Seljeskog and Halverson
meslag	My grandfather, Seger (Segierd ot Sigurd) Seljeskog (Sebyerkog or Selgeskog) came to America pre-Ellis Island, abt 1889 with his mother, Malena Halverson Seljeskog. As I've noticed, there are so many variants of their last name... I was told that the court house that housed grandpa Seger's birth certificate (in Strand?) burnt down. I am having a bugger of a time finding his ancestors, probably because of the name fluctuation, and the same with Malena's. I do know that a couple of Seger's cousins, Theodore Seljeskog and Sigsbee (Doctor) Seljeskog (which I have a little bit of information on) also lived here in the US. Sigsbee in Minnesota and Theodore in California. Any information any of you can give me on these names will be greatly appreciated!
ninakarls	This farmname is spelled Selleskoug in 1801, Selleskaug in 1865 and Seleskog in 1900. There is a "bygdebok" (farm & family history) for Strand: Alsvik, Jan, 1951- Folk i Strand : ei gards- og ættesoge / Jan Alsvik. - Hafrsfjord : Hafrsfjord forl. , cop. 1995 - 3 b. : ill. ; 31 cm. - (948.3435) 1 : Gnr 1-26. - 496 s. 2 : Gnr 27-48. - S. 500-941. 3 : Gnr 49-69. - S. 948-1430.
Brining	Hi Lori I saw a posting you had on cousinsconnect which added a little more information. You had posted Seger's father was Martin and Martin's brother was Lars Sigbjornson Seljeskog. On the LDS Family history site there is. MARTHIN SIGBJORNSEN Male Event(s): Birth: 30 JAN 1863 Christening: 22 MAR 1863 Seleskaug, Strand, Rogaland, Norway Parents: Father: SIGBJORN MAURITSEN Family Mother: RAKKEL OLINA LARSDR This is probably your great grandfather. Note that the name Seljeskog comes from the farm that the person lived on in Norway. Sigbjoun Mauritsen is on the Varhaug farm in the 1865 census [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f61130&variabel=0&postnr=1855&fulle=true&spraak=e"]Click Here[/url] and in the 1900 census the farm name is Jøssanger and it looks like he has a 2nd wife and family. [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f01130&variabel=0&postnr=2010&fulle=true&spraak=e"]Click Here[/url] Just noticed I had the wrong link for 1900 and corrected it Carla
Brining	Also on the LDS here is the rest of Sigbjorn's family 1. LENE MARIE SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 13 SEP 1868 Seljeskog, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 2. ANE BERGITTE SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 31 MAR 1861 Jorpeland, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 3. ANNE BERGITTE SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 16 OCT 1864 Selleskog, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 4. LARS SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 08 OCT 1871 Seljeskog, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 5. MARIE SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 08 MAR 1874 Seljeskog, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 6. RAKEL SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 05 NOV 1866 Seljeskog, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 7. MARTHIN SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Male Christening: 22 MAR 1863 Seleskaug, Strand, Rogaland, Norway 8. OLINE SIGBJORNSEN - International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Christening: 17 JUL 1859 Jorpeland, Strand, Rogaland, Norway As to Malena, do you have a birth year for her? Carla
meslag	Woah! Thank you, Carla! You have no idea what all your information means to me. Not to mention that I couldn't remember where I had posted that message and I'd forgotten to bookmark it... the joys of having a brain tumor and lots of memory loss. Thank God for computers, printers and ppl like you! All I had to go on was what my mom told me about Martin and Malena. She was 1 when Martin died and 2 when Malena died. Martin in 1931 and Malena in 1932, both died in Minnesota and I know where the cemetery is as we visit that every year, along with a bunch of others. She did saw that she thought Malena was older than Martin. How much neither of us can guess accurately. Unfortunately everything they had brought over with them from Norway was lost in a fire at their farm here when mom was about 6. I really appreciate all the information you have fiven me thus far. Any more, and you'll have my gratitude for life! Thank you again so very much! BTW, mom had told me that the reason Martin and Lars came to America was because the oldest son "got" the farm. Is there no older brother listed for Martin besides Lars?
Brining	Hi Lori Glad to help. Is it possible that the farm went to the older son from the second marriage? (I corrected the link to the 1900 census) The 2nd wife is about 20yrs younger so may have been a problem too. Also there could have been another son not listed but he doesn't appear with the family in the 1900 census so I don't think so. In 1900 the father is still on the farm so who ever got the farm would have gotten it after that. If you haven't already you might want to get Malena's death certificate. It might give you some more clues as to where she was born or a complete father's name. You can order them online at http://people.mnhs.org/dci/ I didn't find any Malena Halvorson in Strand but if she was born after the 1865 census she would be hard to find or she may have been born elsewhere. Carla
Skoggle	Hi Lori! Funny how you come across random things on the internet. My grandfather (who died before I was born) was Dr. Sigsbee Seljeskog. Yes, he raised his family in Minnesota. My father also raised us in Minnesota until about 15 years ago, when we moved to Western South Dakota. Now, 3 out of the 5 kids live in the same town as Mom and Dad. My grandfather, Sigsbee, had one son and two daughters. My aunts' married names are Spetz and Mittlestead. They all still live in Minnesota. So what does this make us? 5th cousins 200 times removed?
Skoggle	I just read through the other posts. The farm went down through the oldest son's family that is still over in Norway. It's no longer a farm, but they rent it out to sheep farmers to pay taxes/upkeep on the land. Our last name, Seljeskog, roughly means "Willow Wood" in Norwegian. We got that name because the family land is surrounded by willowwood trees. We're still in contact with our relatives who currently own the land. I think that information provided by another person referring to the name "Jøssanger" is incorrect. According to my father, and our family still over in Norway, that's been Seljeskog land for 300 some years.
Jo Anne Sadler	The Strand church records can be rented at a local Family History Center or on inter-library loan: [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=localitydetails&subject=146111&subject_disp=Norway%2C+Rogaland%2C+Strand&columns=*,0,0"]click here[/url]
isfselje	Hello ! Just happened to find this forum by chance. and thought I'd give some information about the farm Seljeskog at Jørpeland. Last year I (Esben Seljeskog, 38 y.o.) inherited 1/24 of the farm from my aunt - Berit Seljeskog. My sister - Tove Seljeskog overtook my parents 1/24 (their names are Helge and Reidun Seljeskog), and my cousin Dag Hjelle got his mothers' (my second aunt Åse Hjelle Seljeskog) 1/24. 6/8 of the farm is owned by Hans Jackob Seljeskog, while the last two 1/8 are owned by Stein and his father Tor Håkon Seljeskog. Two years ago we had the small road up to the farm broadened, and last year the roof was rebuild. As the old wooden "utedo" (what is that in english - outdoor loo without water ?) fell in pieces some 10 years ago, we've had a chemical toilet indoors, but now there is a WC and shower installed. (Bear in mind that the farm is about 300 yo...). We only use the farm for recreational purposes nowadays. We get some money from sale of wood an a few hunting licenses (the farmland is about 10 square kilometers of forest/mountains). My father Helge Torstein Seljeskog got his 1/8 from his mother Dorrith Thorsen who was married to Gunnar Seljeskog (died in 1963). Gunnar moved from the Seljeskog farm 14 yo (I think) - to Stavanger, where he met Dorrith and they had the three children Helge, Åse and Berit. I guess it-s been 50 years since the farm was run as a farm. The two barns have fallen down and been removed, but the main building and workshed are in good condition. If anyone read this, feel free to ask for more information. Esben seljeskog
Jo Anne Sadler	(what is that in english - outdoor loo without water ?) We call it an outhouse.[:p]