Årdal gamle kirke (Årdal old church)

The Årdal gamle kirke (Årdal old church) is located east of the Nordskår farm. The son-in-law of Ole Olson Søndenå and Mari Iversdatter Nordskår, Lars Pederson Valheim (Americanized to Vallem) was laid to rest at this wooden church which dates back to 1619, one year before the Pilgrims landed at Provincetown, Massachusetts.

This map provides perspective where Lars was born, the church location and the residence of Rachel Olsdatter (Finnestad) Vallem.

Nordskår, Årdal and Valheim

Very few grave markers exist today as shown by the exterior photos.

Entrance

Side yard and rear of the church

View from rear of church

Side view

Interior shots of the church.

View from the entrance

Ceiling and wall panels

Rear portion of the church

The stained glass window depicts the Danish flag and a sailor holding a stein of beer. Unusual religious symbolism but very unique. Denmark ruled Norway at the time the church was built which explains the use of the their flag in the stained glass.

Stained glass window

Here, a ceiling panel depicts the sun.

Ceiling panel

More artwork.

Wall at the rear of the church

A stove.

Pews for wealthy farmers had their names on the door to the pew.

Pew door

This is NOT the church that the family of Ole Olson Søndenå and Mari Iversdatter Nordskår attended. Their parish was Hjelmeland/Fister. In any event, if ever in the area, it is well worth a visit for the historical value and rarity of a wooden church still standing today from 1619.

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Kenneth and Lillian Finnestad obituaries

I have had previously posted the obituary for my great great grandfather Ole Finnestad several posts back. I have not yet been able to locate an obituary for my great grandparents Oliver and Mary Finnestad, though here are the obituaries for my grandparents, Kenneth and Lillian Finnestad.

Ole Finnestad Jr obituary

Here is the obituary for my great, great grandfather, Ole Finnestad Jr from the Dixon Evening Telegraph of July 9, 1928. Note the misspelling of his first and last name, though Finnestad was spelled correctly within the content of the article. You will also note that his brother Rasmus had moved from Canada to Washington by the time of his brother's death. Oddly, there is no mention of the sisters that survived him, leading me to believe they may have lost touch by the time of his death.

Finnestad Farm - Stavanger, Norway

It was customary in Norway to take the farm name as the family name. Prior to arriving in America, Ole Finnestad was known as Ole Olson. According to the Regional State Archives of Stavanger, in 1862, Ole Olsen bought a farm from Bjørn Larsen. The following link provides some farm information along with the family members in 1865: http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&sidenr=59&filnamn=f61126&gardpostnr=582&sokefelt=vis “Merknad 387b” now means property nr. 16 of the farm Finnestad. (Please keep in mind that accuracy of records is less than perfect - so ages and other information are not always correct) For more information on Stavanger and a map of the area, please go to the following wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavanger

Finnestad Ancestry

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