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What is Trønderlag of America?
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The Trønderlag of America is a bygdelag
(lag) — an organization or association of emigrants and their descendants
from the Trøndelag region (middle) of Norway. Lags were established in the U.S. to
maintain the ties to the homeland and provide a place for those emigrants
to assemble at least once a year. Trønderlaget was established in
1908. The Trønderlag of America is a member of the Norwegian-American
Bygdelagenes Fellesraad.
Our theme song is "Nidelven." Click
here to listen.
In case you want to sing along, you'll find the words to the song posted
here. |
Where is the Trøndelag region
in Norway?
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Trøndelag is in the
middle of Norway, dividing the wider, southern
part of Norway from the long,
narrow northern part. Trøndelag is divided into two fylkes:
Sør-Trøndelag and
Nord-Trøndelag.
The capital of Trøndelag is
Trondheim, Norway’s medieval capital, the country’s third largest
city. The Gothic-style
Nidaros Cathedral
dominating its skyline has traditionally been the sight of the coronation
of Norway’s kings, and most recently their family weddings.
This graphic shows the parishes in the Nidaros diocese.
Trondheim was founded in 997 by
Olav Tryggvason whose tall statue overlooks the city. The Nid river (Nidelven)
flows through the city into the Trondheim Fjord. Trøndelag presents a
wide range of scenery — mountains, valleys, lowlands, forests,
streams, waterfalls, lakes, farms, cities and fishing villages. The old
and the new exist side by side in Trøndelag.
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What's the difference between Trønderlag
and Trøndelag? Trønderlag (with an R) is the name of an
organization. Trøndelag (without an R) is the name of a region of
Norway. |
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Purpose of the Trønderlag of America
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| To aid in the preservation of Norwegian history, culture and
heritage for coming generations by collecting and preparing historical
information and data relative to immigration and settlement and to
encourage research and writing of family, immigration and settlement
histories. |
| To maintain communication and working relationships between the
members of Trønderlag and other related organizations with Norwegian
Heritage. |
| To develop and maintain a library of resources, such as bygdeboker
(farm histories), Norwegian church and government records and other such
genealogical information. |
| To maintain and enhance fellowship among the descendants of people
from the Trøndelag area of Norway and to maintain a bond between
Trønders in North America and Norway. |
To further these purposes, the Trønderlag may hold conferences,
symposia and other meetings, publish journals, books and other
publications; seek and accept grants, gifts and contracts for any of the
said foregoing purposes and, make available to the general public on a
nondiscriminatory basis the results of its collection of information
derived from the lag activities.
The
symbol of the Trønderlag is the
Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
Our
theme song is "Nidelven." |
Stevne
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| Once a year a Stevne (meeting) for all Tronders is
held, usually in the summer. Because of the number of people of Norwegian
ancestry in Minnesota, Stevne are frequently held somewhere in Minnesota
but have also been scheduled in other states. Stevne activities include
genealogy research, expert speakers about Norwegian cultural and
educational topics, lag business meeting, tours, picnic, and usually
concludes with the annual banquet. Those who own bunads (Norwegian
regional or national costume) often wear them to the banquet.
Stevne 2007, held near La Crosse, Wisconsin, was
well attended by Tronders.
This was a combined meeting of three lags: Trønderlag, Gudbrandsdalslag,
and Nord Hedmark og Hedmarken lag. Stevne 2008
was held in Fergus Falls, MN August 6-9. The attendance at this stevne set
a new record with more than 300 attendees. Information about the stevne
is mailed to members in the newsletter and is available on our website. |
Genealogy Research Assistance
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| During the annual Stevne, a large portion of time is
set aside for genealogy research using the lag resources. These
resources include bygdebøker (farm histories) from many of the parishes
that Trønderlag serves, personal family histories, as well other Norwegian
reference books, and films of emigration protocols. Most of these are in
the Norwegian language. A copy machine is available for participants to
make copies of pages for their use later. Seminars of genealogy interest are also often provided
at the Stevne. Topics during the 2008 stevne included "Researching in
Norway" and "Locating your Ancestral Farms and Relatives in
Norway".
During the rest of the year, our lag genealogist, Barry
Dahl, is available to do lookups and searches in the lag-owned genealogy
materials. Lag members may contact him directly for assistance. There is
no charge for lookups, although we ask for reimbursement for photo copies.
Donations to our genealogy resources are always welcome
so that we can purchase additional resources.
Contact the lag genealogist to learn about our specific needs or send
monetary donations to the lag treasurer. |
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| A newsletter, "Trønderlag
Nyheter Brev", is published three times a year. Members receive the
newsletter as part of their membership dues. It
contains information about the activities of the Trønderlag and its
stevnes as well as genealogical and cultural articles. There are
interesting articles about its members in America and Norway and countless
other topics relating to Trøndelag heritage.
Article contributions related to Trøndelag, your
immigrant families, or other Trøndelag or Norway related topics are always
welcome. Send them to the
newsletter editor. You can request a
sample newsletter. |
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| In 2005 Trønderlag of America re-established the
tradition of publishing a Trønderlag Aarbok (yearbook). This Aarbok
is the first that the lag has published in more than 20 years. The purpose
of the yearbook is to help us maintain a history of Trønderlag and share that
history with lag members and others. Our special focus was immigrant
biographies and we were highly successful in having a large number
submitted for the book. Some biographies included several generations of
families. Many included photos. The Lag published another Aarbok in 2006
and will publish a third in 2008. |
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| Thirty-six members of Trønderlag of America
toured the Trøndelag area in September 2005, visiting their ancestral
farms and meeting relatives. Interest has been shown in having Trønderlag
organize and sponsor another trip to Norway in 2010. |
Research Trip to Salt Lake
City
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| In late February 2008, a research
trip for "Tre Lag Stevne" cooperating lags for members was held in Salt
Lake City. Attendees spent a week attending classes on Norwegian research and
using all of the facilities of the LDS Genealogy Library. Another trip is
planned for February 2009. Contact Elaine Hasleton for more information on
this trip (vp @ tronderlag.org) |
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