Happy Halloween

Nothing could be this bad, could it?

I had these classic Halloween pictures and thought I would share them since today is Halloween.  The one above is a favorite of mine.  The one below is also a classic--the perfect black cat with a pumpkin sort of thing.  Surely you don't think I could get her to pose like that now that she is an adult, do you?  

 Boo!

If you are going "Trick or Treating" -- keep safe, use a good flashlight, and don't eat all the candy at once.  [Advice from Grandma]

 Pumpkin carving at the Puyallup Fair

 Pumpkins at Metropolitan Market

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 62

Hornnes Church
[courtesy of Sverre Strai]

Above is a postcard of the church at Hornnes, Aust Agder, Norway printed by Mittet & Co.  The photograph has been taken showing a side view with the rock wall that surrounds the graveyard.  On the right side just beyond what can be seen on the card is the Otra River.  Hornnes forms a broad horn shaped headland from which it gets its name.  The octagonal shaped church is painted a traditional white and was built in 1828 although there was a much earlier church near here that had been built in the 1300s.   Below is a front view of the church together with a couple of interior pictures.

Front view of Hornnes Church

Interior view of Hornnes Church from balcony

Main floor interior of Hornnes Church

This charming church is located across the road from Lunnen farm where my great-grandfather, Mikal Alfsen Hornnes, and his family lived from 1863 to about 1880.  When we visited in the 1980s we were given a special tour inside and then to the great delight of my husband and children they were allowed to climb up into the bell tower and ring the bell.  This is the church where my grandmother, Lil Anna, would have been christened and confirmed.  The pillars have been painted to look like marble, a few other things were painted but the walls and pews are natural wood.

Following the post about the ochre yellow Skotfoss church last week, Rune Jensen did a little looking and found these three churches below that are also painted colors rather than just white.  They are beautiful and worth sharing.

Rødven Kirke, Rauma, More og Romsdal, Norway

The Rødven church shown above was built in 1907.  It replaced the old Rødven Stave Church originally built in the 1100s.  The Stave church was purchased by the Society for Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments and today functions as a museum.  The two churches are located close together as can be seen in the photo below.  The newer red church has retained a similar style to the older church.  The Stave church has the traditional stonewall around the churchyard while the newer red church has what looks like an iron fence. 

Rødven Stave Church and Rødven Church
[photo source: http://www.visitnorway.com/us/Product/?pid=32819 ]

Another painted church is the Tromsø Cathedral.  It is the only wooden cathedral in Norway.  The architect was Christian Heinrich Grosch.  Tromsø Cathedral was completed in 1861 and seats 800.  It is thought to be the northernmost Protestant cathedral in the world.  As the photo shows this cathedral is located in the middle of the city. 

Tromsø Cathedral, Tromsø, Troms, Norway
[photo source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troms%C3%B8_Cathedral ]

The third church Rune sent a photo of is St. Olaf’s kirke in Balestrand, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.  It is also a wooden church, with Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland as architect. Like the Tromsø Cathedral it is located right in the middle of town as you can see from the second photo.

Exterior view, St. Olaf’s, Balestrand, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

Another exterior view of St. Olaf’s, Balestrand
[photo source: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Olafs_kirke_%28Balestrand%29 ]

Another picture shows an interior view of the altar area.

Interior St. Olaf’s Church, Balestrand
[photo source: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Olafs_kirke_%28Balestrand%29  ]

St. Olaf’s is an Anglican church and during the summer has Sunday services in English.  I think it only seats 95, at any rate it is a small church even though it looks larger in the first picture.  Notice the rope hanging down from the ceiling; it is used for the ringing of the bell.  The outside spire is decorated with traditional dragonheads like those sometimes found on Stave churches.  In addition to the altarpiece painting the church has nine stained glass windows depicting different saints and also a portrait of Margaret Kvikne.  The church is supported by donations from tourists, the priests work for free and free room and board has been provided at the Kvikne hotel since the church opened.

