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Note: Nord-Aurdal, Valdres, Norway is approximately 110 miles northwest of Oslo and 210 miles northeast of Bergen. Ulnes parish is approx. 13 miles northwest of Nord-Aurdal.
Topper Road is about 1/2 south of Blue Mounds in Dane Co., Wisconsin. It leads to the former farm of Thore and Sarah Topper.
OBIT - MT. HOREB TIMES - Thore O. Topper was born in N. Aurdal, Valdres, Norway on March 22, 1841. He married Sarah Akeren in 1865 and immigrated to America in the year 1867. They settled in the town of Blue Mounds where they continued their residence until death. Eight children were born to them all of whom survived their parents except one son, Olaf, who died in 1908. Mrs. Topper died in 1918. Mr. Topper died Sunday, January 1, 1928 at 5:30 p.m. following a brief illness with pneumonia, which he incurred after a fall on the ice December 13th, 1927. He was at the time of his death 86 years, 7 months and 11 days old. In his death another of the old Christian pioneers has passed away. Mr. Topper was a charter member of the West Blue Mounds Lutheran Church, from which his funeral took place Thursday, January 5, 1928 after brief services from the home of his son, Ole Topper of Blue Mounds, where he died. He is survived by seven children: Ole, Blue Mounds; Mary Leacy, Portland, Oregon; Thorvald, Mt. Horeb; John and Andrew, Lily, WI; Theodore, Barron, Wis; and Martin, Dallas, Wis. He is also survived by 28 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Blessed be his memory.
Wisconsin State Journal of October 25, 1879 has a list of real estate transactions showing Thore Olson Rognaas bought 40 acres in Section 17 of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin from Fredman (=Tideman?) Olson. Dane Co. mortgage records at Madison's city-Co. building show Thore Olson Rognaas made a mortgage on 40 acres in Section 17 of Blue Mounds, October 18, 1879. The "party of the second part" was Herman B. Daley.
In a letter from Lawrence Berge to Olga Topper Eggum: The obituary says Thore immigrated in 1867. Passenger lists for the ships arriving at Quebec show "Thore O. Topøl med Kone og Diebarn" [Thore O. Topol with wife and nursing child] on a ship called Olaf that sailed from Christiana to Quebec. The passenger list for ship Olaf is on reel P45635 at the State Historical Society in Madison. The first o in Topol has a slash through it. From entry number 75 at http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_list.asp?jo=1425 Name: Thore O. Tøpol Age: adult Sex: m Remarks: with wife and suckling Passenger on: Ship Olaf 1867, from Christiania Apr. 15 to Quebec May 29 Source: NAC C-4522 list 18 - Transcribed by Børge Solem - 2005
Source: http://www.norwayheritage.com Ship passenger lists and more. In 1867 the price for the passage on a sailing ship from Norway to Quebec was about 15 Speciedaler for adults, children 8 - 14 years old 8 Spd. and children between 1 - 8 years old 5 Spd. The passengers would have to bring their own food. In the same year the journey from Norway to Quebec via England by steamship was about 40 Spd. everything included.
RE: IMMIGRATION RECORDS & SHIP PASSENGER LISTS
Each Norwegian emigrant ship bound for Quebec generated two passenger lists. Norwegian police in port cities made lists (Christiania lists start in 1867.) of people leaving the country; this practice substituted for individual passports. Additionally, ship captains made manifests which were submitted to the authorities in Canada for their records and to provide the basis for the debarkation fees.
LDS records of Canadian Arrivals: The Latter Day Saints family history centres also have copies of the earliest archived records for the Norway Research Outline. Access to Norwegian records is fairly easy thanks to the Norwegian collection of the Family History Library. Among the major sources for research are the church records, census returns and probate. The Lutheran (official state church of Norway) parish registers begin generally about 1689, the census returns about 1664, and probate in about 1660.
Norwegian ancestors often used farm or locality names as the family surname. Additionally, you need to be aware of the use of patronymics (using the father's first name for the son's surname). Also, some surnames were formed from trade and soldier names.
The church records, called kirkeboker, are valuable to family historians. Most of them date to the early 1700s. They include christenings, marriages, burials and confirmations. From 1814 to the present, arrivals (Innflyttede), removals (Utflyttede), and even vaccinations (vaksinerte) are recorded in these records.
Most Norwegian emigrants left through the ports of Kristiania (Oslo) 1867-1902; Bergen,1874-1925; Trondheim, 1867-1926; and Stavanger. The records of departures from these ports are called "passenger lists." Other ports for which such records exist are: Alesund, 1852-1923; Kristiansand, 1873-1911; and Kristiansund, 1882-1959.
Other Norwegian sources are merchant marine and military records. According to an 1803 law, every boy at age 16 had to appear before the draft board to be registered. These records vary in detail, but most provide excellent genealogical material. The military records (Militarprotokoller) of Norway, from 1643 to 1909, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. Check under "Norway/Military Records" for call numbers. Other records available are tax lists, probate records (Skifteprotokoller) and land and property (Jordeboker).
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