Sunday, April 28, 2013

Surname Sunday: Svarteberg

So, I looked for the last half hour on surname information about Svarteberg or as it became in America Sorteberg.  I found nothing.  So, I went back to grandpa's research and found all the information that I needed about our family name.  Not sure why I bother doing my own research some days!  And his was all done before the age of computers and Google!
To condense what he knew:  the Svarteberg farm had been in the family since 1640.  The Svarteberg name was used as the family name when Arne Jakobson Tveito married Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg in 1853. 


Arne Jakobson Tveito (1827-1905)
Born on the Arne Farm --- (nordre Votndalen i Al Av. Foreldre)
Parents:  Jakob Arneson Arnegard (1795- )
 Birgit Embriksdtr Arnegard

Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg (1829-1907)
Parents:  Lars Torsteinson Svarteberg (1795-1858)
Jorand Tolleivsdtr Varaberg (1795-)
Lars Svarteberg was killed in the Springhouse in 1858.  The farm where Aagot was born had been in the relationship since 1640.  The farm was known as the Middle Farm (myljogarden).
In 1855 the farm was sold to Thorstein Larsson, brother of Aagot.
Arne Jakobson Tveito and Aagot Larsdtr Svarteberg were married on December 29, 1853, in Aal, Hallingdah, Norway.  The family name of Svarteberg was used because they lived on the Middle Farm owned by the Svarteberg's.
In Norway the name Svarteberg and Sorteberg are interchangeable.  However, the surname Svarteberg is used almost all of the time in Norway.  The Norwegian translation of the name (Svarteberg) (Sorteberg) is "Black Mountain".  The Hallingdal Valley is a short distance north of Olslo, Norway.  The home where Aagot Svarteberg was born still stands on the side of the mountain.
Seven of the eight children of Arne Jakobson and Aagot Svarteberg arrived in the USA before their parents immigrated in 1893.  Only the second oldest, Birgit, stayed in Norway.  It is believed that the port of entry into the USA was New York, however some may have entered from Canada.

Svarteberg was made up of three farms.  One farm now belongs to Torlien Svarteberg.  The Middle Farm, on which the grand parents were born belongs to Sevat Svarteberg; both of these people are grandsons of Birgit Svarteberg.  All of the buildings stand as they did in the 1800's, with the exception of a house added some years later.  The present ownership of the third farm was unknown to the visitors.
The Norwegian dialect was very much like the Norwegian spoken by those in the USA, and they were pleased that they understood the relatives as most of them spoke only Norwegian.  They also noted that there were many similarities in looks and mannerisms between those relatives living in Norway and those living in the USA.

This first edition of the Sorteberg history was prepared in December 1983.  We are truly indebted to many, many people who have provided information about thier relatives to make this book possible.  We are aware that the information, in some cases, is incomplete; either because of errors in facts received from family members, or because of typographical errors.
Leland Sortberg, Muriel Hagen, Olga Hansen, Asbjorn Baklien

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