The story behind the construction of this church says that as Margaret Sophia Green Kvikne lay dying of tuberculosis she had a dream that an English church should be built at Balestrand.  She told her husband Knut Kvikne about her dream and after Margaret died in 1894 he began to make plans to have this church built.  It was completed in 1897. 


Thank you Rune for taking the time to find these colorful churches.  They are truly lovely and it was a lot of fun to see them. 

For a little more information please see:
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Olafs_kirke_%28Balestrand%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troms%C3%B8_Cathedral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B8dven_Stave_Church
http://www.visitnorway.com/us/Product/?pid=32819
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornnes

Nora Landaas

Nora Landaas, ca 1913

The photograph of Nora Landaas shown above was taken, I think, about the time she got married in 1913.  She was born in Bergen, Norway on 10 December 1884 the 7th child of Peder Johan Mikkelsen Landaas and Karen Olsdatter Kalvetræ.  There was a baby girl born about one year earlier named Elenora who died at birth for whom Nora was named.  It was a common practice to name the next child of the same sex after the one who had died earlier.  There is a picture of all five surviving sisters arranged by height and it shows Nora as the tallest of the girls.  That could not have been much more than about 5’3” though since Petra, the tiniest sister, was only 4’11” and all of the girls are close to the same height.  When I look at pictures of her, Nora always looks a little wistful or sad but also quite pretty. 

Nora Landaas and John Johansen, 20 December 1913

In each family there is usually one child who assumes the role of caregiver to a widowed aging parent.  Nora fit that role in the Landaas family.  The matriarch, Karen Landaas, was the driving force in the family from day one until she passed away.  Karen and her younger children, Klara, Nora, Sigrid, and Trygve all traveled together from Norway to America in 1902 arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, going across country from there by train to Seattle where her husband, Peder, and their other children, Maggie, Petra, Harald, and Cornelius were living.  Adolph was at that time in Alaska.  
 

Nora standing, Sigrid sitting, ca 1901

Sigrid and Nora were the two youngest sisters.  The photo of the two of them together shown above was taken shortly before they left Norway for America.

Nora married at age 29, an old maid according to those times, and did not have any children.  Nora’s husband was another Norwegian immigrant; Johan or John Johansen often called Johnny.  Johnny was a sailor and away at sea for much of the time during the years they were married so Nora eventually ended up living with her mother and caring for her.  My mother said that at one point during the Depression years in the 1930s John wanted to move away for employment as a carpenter but Karen would not let Nora leave so they stayed in Seattle and John continued to go to sea.  Mostly he appears to have been a crew member on the USS Tatoosh a ship that made regular trips up the coast of Washington, British Columbia, and into Alaska.* 

USS Tatoosh (YAG-1) at Kodiak, Alaska, on 17 February 1943
[Photo source:  http://www.shipscribe.com/usnaux/YAG/YAG01.html ]

The Tatoosh was the largest of a fleet of six ships, a wooden hulled steam cargo and passenger ship that carried supplies for the fish canneries in southern Alaska and canned salmon on the return trip south.  In addition to the passengers it could carry up to 84,000 cases of canned salmon.  During World War II the US Navy acquired the Tatoosh.  The ship was built in 1917/1918 and by 1944 the hull was so infested with dry rot and wormholes that it was no longer considered seaworthy and was decommissioned, probably scuttled at Adak, Alaska in 1945. 

Nora’s life could not have been easy.  She had suffered an illness of some sort as a young woman.  One oral report said that it was meningitis but that has not been confirmed.  She was slightly paralyzed on one side of her body following the illness, her shoulder higher on that side and her speech somewhat slurred and difficult to understand.  She endured her husband’s long absences and cared for her mother as well as sometimes her brother, Adolph, and occasionally borders who lived in Karen’s home.  I think Nora was the main cook and housekeeper during the years that she lived with her mother. 

