Last Name Sear
Lannyb	I am trying to find my ancestors but I am sure their last name wasn't spelled as it is now. Our last name is VHAL. My great-great grandfather was from Christiana (now called Oslo?) Norway. They emigrated to the USA (Minesota) then to Canada. Does anyone know what and how our last name would have been pronounced and/or spelled in Norway? Thanks
hasto	Val means "battlefield" and is a common place name in Norway. It is often seen in combinations like Valhall, Valen etc. The short name is usually spelled in Danish/German style like Wahl. It is pronouced like v-ah-l. 923 persons in Norway today use Wahl as a surname.
Hopkins	Lanny - Can you give more information about the family? What given names, birth years, when emigrated from Norway??? It is impossible to search for persons with no identifying information. The 1900 US census index lists ONE household of Norwegian origins using the surname VHAL. That is an Ed A. Vhal family then living in Richland County, North Dakota. The 1910 US census lists only a Swedish family by the name VHAL in Montana.