Christmas on Staten Island 1970. Back from the left: Annvor, Marit. Front from the left: Kjell Eivind, Arne. Photo from Annvor Elgvin
I and Annvor Stokkeland Elgvin grew up together in New York. Our families would often visit each other and we also went on vacations together. Annvor’s grandfather, Elias Stokkeland, was my grandmother Kristine Dugan’s brother. The Stokkeland clan and the Dugan clan spent a lot of time together. Five of a total of eight of Annvor’s aunts and uncles have lived in the US and seven of a total of nine of my aunts and uncles have lived here. Here is part of Annvor’s story:
Great Christmas Present That Year
My parents Andreas and Lisabeth Stokkeland moved from Norway to Brooklyn, New York in the US in the middle of the 1950′s. Before that my father had been in Tysklandsbrigaden (the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany) after WW II.
This was a Norwegian brigade whose purpose was to stabilize the situation in Germany after the war had ended. He also worked making frames and worked on hydroelectric projects before he immigrated to America. My mother worked a while for a family in Jæren in Rogaland.
Times were good and my dad worked as a carpenter and superintendent. My mom had cleaning jobs and as time when on there were four kids in the family. I, Annvor, am the oldest and was born on November 12, 1956. Marit, was next, born on October 2, 1957. Kjell Eivind was born on July 18, 1960. We were all born in Brooklyn.
As time when on my parents were able to build their own house and we moved from an apartment house on 54th Street between 9th Ave. and Ft. Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn to Westwood Ave. on the island of Staten Island that is also located in New York City. When we first moved to Staten Island we had to take a ferry to get there, but a little later the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built. That made it a lot easier to live on an island.
In 1966 while we were living on Staten Island, my mother became pregnant with my youngest brother. Like the rest of us, my parents wanted him to be born at Sister Elizabeth Hospital in Brooklyn. It was part of what had been the Norwegian Hospital and it was named after the founder of the hospital, Sister Elizabeth Fedde, from Feda in Kvinesdal. When her contractions started late in the night on December 20, 1966, my parents braved a strong snowstorm and drove to Brooklyn anyway! Arne was born on December 21st and my mother brought him home on Christmas Eve!!! We were all excited and we got a great Christmas present that year!