Nora is listed on the 1940 US Federal Census living at her mother’s address, married, but John is not there so he must have been away at the time the census was taken.  No record of John’s death has been found yet but Nora died 18 January 1959 in Everett, Snohomish, Washington.  It is most likely she was a widow by then as no mention was made of her husband. 


………………………………………………..

Note:

* There were two John Johansens born in Norway of the same age living in Seattle during these years and both were sailors so it is hard to say for sure which man was the one who was on the Tatoosh and married to Nora.

Postcard Thursday, 61, Skotfoss, update

Interior, Skotfoss church, 1901
[photo source: 
http://www.digitaltmuseum.no/things/interir-bilder-fra-skotfoss-kirke-fotografert/TEM/TGM-B.21015/gallery ]
 

Here is a little more information about the Skotfoss Church, Skien, Telemark, Norway and a couple additional photos that Rune Jensen sent after he saw yesterday’s post.  The picture above shows the interior of the church as it was in 1901 shortly after completion.  It is very beautiful inside.


The ceiling is painted is soft ocher with rust brown and gray green.  This Flckr image shows the detailed design.

Skotfoss ceiling detail
[photo source:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/evillyndee/3009392469/ ]

An unusual thing about the exterior of the church is that it was originally painted ocher-yellow.  It wasn’t until 1924 that the church was painted white.  I think almost all the wooden churches in Norway that I have seen pictures of are either natural treated wood like the Stave Churches or painted white so this one was very different.  The church was later painted antique white with beige poles and frames in 1987.  The doors were painted green.  Chandeliers and sconces were added in 1948, a new organ was installed in 1963 and there were also minor changes to the interior in 1991, a few pews removed and tables placed at the rear.  Seating capacity is 500.  The altar painting is by J. Nortvig and shows the woman at Jesus' feet.  Local carpenters and artisans did all the work on Skotfoss church.  

Here is a view of the exterior of Skotfoss church from a different angle as it appears today.  One of the notes that accompanied the picture said that the site was donated by the Canal Board.  An extraordinary gift.

Skotfoss Church
[photo source: 
http://skien.kirken.no/artikkel/article/81679 ]

Links: 
http://skien.kirken.no/artikkel/article/81679
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evillyndee/3009392469/ 
http://www.digitaltmuseum.no/things/interir-bilder-fra-skotfoss-kirke-fotografert/TEM/TGM-B.21015/gallery ]
...................................................................

Thank you, Rune, for sharing these photos and the additional information about Skotfoss Church.

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 61

Skotfoss Kyrkje, Skien, Telemark, Norway near Løveid locks, ca early 1900s

Deceptively plain looking postcards like this one showing a village and a church can have interesting background stories.  I thought I would find out something about the church and the community but instead I discovered the important thing was the water.

I.C. Lee was born at Holla in Ulefoss near Skien, Telemark, Norway in 1876.  He left in 1880 at age 4 to come to America with his grandmother and her new husband.  Haldor Larsen Børve designed the church shown on the postcard above and it was dedicated in 1900, therefore, it was not yet built when Lee left Norway.  It is called the Skotfoss church and is located within the greater Skien area.  A family member who remained in Norway sent this card to him at a later date.  It is a wooden church and still stands today.  I found the Flickr image shown below of what the exterior of the church looks like now.

Skotfoss church
[photo:  originally posted on Flickr; Sebastian Bergmann]

It is situated on a knoll overlooking a part of the Telemark Canal called the Norsjø-Skien Canal that has a series of locks.  The locks in Skien and Løveid were built between 1854-1861.  Of the two Løveid is the oldest canal.  The canal allowed goods and passengers to be transported and logs to be floated between a series of connected lakes essentially opening Telemark from the ocean to the interior.  After the paper factory closed logs were no longer floated down the canal.  The locks also provide a way to regulate the flow of water for flood protection and control.  Today the canal remains a major tourist attraction.

