HAMSUNS' FATHER'S LINEAGE
Knut Hamsun's great-grandparents: Ole Pedersen Skultbakken (b. 1761, d. 1811), married Marit Jonsdatter Klonesbakken (b. 1760, d. 1802). They had three children, the one who would become Knut Hamsun's grandfather was
Peder Olsen Skultbakken (b. 1.3.1789, d. 8.4.1858), who married Ymbjørg Knutsdatter Kleppeie (b. 1793 d. 6.9.1868, Knut Hamsun's grandmother). They had a total of six children:
1. Ole Pedersen (b. 1816, d. 1893) (11 children)
2. Knut Pedersen (b. 1819, d. 1888 (7 children)
3. Peder Pedersen (b. 1824, d. 1907) (Knut Hamsun's father) (7 children)
4. Knut Pedersen, dy (b. 1826, d. 1868) (6 children)
5. Mari Pedersdatter (b. 1830, d. 1831)
6. Gurie Pedersdatter (b. 18.6.1836, d. 29.9.1886)
Ole Pedersen's daughter Anna (Knut Hamsun's cousin) was number 8 in a line of 11 siblings. She was born in 1859 – the same year as Knut Hamsun. She moved to Hønefoss in 1884 and emigrated to the USA in 1887. (Below you can read the account from Joyce Duncan, USA, descendant of Anna.)
No. 4 in the line of Peder Pedersen's siblings, i.e. Knut the younger, married Mari Nyrneshaugen in 1849. She had the same name as Knut Hamsun's grandmother.
Peder and Tora were not the first to marry in those families; they were two brothers who each married their cousin.
Knut dy and Mari eventually moved to Oppdal and lived on a farm called Kattrem. Knut dy worked as a "construction slush" (road worker). In February 1868, a large avalanche hit the area, sweeping away much of the buildings on the farm. 14 people died, including Knut and Mari and five of the children. Miraculously, one of them survived. His name was Ole, and he moved home to his grandparents at Nyrneshaugen. He eventually married Beret Gregoskveen in Garmo, and they had 11 children. Their eldest son was also named Knut, after his grandfather Knut dy, the same person who perhaps Knut Hamsun was also named after.
In Garmo, there is one more person named after his grandfather, and his name is Knut Artur Lyngved – the latest addition to the KNUT family.
Torstein K. Garmo, Lom
Report from Joyce Duncan, USA, descendant of Anna (Knut Hamsun's cousin):
"My name is Joyce Duncan from the United States of America. I am a descendant of Anna Olsen Hill Klein who was my great-grandmother and an emigrant of Norway. As an avid genealogist and researcher of family history, I find myself unable to find my Anna's history due to logistics. My only information came from my great aunt, Anna's daughter, who wrote some things in a letter about her Norwegian history according to her mother. The reason I am writing to you is that she said that Anna Olsen and Knut Hamsun were first cousins which means that they share family history. I am hoping that you can give me some clues as to Knut's history which I may be able to connect to hers (and, of course, to mine). If not, could you possibly direct me to someone who can help me via email since making a trip to Norway is impossible for me financially:
Anna Olsen was born June 17, 1859 in possibly Oslo, Norway. Her parents were from Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, an area north of Lillehammer. Her father, Ole Skultbakken, and uncles each played the violin really well and often played for local dances and other events. Her grandfather was Peder Skultbakken, born in 1799, and his wife's name was Yhbjor. (These names and dates may be misspelled or incorrect since my great aunt was 79 at the time of her writing and was trying to recall her mother's stories from memory – no written documentation.)
Sometime around 1887, Anna and her husband, Pete Hill, a Dane, immigrated to the US A along with a young son Chris. They lived back and forth between Chicago, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana, just a short distance away. My aunt believed that Anna had two brothers who also immigrated and two sisters who stayed in Norway, one dying in an avalanche accident.
Concerning Knut Hamsun, my great aunt said that when Anna and Pete first immigrated to Chicago, Knut visited for a while and lived with them while he tried to make money. She said he worked as a conductor on the Halsted Street line of horse-cars, but was so preoccupied with his reading that he often forgot to make the necessary stops. This behavior so infuriated his passengers that he lost his job. He also lived with Norwegian relatives in North Dakota before going back to Norway. (By the way, my great aunt and her husband farmed near Fargo, North Dakota and her son still has the farm there.)
Anna's first husband was killed about five years after they were in the US when he fell into Lake Michigan while working on a bridge. A few years later she married George Klein, my great grandfather.
Joyce Duncan by email to Kirsten Hedvig Rasmussen, 2010
The information about Knut Hamsun's family has been compiled by Kirsten Hedvig Rasmussen, edited by Gro Roksand.
Published July 6, 2010
