An exciting story, with a link to our family
Both Terry and Lloyd Erickson wrote to me (Svein Helge) and told the exciting story of how a murderers family were mixed with the Ericksons.
Here is what some sources writes about Gulbrand Eriksen Mørstad (His name is some places written Gudbrand):
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The lions in front of the Parliament building
Gulbrand Eriksen Mørstad (born 1829 in Øystre Slidre in Valdres, died in Chicago 1888), was one of the two convicts who carved lions at Lion Hill, the place where the norwegian parliament is located in Oslo.
Mørstad made the two lions while he sat in the prison in Akershus Fortress sentenced to death for murder.
Gulbrand Mørstad grew up in difficult circumstances with many siblings and a father who was a criminal. He was described as a "fat grown man, not very tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. In addition he had a big black wart on the left eyebrow. "
In 1856 Gulbrand Mørstad moves with his wife and children to the West Coast of Norway, first to Sogn and then to Bergen. Here Mørstad became familiar with Knut Olson Offerdalen and together the two got the idea to make counterfeit money.
That same year he comes to Bergen the two comrades put the plan into action. The craft of the false coins were not the best, and soon there were rumors all over town about fake mark-skilling and coins.
Then Knut Offerdalen try to blackmail Mørstad for money fo not to reveal to the police that it was Mørstad who made the molds for the fake coins. It ends with Knut was killed with 13 stab wounds and hus head cut off.
Gulbrand Mørstad was sentenced to death for murder and placed at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.
At Akershus was Mørstad with another convict named Sivert, they went way under the designation slaves recruited by sculptor Christopher Borch who would perform the famous granite sculptures of lions at Lion Hill.
Borch had some of the prisoners at Akershus as their students, and they pursued modeling in wood and stone. White lions were made within three months of the two massive blocks nordmarkitt in 1865, the year before the new Parliament building was opened.
Gulbrand Mørstad was pardoned by the Government in 1873 "for services to the Norwegian Parliament," after having been rejected three times. It was the people who loved the work on the lions that god him released.
He later stayed at Grünerløkka, a part of Oslo, in Thorvald Meyers street 73. His first wife Ingeborg died and he married again. He emigrated with his family to America in 1881 and was clearing man on the prairie.
Here is what Terry Erickson wrote January 19 2009:
Hello Svein Helge.
I am Kirsten's dad and I thank you for the pictures that you sent of the Lions at the Stortinget. They are quite magnificent.
It is a fascinating story about my great grandfather's brother. It is also interesting that the craver seems to have received more attention than the sculptor C. Borch.
Gulbrand Eriksen Mørstad b. 1829 was my great grandfather's older and only brother. My g-father Thomas Eriksen (Mørstad) b.1839 did not use Mørstad as a surname when he came to the USA in 1869.
There were also 5 sister's and 1 half sister in the family. Although there are Morstad's in America, they are not directly related to Gulbrand E. However, Thomas married Astrid Gulbrandsdatter (Mørstad) and they came to the US along with her father Gulbrand Tostensen (Mørstad), her mother and her siblings. Eventually, after some time they began to use Morstad as their surname and my g-g-grandfather became Gulbrand (Gilbert) T. Morstad.
There had never been any information on Thomas's sibling's or parent's until I began doing research this last year and happened upon this story shortly before Christmas. There have being many surprises. We did not know that Thomas and Astrid were born and raised on the same farm or of course anything of his brother or that Gulbrand E. had left Oslo in 1881 after his wife died in 1878 and he lived in Chicago for some years before he died there in 1888.
Also within one year of arriving Gulbrand E. applied for and received a US Patent.
I have done some research on Gulbrand's family in Norway which he had, and it makes me wonder how much they know of him and the story behind the Lions at the Sortinget.
Again thank you very much
Terry Erickson
PS. I will send via a separate email some Christmas photos.
Hello Svein Helge.
I am Kirsten's dad and I thank you for the pictures that you sent of the Lions at the Stortinget. They are quite magnificent.
