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Jole Family History--The name and Jordet Farm
Where did the name JOLE come from?
We American Joles had learned that Jole was a dialect word meaning "grassy
field," or "farm." But we didn't really know what that had to
do with last names.
First, we have to know about naming practices at the time in Norway. They were
still using the patronymic system where the son or daughter is identified by
his or her father (i.e. Peterson, Petersdotter). Since it could get confusing
very quickly, another identifier was used--the location where that person lived.
In this way, Knut Olson could be distinguished from other Knut Olsons--Knut Olson Upfield, and Knut Olson Lowerfield. Each person also knew the parish they were from, so that the Olsons from Parish X could be distinguished from Parish Y. This became important when Olsons were marrying Olsons--were they too closely related to marry, or not?
So, this is what happened in our family's case. Ola writes this:
Your Familyname JOLE comes from the farmname JORDET (Krøssjordet in Åbjør), which was the farm belonging to Knut Andersson Brøto.
So, there is the Jole. But, you may ask, why is it spelled differently? The
answer is in the difference between Aurdal dialect (spoken) and official Norwegian
(written ) spellings.
We know, now, that Jordet was the farm's name. The etymology is this:
JORD meaning "field" (related to the German 'Erde' or "earth,"
and the word "garden" also), + ET the definite article "the."
This makes JORDET = "the field," and Krøssjordet in Åbjør
is the official, complete name of the farm, giving farm name and location.
But why is it spelled as Jole? It is because of the dialect spoken here in
this region.
Here is how Ola explains the Jole spelling of Jordet:
[Jole is Jordet] pronounced with "thick" L and "sharp" E. In the Valdres dialect (which in fact can be divided in 3 groups, Vang/Slidre/Aurdal):
one field - the field more fields - all fields (pattern) eit Jorde Jordet fleire Jorder alle Jordene (written - Nynorsk) eit Jol(r)é Jol(r)é fleire Jol(r)o alle Jol(r)utn (spoken Aurdal dialect) Valdres dialect has, like German, 4 cases:
A neutrum word like Jordet will be the same wether you mention it from distance or from the spot.
e ska gå oppå Jol(r)é; e sit oppå Jol(r)e (I shall walk up to Jol(r)é; I'm sitting in Jol(r)é)
A masculin word (using ein Brøté [newly cleared farmland) will be handled different:
e ska gå nepå Brøtin; e sit niæ Brøta...
- The "thick" L is used in eastern- and mid Norway. Normally a person from the southern and western and northern part of the country has biiiig problens to pronounce this sound!
(Ola was kind enough to send us some MP3 files to demonstrate this sound. Click them in order to hear his demonstration::1) Thick L 1 (Standard Norwegian pronunciation) (739 KB)
2) Thick L 2 (Dialect) (482 KB)
3) Thick L combination (223KB)
4) What a longer passage in Norwegian sounds like (627 KB)
So now you know why it's spelled Jole.
Let us begin in Norway.
In this next graphic, you can see the Valdres region marked in dotted lines,
in the center of the map:
Now, let's zoom in a little closer.
In this next map, look for the sections marked NORD AURDAL, and SØR AURDAL.
Find the highway 51 that runs between these two counties, and trace it to the
northeast corner where the counties meet nearly under the town of Fagernes.
Trace the E-18 highway line southeast of Fagernes to the small box marked E-18.
Stop there, before you reach the town of Aurdal, because now we're in the right
valley, just off to the south-west of this point.
Zoom in a little more now. On the next map, that highway we just left is on
the other side(east) of the lake (Øvstevatnet and Dokkafjorden).
Look over to the left of the map for the section labeled Åbjør,
just to the left of the red road that does a sharp switchback.
Now follow that red road down, two names below that--Rodingan, Vollen.
Stop there, and go to the right. The next name you see, right next to the road
and before you hit the stream, is Jordet.
That's the farm that we got our name from.
Ola has focused in a bit more detail here in this next map, so you can see where he lives. He has underlined Jordet with dots, labeled the next farm over (Brøtatn, which is a relative's farm) and above that he has written "I live here."
Here is what the farm looks like now.
This photo is taken from the east of the farm. Jordet is labeled in the center
of the photo, with Brøtatn below it, Åbjørshagin to the
left, and Grøndalen to the right (all of which you can see on the map.)
Here is another shot, from a higher elevation. This is also looking west, from
a mountain overlooking the lake.
Jordet is on the right (in the dotted yellow lines), and the yellow lines marked
øvre Hagin on the left is where Anders Olson's second wife came
from (they married in Wisconsin, later on). The lines and numbers distinguish
property lines.
This detail here is of her family's farm:
But Norway is not all winter and snow.
Take a look at this next photo, which is taken north of the previous photograph,
looking southwest over Jordet (right in the middle of the photo).
I am quite certain that there are more trees there now than there were in 1853, which tends to distort of idea of what the farms were like in those days.
Here is how the farm came (and out) of the family. As Ola writes::
Your father is my 5th cousin; our common ancestors are Anders Ivarsson (Brøto) [1732-1819] / Berte Knutsdotter (Grøndalen) [1732-1768].
This couple had 3 children:1) Ivar, who got the Brøto farm [my branch],
2) Sigri who married Nils Olsson Høve and moved to Hedemark (Ringsaker); and
3) Knut [your branch] who owned the farm Krøssjordet (neighbour of family the farm Brøto) and starts your branch of the family.
Ola's research found a history of the farm and its owners in a local history book He translated the section for me, and made comments which are listed in red below:
Krøssjordet farm# 302a and 302b.
Syver Olson was the owner of this farm in Åbjør. At his probate 8/2/1786 his widow Anne Andersdtr., became the owner, and she sold the farm in 1787 to Nils Olsson Hoff (married to Sigrid Andersdotter Brøto, sister of Knut Andersson). Nils, together with his brother Henrik, bought the farm Lille-Ile (Small-Ile) in Furnes (Hedemark, close to Hamar) in 1811. They payed 7000 rd. (riksdaler) .
The same year they sold Lille-Ile and had a profit of 2000 rd. on the trade. (easy money ??) While Nils (Olsen Høve) stayed in Furnes, he sold Krøssjordet to Knut Andersson, the brother of Nils's wife. At Knut (Anderssons) probate in 1816-17 Krøssjordet was transfered to Knuts widow, Ragnhild Olsdtr. and the son (from Knuts marriage) Anders Knutsson- with one half of the farm to each recipient. The value of the farm was set to 600 spd (spesiedaler).
In 1819 there was a probate after Ragnhild, where her (and Knut Anderson's) son Ole got her part (and this is 'your' Ole Knutsson Jole, who emigrated in 1854).
Ole sold his part of Krøssjordet farm to Anders Arnesson Åbjør in 1831 for the price of 300 spd. [and here this part of farm is out of the family]
At the probate after Anders Knutsson (halfbrother of your Ole Knutsson) in 1845, his half part of the farm was transfered to his son Knut for å price of 400 spd., and he sold this part in 1848 to Erik Olson Merket for 400 spd (and then all Krøssjordet farm had come on 'strangers' hands)
Of course, the photographs with farm boundaries marked above are the modern boundaries of the farm, which I am sure have changed over the years (as indicated by the small size of the farm, which isn't really enough to grow anything on now.) I will have to ask Ola who owns it now.
Note 1: Valdres Soga by Laif Midthaug - publ 194x. The section for Valdres Soga - Krossjordet is on page 646/647. Ola has sent me a scan of the information from that book.
Note 2: Here is a JPG file of the pages translated above.
bravenet.com
