SKARPAAS FAMILY HISTORY
Knut Olsen married Ragnhild Halvorsdotter in 1731 in Trulova. They have at least one child; Halvor "Piper" Knutsen (1739).
Knut Halvorsen was born in 1763 in Vetterhuseiet, Nyhus, Norway to Halvor Knutsen and Ingrid Engebretsdotter. He married Astrid Gundersdotter in 1785. Astrid was born in 1761 in Noreeiet, Norway. They had seven children; Ingrid (1785 in Noreeiet), Paal (1786 in Bigumhus), Halvor (1789), Liv (1792 in Sundeeiet), Ingeborg (1796 in Selebakkeiet), Gunnar (1798 in Haugen) and Torstein (1805 in Haugen). Knut was called "Loytnantsdrengen", which means "the lieutenant’s boy". He had a great musical talent. Music and song is a general interest and gift of all the Skarpaas family up to the present day. The four brothers; Paal Knutsen, Halvor Knutsen (Vettersto), Gunnar Knutsen (Aamot) and Torstein Knutsen (Aamot) were known as "the lieutenant’s boy’s". They were well known fiddlers and are still mentioned today in the context of Norwegian folk music. The family that follows is that of Ingrid Knutsdotter born in 1785. Nothing further is known about the descendants of the other children. Ingrid Knutsdotter was born in 1785 in Noreeiet, Norway to Knut Halvorsen and Astrid Gundersdotter. She married Torstein Torsteinsen Lid in 1825. Torstein was born in 1807 in Lid, Rollag, Norway. Ingrid died in Myra, Norway. Torstein died in 1877 in Brann, Myra, Norway. They had two children; 1) Torstein Torsteinsen and 2) Knut Torsteinsen. 1) Torstein Torsteinsen Lid (Flotterudbakken) was born to Torstein and Ingrid Lid. He was married twice. First to Marthe ? and second to Marit ?. Torstein and Marthe had nine children including; Knut Torsteinsen and Maren Torsteindotter. Torstein and Marit had ten children.
2) Knut Torsteinson Skarpaas IV was born on 21 July 1828 at Myra Bjorgeiet, Rollag, Norway to Torstein Torsteinson and Ingrid Knutsdotter. He married in 1850 to Bergit Knutsdotter Kodalen Skarpaas. She was born to Knut Nilsen Scarpaas (or Scarpos) and Ingeborg Knutsdotter in April 1826 at Kodalen, Eggedal, Norway. Knut and Bergit had eight children; a) Ingrid (1851), b) Ingeborg (1853), c) Torstein Kravik (1854), d) Ingeborg (1857), e) Bergit (1860), f) Astrid (1864), g) Helga (1867) and h) Knut (1871). Bergit died in 1896. Knut died on the 7 March 1913 in Groum, Vaale, Norway. Knut and Bergit lived on a farm near Tunhovd. The farm lay beneath a hill called Skarpaasen. Directly translated means Skarpaas/Skarpaasen "the sharp hill". Knut and Bergit took the name Skarpaas.Knut Torsteinsen was a very useful man in district governing and we often find his name in the meeting books for the community council and local education council. In 1871 he was the school supervisor and district charimain in the Øygardsgrend local school district, and in 1878 he participated in working out the proposal for the new school organization for Nore. Additionally, in 1876 he was selected as one of those who were to negotiate with the people of Ytre Nore to decide where the new church was to be built. His son Torstein Knutsen was married to Kravik and lived there. He was a teacher and mayor in Nore for many years. In 1891 Knut Torsteinsen sold the farm to his youngest son, Knut Knutsen and took a life-estate arrangement for himself and his wife (dated 27/2 tgl. 28/2 1891). In the years 1900 to 1901 there were held changes between the owners of the common areas of north Øygardsgrend and the fishing rights in the same ownership excluding the fjord. (see mellom Loftsgarden.) In the tax records for 1904 it shows Knut Knutsen as the owner of south Skarpåsen - farm number 137/6 that at that time had a tax of 86 øre after the sections of the property were sold. In 1904 Ole Toresen from Hejulvgard obtained the deed for south Skarpåsen from Knut Knutsen (dated 3/10 tgl 4/10 1904). After the farm was sold, Knut Knutsen moved his entire family, including his elderly parents, to Vestfold and settled on the farm Grøun that he had purchased. His elderly father, the old Knut Torsteinsen, was destined for an unpleasant accident. He was cutting straw with a machine that was driven by horsepower outside the house. His hand got stuck in the machine and was cut into small pieces way up his arm before they were able to stop the machine. But he survived this also. Knut Knutsen worked the farm on Grøum for a while but then he stopped farming and was the cashier for the Indremission organization for about 13 years. The new owner of south Skapåsen, Ole Toresen Herjulvsgard, had previously owned Bjelldokken before he bought Skarpåsen. He was still unmarried and his ownership of Skarpåsen was neither very long. In 1908 he sold the farm to Knut Johnsen from Stordokk. Ole Toresen then moved out to Botne in Vestfold where he bought the farm Lakild by Hynås. He had then taken the name of Skarpås of his previous farm.
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