Visiting the Hordaland farms of our ancestors

My worry is nothing on this trip will match the incredible day we had yesterday in Etne, Hordaland, Norway. The ancestral farms around the lake were so very green with snow-capped mountains behind them and sheep everywhere. The weather was perfect. We had a traditional lamb and cabbage stew lunch with the Skjold third cousins on their deck overlooking the valley and lake. Followed by fruit-filled waffles.

Jarle at the Lake

Jarle at the Lake

Our cousin Jarle was a wonderful guide. He showed me the house, still there, where my great grandfather H. H. Lee was born on farm Skjold. He mentioned that they had shown cousin John the wrong farm, the newer Skjold farm built by Jarle’s grandfather.

Kitty touching the house her great-grandad H H Lee was born in

The house my great-grandad H H Lee was born in

Jarle also told us that the children called the white plastic wrapped hay bales “tractor eggs” because they came wrapped that way out of the backs of the tractors. Also we learned that most of Norway’s electricity is hydo-electric and that there are green chemicals available for fracking but regulations in the USA are such that companies do not have to use them. He works in the chemicals for oil companies business by the way.

JarleAtSkjold

Cousin Jarle at Skjold farm by old thresher

View from Tveito Farm with stone steps

View from Tveito Farm with stone steps

We drove onto the farm, Tveito where Corinne and my gg-grandmothers were born. Hers married over to Haaland and mine to Skjold. We introduced ourselves to Steinar, a fourth cousin whose family had stayed on farm Tveito. It is now his vacation home and he rents out the fields to other farmers. He showed me sadly where the deer had eaten his magnolia tree and his apples.

Farm Tveito Sheep

Cousin Steinar then showed us the actual house our gg-grandmothers were born in. It is beautifully restored, wood floors, walls and also very low wood ceilings. It was the first house in the area with a second story.

The old farm house at Tveito

Cousin Steinar in Tveito House

Cousin Steinar in Tveito House

Corinne can touch the ceiling in the house of our ancestors

 

Lower Haaland Farm from Upper (Corinne's ancestors)

Indre (inner) Haaland Farm from Ytre (outer) – Corinne’s ancestors were from Ytre

 

The day before was pretty great also, finding Fatland farm on Halsnøy Island with 5th cousin Magne and his mother; getting lost in very scenic places whose place names I recognized as also being ancestral (1600s and earlier).

 

Leaving ferry slip at Utaker

Leaving ferry slip at Utaker

Next a tunnel and car ferry from Utaker (another ancestral place) to Skanevik which looks to be a most picturesque little town. If we ever return to this part of the world, we will try to stay a night there.

Skanevik from ferry

Skanevik from ferry

Then Magne took us to farm Ve which has been broken down to about 6 or 7 farms since the time of our ancestors there. Further out on the same penninsula was Bjorgo farm where yet another set of ancestors lived

Cousin Magne at Ve

Cousin Magne at Ve

Ve farm view

Ve farm view

One of the Ve farms

One of the Ve farms

Map of Etne with red marking our places

Map of Etne with red marking our places

The Ve farm is about here.
It is south of the town of Etne known as Etnesjøen, on the Etne fjord.

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13 thoughts on “Visiting the Hordaland farms of our ancestors

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  1. Oh, I wish I could be there to see everything you are seeing! Magical to be there, I’m sure.

    I hope you were able to receive and access the Halaand family’s old stereoscopic prints of Etne neighbors and family in time for your trip.

    So enjoying your pics!

    Cousin Jan

  2. Amazing pictures, looks like a wonderful vacation! I need to take that trip once myself – thank you for posting this 🙂

    • Yes Kristine, it is amazingly beautiful, at least in the summer. Our cousins tell me it is dark some 20 hours a day in the winter because those lovely mountains block what little sun there is!
      The bottom two photos are of the farm VE where your shared ancestors with me are from.

  3. Hi, beautiful photos,
    looking for pictures of Tveita/Tvedte farm, Fitjar, Hordaland area if any. Thank you so very much

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