Rosholt.org

Everything we know about her comes from the Lardal Bygdebok. All we know about her family is that her father must have had the name Knud. We know nothing about her mother.

Ingeborg's first husband was Jacob Christensen Røsholt (b. 1771, d. 1809). They had seven children:

Son: __ ___ 1795 Christen Jacobsen Røsholt
Daughter: __ ___ 1797 Helvig Jacobsdatter Røsholt
Daughter: __ ___ 1800 Kari Jacobsdatter Røsholt
Son: 12 Feb 1802 Knud Jacobsen Røsholt
Son: 06 Apr 1803 Knud Jacobsen Røsholt
Daughter: __ Feb 1805 Berte Jacobsdatter Røsholt
Daughter: __ ___ 1807 Anne Jacobsdatter Røsholt

Ingeborg's second husband was Tollef Jacobsen Grini (b. 1783, d. 06 Nov 1831). They had five children:

Daughter: 02 Feb 1811 Ingeborg Tollefsdatter Røsholt
Daughter: __ ___ 1813 Gunild Maria Tollefsdatter Røsholt
Daughter: __ ___ 1814 Johanne Marie Tollefsdatter Røsholt
Son: __ ___ 1816 Jacob Tollefsen Røsholt
Son: 07 Feb 1818 Jacob Tollefson Rosholt

But still we don't know who is Ingeborg!

But there are clues. The Lardal Bygdebok tells us that Jacob Christensen Røsholt rented fields in Siljan, which is adjacent to Lardal, just west over the hill, and actually in the next fylke, Telemark.

Also, young people from Røsholt would go to a seter, or summer farm, every summer in the hills between Lardal and Siljan. The seter was a hill farm used in the summer for transhumance. In the summer, livestock is moved to the seter, some distance from the home farm, allowing the fields to be tilled. In the fall, when hill farm grazing runs out, livestock is returned to the home farm. In Norway, these hill farms became the place where young unmarried people would meet and get to know each other.

During our family reunion in Lardal in the summer of 1995, we were told that young people from Lardal and Siljan frequently met at the seter and there had been many marriages between Lardal and Siljan families.

Siljan became my best guess as where to find the answer to the question, who is Ingeborg? Over the years, whenever the opportunity occurred, I would search for information.

Then, on February 1, 2004, I found an Internet web page (http://gamlegjerpen.no/Kirkeb/Vielser/Slemdal1791.htm) that listed marriages in Siljan Kirke, which used to be called Slemdal Kirke, during the period of 1791 to 1800. One of the marriages listed was for "Jacob Christens. Røsholt" and "Ingebor Knudsd. Høysæt". The entry listed their engagement (probably the public announcement) on August 24, 1794 in Siljan and their marriage on September 28, 1794. The marriage was witnessed by "Povel Ols." and "Mathias Tollougs. Røsholt".

This marriage record is encouraging, but not enough by itself to answer our question.

While searching the Internet, another record of Ingeborg was found. In the genealogy pages of Stian Høiset, Ingeborg is listed as one of his ancestors. Ingeborg's second child, Helvig Jacobsdatter Røsholt (b. 1797) married Solve Hansen Høiset (b. 1795). These two were were Stian's great-great-great-grandparents.

Stian Høiset was kind enough to do a little research and send this information from the Siljan Bygdebok (Stian's comments and explanations in brackets):

(page 486)

[About the original farm Høiset]
Lars Pedersen owns 3 hides [i.e. the equivalent value] of the farm from 1717.
Lars Pedersen
m.I: Birte Gundersdtr (1685-1727)
1. Dorte, b. 1713, d. 1727
2. Pernille, b. 1718
3. Peder, b. 1721, baptised in Gjerpen
m.II: Ingeborg Gunleiksdtr. from Engelstad [a farm]
4. Peder, b. 1736 [I assume the first Peder have died]
5. Knut, b. 1739
6. Berte, b. 1741 [probably named after his 1. wife]
7. Lisbet, b. 1743, d. 1743
Peder [4] took over the farm in 1767 and married Ingeborg Aslaksdtr.
Knut [5] married Helvig Arvesdt. from Austad [another farm] in 1770.
Berte [6] married Nils Mikkelsen from Øvrebø [likewise] in 1761.