It is a fascinating story about my great grandfather's brother. It is also interesting that the craver seems to have received more attention than the sculptor C. Borch.
Gulbrand Eriksen Mørstad b. 1829 was my great grandfather's older and only brother. My g-father Thomas Eriksen (Mørstad) b.1839 did not use Mørstad as a surname when he came to the USA in 1869.
There were also 5 sister's and 1 half sister in the family. Although there are Morstad's in America, they are not directly related to Gulbrand E. However, Thomas married Astrid Gulbrandsdatter (Mørstad) and they came to the US along with her father Gulbrand Tostensen (Mørstad), her mother and her siblings. Eventually, after some time they began to use Morstad as their surname and my g-g-grandfather became Gulbrand (Gilbert) T. Morstad.
There had never been any information on Thomas's sibling's or parent's until I began doing research this last year and happened upon this story shortly before Christmas. There have being many surprises. We did not know that Thomas and Astrid were born and raised on the same farm or of course anything of his brother or that Gulbrand E. had left Oslo in 1881 after his wife died in 1878 and he lived in Chicago for some years before he died there in 1888.
Also within one year of arriving Gulbrand E. applied for and received a US Patent.
I have done some research on Gulbrand's family in Norway which he had, and it makes me wonder how much they know of him and the story behind the Lions at the Sortinget.
Again thank you very much
Terry Erickson
PS. I will send via a separate email some Christmas photos.
Here is what Lloyd Samuel Erickson wrote December 29 2008:
Hei Svein---
Kirstens father Terry has done some research on family history & finds that his great-grandfather Thomas Ericksen Morstad was a younger brother to Gudbrand Ericksen Morstad.
Thomas married a girl from another branch of the Morstads & immigrated to America where they changed their name from Morstad to Erickson. Thomas & wife had nine children & #7 was Knut who immigrated to southern Sask. His son Kalmer was Terrys father.
So Kirsten too has a connection to the Storting Lions. Terrys research shows Gudbrand had one son Eric in Norway, & after he was freed from prison, he & his wife went to America & had more children.
Terry is trying to locate some of those families. It was interesting. that about 15-20 years ago we were in Seattle & my sister Phyllis said we would go & have coffee with friends of hers who lived there. They were a nice couple & both retired teachers. His name was Gaylen Morstad.
We discussed our families & when I said my daughter Marilyn was married to Terry Erickson, Gaylen said--- he was cousin to Terrys father, He said also The Ericksons had originally been Morstads. Nothing was mentiond about events in Norway.
Life History can be interesting & I wonder if one of my ancient relatives was a Viking who plundered in England & Scotland.
We live with our memories.
Godt Nytt Ar.
We are both better now-----
Lloyd.
Hei Svein---
Kirstens father Terry has done some research on family history & finds that his great-grandfather Thomas Ericksen Morstad was a younger brother to Gudbrand Ericksen Morstad.
Thomas married a girl from another branch of the Morstads & immigrated to America where they changed their name from Morstad to Erickson. Thomas & wife had nine children & #7 was Knut who immigrated to southern Sask. His son Kalmer was Terrys father.
So Kirsten too has a connection to the Storting Lions. Terrys research shows Gudbrand had one son Eric in Norway, & after he was freed from prison, he & his wife went to America & had more children.
Terry is trying to locate some of those families. It was interesting. that about 15-20 years ago we were in Seattle & my sister Phyllis said we would go & have coffee with friends of hers who lived there. They were a nice couple & both retired teachers. His name was Gaylen Morstad.
We discussed our families & when I said my daughter Marilyn was married to Terry Erickson, Gaylen said--- he was cousin to Terrys father, He said also The Ericksons had originally been Morstads. Nothing was mentiond about events in Norway.
Life History can be interesting & I wonder if one of my ancient relatives was a Viking who plundered in England & Scotland.
We live with our memories.
Godt Nytt Ar.
We are both better now-----
Lloyd.