Hi, My family records state my Greatgrandfather, Knute H. Finstad, was from "Asterdalen, Norway" I can't find any such city. Any ideas, suggestions; My records say he was born Aug 22, 1865, and that he immigrated in 1880. Thanks, Monica Lee

Hi Monica ~ It would be rare that a city would be given for a person who emigrated in 1880; more likely, it would either be a farm or a region. That said, I was unable to find a farm or a region in Norway with either the name of Asterdalen or Åsterdalen. However, there is a region known as Østerdalen, which is in Hedmark fylke near Lillehammer. Usually, the last name of a person is either a patronymic name (Jensen, Pedersen) or a farm name. I would suspect that your great-grandfather lived on the Finstad farm, probably when he left Norway. The O. Rygh list of farm names in Norway (http://www.dokpro.uio.no/rygh_ng/rygh_felt.html), lists 14 farms with the name of Finstad. Two of these are in Østerdalen, and I would recommend focusing your research there, on the two farms listed in the Rygh database. A starting point for this are includes the web page of the Nord Hedmark og Hedemarken Lag at http://www.nhohlag.org. Best wishes, John Reindl, Genealogist Nord Hedemark og Hedemarken Lag. monica wrote: > Hi, > > My family records state my Greatgrandfather, Knute H. Finstad, was from > "Asterdalen, Norway" > I can't find any such city. Any ideas, suggestions; My records say he was > born Aug 22, 1865, > and that he immigrated in 1880. > > Thanks, > > Monica Lee > > >

monica wrote: > My family records state my Greatgrandfather, Knute H. Finstad, was from > "Asterdalen, Norway". > I can't find any such city. Any ideas, suggestions; My records say he was > born Aug 22, 1865, and that he immigrated in 1880. "Finstad" is a common farm name in Norway, and hence a widespread surname. "Asterdalen" used in this connection is probably refering to a parish or region rather than a city. The ending "-dalen" means "the valley". I don't think "Asterdalen" is found as a name of any valley in Norway, but it might be a little wrong for "Østerdalen" (or "Österdalen" if you like). This is one of the main valleys in Southeastern Norway. In this valley there are Finstad farms at least in these parishes: Elverum, Øvre Rendalen, Sollien, Storelvdal. I suppose your greatgrandfather's initial 'H' means that he was a son of a 'Hans', Harald', 'Halvor' or another Christian name starting with 'H'. In the 1865 census I found Hans Pedersen (Finstad) living at Finstad in Elverum. He was 35 years old and had a son, Tollef, who was 3 years old. Perhaps he got another son in 1865? There might be other alternatives, but I would have checked the Elverum church books for 1865. I will add that the emigration protocols from Oslo shows that a Knud Halvorsen Finstad from Rendalen in Østerdalen emigrated in 1880. However, he was 23 years of age and therefore too old to be your greatgrandfather if your information about his birth is correct. Regards from Knut Bryn, Molde