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Rennesøy.
Rennesøy is an island just north of Stavanger in the Boknafjorden. The island is only about 10 miles long (from west to east) but consists of tree separate community (in the “old” days without cars): Sørbø, Vikevåg and Østhusvik. The County of Sørbø is again divided in places as: Bø, Reianes, Voll, Galta, Seglem, Asmervik, Risa, Hummervoll and Sørbø, each place with one to a few farms and houses (fishermen, craftsmen, etc.).
Today Rennesøy is not an “island” any more because of the two tunnels
under the sea. One from Rennesøy to Mosterøy, and one from Bru to Stavanger.
Between Mosterøy and Bru there are some small bridges. So now it takes only
half an hour by car from Risa to Stavanger. Before the tunnels came in 1992,
there were regular boats going to Stavanger from Vikevåg, and earlier also from
Reianes on Sørbø. But before then, in the "real" old days, the
farmers had to row or sail their boats to Stavanger, to sell their excesses
products.
Risa.
The Risa farms was placed under Utstein Kloster (on Mosterøy) ab. 1270,
and the farmers had to work and pay tax to that monastery.
From about the 1700s the place Risa was divided into 3 independent Risa
farm, but still under Utstein Kloster. The scattered farmlands were later exchanged
to be continuous land around the farm houses. Ab. 1770 the farmers bought their
farms from Utstein Kloster and become freeholders.
The word Risa means the place (...a) with brushwood (ris) or small
wood. Riså is a small river (å) floating through the brushwood. Risa could also
mean the farm (place) beneath the hill (rise), This Ris-name is used on farms
several places in Norway (Risnes, Risøy, Rise, Rishaug, Risjord). The nearest
Risa farms to Rennesøy are on Sola and Nærbø on Jæren, and Mongstad in
Hordaland). So all Risa names in Norway, and USA, are not related.
Emigration to USA.
The first organized emigration from Norway to USA, was the Cleng
Peerson’s group on the boat “Restoration”, leaving Stavanger the 4th
of July 1825.
But, before that lots of Norwegian seamen had seen the “new” country.
One such Norwegian was Claes Carstensen, born ab. 1607 in Sande (the home place
of Arne Risa). He became a Dutch sailor, and ended up as a very early settler
in “New Amsterdam” ab. 1640. In 1654 he was appointed Indian interpreter in
connection with the purchase of Manhattan from the Indians. He died in 1697, 33
years after New Amsterdam had been renamed New York in connection with the
British occupation of the Dutch colony.
Even Cleng Peerson had visit USA as a seaman in 1821, and discovered
the possibility for new settlers.
The Cleng Peerson group of 50 persons from the Stavanger area, arrived
in New York after 3 month. There they sold the boat and went by steamboat up
Hudson river to Albany. From here they went on the new canal (Erie) towards
Lake Erie (Buffalo). They went through Rochester and then to Murray (Kendall)
on the shore of Lake Ontario. In this wooden area they settled down, build
their houses, and start farming.
In 1833 Cleng left Kendall to look for new and better farming land. He
went on foot to Chicago, up to Milwaukee and back to Chicago, but the land was
too swampy. There was only ab. 100 people living in Chicago at that time, and
he could have bought lots of land there. The Indians living in this area had
just sign a treaty about leaving the area to new settlers. But Cleng was
recommended to go west to find better farmland, and that he found in the Fox
River Valley, north of Ottawa and Illinois River.
In 1834 half of the group at Kendall followed him to this new area. In
Kendall they bought land 8 years earlier for 5 $ per acre, now they only had to
pay 1.25 $, and they did get 13 $ per acre for the land they sold at Kendall.
At Kendall they also had to take down the wood to get good farmland. In the Fox
River Valley they only had to burn down the steppe grass to get started.
In 1836 Cleng and some of the new settlers traveled back to Norway to
visit families and convincing more people to come to USA. They traveled around
in the Stavanger area so this become well known on Rennesøy also. And the
emigration urge had started.
