Ed's Day Wednesday
Dear FOLKS,
Tosten Andreassen Brekke (1853-1940), the immigrant from Norway we have recently been learning about was from Flåm, Aurland, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He was born at home on the Brekke farm on 04 January 1853 and he would head for America to seek his fortune and fame in April 1875. You can learn more about him in these two earlier articles, click here or here. Tosten was my late cousin Ed Ostrom's great-grandfather, Ed's father's mother's father.
The town of Flam is located on the east end of Sognefjord in west central Norway. Here is an aerial view with a close-up labeling different highlights of the area.
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| IMAGE: From the 2002 catalog front cover of Brekke Tours and Travel, Grand Forks, ND. Showing the village of Flåm and the surrounding area. This digital cropping was found in the Brekke files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
"Oh Western Norway, when I see you this
way, with majestic mountains, fjords and narrow bay,
You rise in all your beauty grand and wild,
and yet appear to me soft and mild."
English adaptation from
Tore Ørjasæter's "Å Vestland, Vestland"
In 2010, cousin Ed traveled to Norway, he had a need to take steps over the same places his ancestors had been. One of his stops was on the Brekke farm. From here, he hiked up the mountainside to the foot of the Brekke Falls. Here is a short video clip of what he saw there.
We are fortunate that Tosten had a young nephew who would periodically send photographs to his American uncle. The nephew was Andreas Pedersen Brekke (1874-1925). Andreas's parents were Peder Ellendsen Taerum and Kirstine Brekke. Kirstine was Tosten's older sister. Most of the photos were on postcards and were primarily sent during 1910-1920. Some of the postcards we know were sent as a small bunch in envelope packages as there are no addresses or postage stamps on them.
He would also receive correspondence from a niece, Ingeborg Boella Brekke. Ingeborg was Andreas's sister, who was younger by 3 years.
Then too we are fortunate that Tosten's child, daughter Ida Brekke Peterson (1894-1982) kept these postcards for us to now see. It was Ida's daughter Iona Peterson Schooler (1920-2005) who shared these images with cousin Ed as well as many photographs. We are also fortunate that cousin Ed liked to scan images for us.
One of the first places that Tosten would grow to call home was the family's residence on the Brekke farm.
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| IMAGE: House on the Brekke farm where it is thought Tosten A. Brekke was born. Taken ca. 1910. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
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| IMAGE: Same house as pictured above on Brekke farm as it looked in August 2005 when Clinton Ostrom went to visit the Brekke farm. Unfortunately this structure burned to its stone foundation in 2009. Image from the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
The next building that Tosten would have in his memories was the Flåm church. This church was built in 1670 and could seat 160 parishioners, replacing an older structure that has burned down. Today it is painted brown. Tosten attended church here, that included being baptised as a newborn and then later, where he was confirmed.
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| IMAGE: Flåm Church (ca. 1915). From digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
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| IMAGE Reverse side of Flåm church postcard. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
Addressed to T.A. Brakke Route 2, Dalton Minnesota Ammerika
I am sending a card of Flaam Church, in case you would like to see it again. I have previously sent a few pictures—soon two years ago, but I have not heard from you since then. Greetings from me, Ingeborg (Boella). Please send me a few words to let me know if you have gotten this.
When Tosten was a lad of 5 or 6 his interest in his surroundings would grow to include other parts of the farm and no longer just the house that was his birthplace. The next photo describes the farm's layout with other buildings.
Soon he would be exploring the wonders near his home. We might wonder when he discovered the Brekke Falls. Most boys love water. In Norway this particular waterfall is correctly called Brekkefossen.
This was his playground, the Brekke Farm and its nearby attractions for a young boy while growing up.
When Tosten became a young man the areas where he likely ventured to would have been up the mountains, up the valley or out to the waters of the fjord. Here is what he would have seen.
Did Tosten have plans to return to Norway after becoming a wealthy man in America? We do not know what he had planned, memoirs and records do not relate. But we can imagine the thoughts he had when he saw the open, primarily flat terrain of Minnesota. While he likely missed the fjord and steep mountain slopes above Flåm Valley and the watery branches of the Sognefjord near his birthplace, he could realize the opportunities that lay ahead for a young, strong farmer in this new land where he made his home.
Brekke, December
27, 1909
When Tosten was a lad of 5 or 6 his interest in his surroundings would grow to include other parts of the farm and no longer just the house that was his birthplace. The next photo describes the farm's layout with other buildings.
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| IMAGE: Brekke farm prior to 1925. The building in the center, third from the right is the same as pictured above. Fruit tree orchard in the foreground, stones removed. From the digital collection of Edwin J. Ostrom |
Soon he would be exploring the wonders near his home. We might wonder when he discovered the Brekke Falls. Most boys love water. In Norway this particular waterfall is correctly called Brekkefossen.
 |
| IMAGE: Brekkefossen (Brekke Falls) found uphill from the Brekke Farm. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
This was his playground, the Brekke Farm and its nearby attractions for a young boy while growing up.
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| IMAGE: Brekke farm from an uphill view. Shows the farm has two distinct parts, the buildings further away are known as being on the "nigaren" or the lower farm. Tosten's birth place was within the lower farm per our current thinking. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
When Tosten became a young man the areas where he likely ventured to would have been up the mountains, up the valley or out to the waters of the fjord. Here is what he would have seen.
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| IMAGE: Light snow has fallen and here is a look at the mountains above Brekke Farm. The "x" at the top of the picture shows the location of the Brekke Summer farm. Sheep flocks were sent to the mountain tops for grazing. A shepherd shack was built up there. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
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| IMAGE: A look at the Flåm Valley (Flåmsdalen). From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
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| IMAGE: View of of the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden, a branch of the Sognefjorden, where Flåm is located, ca 1915. Note the two German battleships in the foreground, places the timeframe during WWI. From the digital files of Edwin J. Ostrom. |
Did Tosten have plans to return to Norway after becoming a wealthy man in America? We do not know what he had planned, memoirs and records do not relate. But we can imagine the thoughts he had when he saw the open, primarily flat terrain of Minnesota. While he likely missed the fjord and steep mountain slopes above Flåm Valley and the watery branches of the Sognefjord near his birthplace, he could realize the opportunities that lay ahead for a young, strong farmer in this new land where he made his home.
These beautiful views leave me with the question of how the many who emigrated from Norway could have made that decision. Such beautiful country but at the time so difficult to make a living where farming and other rural occupations were the norm. Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you too enjoyed these photographs.
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Please comment regarding this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then use the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Or contact me by email at dsteff4246[at]gmail[dot]com. Thank you.
Copyright (c) 2017, Darlene M. Steffens
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