Descendants of Emigrants from the Telemark Region of Norway
Telelaget of America is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, culture, and customs of the Telemark region of Norway. Through educational programs, events, and resources, we aim to connect individuals with their Telemark heritage and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of our shared roots.
Telelaget’s unique historical resources and modern Telemark connections provide much more than a simple genealogy would. Connecting with other descendants of emigrants from Telemark, discovering stories of pioneers, finding an ancestor’s farm in a bygdebøk, and seeing Telemark culture, old and new, come alive at Stevne provide a different kind of link to Norway than a list of names and dates. A more expansive family history that can be experienced and passed on.
Events and Happenings
Telelaget's Elaine Nordlie on Herbjorn Gausta's legacy
A new genealogy resource has been added to our collaborations page!
On Wednesday, February 25, a brand-new online family tree was launched, containing over 33,000 individuals — most of them from Holla, Lunde, Solum, and Drangedal in Telemark. The genealogy database will be available here: https://www.edgar-johnsen-slekt.no
The project is the result of decades of family research by Edgar Johnsen, who has traced both his own and others’ ancestry in the region. The outcome is an extensive, unified family tree now being made publicly available online.
The website is bilingual (Norwegian and English), making it accessible to descendants of Telemark families both in Norway and abroad.
Many with Telemark heritage may discover ancestors — and perhaps even some family connections they didn’t know existed.
This website has been developed through a collaboration between Edgar Johnsen and Holla Historielag, the local historical society that has supported the project financially.
Connections...Community...Culture
Join Telelaget and keep the bygdelag movement going!
Become a Telelag member and join a community of Telemark Norway's emigrant descendants as we continue to explore our connections to our roots and share our stories, histories, and discoveries. Members also get access to all of our exclusive publications and genealogy resources, as well as invitations to the annual Stevne, Norway tours, and other events. The historic Telesoga journal and our Telenews bulletin arrive biannually at your door for free!
U.S. Memberships
Yearly-$25
3 Year-$70
Lifetime-$500
Norwegian Memberships
Yearly-280 kr
3 Year-760 kr
Lifetime-5425 kr
Outside U.S. and Norway Memberships
Yearly-$27
3 Year-$75
Lifetime-$540
Content Maintenance:
Upcoming Events: section should be changed as needed or at least annually. Change only the text box in this section.
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