Who was the son-in-law of Torstein Greipson, Reiseter in Ullensvang (early 1600s)

[Carl-Henry Geschwind]

Please forgive me for writing the following in English (this is much easier for me). I welcome responses in Norwegian, if that is easier for you.

 

Torstein Greipson of Reiseter in Ullensvang parish (in Hardanger) had several unnamed daughters. Both Velde in "Slekte Velde og Espeland" and Kolltveit in "Odda, Ullensvang og Kinsarvik i gamal og ny tid" suggested that one of these daughters was married to Ola Åmundson of Reiseter - a suggestion that has been repeated by Odd Handegård in "Vår felles slektshistorie." I want to suggest that she was married to Lars Oddson of Aga instead. Is my suggestion reasonable?

 

Background:

In 1708 Lars Ivarson d.e. of Reiseter married Marita Olsdatter of Reiseter. This required royal permission, as they were second cousins ("i tredje leed beslægtet" - see church book entry at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/11710/79, #4 on right-hand side).

 

Marita Olsdatter was the daughter of Ola Vigleikson of Reiseter, who was the son of Vigleik Torsteinson of Reiseter, who was the son of Torstein Greipson of Reiseter.

 

Lars Ivarson d.e. was the son of Ivar Olson of Reiseter and his wife Siri Larsdatter (see baptismal entry at http://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/11709/26, #5 on right-hand side). Ivar Olson surely was the son of Ola Åmundson of Reiseter (last named in 1657, Ivar listed in same position beginning in 1658). It has been suggested (see, for example, "Vår felles slektshistorie," p. 439) that Siri Larsdatter was the daughter of lensmann Lars Oddson of Aga.

 

In order to explain how Lars Ivarson could be a second cousin of Marita Olsdatter, it has been suggested that Ivar Olson's mother (the wife of Ola Åmundson) was a daughter of Torstein Greipson. There are two pieces of supporting evidence (see "Vår felles slektshistorie", p. 438):

1) At his death in 1706, Ivar Olson owned a portion of Stana in Odda parish (inherited by his daughter Marita Ivarsdatter, per his 1706 probate). In 1624, all of Stana had been owned by Torstein Greipson.

2) In 1669, Ivar Olson together with Ola Vigleikson and Torstein Isakson (another grandson of Torstein Greipson) bought a portion of Reiseter called Bøle. Their joint purchase suggests they were related.

 

However: I have found that in the 1650s and early 1660s the larger portion of Stana was owned not by Ivar Olson's father Ola Åmundson, but by his (supposed) father-in-law Lars Oddson. See, for example, the 1654 tax list at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/76924/214 (last entry on right-hand side), the 1661 tax list at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/77296/246 (third entry from top on left-hand side), and the 1661 Landkommisjon Jordebok at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/38741/121 (bottom of left column on left-hand side, showing that Lars Ods. ibid. [i.e. Agge] owned property in Staaen and three other farms).

 

This suggests that Ivar Olson obtained his interest in Stana not from his father, but from his father-in-law Lars Oddson - which in turn suggests that it was Lars Oddson who obtained it by marrying a daughter of Torstein Greipson.

 

If it was Lars Oddson rather than Ola Åmundson who married a daughter of Torstein Greipson, then Lars Ivarson would still be a great-grandson of Torstein Greipson and thus a second cousin of Marita Olsdatter. Moreover, because Ivar Olson was already married to Siri Larsdatter in 1669 (their first child was born ca. 1661), Ivar Olson would already be related to Ola Vigleikson and Torstein Isakson in 1669 (in this case, they would be cousins of his wife rather than his own cousins).

 

Thus, given that Stana was owned by Lars Oddson of Aga in the 1650s, I believe all of the evidence more strongly supports Lars Oddson rather than Ola Åmundson as the son-in-law of Torstein Greipson.