Gaudland

Gaudland is a small farm in Sokndal, Norway. Today it functions as a holiday farm under the supervision of Stavanger Turistforening.
Man has left traces in Sokndal as long back as 8000 years B.C. The people were hunters, living from what nature would bring of wild game, fish, berries and vegetables. It was not until around 1500 B.C. that they gave up their nomadic life style and began to settle down. Farming became more and more important, though hunting and fishing also gave necessary income to the family.
Development continued till the Black Death around 1349-1350, killing more than half of the Norwegian population, including that of Sokndal. After the 14th century, population increased, and also development, as the people acquired more wealth.
In Sokndal the citizens of the small town of Sogndalstrand became wealthy, mainly because of the close relations to the sea, and its status as a town of commerce. Fishing and farming has also been an important occupation in Sokndal. Throughout the 19th century mining became an important source of income for the municipality of Sokndal, and today the mining company Titania is the single biggest employer in the area. Today Sogndalstrand is most known for its tourism. The capital of the municipality is Hauge (called Haua amongst the local inhabitants).
The farm named Gaudland is located 6-7 kilometers (4 miles) from Hauge. Old graves on the farm date human activity in the area back to approximately the 11th century, but the oldest written testimony of people living at the farm, dates back to 1563, when the name Endre Gaudland appears in documents.
Life on the farm must have been hard. In a time without cars and machinery, and also miles away from the town, people on the farm were pretty much left alone, working from sunrise to sunset. Winter time was more relaxing than summer time, simply because the sunrise was later in the morning, and sunset was earlier in the evening. In this part of Norway, a summer day will start with bright sunshine at about 05.00 AM and the sunset will be at about 10 PM. In the winter, around Christmas, daylight will appear at around 8 AM and disappear at around 5 PM. Without daylight, no work could be done.
The farmer and his wife had to care for the animals on the farm (mainly cows, sheep, pigs, poultry, and horses), had to grow barley, potatoes, vegetables, and other crops, had to maintain buildings and fences, do the harvesting and conserving food, making clothes, and many other such chores.
Crops, meat and dairy products were sold to local inhabitants, or traded for merchandise, to make life a bit easier.
The first public school in Sokndal was established in 1827. The council hired teachers and made suitable buildings available for school purposes. The kids at Gaudland had to walk to the nearest school building, being located close to Saurdal.
When going to church, one also had to go by foot, a total of 6-7 kilometers (4 miles) from Gaudland to the church. The roads were not even close to today’s standards. The 1 kilometer road to connect the Gaudland farm to the main road was first established in 1910, making it possible to use a horse and sleigh when going to church, or doing other errands in Hauge.
The last inhabitant on the Gaudland farm was Jakob Gaudland, who took over the farm from his father Thelaus in the 1930s. Jakob never married, and he lived on the farm together with his sister, Ingeborg. When she died, Jakob was alone on the farm for a few years, and in the 1960s he sold the farm to the council of Sokndal, and established his new home in the centre of Hauge.
When talking about the Gaudland roots, it is necessary to make some restrictions on which path to follow. Family trees always consist of many roots, going in different directions. In the following brief summary, we will concentrate on starting with the Danish kings around 900 A.D. and do a relatively straight line up to the last inhabitants of the Gaudland farm, simply because the kings provide the most interesting and colorful story in the various Gaudland roots.
Gorm the Old was a Danish king around 860 A.D. His queen was Tyra Danabot Haraldsdatter. In Jelling, Jutland, there is a large stone memorial erected by Harald Bluetooth (died 985) commemorating his father Gorm and his mother Tyra, also - in runic inscription - entitling himself the master of the whole of Denmark and Norway.
Many Norwegians - and of course also many Danes - can claim themselves to be descendants of Gorm the Old and his son Harald Bluetooth. But the fact is interesting, and it is possible to follow the roots from Gorm, through Harald and his son Svein Forkbeard and so on, up until today. Svein Forkbeard was a leading Viking warrior and his army killed the holy Olav Tryggvason in the naval battle of Svold.