The total length of the Telemark Canal is 105 kilometers or a little over 65 US miles with 18 locks.  The water level changes 72 meters (236 feet) in elevation as it travels through the locks.  Some of the locks are quite close together and form a staircase as the boats are lowered or raised to the next section.  The lock at Skien takes 20 minutes to pass the 5 meter (16 feet) water difference; there are 3 chambers at Løveid taking a total of 35 minutes to pass through a 10.3 meter (almost 34 feet) difference, 3 more chambers at nearby Ulefoss for a 40 minute passage of 10.7 m (35 feet).  Additional locks are located at Eidsfoss, Vrangfoss, Lunde, Kjeldal, and Hogga.  The Norwegian word “foss” means cascade or waterfall in English.  Not counting the travel time between the locks I estimated that it would take about 4 hours to go through all eighteen.  The biggest elevation change occurs at Vrangfoss, with 5 chambers and a 23 meter (75.45 feet) difference.  The drop at Vrangfoss is so impressive and steep I include the photo showing the ship Henrik Ibsen as it moves down the staircase. A little more information can be found here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_Canal

The ship Henrik Ibsen in the Vrangfoss locks
[photo source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_Canal ]

Additional links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldor_B%C3%B8rve

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skotfoss_kyrkje1.jpg

http://www.visitgrenland.no/en/adventure?lang=en&id=22922

Music, music, music

 Grandpa Edd Lorig's guitar

It is a somewhat gloomy, rainy day today and I thought maybe a music post would liven things up. 

When Edd Lorig was a young man he played guitar in a band.  We do not know the name of the band but his granddaughter, who had the guitar until a few years ago, gave it to Edd’s great-great grandson who is also a musician and plays in a band.  Edd’s great-grandson is holding the guitar in the photo above.   

The guitar is an acoustic Washburn parlor guitar model 19110.  Washburn, located in Chicago, Illinois, began making guitars in 1883.  Unfortunately, the Washburn factory has had several fires and all records prior to about 1990 are no longer available.  It was not until the 1980s that Washburn began using model numbers that reflected the manufactured date making it now impossible to tell exactly when the guitar was made.  If Edd played it as a young man before he got married in 1894, which is what the oral history reports say, the guitar could date from about the mid 1880s or early 1890s.

Several people in the extended and immediate family have had an interest in and talent for music ranging from stringed instruments to horns and pianos as well as voice so it is great fun to see an instrument being passed down to another generation. 

Currently my 17-year-old grandson plays the cello in the school orchestra and his 7-year-old brother is taking violin lessons to learn traditional Scandinavian folk music.  We hope that the 7-year-old will be able to move on to the Hardanger fiddle at some time in the future.  Hardanger fiddles have 8 or 9 strings instead of the traditional 4 that are normally found on a violin.  They are very beautiful looking instruments, highly decorated, with a unique sound.  An example is shown below as found at http://en.wikipedia.rg/wiki/Hardanger_fiddle.  These fiddles have been used since the mid 1600s in Norway.  Music played on the Hardanger fiddle has been featured on soundtracks for The Lord of Rings: The Two Towers and Return of the King, Fargo, and How to Train Your Dragon. 

Hardanger Fiddle
[photo: http://en.wikipedia.rg/wiki/Hardanger_fiddle]

Singers in the family included some who sang with the Norwegian Male Chorus.  The photo below of the Ballard Norwegian Male Chorus is dated 1914 and shows Dick Thompson in the back row, third from the right and Harald Landaas in the back row, third from the left.  I.C. Lee also sang with this same group but is not in the picture. 

