[#25881] why did they migrate from Tynset to Bardu? 1850s, 1860s

[Gjest Marilla Schenk]

My husband's greatgrandfather moved from Tynset to Bardu as a teenager in 1858. From the records we can see that he was one of many who did so. Of all the northern places they might go to we are wondering why did so many choose Bardu-Målselv? What was going on there at that time that drew people to relocate there?

[Gjest Tom Harald Dahl]

Maybe this link can help you? Lenke Regards Tom Harald Dahl

[Gjest per helge seglsten]

In 1780s the population of Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen was encouraged to settle in the - with the important exception of the lappi people - uninhabited areas of Bardu and Målselv. The reason was overpopulation and poverty in Gudbrandsdalen/Østerdalen and the fact that the wide inland valleys of Bardu and Målselv in many ways were a lot like the Gudbrandsdalen/Østerdalen valleys. In 1788 the first settlers came to Målselv and in 1790 to Bardu. The contact between the settlers and Østerdalen/Gudbrandsdalen areas was very tight. When they married, many of the Målselv/Bardu settlers got their spouses from the south, and for a long time they generally looked down on the coastal population. They kept their customs and even today the Målselv and Bardu dialects are nothing like the norwegian spoken in neighbour areas in Troms. The contact between Tynset and Bardu was still very tight in 1858, and when the norwegian emigration to the USA started to grow in the second half of the 1850's quite some people might have chosen the still sparsely populated areas of Bardu.

[Gjest Marilla Schenk]

To Per Helge and Tom Harald - Thank you so much for the helpful replies! They are much appreciated.