| People pass through our lives with varying degrees of influence. Some change the trajectory of our future. |
July 2000, Rotraud role-playing Jacob Slogvik's sister of 1825 |
She was a person who made things happen. When we came to know her, she had already managed to live half her life in a country not her native land, raise three clever children, acquire skills as a computer programmer, marry a good man, and develop a working cattle and sheep farm on rugged Norwegian fjord land. |
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Our contact began simply enough. From California we were researching our Norwegian ancestry which was traced to the Slogvik farm in Tysvær Kommune. Through a series of serendipitous events, we were connected with Rotraud and Einar. They invited us to visit and see the farm for ourselves. Rotraud turned that simple visit into what felt like an event-filled reunion with numerous other cousins and farm contacts relating to the ancestral Slogviks. Our first sight of the Hervik Fjord was staged as an encounter with the sister of the emigrating ancestor, Malene, role-played by Rotraud. It was she who stayed behind when Jacob left for America in 1825. Rotraud had researched historical documents and included the information in the presentation. We had to fight back our tears, it was so incredibly moving and thoughtful. |
Keith and Rotraud in front of the home that she and Einar built on the site of the original homestead. (more from June 2000 visit) |
