Agnethe Amundsdatter Ulsrud

A short time before her death, Agnethe Amundsdatter Kjernlie wrote down some information about her childhood and an excerpt is repeated here: "Amund Amundsen, owner and manager of Ulsrud Farm, was married to Berthe Nilsdatter Manstad from Bollebu in Østre Gausdal. In their happy marriage, they had six children: Kristen, Agnethe, Kristine, Simen, Eline and Andrine. There were actually a total of 10 children but four of them died young, namely Nils, Hans and two by the name of Hanna. I was born on Ulsrud and baptized at Nykriken in the same water as Berthe, the daughter of Mari Granum. My Godmother (i.e. the one who carries her to the baptism) was Anne Sønstelid, the wife of Lars Granum. As she was going home and held me on her lap, she said "Drive fast and straight so the girl will be smart."

"When I was eight my schooling began. When I went to school, you had to wear a back-tied kerchief and my mother asked "What do you think about going to school? I answered, "Cast your sorrows on God." In those days the school was in Ånrud. I was happy to go to school and I was a loved school child. I was so kind the school master said that there could not be anyone kinder.

"When I was 14 I went to my confirmation at Holtermann Chapel. At that time you had to go all the way down to the prestegård in Østre Gausdal. On the way over the field I always prayed to God. I was often invited to the priests homes and their wives were always nice to me. The first year after my confirmation I started as a milkmaid (on Ulsrudseter, Benseteren) and was there for four years, both summer and winter.

"When I got engaged, I was 22 years old. Ole was home from the Seminary then. At the same time, I did not want this because it was a little early and we knew each other before he traveled (we knew each other in our school days) but I did not want to have him before he had learned something and had become a man. It was good. No one could have had it better than we and it only got better and better."

Agnethe died in the spring of 1900 after she contracted bronchitis. She was bedridden in late winter and had a troublesome cough. She was marked for death and she knew it. Saturday afternoon, March 30, 1900, Dr. Mathisen was with her but could only relieve her pain with morphine. That evening parish priest Riddervold-Olsen came to give her words of comfort. Around 9:30 pm she voiced her final sigh: "Lord Jesus!" The funeral was on Thursday, April 16. She was laid to rest at the side of her husband out under the poplars that she had planted herself in her time on Vestre Gausdals Cemetery. A shared sone was raised on their grave.

Agnethe Amundsdatter Kjernlie was, in contrast to her husband, small in stature, but agile and graceful, tenacious and persevering, sparing, frugal and active. Her dark hair kept its color until the end. She gladly participated in companies and she like to give back to the people of the town. Religious as she was, she often provided a room for prayer meetings.