#52ancestors: Mothersday

In recognition of Mother’s day, I decided to celebrate one of my maternal Great Grandmothers.

I have mentioned my Great Grandmother Eline Kristine Vågen before. That was when I wrote about my Grandmother Ruth Henriette Rognan.

Here is how my Great Grandmother is presented in my genealogy software:

Eline Kristine Vågen, daughter of Andreas Marinus Anderson Vågen and Beret Andersdatter Øberg, was born on 19 May 1872 in Vågen, Utset, Sandstad parish, Sør Trøndelag, was christened on 08 Oct 1872 in Fillan church. She died on 16 Jan 1961 in Langøya, Dolm localparish, Hitra at age 88, and was buried 23 Jan 1961 in Dolm Cemetery, Dolmøya, Hitra.

Eline married Ole Edvard Rognan, son of Johannes Olsen Ness and Margrete Hansdatter Rognan, on 18 Jul 1894 in Sandstad Church, Hitra, Sør Trøndelag. Ole was born on 13 Aug 1869 in Aure parish, Møre og Romsdal county and was christened on 19 Nov 1869 in Aure Church. He died on 12 Oct 1922 in Langøya, Dolm localparish, Hitra parish at age 53, and was buried on 21 Oct 1922 in Eidsmyra Cemetery, Kvennvær, Hitra.

Children from this marriage (the girls that married are listed with their married names):

i. Johannes Andreas Rognan was born on 24 Sep 1894
ii. Margrethe Marie Rognan Stamnes was born on 31 May 1896
iii. Agnes Rognan Nilsen was born on 17 Jul 1898
iv. Olaf Edvard Rognan was born on 02 Jul 1900
v. Borghild Rognan was born on 28 Oct 1902
vi. Ingvar Peder Rognan was born on 17 May 1905
vii. Olise Kristine Rognan Smågesjø was born on 25 Feb 1908
viii. Ester Ovedie Rognan Brendboe was born on 14 Dec 1910
ix. Ruth Henriette Rognan Nilsen was born on 22 Oct 1914 (My grandmother)
x. Aasta Marie Rognan was born on 10 Sep 1917

Ole Edvard and Eline Kristine bought one of the two properties on Langøya in 1908 and moved there with his family, There was not a lot of farmland on the property, but they were still able to keep some animals. Their main income though, came from the rich fisheries from the great “larder” that surrounded their island.

In addition to selling fish, it also meant that fish was staple food on their dinner table. The women in the coastal households were masters in preparing this delicacy that was so abundant right outside their door. Starvation was never a problem, but the home on the small island was, not down right poor, but a very modest household.

Ole Edvard died from cancer in 1922. This was a devastating blow to the family on Langøya. The oldest son Johannes and daughter Margrethe had already married and moved out. Many of the other children were old enough to take care of them self. The youngest though, among them my Grandmother, were in a dire situation. It was talk about sending them to foster homes. The son, Ingvar, 17 years old in 1922, decided that it was just not going to happen. He put any plans he might have on hold and pledged to take care of the family.

Even with Ingvar taking responsibility for the family, it must have been very hard for Eline to go on without her beloved husband. There were, no doubt, hardship, but the family survived.

In my genealogy software I have recorded that Eline died on Langøya island. I am not certain that this is correct. I think she at that time lived with one of her children on the main island Hitra. That will be something to find out. One never does “get done” with  the family history.

Now the houses the family lived in at Langøya island is gone. In the picture below we can see the foundations of the house and barn.