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A Special Report from Fogn, Norway

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Sunday September 3rd was unveiled a memorial stone on the farm Eide on the island of Fogn to commemorate Marta Jørgensdotter Eide.

Many people came to Eide this day. Also the new Restauration, the replica of the first Restauration came to Eidsvåg dock with many guests on board. All had a nice, interesting celebrating.

Marta was married to Lars Larsson Jeilane. He was the leader of the group who emigrated at the sloop Restauration from Stavanger, Norway July 4th 1825.

After two mounts on board, Marta gave birth to their first baby, a daughter named Margareth Allen. And still the mother with the baby had to be one month more on board till the sloop arrived in New York October 9th.

Martha and Lars Larson built their home in Rochester. They helped many emigrants comming to America the next pioneering years. On the way toward west the emigrants often came with short of money and food. Martha, the head of the housekeeping was helpful, and with love she took good care of them, though it was often difficult to supply all the necessary food.

Here on Fogn, Martha`s birth place, we call her: Mother of the Norwegian emigration to America.

           Greetings from Øystein Sandanger
Address:   Opsal 4164 Fogn

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Slooper Society Annual Meeting 2017 Report

The Norwegian Slooper Society of America held their 2017 annual meeting on October 8, 2017, in Norway, IL.  There were 61 in attendance.

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Kirk & Renée Mies (Lindenhurst, IL) spoke on “An Enduring Legacy”, a story of their ancestors.  Kirk’s story is that of Daniel and Brita Rossedal (present descendants: Rosdail) making their way from the farm in Norway to boarding the sloop Restauration in Stavanger.  Kirk is a descendent of Daniel and Bertha, and followed in their footsteps going from the Rossedal farm in Trysvær, Norway, to the Hersdal farm, then on to Stavanger to catch the ship to America.  Renée shared her Irish ancestry, which was intriguing as well.  Who knows, we Norwegian-Americans may be related in some way to the Irish via the Vikings!

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A special treat were the twenty-three Viking ship table place settings, each handmade from card stock and painted by Phyllis Benson of the Cleng Peerson Sons of Norway lodge #5-525 (Ottawa, IL).  These are 17 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 10 inches tall.  Beautifully done, Phyllis!

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New officers were elected:
  PRESIDENT:    Steve Rosdail Southcombe
VICE PRESIDENT:  Kirk Rosdail Mies
SECRETARY:   Renée Rosdail Mies
TREASURER:   Steve Rosdail Southcombe
Congratulations to the new officers of the Slooper Society!

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(left to right)  Renée Mies, Kirk Mies, and Steve Southcombe

And “mange takk” to the outgoing officers, who have served during the many past years:  Pat Goodman Hayes (President), Rev. Wesley Hougsted (VP), and Lou Hougas Wise (Secretary).

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(left to right)  Pat Hayes, Rev. Wesley Hougsted, Lou Wise, and Steve Southcombe (Treasurer).

 

2017 Annual Meeting of the Slooper Society of America

August 21, 2017

Dear Sloopers and friends,

You are cordially invited to the 92nd annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America. This meeting also extends to include our Sons of Norway friends.

Please mark your calendar for Sunday, October 8th, 2017, and plan to join us at the Norway Community Building, Norway, IL, just off Route 71.

Dinner will be served at 1:00 pm. We ask that each family bring a dish to pass. Table service and drinks will be provided.Our program this year will be presented by Kirk Mies (Rosdail descendant) and will be entitled, “An Enduring Legacy”. He is passionate about knowing and preserving his Norwegian heritage as well as creating renewed interest in it for the next generations.

There will be a short business meeting following the program. As in the past, the Norsk Museum will be open for those interested.  The Norway Store has many Norwegian items and foods and will be open until 5:00 p.m.

The re-printed book, The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity (Collector’s Edition), will be offered for sale at a special discounted price this day only for those that attend.

Please join us for an afternoon of great food and fellowship!

Sincerely,
Lou Hougas Wise, Secretary

P.S. Kirk will have Slooper lapel pins available for $5 each.

2016 Annual Meeting of the Slooper Society of America

Dear Sloopers and friends,

You are cordially invited to the 91st annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America.  This meeting also extends to include our Sons of Norway friends.   Please mark your calendar for Sunday, October 9th, 2016, and plan to join us at the Norway Community Building, Norway, IL, just off Route 71.  Dinner will be served at 1:00 pm.  We ask that each family bring a dish to pass.  Table service and drinks will be provided.

Our program this year will be presented by Linda Anderson.  It will highlight the “Leif Erikson Legacy”.

There will be a short business meeting following the program.  As in the past, the Norsk Museum will be open for those interested.  The Norway Store has many Norwegian items and foods and will be open until 5:00 p.m.

