News & Notes
Five Østfold Bygdebøker Donated to Collection
June 1, 2012
Two additional volumes of bygdebøker for Tune in Østfold were recently added to the Arne G. Brekke Bygdebok Collection. The books are detailed histories of the area and cover the time periods of 1537-1800 and 1800-1930. Both books are authored by Sven G. Eliassen. These additional bygdebøker complete our series for Tune (five volumes in all) and were kindly donated to the Collection by Dr. Steinar Opstad of Grålum, Østfold, Norway. Dr. Opstad has fostered many connections between Norway and the University of North Dakota, and received an honorary degree from UND in 2008. Tune is presently part of the municipality of Sarpsborg. Initiated by Dr. Opstad, the city of Sarpsborg became a sister city to Grand Forks in 2005.
In addition to the books for Tune, Dr. Opstad has obtained a few other Østfold bygdebøker for the Collection. These titles are:
- Skjeberg Bygdebok, v. 1
- Slekten fra Grinder i Aremark
- Rolvsøy 1500-1994
The Department of Special Collections sincerely appreciates the efforts of Dr. Opstad to add all of these books to the Arne G. Brekke Bygdebok Collection.
New Aal Bygdebøker Added to Collection
February 16, 2012
The Arne G. Brekke Bygdebok Collection has recently received a series of bygdebøker for Aal (Ål) Kommune in Buskerud authored by Thor Warberg. The series consists of nine volumes of farm histories along with a volume containing indexes of given names and surnames plus one volume with corrections and additions. These books were obtained for the Collection through a generous donation by descendants of Birgit (Jallo) Helgeson, who emigrated from Aal in 1882. These descendants include three grandchildren: Orpha (Fredrickson) Ellingson, Betty Jean (Fredrickson) Ellingson, Floyd J. Fredrickson, and their families. Some of the family members visited the home farm in Aal in August, 2011.
Arne G. Brekke recognized with Major Benefactor Award
October 27, 2011
Arne G. Brekke was recognized by the North Dakota Library Association as their Major Benefactor Award winner on September 22, 2011. Brekke was nominated by University of North Dakota Library Director Wilbur Stolt, who noted that Arne has been a driving force behind the growth of the Library’s Norwegian Bygdebok Collection. For over 30 years, Arne has contributed his time, energy and money to the growth of the Collection.
Arne Brekke accepts the Major Benefactor Award from NDLA President Rita Ennen.
The UND Bygdebok Collection was named in honor of Arne in November 2010. It currently contains over 1,200 volumes and continues to grow. Bygdebøker are very important to researchers seeking historical information about Norwegian families and the farms where they lived. UND’s Collection is recognized as one of the largest and best in the world.