(page 477)

[The lower Høiset farm was owned by] Knut Larsen from 1790 to 1793.
He was married to Helvig Arvesdtr.
Their children were
5.1. Lars, b. 1772
5.2. Ingeborg, b. 1774
5.3. Gullik, b. 1777
5.4. Arve, b. 1780
>From 1795, Lars [5.1] took over the farm.

Stian Høiset comments:

"This coincides very well with the marriage in the church records. In 1794, she [5.2] would be 20 years old. Unfortunately, the {names of the} witnesses don't say much about her origin. Ingeborg was a rather common name in Siljan those days, but I haven't seen any other Ingeborg, daughter of Knut, residing on the Høiset farm in the bygdebok. I'm quite sure this is our common ancestor."

This is encouraging, but there is one more piece of information.

There is a confirmation record (http://home.no.net/frajoha/Eidanger%20konf%201764-1814.html) for "Ingebor Knudsdatter paa Ouestad", age 15, listed as taking place on 18 July 1790 in the "Sillien" Annex. This looks like Ingeborg. If it is, it would indicate that Knut and his wife Helvig had lived on the Austad farm with or near her parents while waiting for a farm of their own, to which they moved in the same year, according to the Siljan Bygdebok. Perhaps the unusual "paa Ouestad" entry indicates that Ingeborg took some of her confirmation lessons at another kirke, closer to Austad.

So, who is Ingeborg? Now we know:

3. Ingeborg Knudsdatter Høiset was born in 1774 at Siljan, Telemark, Norway. She married Jacob Christensen Røsholt, son of Christen Jacobsen Røsholt and Kari Svendsdatter Austad, at Siljan Kirke, Siljan, Telemark, Norway, on 28 Sep 1794. She married Tollef Jacobsen Grini, son of Jacob Asbjornsen Steinsholt and Siri Tollefsdatter Røsholt, on 30 Mar 1810 at Styrvold Kirke, Lardal. Her married name was Røsholt. She died on 26 May 1845 at Lardal at the age of about 71. She was buried on 1 Jun 1845. (Lardal Bygdebok p866,950,1023.) (Siljan Bygdebok p477.)"

6. Knut Larsen Høiset was born in 1739 at Siljan, Telemark, Norway. He married Helvig Arvesdatter Austad in 1770. He owned the lower Høiset farm from 1790 to 1793. His son Lars took over the farm in 1795.

7. Helvig Arvesdatter Austad. She married Knut Larsen Høiset, son of Lars Pedersen Høiset and Ingeborg Gunleiksdatter Engelstad, in 1770.

12. Lars Pedersen Høiset. He married Birte Gundersdatter (b. 1685, d. 1727). He married Ingeborg Gunleiksdatter Engelstad probably between 1727 and 1735. He owned 3 hides of the farm from 1717. His son Peder took over the farm in 1767.

13. Ingeborg Gunleiksdatter Engelstad. She married Lars Pedersen Høiset probably between 1727 and 1735.

This is a good start at finding more ancestors. In January, 2006, Tov Røsholt (NO.3732/Kn.C732) and his wife Kari showed me the Siljan Kirke, a beautiful three part church (ancient, medieval, and modern) which contains old wall paintings and drawings. Tov, who is descended from Ingeborg, is a member of the Siljan Kirke Council. It seems clear that final verification of Ingeborg's identity is very close. I am satisfied and willing to let others continue the search.

But there is one more tidbit. In the same Internet document that lists Ingeborg's marriage to Jacob Christensen Røsholt, there is another interesting entry. Engaged on 9 Oct 1791 and married on 4 Dec 1791 in Siljan were "Aslac Gunders. Røe" and "Inger Knudsd. Høysæt"!

Can it be? The Siljan Bygdebok contains only one Ingeborg, daughter of Knut. She was born in 1774, the second child of Knut Larsen Høiset and his wife, Helvig Arvesdatter Austad. This girl would have been 17 years old in 1791, a reasonable age for a first marriage. I have found no evidence of an "Inger", or other name whose spelling could be mistaken for "Inger", daughter to any man named Knud in the Høiset families.

So, do we really know who is Ingeborg? Or does she hold secrets we have yet to learn?