender of the animals. The farm had cattle, chickens, a vegetable garden as well as producing crops of grain and potatoes. In addition to their two small children there were four other adults living on this farm: a single man, Aasmund Pedersen, who worked in the forest and was a day laborer; a widow, Sigrid Olsdatter whose regular residence was in Froland, who did worked in the house and the garden; and an elderly couple, Kittel Hanssen and Maren Larsdatter, husband and wife.

The younger children of Olav and Jorand were Anne Marie born 31 March 1908 and Olav Jørgen born 16 September 1912. The 1910 census shows the family living at Lauvrak 6 with the number of the household listed as 8 with 7 people residents. In addition to Olav and Jorand and three of their four children we find the bachelor Osmund (Aasmund) Pedersen still living with them doing logging and day labor and the widow Johanna Osuldsdatter who is a pensioner and not a member of the family. Also living there as a lodger is Halvor Halvorsen Berget. He is listed as a laborer in the mine and stone jetty. Halvor is apparently there only temporarily for work.


Olav is listed as leiglending (tenant) on both census records but that seems somewhat strange to me since there are other people living there as well who seem to be helping with the general operation of the farm and not listed as tenants or owners. Olav died in 1938*. I do not have a death date for Jorand. The digital archives for Norway restrict information for privacy reasons with the cut off years between 1925 and 1930.

There is a four volume set of books about Froland. The first volume is a general history of the community authored by Birger Dannevig, the remaining three volumes are about the farms and families that lived on them by Egil Fiane. At least one volume should include the farm named Lauvrak or Løvrak but the books are not currently available on microfilm so I cannot order them to look through. I keep checking at the international book sellers to see if a set will turn up but so far no luck. If I do locate copies and find more information, I will either add to this post or make an additional post for this family.

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* Correction and addition information:

Bjørn Arnhaug was able to add this additional information:

Jorand died 6 April 1938. Olav died 28 November 1932 (not 1938 as mentioned above). Their oldest son, Knut, died in a German concentration camp 6 December 1944. The cinerary urn was sent to Norway 27 November 1954. Bjørn obtained this information from Dis Norge.

Thank you, Bjørn.