Fartein Valentin Vikanas

Fartein Valentin was the son of Jakob Erikson and Anna Valentinsdtr. Hemarried Marie Gudmundsdtr. Risanger who was our Grandfather Lars RisangerMeland's sister.
At the farm there was a place for sheep/cows called fjs and a big housecalled Lve where they kept the food for the animals and there was aeldhus [firehouse directly translated] and there Granny Marie made theworlds best pancakes. How the house looked like at that time has beenimpossible to find out, but what we know is that the children sleptupstairs and in the wintertime there was often snow on their bedclothesin the morning. It was to less isolation in that house, we guess.
Fartein Valentin was a fisherman and until 1960 was the work for themale's fishing. And together with fishing they had cows and sheep andthey had of course potatoes, because we neede that together with all theherring we eat. It was not possible to go to Vikanes with car in thesedays, but there was a road for using horse with a cart. They had to goto Sagvg for doing their shopping and then they used a path, then it wasfaster.
July 13, 1909 Fartein gave the farm to the oldest of his sons, Erik.Grandpa was ill then, because November 28, 1909 he died by tuberculosis,41 years old. Everyone can imagine how that it must have been hard forGranny to be alone with all these kids, children from 2 - 19. January10, 1910 the youngest child Magnhild Olava died by brain inflamation.October 31, 1918, 3rd of the siblings died 26 years old by spanskesjuka [Spanish illness].
Erik, the oldest boy who had the farm at that time made the housedifferent in 1919 and he lived here until he built a new house by the sea.
December 16, 1929 Jakob got the house and the farm to be shared betweenthe brothers Erik, Jakob and Bernhard. The 4 girls, Anna, Jenny, Inga,and Serina were married already and had their own homes. In the fall1930 they got electricity into the house and that must have been a bigexperience for them.
1946 Jakob made the house different and then Granny got the house called"Blstovo" as her house. Granny died February 1950, she was 83 years oldthen. Trygve now owns the farm, got it March 25, 1964. The farm hasbeen in our family soon 140 years. Fartein and Marie had 763 descendantsand there are 717 who are alive.
This was a short history about our family from our Great Grandparents anduntil today.
From Maria og Fartein Valentin, Vikanes reunion - Stord, 29 August 1998.
This was sent to Arline Kenney in April 2004 by Mariann Stokken,Difjordeid, 5410 Saygvg, Norway