The normal way in the beginning was through New York to Albany and the
canal to Buffalo. And from there by boat to Chicago. In 1845 the canal from
Chicago to Ottawa was opened, and the connection to Mississippi River was
established. Some boats from Norway (Scandinavia) landed also in New Orleans,
and from there on the Riverboat up Mississippi. In Texas it was possible to by
land at 0.5 $ per acre in 1855. Some boats also went to Quebec in Canada, and
from there on the Saint Lawrence up to the big Lakes. And from there westwards
to Chicago, Milwaukee and Duluth.
From 1850 they also started building Railroads westwards from Chicago.
The first emigrators from
Rennesøy .
· On Cleng's second
organized emigration in 1836 come the first 3 from Rennesøy (Mosterøy). It was
Jakob Jakobsen Hodnefjell his wife Christi Pedersdatter Mehus and boy Ommund
Endresen Hodnefjell.
· First from Sørbø in
1839 was the brothers Lars, b. 1807 and Mikal, b. 1812 from Bø 1. They were
great uncle to Kornelius (my grandfather), ML and Ole. Their eldest brother
Tosten Olsson, b. 1804, become the farmer on Bø 1. His daughter Anna Malena
married Ole Helmik on Risa 2. His son Ola Tostensson, b. 1838, become the
farmer on Bø1. Ola had two children, Tomas, b. 1871 and Olene, b. 1881 who both
married their cousins on Risa 2 (se Chapt. 3.).
· Ola Bø in 1849,
but died just after.
· In second
marriage, Tosten Olsson Bø married Elen Larsdtr. Sørbø, b. 1827, sister of Tore
Larsson (see next). They got 8 children, and 5 went to USA. Maren, Olava
(1872), Tomas (1871, farmer in Iowa),
Olena Maria (1880) and Torstein, b. 1867 (1883). Torstein become a Lutheran
pastor. He finally moved to Alberta in Canada.
· Tore Larsson b.
1824, from Sørbø (Kornbing) in 1853, uncle of Lauritz Pederson, see Chapt. 4
and 8. He used the name Thomas Larson in USA (IL). He is buried in the
Stavanger Cemetery (IL).
Annie married Thompson,
moved to Minnesota.
Willis Thompson, b. 1909, lived in Red River Valley.
Larry Thompson, b. 1936. Lutheran Pastor in Hazel Run (1999).
Lthompson@clarkfield.ruralink.com (I mailed him in 1999 and got this).
· Samuel Risa from
Risa 1 in 1854, and Jakob from Risa 1 in 1882. (Jakob returned to Norway).
· Berta Kristina,
Elen Maria, Jakob and Rakel Berdine from Galta 1 in 1858-71. (Before Kristen
from Risa 2 was married to Galta).
· Kornelius
Anderson from the Risa 3 farm in 1854, and twinsister Marta Kristina in 1858.
· From the next
generation on Risa 3, Jakob and Kristoffer Anderson together in 1882.
· From the third
generation on Risa 3 (sister and brother to our grandmother Gurina), Elen
Kristina (Christina in USA) about 1910 and Kristen (Christ A. Rise in USA) in
1909, together with 3 more from Rennesøy.
· Mikal Lasselius
(called ML in USA and Lasse in Norway) from the Risa 2 farm in 1897, and Ole
Helmek from Risa 2 farm in 1902 (both brothers of my grandfather Kornelius).
· Tore Håvarstein
from Håvarstein 1 in 1897 (cousin of my grandfather).
· Kornelius Dalåker
from Dalåker 1 in 19xx (cousin of my grandfather).
· Sigfrid
Hommervoll in Duluth (sister of Kirsti Risa and Jørgi Risa), b. 1910, m. Ivar
Sandvik, Valdres, about 193x.
From 1913 to 1973 it was rather easy to go to USA by regular boats. But
it took 7 days and cost a lot of money. “Hands across the sea” was the slogan.
“Stavangerfjord”, “Bergensfjord”, “Oslofjord”,
“Sagafjord” and “Vistafjord” were the names of the famous America boats.
After this period it is only plane that is valid. And that takes only
8+ hours.
Rules for family names:
(Agnes had some good thoughts about family names, which I will comment
on later).