Norwegian Male Chorus, Ballard, 1914
[photo: courtesy of Lorraine Becker]

The Ballard (Seattle) Norwegian Male Chorus was founded in 1889 and is still going strong.  They perform at Christmas, for Norwegian Constitution Day in May, and at some other events held at the Nordic Heritage Museum and the Leif Erikson Sons of Norway Lodge. 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 60

 Promenade du Peyrou 

Reverse side

Sometimes kind friends who know I like postcards send me cards and I really appreciate it when they do.  This one above shows Promenade du Peyrou, sometimes identified as Jardin du Peyrou, a park in Montpellier, France with the statue of Louis XIV prominently displayed in the center.  I think it a delightful scene as it includes the two elegantly dressed men wearing straw boater hats as they stroll along in the park.  These gentlemen also provide a perspective as to the size of the park and the statue of Louis XIV.  The other large structure is the water tower.   The photographer is identified at the lower left as L. J. Albaille of Montpellier.  Réunies of Nancy, France, printed the card.  A hat like this was popular during the early 1900s and considered formal summer attire for men. 

Below is a view of the park from a recent visit, complete with a small musical combo, a boy on a scooter, and people enjoying a day outdoors.  If you follow a line from the boy on the scooter to the left it is possible to see two figures that are standing approximately where the two men in the vintage postcard are standing.

Promenade du Peyrou
[photo:  courtesy of a Frenchman]

Although the message and the address are written on the reverse of the vintage card I found it interesting that the stamp has been placed on the front side upper left instead of the reverse side upper right.  This does not seem to have caused the post office any difficulty, however, as the stamp has been canceled and one presumes the card was delivered to the intended recipient.  Probably mail was hand canceled when this card was sent.  In today’s machine world I fear the automated canceller would have rejected it for not having the postage in the correct spot.  Then poor Rose at the cake shop would never have received the thoughts of Frederic!

Perhaps it is natural to jump from interest in the cards to the stamps, in any case, I do also enjoy the stamps and may from time to add some to these postcard posts.  It happened that I had another stamp like the one on this card and it does not have such a prominent cancellation mark, therefore, both are enlarged and displayed below.  A fun thing about the stamp on the postcard is that it was canceled in Montpellier, Hérault and that is where it was found approximately 100 years later.  Now it has traveled across the globe to end up in the United States.  Amazing.

The French painter (Paul) Joseph Blanc (1846-1904) designed and engraved stamps called “Type Blanc.”  The stamp above shows the Goddess of Liberty holding the balance of Equality with Fraternity depicted as two small angels.  Copper printing plates were made from engraved boxwood blocks.  Type Blanc stamps were first printed as flat sheets then later appear as rotary printing.  Beginning in 1900 this design was approved and the stamps were issued in denominations of 1c, 2c, 3c, 4c, and 5c with the 7 ½c released in 1926.  A 10c stamp was issued in 1929.  The color depended on the value of the stamp and this one that may have faded with time looks a shade of blue to me but was identified as green.  The design was used for a long enough period of time that these stamps can be found in flea markets and other places. 

For additional information about Joseph Blanc and the stamps please see:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Blanc_%28peintre%29
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Blanc

Les Jardins du Peyrou
[photo by Jean-Luc Zaragoza]

The vintage postcard arrived in my mailbox accompanied by the card above showing an aerial view of modern day Montpellier featuring Peyrou park together with a letter containing additional information about both cards and the stamp.  From the view it is possible to see the symmetry of the park and its relationship to this section of the city.  The water tower looks larger and the statue pedestal looks much smaller—it is centered in the area with the trees.  The triumphal “golden” arch seen just at the upper middle left of the card balances the arched water tower.   The photographer is identified on the reverse as Jean-Luc Zaragoza, the card was printed by Meridionales and titled “Les jardins du Peyrou.”


…………………………………………………………..

Merci beaucoup!  J'aime les cartes postales, des photos et du timbre.  Merci aussi pour les informations intéressantes sur le parc et le timbre.
[Thank you very much.  I love the postcards, the photos and the stamp. Thank you also for the interesting information about the park and the stamp.]

The maternal ancestors of Didrik Andreas Thomsen, part 2

 

Photo:  Didrik Andreas Thomsen as a young man

 
Please see the 24 July 2012 post for part 1 listing the maternal ancestors of Didrik Andreas Thomsen. 