Svein Forkbeard had a daughter called Astrid (Estrid) Sveinsdatter, who married the Danish earl named Ulf the Jarl. Their son, Svein II Estridson was born in 1020, and became a Danish king in 1080. He was presumably a good king. “Heimskringla” honors him with the description: “He was the fairest of men”. Five of Svein’s (illegitimate) sons succeeded to the Danish throne, and his dynasty - the Valdemars - ruled in Denmark for 300 years. One of the sons - Erik Sveinson - is of particular interest for the Gaudland roots. He ruled from 1095 to 1103, and was referred to as Erik III Eiegod (“the always good king”). During his reign Scandinavia was recognized as an archdiocese with the seat in Lund (Sweden, 1104). Erik Eiegod died while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His oldest son, Canute Eriksen Lavard, married Ingebjørg, the second daughter of Harald Valdemarson. He was not a king, but became the lord of the Danish area of South Jutland. The happy couple had four children. Their only son was Valdemar the Great, who coerced archbishop Eskil to coronate his seven year old son Canute to the Danish throne. Valdemar seized the throne of Denmark in 1157, and reigned till 1182.
Valdemar II Valdemarson “Victorious” was the third child of Valdemar the Great. He was born in 1170, and died in 1241. He worked to unify the legal and administrative system in Denmark, and from 1206 he was active in crusades to Christianize the eastern Baltic region, following the extension of the Danish empire to include Estonia and Reval. During his reign, the institution of “hof” began. This was a yearly meeting to check royal accountability against misuse of power. This charter is the first written constitution of Denmark.
Valdemar II Valdemarson “Victorious” had four sons. Canute Valdemarson is the one leading the Gaudland roots forward. He became lord of Estonia and Reval. In 1232 he acquired Blekine (then Danish, now Swedish). He was married twice. Ingegerd of Pommern was his second wife, and she brought young Svantepolk Canutson to life.
Svantepolk Canutson married Bengta Sunesdatter, and thereby became a member of the noble Swedish Folkunge-family. In Sweden he became known as Svante. He was a law official in Øster-Gøtaland. They had three daughters, of which the oldest one was named Ingegerd Svantepolksdatter. She married to Brynjulf Bengtson Lejon (Lejon = Lion, a nobility family weapon medallion), and their only known child was named Algot Brynjulfson Lejon. He took over the judicial office of his grandfather Svantepolk in Øster-Gøtaland, and married Kristina Tolevsdatter. Their first born son was named Knut Algotson Lejon. He was a knight. He and his brother Bengt held Swedish parliamentary offices, and they had much to say in ruling Sweden-Norway. When war broke out, Knut was loyal to king Magnus, and held to the land he had been granted in Norway - the Talgje/Finnøy-area. Knut Algotson Lejon married several times. His second marriage was with Margreta (Marta) Ulfsdatter. She was one of ten children of Birgitta Birgitsdotter (born 1303, died 1373), later know as St. Birgitta.
Marta and Knut moved to Norway around 1356 or 1357. They had four daughters, of whom Ramborg Knutsdatter (1353) was the oldest. Her legitimate birth is questioned by inheritance controversy. It may very well be that she is only the daughter of Knut, and not of Marta. In that case she will not be inherited with St. Birgitta.
Anyway, Ramborg married to the nobleman Gard I. Toreson, who was a law official in Ryfylke in 1423. He was born in 1373. They had four children. Their oldest one was named Tore II. Gardson, who was born in 1398 and died after 1451. He was married to Ragnhild Eivindsdatter Aarstad-Bø around 1427.
Tore owned the island Talgje in Ryfylke, and probably other estates as well. His wife Ragnhild also inherited estate in both Holmen, Brådli and Vikesdal, probably from her brother, bishop Audun Eivindson.
Tore and Ragnhild had four children. Their second son, Svein Toresson Bø, is the most interesting when it comes to the Gaudland roots. He was born around 1425, and died around 1469. The name of his wife is unknown. Her family name is Belestdatter. Svein inherited property in Holmen and Brådli. He and his presumably beautiful wife had two sons and a daughter. The name of their sons has been found in written records: Steinar and Halvor. But the name of their daughter is unknown, but naturally her family name was Sveinsdatter. She married to Svein Asgautson, and their son was named Asgaut Svenson Eikeland. This was around 1470. Note that the family names from now on transfer from being the name of the father, to being the name of residence. Ausgaut Svenson Eikeland settled on the Eikeland farm , and therefore took the name Eikeland as his family name. His name is mentioned in a written record from Eikeland dated 1521. There are no written reports on his wife, but he presumably had one, and they had a son: Erik Asgautson Eikeland. He is mentioned in various written records from 1563 to 1591. He had two children: Tore Erikson Lauperak and Rasmus Eriksen Gjeitrem. Tore is the most interesting man in the Gaudland roots survey. Again we have no records of to whom Tore married, but he had five children. The youngest one was named Gjermund Toreson Netland, who was born in 1576, and married to a girl with unknown name. Her family name was Trondsdatter Odland. They had one son: Håkon Gjermundson Netland. He is mentioned in 1629. He married to Brynhild Atlaksdatter Odland, and their child was named Trond Håkonson Lauperak. The name Trond he probably got from his grandfather: Trond Ingvaldson Odland. Trond Håkonson Lauperak was born in 1665, and he drowned in the falls of Bjørdalsfossen in 1718. His wife was Marta Olesdatter Assheim (born 1663, died 1724). Their child was named Erik Trondson Lauperak, who was born in 1697 and died in 1721.
