Information
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| Genealogical Resources | What is Toten Lag? |
| Where is Toten? | How to join |
| What is Toten like? | Officers |
| A brief History of Toten | Members |
| The Churches of Toten | Stevne Plans |
The Toten area is located about 55 miles or 88 Km north of Oslo. However if one is going by car, plan on a two hour drive. Pushing a cart over the mountains might have taken our ancestors several weeks.
Toten is in Oppland Fylke, a larger administrative unit with functions of both a county and a state.
Toten is in the eastern, or flatter part of Norway. It has a lot farm land and higher up on the low mountains (1500 meters), much timber is grown and harvested. Toten’s climate is much like southern Minnesota. Rainfall is less than on the west coast of Norway.
Viking roots go back about 4000 years and there may even have been people living there soon after the glacier melted. The Pilgrim Way, a route taken by medieval pilgrims travelling from Oslo to Nideros Cathedral in Trondheim where St. Olav's remains were preserved, goes through Østre Toten past the Balke Church and to Gjøvik.
The people of Toten may seem reserved at first, but soon warm to visitors just as you would do. They prefer to know someone is coming rather than be surprised when they see guests at the door. Most of the younger people speak some English. If only we spoke as much Norwegian.
A Brief History of Toten, Norway
A Little From Toten's Saga
(Link to an article from the 1921 Totenlag Yearbook translated by L. Opsahl)
It is an organization of people who came from or are descended from people who came from the Toten area of Norway. While originally conceived of as a way to get together for people from the same area in Norway, (it was formed in 1910) the lag has evolved into a group with family ties to Toten and the main emphasis is on genealogy and fellowship. The Toten Lag is one of seven Lags that have a yearly grand meeting (stevne). Quite naturally it is called the 7-Lag Stevne. All together, there are more than 30 Lags representing the people who come from many areas in Norway. There is an over encompassing organization called the Fellesraad
{Click for printable membership application}
Membership entitles you to:
One hour of the Lag Genealogy research time with Millie Andorfer (she has over 110 Microfilms of area records plus a library that fills a van!),
Four (or more) newsletters a year,
A three day annual Stevne (See Stevne Plans) with other people who came from or are descended from people who came from the Toten area. The Stevne includes fellowship, an opportunity to use the Lag’s genealogy materials, programs and entertainment with a Norwegian flair and lots of time to make new friends. As an added bonus you may learn about cousins both in Norway and elsewhere and get valuable tips for visiting Norway from people who have been there.
Officers:
[NOTE: Remove space before and after @ symbol to use the following
e-mail addresses or just click on the link]
Helen Buche, President
857 Fairmount Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Ph. # 651-224-3246
E-mail: president @ totenlag.org
Peter Christianson, Vice President
5300 Ann Street #103
Larsen, WI 54947
Ph. # 920-836-3614
E-mail: vp @ totenlag.org
George Olson, Jr., Secretary
12262 3rd Street, P. O. Box 225
Northome, MN 56661
Ph. # 218-897-5780
E-mail: secretary @ totenlag.org
Marie Brown, Treasurer
2210 Spruce Trail
Golden Valley, MN 55422
Ph. # 763-588-6666
E-mail: treasurer @ totenlag.org
Millie Andorfer, Genealogist
W333 S309 Glen Oaks Drive
Delafield, WI 53018
Ph. # 262-646-8234
E-mail: genealogist @ totenlag.org
Mary Bonnabeau, Membership
750 Fairmount Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
Ph. # 651-291-8974
E-mail: membership @ totenlag.org
Karen Christianson, Toten Bulletin Editor
5300 Ann Street #103
Larsen, WI 54947
Ph. # 920-836-3614
E-mail: newsletter @ totenlag.org
Ruth Christ, Webmaster
1335 Emily Court
Iowa City, IA 52240
Ph. # 319-351-7717
E-mail: webmaster @ totenlag.org
and
Directors:
Helen Daniels
Roger Hallingstad
Emeritus Directors:
David Bauman, Lag Historian
Eileen Gulbranson
7 Lag Stevne
This year’s 7 Lag Stevne - July 14-17, 2010, at Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota
{Click for printable registration form}
Contact the lag for more information!
Because Norway has a state church, it has been charged with collecting information (even for members of other religions) for centuries. This information includes some of the same subjects one can find in American Church records-baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths. Other information collected only in Norway includes: Small pox vaccination dates, area comings and goings. There are privacy laws in Norway that protect recent information. All older information is transferred to the regional archives and can be viewed there.
By the way, grave and grave stones are only allowed to be used for a given number of years. There is not enough land to give each person a permanent resting place so the grave is reused and the stone may be reused unless the remaining family members rent the space longer.
Because the Churches are so central to life in Norway, pictures of as many if them as we have are included:
{Click on links to see pictures, Click on the BACK button of your browser to return here!}
Links to other sites of interest:
Gjøvik og Toten slektshistorielag
Rolf Steinar Bergli's Homepage
Last updated 6/25/2010