Hello! I've been researching my ancestral lines and have hit a snag, and am hoping for some help or clarification?

I'm american (deep apologies to the world for the overgrown manbaby), but my Great Grandmother, Asdis, was from Iceland. I've been in contact with cousins who still live in Iceland, and one is helping me trace my line.

She informed me that Asdis's Grandfather, Jens Olsen, was from Fjellhagan, Norway…. but I'm not finding that as a specific town? My cousin is still researching on her end, but I'm at a loss. I've attempted to search through Norwegian records, but without a location, it's proving to be very difficult. Can anyone help?

by Maefyre13

12 comments

  1. Probably the name of the farm or village back then.

  4. Jens Olsen is a quite common name I’m afraid https://www.digitalarkivet.no/search/persons/advanced?from=1850&to=1928&firstname=Jens&lastname=Olsen&genders%5B%5D=m&birth_year_from=1850&birth_year_to=1850&birth_date=&birth_place=&domicile=&position=&event_year_from=&event_year_to=&event_date=&related_first_name=&related_last_name=&related_birth_year=

  5. Jens Olsen Svendboen – From Fjellhaugen

    According to genealogical records (e.g., FamilySearch), Jens Olsen Svendboen was:
    • Born: December 31, 1850, in Hordaland, Norway
    • Died: May 15, 1928 (age 77), likely in Iceland
    • Residence: Fjellhaugen
    • Spouse: Anna Stefansdottir – married when Jens was 31 years old

    Not much additional information is currently available regarding his occupation, parents, or children. However, local church records, census documents, probate registers, or family history archives—especially those from the Hordaland or Røros regions (depending on which “Fjellhaugen” is relevant)—may provide more details.

  6. Like someone said, Fjellhagan is probably a farm somewhere. But you may need to look at alternate spellings. I found no place called “Fjellhagan” in Digitalarkivet.

    If Asdis was born around 1860, chances are Jens was born around 1800 to 1820. There are 2200 hits for Jens Olsen in that period. If you can narrow things down just a little bit in terms of geography, you might reduce the number of hits. Like, was Jens from the east or the west? If you know more about when he might have been born, that also narrows it down a lot.

    [https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/search/persons/advanced?from=&to=&sc%5B%5D=em&firstname=jens&lastname=olsen&birth_year_from=1800&birth_year_to=1820&birth_date=&birth_place=&domicile=&position=&event_year_from=&event_year_to=&event_date=&related_first_name=&related_last_name=&related_birth_year=&sort=rel](https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/search/persons/advanced?from=&to=&sc%5B%5D=em&firstname=jens&lastname=olsen&birth_year_from=1800&birth_year_to=1820&birth_date=&birth_place=&domicile=&position=&event_year_from=&event_year_to=&event_date=&related_first_name=&related_last_name=&related_birth_year=&sort=rel)

    Also, do try free sites like Geni or Familysearch.

  7. Old names that end in …hagen or …eie usually describes the “husmannsplass” (small tenant farm?) that belongs to a farm. So Fjellhagen or Fjellhagan would usually belong to the farm Fjell. This is a common farm name in Norway as it means mountain.

    I searched in Digitalarkivet and found in the census of 1875 a Jens Olsen born at Fjell in 1850 who lived in Lokøen (Lokøya) in Fjell municipality outside of Bergen in 1875. This might not be the correct person, as Jens Olsen is a very common name. https://www.digitalarkivet.no/census/person/pf01052283001223

  8. I’m curious – is the name written down, or was it passed on verbally? If so, there is a chance ‘Fjellhagan’ might be a mispronunciation of for example Fjellhamar, which is a real place, close to Oslo.
    Just doing my bit to complicate things 🙂

  9. I couldn’t find anything about Jens Olsen in Norway, but I did find this information about the house in Iceland: [https://husaflutningar.is/austurvegur-70-klopp-reydarfirdi/](https://husaflutningar.is/austurvegur-70-klopp-reydarfirdi/)

    There might not be much of a paper trail for you to follow if he comes from a small town or village, unfortunately.

  10. Fjellhagan is probably in the north of Norway.

    an-endings are commonly used in those dialects.

  11. I did find one Jens born on December 31, 1850 in Fjelberg, Hordaland. His father is Ole Monsen so it is a safe bet that his name would be Jens Olsen.

    Digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000031161031

Comments are closed.