The re-printed book, The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity, will be offered for sale at a special discounted price this day only for those that attend.

Please join us for an afternoon of great food and fellowship!

Sincerely,

Lou Hougas Wise, Secretary

90th Annual Meeting of the Slooper Society of America

Dear Sloopers and friends,

You are cordially invited to the 90th annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America.  Please mark your calendar for Sunday, October 11th, 2015, and make plans to join us at the Norway Community Building, Norway, IL, just off Route 71.  Dinner will be served promptly at 1:00 pm.  We ask that each family bring a dish to pass.  Table service and drinks will be provided.

Our speaker this year will be Ms. Anna Pierce of North Aurora, IL. She graduated from Aurora University in 2015, with a Bachelor’s in History and a Minor in Museum Studies and Film Studies.  Within her presentation, “Creating a Museum from Forgotten Treasures,” she will discuss her personal experiences in the challenges and joys of operating and organizing a museum….and the preservation of its collection into the future.

There will be a short business meeting following the program.  As in the past, the Norsk Museum will be open for those interested.  The Norway Store has many Norwegian items and foods and will be open until 5:00 p.m.

The newly re-printed book, The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity, will be offered for sale at a cost of $78.

Please join us for an afternoon of great food and fellowship!

Sincerely,
Lou Wise, Secretary

The Sloopers Collector’s Edition book is here!

The new The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity Collector’s Edition of the J. Hart Rosdail classic book was presented at the 89th Annual Sloopers Society meeting on Sunday, October 5, 2014, in Norway, Illinois.  Many of the low-numbered books were sold that day.

Also present were many from the Sons of Norway lodges Cleng Peerson #5-525 (Norway, IL) and Polar Star #5-472 (Aurora, IL).  Welcome!

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The beautiful hardbound book is available for purchase online from the Slooper Society on this website by going to “The Sloopers” Book page.  Price is $78 plus shipping & handling.

The Sloopers Collector’s Edition book soon available

We are pleased to announce that the new re-printed Collector’s Edition of The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity, by J. Hart Rosdail, will be released for the first time at the annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America on October 5, 2014.

In contrast to previous re-prints, this edition is close to identical to the original, including the hardbound cover.  There is also a dust cover (see picture below) to protect the cover of this Collector’s Edition.

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There is a limited number of these Collector’s Edition books, as they are individually embossed and numbered by the Slooper Society.  The Slooper members and others in attendance will have the opportunity to purchase the first low-numbered books, before the remaining are released to the public for sale in November.  In addition, these are for sale at a 25% discount, or $58.50, with a coupon presented at the annual meeting or through the Norsk Museum during the month of October.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a discount coupon — there will be extras at the meeting or at the Norsk Museum.  All you have to do is be present.

As more information is made available from the publisher, Ivitek Publishing, we will be posting it on this website.

The Slooper Society 2014 Annual Meeting

Dear Sloopers and friends,

You are cordially invited to the 89th annual meeting of the Slooper Society of America.  Please mark your calendar for Sunday, October 5th, 2014, and make plans to join us at the Norway Community Building, Norway, IL, just off Route 71.  Dinner will be served promptly at 1:00 pm.  We ask that each family bring a dish to pass.  Table service and drinks will be provided.

We are pleased to announce that our newly re-printed book, The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity, will be presented and offered for sale.  One of our honorary members, Bill Injerd, will be making the presentation.  The list price for The Sloopers is $78.  However, attendees with a discount coupon (enclosed) can purchase the book for $58.50 — a 25% discount off the list price.  It will also be available for sale at the Norsk Museum.  We encourage all to make it to the annual meeting as these are the first books “off the press” to go on sale before The Sloopers is released for sale on Amazon.com, as well as at museums and bookstores.  For more information, visit our website listed at the bottom of this letter.

Our nearby Sons of Norway lodges (Cleng Peerson #5-525 and Polar Star Lodge #5-472) are invited to participate in this event.

There will be a short business meeting following the book presentation.  As in the past, the Norsk Museum will be open for those interested.  The Norway Store has many Norwegian items and foods and will be open until 5:00 pm.

Please join us for an afternoon of great food and fellowship!

Sincerely, Lou Wise, Secretary

Re-Publishing The Sloopers book

The Slooper Society no longer has for sale new copies of the book, The Sloopers: Their Ancestry and Posterity (1961), by J. Hart Rosdail.  Ivitek Publishing has agreed to look into having this book digitized, updated, and re-published (both bound book and e-book).  We need original pictures or best copies of the book’s pictures available to the publisher no later than end of February 2014 — if at all possible.  Our goal is to have this new Sloopers book printed and available for sale by the next annual meeting in October 2014.  Contact Bill Injerd of Ivitek Publishing on 586-764-1082 (bill.injerd@ivitek.com).