Until recently the age of Sondre Norheim's wife Rannei Aamundsdatter has not been known. We knew that she was born in Bergestig, Øyfjell in Telemark and that she passed away in Oregon, USA, but we did not know the year of her death.

The male choir in Skien, Skiens Mannssangforening, is planning a tour in the Midwest in 2009.
Traditional male choirs started in Skien in 1836, and Skiens Mannssangforening was chartered in 1895 ! (Press heading to read more).

More EVENTS are added. More pictures under IMAGES, and more text's under pictures. A few more links are added under Genealogy and Emigrants. Last update Nov 27, 2009. In October 2008 more than 225 pictures from Norsk Høstfest in Minot ND were added. We have now added 200 pictures from Norsk Høstfest in 2009, and from our trip from Minneapolis to Minot.

As Minnesota celebrates the 150th anniversary of statehood, the Norwegian Statehood Pioneer Project will recognize those Norwegian pioneers who were here when the state was born and contributed to the development of its institutions and culture. Norwegians began settling in southeastern Minnesota in the early 1850's. In the decades that followed, many of those pioneers and their descendants migrated north and west and helped establish new communities throughout Minnesota. Over 850,000 Minnesotans list Norwegian as their primary ethnic heritage - more Norwegian-Americans than in any other state in the union. The influence of Minnesota's Norwegian pioneers didn't stop at Minnesota's borders - many moved on to the Dakotas, Montana, Washington. and Oregon. The earliest Norwegian Minnesotans built a history and heritage that touches descendants throughout the United States!

Genealogy as a hobby is getting more and more popular. University studies and university courses in genealogy get filled up months before they are planned to start. Take a look here to see what Stamford University Library is offering in June 2008.

Have you ever heard about Genealogy Cruises ? Many Genealogcal Societies have annual Genealogy Conferences, but what about Genealogy Cruises ? Some have tried, and it has turned out to be a big success.You might have to book well in advance ! Genealogy Conferences and Genealogy Cruises are the frosting on the cake for many genealogists.

At the Skien - Telemark booth at Norsk Høstfest in Minot, ND we supplied our visitors with brochures and maps from Telemark and from Norway. And we gave answers to hundreds of question about Telemark and about Norway. But we too had questions, did our visitors have roots in Norway, and what did they know about their anchestors. Altogether 324 visitors left their names and addresses at our booth in connection with our free lottery and competitions.

Did you know that the Historical Association at Drangedal in Telemark has put more than 7.000 pictures from Drangedal on the net ?

Some 50 years after the American President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked Americans to reach out to other countries, sister-city relationships are thriving between the U.S. and Norway.

A school in Oungre, Saskatchewan in Canada had a Norwegian Day in October. Many children brought a lot of small Norwegian things with them to school that day, things that came from Norway, maybe long, long time ago. At the school they had lefse, krumkake, flat bread and some Norwegian cheese. And all the children got to know where Norway is on the map.