Didrik’s mother was (I) Anne Didriksdatter the daughter of (II) Didrik Ånensen Dybvig (also spelled Djupvik) and (II) Gjertrud Marie Nilsdatter.  The previous post ended with Gjertrud’s parents, (III) Nils Tobias Pedersen Austad (born 1745) and (III) Anne Malene Jacobsdatter Nuland (born 1742 died 1782).  Today’s post begins with the parents of Nils Tobias Pedersen Austad. 

 [photo source:  Bygdebok for Nes Herred by Kaare S. Berg, p 119]

 

[photo source:  Bygdebok for Nes Herred by Kaare S. Berg, p. 20]

(IV) Peder Larsson Austad, born 1723 at Nes, Flekkefjord, Vest Agder, Norway the son of (V) Lars Pederson and Guri Jakobsdatter Osen.  Peder was married twice, first to Torborg Rasmusdatter Sunde who was the widow of Nils Ellingson Drangeid.  Torborg was born in 1712 the daughter of Rasmus Larsson Sunde and Todne Kristensdatter.  Peder and Torborg were married in 1744 at Nes.  Their children:

1.    * (III) Nils Tobias Pedersen, born 1745, inheritor of the farm
2.    Torborg, born 1748, died as a young child
3.    Lars, bron 1750, died as a young child
4.    Rasmus, born 1754, went to Holland in 1774, died unmarried, 1777
5.    Peder, born 1757, was living in Holland in 1777

Torborg Rasmusdatter Sunde died before 1765. 

Peder married second to Inger Hansdatter Lilledrange, born 1726, the daughter of Hans Tønneson Lilledrange and Anna Nilsdatter.  Inger Hansdatter was the widow of Tønnes Tjøstulfson lille Løyning a subdivision of Austad.  Their children:

1.    Tønnes, born 1765, died 1831
2.    Hans, born about 1768, inheritor
3.    Torborg, born about 1769, married Kornelius Korsmisson Netland

Inger died in 1775.   Peder was listed as lensmann or administrative official in 1770, he died in 1773.

(V) Lars Pederson, born about 1700 and died 1765, the son of (VI) Peder Larsson Gursli and Ingrid Pedersdatter.  Lars Pederson married first to Torborg Ånunsdatter Djupvik.  Torborg died 1737.  Their children:

1.    Marthe, born 1720, married Ole Ståleson Åsen
2.    * (IV) Peder born 1723, inheritor
3.    Helga, born 1729, married in 1755 to Sakarias Nilsson Ståby
4.    Anna, born 1733
5.    Birgitte, born 1737

Lars married second Siri Andersdatter from øvre Stølen in Herad, born 1685, died in 1755 at 70 years of age.  They did not have any children.

Lars married third to Guri Jakobsdatter Osen.  Their children:

1.    Jakob, born 1757, married Gjertrud Reidarsdatter Flikka
2.    Anne Berthe, born 1760, married 1787 Hans Hansson jr. Andabeløy
3.    Lars, born 1763

(VI) Peder Larsson Gursli, born 1670 and died 1728, the son of  (VII) Lauritz or Lars Jensson Hellesmark, Lund, and Ingrid Pedersdatter Gursli (no birth years given) who was the daughter of Peder Torgeirson Gursli, born 1622.   Peder married Helga Atlaksdatter Hove of Lund.  Peder is mentioned in Lund Bugdebok by Mehus; Kvinesdal Bydgdebok volume 1 by Årli, and Bygdebok for Nes Herred by Berg.  Peder and Helga had these children:

1.    * (V) Lars Pederson, born about 1700, inheritor
2.    Ingeborg, Pedersdatter,
3.    Ingrid
4.    Gjertrud, born 1709, married Oluf Osmundson Djubvik
5.    Birgitte

(VII)  Lauritz or Lars Jensson Hellesmark, born 1649, died 1728, married Ingrid Pedersdatter Gursli

(VIII)  Jens Lauritzon Hellesmark born 1616 died after 1700 married Bodil Lauritzdatter Bjerkreim the daughter of Lauritz Lauritzson Bjerkreim sokneprest in Lund, died 1640.

