How our family came to Larsgaarden

In 1867 Nils Eriksen, at the time residing at Finnes in Hjørundfjord, married Ragnhild Marta Pedersdatter, She originated from Rørstad, another settlement in Hjørundfjord. Nils had an older brother, Peder, who was to take over the farm at Finnes. As the area at Hjørundfjord did not have many opportunities for work outside farming, this young couple did as many others at that time, they left their home and family in search of better opportunities.

Those who left the rural inland areas at that time, mostly settled in the costal area around Aalesund. Some made it further, even all the way to USA. They all left home with the shared hope of a better future somewhere else.

Nils and Ragnhild went to the Aalesund area (named Borgund at that time), as Nils`s sister and her husband had done a few years earlier. In 1875, Nils and Ragnhild were able to buy a small farm at a place called Larsgaarden. On the cover, you can see a painting of the farm, made sometime between 1930 and 1950.

The farm originally had a single old farm house, in which Nils and Ragnhild dwelled. Their oldest son Edvard built the second farm house around 1908-1910, when he took over the farm after his late father.

The farm was small and typical of the time and area, often referred to as a "fisherman`s farm". The term "fisherman`s farm" tells us that the farmers used to go fishing, especially during wintertime when the fishing was rich, as it was hard to make a living for a family from the farm alone. As the adult male members of the family went fishing, daily care of livestock and other tasks at the farm were left to the women and children of the family for the greater part of the year. In addition to fishing, great grandfather Nils also had a government permit as a butcher. ( see above) .

Nils and Ragnhild had 10 children. One of them, Nils Rangvald Peder, died just one day old. The church records tells that he was baptized at home. Two of the other children, Gyda and Andreas, died young without getting married. Ragna and Anna stayed on at home, living together in the old house all their life without marrying.

Four of the children (Peder, Bernt, Inga, and Birgitte) went to USA and settled at Pequaming. Even though Peder returned to Norway in 1912, it shows that most of this family ended up in USA.

It was the eldest son of Nils and Ragnhild, named Edvard, who was to take over the farm at Larsgården. Edvard had become captain of a fishing boat and settled with his family near the town center of Aalesund. But when my great grandfather, Nils Eriksen, died in 1906, Edvard moved home to take care of the farm. But after some time he was hit by an accident on the boat he was sailing and his right hand was so severely hurt that it set an end to both sailing and farming.

My great grandmother Ragnhild now sent for the second oldest son, Peder, to come home and manage the farm and provide for the family.

That is why Peder and his family left Pequaming in 1912 while Bernt, Inga, and Birgitte stayed on.

In 1914 the farm was officially transferred from my great grandmother Ragnhild to my grandfather Peder (see above) and then in 1956 from my grandfather Peder to my father Nils.

Bernt, Inga and Peder all went to USA with the family name Nilsen /Nelson as their father was named Nils. But around 1900 the national regulations for family names in Norway changed. From now on one could take the name of the place you lived at as your family name. That is why the family branch residing in Norway changed their family name from "Nilsen" to Larsgaard/Larsgård, whilst the "americans" kept their family name "Nilsen".

In Bernt`s line you still find the Nilsen family name. Birgitte who did not leave home until 1910, had at that time taken "Larsgaard" as her family name. She also passed this family name to her children, as you can see from the headstones at L`Anse cemetery.

Bernt, Inga and Birgitte lived with their families in the Pequaming /L`Anse area the rest of their lives. Bernt and Inga are buried at Pequaming cemetery with their spouses, while Birgitte`s grave is in L`Anse.

Bernt married Ragnhild Aune and they had three children; Nils Emil, Arnt, and Theodor.

Inga married Lauritz Larsen ( Valldal Norway) and they had one child; Corrie.

Birgitte was married to Peter Lauritzen ( Svinoy/ Norway) and they had two children; Paul and Rachel.

Peder married Sofie Nørve and they har three children; Jørgine Anna, Ragnhild Gyda and Nils Andreas.

Edvard married Helene Andersdatter. and they had five children; Ragnhild, Borghild, Hennie Kari, Nils Elias, and Gyda.