From Larsen to Larson

People long ago immigrated to America and lost touch with family in there home country, my grandfather was one of those people. He immigrated with his mother Klaudine and his brothers and sisters, Hans Karl was just 9 months old. Now thanks to the internet we can all connect again.

Our 3 day trip to Norway was planned like this. Day 1, to sail from Denmark at 8:00 am. into Oslo Norway and drive to the outskirts of Kragerø where we would set up our campsite. Day 2, was to meet up with Kund in Kragerø and visit the skerries (Jomfruland, Røssholmen and Skåtøy). Day 3, was to visit the state archives in Kongsberg on our way back to Oslo to catch our boat back to Denmark at 8:00 pm.. If you travel in Norway, you need to keep in mind that what looks like a straight line on the map is in reality not so straight after you add in the ups, downs, and zigzags of traveling on rock and mountain. We knew already that three days was not going to be enough time to reach everything that we had planed.

Our boat landed in Olso and we anxiously waited to drive off and begin our journey. Shortly after we left the city the roads started to narrow down and rock and trees sprung up everywhere. The road from Oslo to our camp site was like I described above, but even more, it was breath takingly beautiful and the tunnels, tunnels and tunnels through rock and mountains. It was like driving the roads through the reservation in northern Wisconsin, before they straightened any of them, combined with driving through the Wisconsin Dells. I hope that gives you a picture and a taste of what we experienced. The campsite was based on the honor system where you filled out your own bill and placed your money to a wooden box. You had a choice of cabin, your own tent (with or without car) or your own camper and electrical hook-up was included. There was a gathering cabin with tables and chairs and a TV and there was a bathhouse including laundry facilities. It was 10:00 pm when we arrived and we quickly selected a soft spot in the mossy grass to set up our tent, it was along this edge of trees that stood in front of the little lake where we were allowed to fish and swim. We had a gas stove with us and prepared our dinner and then turned in for the night.

The next day we drove down into Kragerø where we were to meet our internet friend Kund at the tourist building. He had graciously offered to show us around, but before he showed up we took the chance to browse the local shops. We had lunch with Kund and talked about ourselves, our families and our countries. It was a wonderful time and after lunch he showed us around. The harbor town of Kragerø (1666) is the second oldest town in the Telemark region of Norway. The Kragerø skerries consist of over 495 islands and reefs and its population is many times doubled in the summer when the summer houses and cabins on these islands are occupied. The town is spotted with colorful wooden houses, buildings and narrow streets. Kund described the town this way, he said that it was like someone held all the houses in their hands, shook them up and dumped them out over the ridge letting them land where they will and then they tried to connect them with roads, there is no pattern to it. Kragerø is an expensive town because of the increase of summer tourism. Lastly we talked about our Larson quest and about the limited transportation over to the skerries. They have a ferry service that runs on a limited and set schedule. But the ferry is too big to be able to get up to all of the islands in the skerries and Røssholmen is one of them, it's just a little island of about 40 x 440 yards. The cheapest route is to take the ferry to Jomfruland and from there the taxiboat to Røssholmen, but we were too late to catch the ferry.

Kund really helped us out with the taxiboat from Kragerø direct to Røssholmen, which just happens to be run by Runar Larsen (family). Yes family, after talking to Marianne, I'm sure. She knew the history of the house and had heard about the drowning in the family. Runar (on the quiet side) also runs some of the ferries and the ambulance. Also getting on the taxiboat was Runar's sister, Marianne and her family (from Porsgrunn), who had been in Kragerø shopping. They were heading back to Røssholmen where they were visiting her mother Ester Larsen during their summer vacation. Marianne's parents Rangnar (deceased) and Ester Larsen are the 3 rd generation to live in the, "Larsen house", since it was bought from Jens and Klaudine Larsen sometime before they were to immigrate to America. In that time there has been one addition and a porch added to the original house and one addition had been added to the summer cabin, but the houses here are now preserved historical fishing houses and cannot be changed. The taxiboat pulled up to the dock and we helped the family carry their bundles up to the house. It was about 10 yards up to the house. I cannot adequately describe how utterly fantastic it was. My forefathers' house and cabin lives on. I was there, sitting in the house, drinking coffee with distant family, talking about what it was like those many years ago and looking out the very same windows. Marianne took us on a little walk to the other side of the island to visit the other boat dock, the one where her father also had his fishing boat. Marianne also described their vacations there and how they started each morning by going down to the waters edge to take a bath in the ocean even before their morning coffee. She showed us several wooden things that her dad made (a doll boat, lawn benches, + childrens playhouse) and I commented that woodworking have been in the Larsen genes since my grandfather also loved to work with wood.

Marianne suggested that I take a walk around and try to remember what it must have been like for Klaudine, on that day so long ago waiting for Jens and Lars to return home from fishing, that day they drowned off the coast of Jomfruland. More than once Marianne said that it was sad that her father had died last year because she was sure that he could tell us so much more. They shared with us everything they possibly could, not just information but also coffee, drinks, and dinner. After dinner we had coffee with small cakes, we talked some more and we said our goodbyes. Runar sailed us back to Kragerø where we returned our car and drove back to our camping site. I was SO stuffed and I felt like I might explode, but it was not from food and drink. It was from sharing so much with family and friends and making a connection that will last a lifetime. This day made the trip, anything more would be a bonus. We exchanged email addresses and offered our homes to each other.

The next day we packed up our campsite and headed back to Kragerø to catch the ferry over to Skåtøy, the largest island in the skerries, to visit the church of the skerries. Even the mail truck takes the same ferry over, to get the mail out. We also saw two people sailing around the coastline in a little motorboat and they were shouting something as they sailed around. We watched as people came down to the docks, the little motorboat came up to the docks and sold them newspapers. The sign at the dock said that it was a 2.2 km walk from there up to the church, just a small up hill climb, so we headed off up the road. Of course most everything is an up hill climb from the docks. Marianne had told us that the church had been built by all the islands inhabitants, in which each of them were required to give 10 days each of their time. Looking at the church I felt proud knowing that the hands of my great grandfather Jens helped to build it. The church was built in 1862 and has room for 800 people. From 1877 – 1960 it was the main church for all the people in what was then known as Skåtøy County. Today it is still the fifth largest wooden church in Norway . http://www.kragerokirkene.no/kirke/skatoy/kirken.htm It was too early for us to see inside the church so we headed around to the back to look thru the gravestones. The plan was to take a picture of any gravestone with the name Larsen on it and figure them out later. After talking to the Larsens of Røssholmen we did not expect to find a gravestone for those lost at sea.