Erik Trondson Lauperak married to Ingeborg Helgesdatter Bjerkreim (born 1705, died 1747). They had two children. One of them was Trond Eriksson Lauperak - who later became “The Bjerkreim King” (a rich man in Bjerkreim). The other one was Erik Erikson Malmei, who was born in 1740. He married three times. His second wife, Else Ammundsdatter Skjæveland, gave birth to three out of total nine children. The third born was Amund Erikson Malmei Bjelland, who was born in 1791, and died in 1860. He was a farmer, and married to widow Helen Salvesdatter Barstad in 1819. She was of Dutch ancestry.
They had six children. In the Gaudland roots survey, their third child is the most interesting: Ane Amundsdatter Bjelland. She was born in 1829, and died in 1901. What makes her special in this occasion, is that she married Thorlak Thorlakson Gaudland (born 1819, died 1911), bringing the Gaudland name into this long ancestry tale. Thorlak was the son of farmer Tollak Iversen Gaudland and Kirsten Gundersdatter Berglyd. Thorlak lost his left arm in a dynamiting accident.
Ane gave birth to four children: Thelaus Kristian Tollakson Gaudland, Amund Tollakson Gaudland, Helene Kristine Tollaksdatter Gaudland and Anton Selius Tollakson Gaudland. Amund died at the age of 3 of whooping cough. Helene also died relatively young, in the age of 30 (born 1867, died 1897). Anton (born 1870, died 1950) emigrated to America. He had a daughter, Tina (born 1912, died 1983), and a son, Clarence (born 1909, died 1988). Clarence married Gladys Aagaard (born 1911, died 1995). They had no kids. Tina married to Inge Martin Fossum (born 1898, died 1988). They had two sons: Robert and Timothy.
Robert Merle Fossum (born 1938) first married to Cynthia Carol Foss (born 1937, died 2003). They had two children: Karen Jean Fossum and Kristin Ann Fossum. Robert’s second wife was Barbara Joel Mason (born 1955). She gave birth to two sons: Jonathan Robert Fossum (born 1981) and Erik Anton Fossum (born 1983). And finally, in 1997, Robert Merle Fossum married Robin Karyl Goodman (born 1954).
His brother Timothy Vaughn Fossum (born 1942) married twice. His first wife was Ella Blestren Ager (born 1943). She gave birth to two children: Martin Trygve Fossum (born 1969) and Trina Britt Fossum (born 1971). His second wife was Susan Haller (born 1954).
Thelaus (born 1860, died 1945) married to Anne Jakobsdatter Åvendal (born 1865, died 1956). They took over the Gaudland farm, and also Thelaus was a banker in the small Sokndal Sparebank. Anne’s parents were Jakob Gunderson Åvendal (born 1832) and Ingeborg Jakobsdatter Lindland (born 1837). Thelaus and Anne had four children: Thorvald Thelausson Gaudland, Ingeborg Thelausdatter Gaudland, Anna Thelausdatter Gaudland and Jakob Thelausson Gaudland.
Thorvald married to Ragna Andreasdatter Midbrød, and bought a farm in Egersund. They had the children Trygve Ragnvald Gaudland (born 1926), Tron Kristian Gaudland (born 1930, died 1931) and Toralf Andreas Gaudland (born 1933, died 2002).
Ingeborg was never married, and stayed at the Gaudland farm together with her brother.
Anna married to Jakob Sivertsen Barstad, and gave birth to five children: Elisabeth Jakobsdatter Barstad, Torleif Jakobson Barstad, Anne Jakobsdatter Barstad, Signe Jakobsdatter Barstad og Sigmund Jakobson Barstad.
Jakob was never married, and he took over the Gaudland farm in 1935, being the last Gaudland resident on the farm.
Source: www.gaudland.no

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