Down a ladder, Jeffrey Olsen walks slowly through a narrow hatch to the crypt. – I don’t quite know what to expect, he says. Down in the crypt, he encounters a small room of around 12 square meters and the sight of skulls and bones. He is left speechless looking at the remains. – Who are these people, he asks in wonder. Hans Olav Løkken tells Jeffrey Olsen and his wife about the ancestors who rest in the crypt at Værnes church. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Request from Minnesota Hans Olav Løkken is a Norwegian local historian who has written regional history books from the Stjørdal area for over 23 years. Just before Christmas, he received a request from genealogists in Minnesota if he could help them find the ancestors of Jeffrey Olsen. The only thing they showed was that they had roots from Trondheim, and that he had a picture from Lade Church in Trondheim that was painted by a man named Nilsen. – In the past, several people wrote that they came from Trondheim, but in reality they may have come from Åfjorden or Lierne, explains Løkken. Hans Olav Løkken has published the local history book series Stjørdalen’s Chronicle, and is now on issue 23. This is not the first time he has helped Americans find their roots. Photo: Morten Andersen / news – Several also changed or shortened their names when they went to the states, often to the main farm they came from. Historically known farm The investigations concluded that Jeffrey Olsen’s successors came from Reppe farm in Lånke. – The farm is known historically, and several nobles with nobility and blue blood had traces of them from there. At Reppe farm in Lånke, it was relatively easy to track down those who had previously lived there. Photo: Morten Andersen / news It made Løkken’s job easier, and the ball continued to roll. After searching in farm records and church records, he found out that Jeffrey Olsen’s ancestors were buried in the crypt at Værnes church. Værnes church is a symbol of power and prosperity in the Stjørdal region. – He comes to Norway and is one of the few in history who can practically touch his ancestors, says Løkken. Værnes church is a church in Stjørdal municipality in Trøndelag. The medieval church was built in the middle of the 11th century Photo: Morten Andersen / news The secret behind being able to track down the right family trees, explains Løkken, is to have a lot of experience, good contacts and to enter the right protocols online. – I can tell an American that I know where his five times great-great-grandparents are buried, he says jokingly but at the same time seriously. The remains remain The burial chamber is usually closed to the public. But because of this particular case of direct descendants, the church warden let Jeffrey Olsen and his wife come down to see. The ancestors were buried in the 18th century in the private grave in the church, but over time the wooden coffins they were in have disintegrated. This is what the grave in the crypt looked like in 1959 before it was cleaned. Photo: Kjell Erik Pettersson / Historielaget In 1929, the crypt at the foot of the tower at Værnes church was rediscovered, and in 1959 it was cleaned. The plan was for the remains to be buried in the cemetery. Some of them were collected in a cardboard box. After repeated conversations about moving the remains, they came to the conclusion that they can stay in the crypt. – We like to leave things where they are, explains church guardian Oddbjørn Eide. Because the wooden coffin the remains were in has disintegrated, you can see the skulls and bones of Jeffre Olsen’s ancestors in the crypt at Værnes church. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Where the blood comes from Årlig, many descendants in the USA search for their roots, and get help to do so. One year after Jeffrey Olsen began his search for his ancestors, he finally found his ancestors. Henrich Hønne, his two wives and a child rest in the crypt. Drawing of what Henrich Hønne could look like. Image is based on Hønne’s daughter and the American Jeffrey Olsen. Photo: Amund Hagen These rest in the crypt at Værnes church Johan C. Rasbech, owner of Reppe and the burial chamber, buried 1674 Anna Rasbech, wife of Johan Christensen Rasbech, buried after 1675 Fennicken Hønne, wife 1 of Henrich Hønne, buried 1740 Hans Henrich Hønne , son of Henrich & Fennicken Hønne, buried 1742 Henrich Hønne, owner of Reppe, buried 1771 Elisabeth Hønne, wife 2 of Henrich Hønne, buried 1780 What the American got to see are his five times great-great-grandparents. – This is where my blood comes from, says the American down in the crypt. When asked if he might want to take his two sons back to Norway, he answers “yes”. Still tight-lipped, Olsen concludes that this was a very special experience before he climbs back into the church. – This is absolutely fantastic. Jeffrey Olsen decided a year ago to find his ancestors. This week he got to both go to the farm where his roots come from and see the remains of his ancestors. Photo: Morten Andersen / news
ttn-69
American met the ancestors in the crypt under Værnes church in Trøndelag – news Trøndelag
