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Val Hvidston, Box 2751, Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada S0E 1T0
Email: val@ hvidston.com
The following story "They Came From Kviteseid" is a collection of stories, letters and news articles about Houkom and Kirkebø families from Kviteseid, Norway. Of particular interest to me is the story about Ole Bjørnsen Haukom, my great-great-great-great grandfather. Originally these were all written in Norwegian. Alvilda Houkom Loberg gave the letters to her niece, Helen Forbes. Helen gave them to Dordi Round of California who spent considerable time translating them into English. I first learned of Dordi's books "They Came From Kviteseid - Part I" and "They Came From Kviteseid - Part II" (referred to as TCFK - Part I and II) in 2001 while reading the delightful book "Here Come the Norwegians" written by Carol Schwinkendorf Hansen (also an Ole Bjørnsen descendant).
I emailed to Carol and asked her how I could get a copy of TCFK - Part I and II. Carol wrote back and gave me Dordi Round's mailing address. I wrote to Dordi explaining who I was, a descendant of Ole Bjørnsen) and asked if she had any copies of her books. She did not and at the age of 80 did not find it easy to arrange to have her own book copied however she offered to contact Helen Forbes (another Ole Bjørnsen descendant by his third wife Torgjerd - Helen is a good friend to Dordi) and see if Helen could do that for me. A few months later, I was extremely pleased to receive my very own copy of TCFK - Part I and II.
Dordi is an interesting person. She has no Norwegian blood but she calls Norway her "Shangri-la". She emigrated to the USA in 1951 from England. She visited Norway in 1948, 1961, 1969, 1972, 1974 and 1996. She taught herself Norwegian and has made a life-long hobby of translating letters and documents into English. Her name is actually Beatrice Dorothy Round but a 90-year old Norwegian friend gave her the name Dordi and she likes it best so uses it for her translations.
Part I is over 50 pages including Notes from the Translator, Poem: On - and By Kviteseid Lake, Maps (Southern Norway and the Kviteseid District), Genealogical Charts, Old Records from Langelim, Ole Bjørnsen, Biographical description, 90 Year Family Festival at Coon Prairie, Letters from Friends, 1870, Olaf Svennungsen Houkom, by John A. Houkom, Pastor Olaf S. Houkom's Letters, and Letters from Friends and Family, 1871 - 1891.
Part II is about 130 pages and includes Notes from the Translator, Fragment by Anders S. Houkom, Letters to and from the Houkom Family 1856 - After 1900, Olaf Sveinungsen's Personal Documents, Aslak Sveinungsen's Teaching Certificate Aslak's Report to the School Board, 1888, Newspapers from 1824-1833, Aslak Houkom's Notes about the Family, Aslak Houkom's Notes about the name Houkom and News Item by Olaf S. Houkom.
I am very grateful to Dordi for sharing her books with me, to Helen for copying them for me and to Carol for her wonderful literary works and putting me in touch with Dordi. I asked Dordi and Helen for permission to post them to this site so that all our family could share in them. I was so pleased when they agreed.
You may print them from this site if you would like a copy for your own personal use. All I ask is that you email me and let me know you are doing so. Thank you.
Val Hvidston
val@hvidston.com or hvidston@sasktel.net
If you can read PDF Files (note: the program Acrobat Reader is free), I have provided a PDF version:
They Came from Kviteseid - Part 1
They Came from Kviteseid - Part 2
