Looking for info on Rasmus and Kari Svor family who moved from Ytre Svor, Nordfjord, Norway to Montevideo, MN abt 1880. One son, Johan Andreas Svor (John Andrew Swore) lived on the family farm until abt. 1917 then moved to Crookston, MN. then on to Kalispell, MT. John Andrew m. Ethel Lillian Dittman. Ethels parents, William Frederick Dittman and Louise Kreuger (Brick Wall) Anyone with information on any of these folks, please contact me.

Thank you.

Hi Susan,

It's good to hear from you! I decided to post on this board in case there is anyone else researching this family. After I posted to you on the Chippewa board, I did find Peter Jangaard's website, www.jangaard.com.... it's very interesting!

Knut Klemet Bjorge (farm name from farm after Svor) was my gr-grandfather. Information I received on this family in Norway...

Klemet Klemetson Svor, 1815-1858(?)... his forefathers had lived on the Svor farm for at least two hundred years. Klemet died in 1859(?) and Anne remarried Johan Rasmusson Sunde from Stryn, a neighbor community. Anne and Johan had 2 sons, Rasmus, b. 1860, and Samuel, born 1863.

In 1869, the family sold the Svor farm and left Hornindal, Rasmus Klemetson was the farmer then. They bought a new farm, Bjørge, in he eastern part of Norway, in Bardal, near the town of Gjøvik.

After some years the family left Bjørge and emigrated to America. Johan was dead in Norway then. Rasmus and Knut emigrated first. They worked for a year in Minnesota. Rasmus borrowed money from a relative named Hatledaø øovomg mear Benson, MN and sent for the rest of the family. Later Rasmus bought a farm in Montevideo, MN and lived there for rest of his life....son Sigurd was the last of the Svor family to run the farm in Montevideo.

That is pretty much what I know. Another site I found where you can find information from Norwegian records is: Flykesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane http://www.sffarkiv.no/

The Rasmus, b.1860 from Anne's 2nd marriage, became Rasmus Lunde (this must have come from his father's Sunde name) and was living with a son of Knut (Carl) at the time of Knut's death, according to his obituary.

I have that Knut came to America 30 April 1883. Somewhere I have the name of the ship, but I can't find it now.

Knut's children were Anna Bjorge Johnson, Carl Bjorge, Ida Bjorge Danielson (my grandmother), Julius Bjorge, Regina Bjorge, Clara Bjorge Gomer, Oscar Bjorge, Agnes Bjorge, George Bjorge, Ella Bjorge Mashek.

I'm still pretty new to Norwegian genealogy, I have been researching my Swedish side. I still have to get used to the farm names. It is a great way to help trace the family. I had known about the name Svor, it was said that it Anne's name, but as I have recently found out, it comes from Klemet's family farm. On Knut's death certificate, it lists his parents as Klemet Klemetson Bjorge and Anne Klemetson Bjorge. No wonder I had trouble when searching for Knut... I was looking for Bjorge. I have since found him in trees listed as a Svor.

I also found another tree submitted on rootsweb (as I later found yours) that has Anne Olsdatter Seljeset as having died in the US. It also has the youngest son, Samuel, of Anne and Johan as having died in the US. Do you know any more about these people, or any of the other siblings of your Rasmus Svor?

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie

Thanks for the info. I went to the web page you gave me, but I do not read that language. I have some information you might not have. Klemet Klemetsen Svor died at an early age, 1858. Anna remarried 6/10/1859 to Johan Rasmussen Lunde. Then had 3 children. Ole Andreas b. 1851, Knut b. 1856 and Rasmus Johanson b 1860. There were also two sisers who died very young. This information came from Rudolpf L. Swore (Svor) who I believe was Knuts son. He visited Norway and got his information from some family members still living there.
I show Anne Olsdatter Seljeset and Klemet Klemetsen having 5 children. Rasmus Klemet Klementson Svor, Ingeborg Klemetsdatter, Synneve Anne Karoline, Ole Andreas Klemetsen and Knut Rasmus Klemetsen Svor.

I have the entire 4 page original letter that you might find interesting. I would like to send it to you via e-mail rather than post all 4 pages here.
Send me your email address and I'll send you the letter. Sue

Hello, to Stephanie,

I know this message is from 5 years ago, but I just came across it. If you are still there...my Grandfather was Oscar Bjorge. :)

Karen

Hello Karen,

I'm still here!

The Oscar Bjorge in my post is most likely not your grandfather. He died in his teens (15-16), not married, no kids.

Do you know any more about your grandfather's heritage, parents, where he was born?

My Bjorge ancestor (Knut) took his last name from the last farm he lived on in Norway, where he was staying while he was attending a seminary or teacher's school. His oldest brother took the name from the original farm (Svor) where they were born.

There's probably more than one Bjorge farm in Norway. The one my ancestor was basically a border at is in Oppland.

If you have any more info, we can try to see what we can figure out.

Stephanie

Thanks so much for your reply. Honestly, I was bored at work and Googled my Grandfathers name. He IS the one who designed the logo wheel for the Rotary Club. And I assumed it was such an uncommon name that he was the same as yours. I know he was from the Duluth MN and (my grandmother was from Marquette.) And they moved to Portland OR in the 1920's. I don't know his date of birth, but she was born in 1888 (so thereabouts) and he died in 1961. It's not a very common name: my Uncle Jim used to live in New York and he was the only Bjorge.
Thanks so much for still being there. :)
Karen

Karen,

I did a bit of searching and found a bit of info ...

According to the 1900 census (in Duluth) Oscar is the son of Hans Bjorge, born Oct 1856 in Norway and Jennie born June 1859 in Norway ... they were married 19 years at that point ... Jennie had 6 children, 6 living. Hans immigrated in 1869, Jennie in 1870.

Not sure if it's the same Hans, but I did find a Hans Bjorge age 22 (2 years younger, but I've had ancestors change ages many times) in the 1880 census. He's listed as brother and his occupation is "teaching school". This I find interesting because my Knut Bjorge was staying at the Bjorge farm while he was attending a seminary in Hamar to be a teacher (which apparently he was at some point in MN). Hans may have been too young to have attended that school ... just a thought. He should have been between 11 and 13 when he immigrated ... maybe with his brother??? I think it could be his mother also listed in 1880, so maybe the whole family came over.

I haven't found him in 1870, yet. He's seems to be born between 1856-1859 (according to census records). I don't know Jennie's maiden name, so I haven't found her, yet. I do see here listed as Jennette S. in later census.

We should probably move this off the Svor board ... maybe to a Bjorge board. It's getting late, I'll try to do it at another time.

Stephanie