(IX)  Lauritz Knutson Øverland of Lund  (named 1635-45) married (given name not known) Jensdatter

(X) Jens Nilsson Hellesmark, (named in 1591)

(XI) Nils Hansson sokneprest in Lund, named in 1563, married Maren Jensdatter Hellesmark, named 1566-1590.

It is possible to also trace the extended additional female lines using Bygdebok for Nes Herred volumes 1-3 but I have only followed one direct line stemming from Didrik Andreas Thomsen’s mother’s mother, (II) Gjertrud Marie Nilsdatter.  Please see pp 120-127 of the aforementioned book series, volume 3.  At one time these farms were huge but over the years they were divided and re-divided until there were hundreds of small farms instead of the one large farm.  Austad had 116 divisions, Sunde had 360, Djupvik had 37, Nuland had 34.  I wasn’t able to tell if these divisions were larger than some of the others or if Djupvik and Nuland were just smaller areas in the first place.

Below are two maps.  The first one is a outline of the county or Fylke of Vest Agder, Norway and the second is a more detailed view of Nes Herred.  On the county map it is possible to see just how close this Thompson branch of the family was to the Hornnes branch.  It seems amazingly strange and wonderful that the descendants of these two families connected in America and probably never knew each other in Norway yet lived in fairly close proximity to each other.

                                                      

Map of Vest Agder 
[source:  Genealogical Maps and Guide to Norwegian Parish Registers by Finn A. Thomsen]

  

More detailed map of Nes Herred, Flekkefjord, Vest Agder, Norway
   [source:  Bygdebok for Nes Herred, volume 1, by Kaare S. Berg]

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 59

 Østerbro Stadion, København, Danmark

 Reverse side of postcard

Axel Schroder received this card in January 1933 from Cathe Schroder as a thank you for Christmas and New Year greetings and reciprocal greetings back to Axel and his family.  Cathe’s handwriting is quite pretty.  It basically just wishes Axel and his family a good new year, thanks him for his long Christmas letter, mentions the new car and sends love and greetings to the family.  I think that is the general idea of the message but know I am missing parts of it.  If someone wants to translate the Danish for us that would be appreciated, as I am sure I didn’t get everything. 

The portal of the Østerbro stadion in København, Danmark on the postcard pictured above still exists but is no longer used as the entry.  The stadium was opened in 1912 and was the first sports stadium in the city.  The portal dates from 1926.  Both dates 1912 and 1926 are found in Roman numerals on the top portion of the entryway.  The original stadium architects were Arthur Wittmaack and William Hvalsøe.  It has been enlarged and revamped several times over the years since 1912 so that more sports fields could be added, dressing and changing rooms updated, additional grandstand seats, and clubhouse improvements could be made.  The stadium includes the outdoor facility for football (soccer) and five indoor venues for boxing, handball, table tennis (ping pong), martial arts and strength training.  In the basement there is equipment for weight lifting and general exercise. 

Several sculptures can be found on the stadium grounds including the two shown on the card.  “The Archer” by Ernst Moritz Geyger a German sculptor born in 1861 died in 1941 is mounted on a pedestal and centered in the entry on the postcard.  Geyger was a painter and etcher as well as a sculptor and the figure of the archer is prominent in his works.  Below is a close up of "The Archer."  For more information about Geyger see: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Moritz_Geyger

"The Archer" by Ernst Moritz Geyger

The second sculpture on the card is of three runners placed at the top of the entry.  It is titled “When the Target” and was created by Alfred Boucher a French sculptor born in 1850 and died in 1934.  There is a little more about Boucher at: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Boucher

"When the target" by Alfred Boucher

For additional information: http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%98sterbro_Stadion