Untitled - Vosselag

Issue No. 2-3, 1927 – 9 th 16
year.
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PASTOR STYRK SJURSON REQUE.
(Af J. L. R.)
Jeg vil først gjøre opmærksom paa, at familien,
som Styrk Reque kom af, har altid stavet
gaardsnavnet med “que”, og ikke “kve”, som synes
at være brugt i Norge nutildags. I gamle bibelen, som
Styrks fader bragte med ifra Norge i 1845, og hvor
familiens navne var negtegnede, var de alle stavet
Reque. I Vossingen no. 2—3, 5te aarg. under
billederne af Sjur Styrkson Reque, og hustru Anna,
(født Gjermo) er den trykfeil, at navnet Reque er
stavet med “kve”*).
Styrk Sjurson Reque var født aaret 1836 paa
gaarden Reque paa Voss, Norge. Hans forældre var
Sjur Styrkson Reque og Anna Pedersdatter Gjermoe.
Før Styrk endnu var tre aar gammel havde han
faldt tre gange i store brønden paa gaarden, men blev
nu hver gang heldigvis trakket op netop som han
holdt paa at synke. Og en gang faldt han ned i fjøset
og forslog sin pande saa han bar mærke af det hele
sit liv.
Da Styrk var 9 aar gammel udvandrede hans fader
med familie til Amerika. Og det har været mig fortalt
at baade Styrk og hans søster Mari faldt i kanalen
imellem Albany og Buffalo, N. Y., paa reisen hid;
men de blev fisket op af en af førerne, saa Styrk slap
nu af med livet ogsaa denne gang.
Da familien ankom til Chicago standsede de der i
to uger, og Styrk lærte paa den korte tid en del
engelsk saa han var sin fader til stor hjælp paa reisen
opover landet til Spring Prairie, Wis.
Styrk maatte kjøre det ene oxeyoke, og var da
særdeles flink til at raabe “Ye og How”. De første
penge Stvrk tjente var ved at fange quails som han
bar til Madison, (en tredive mil) og solgte dem paa
hotellerne.
Der var ingen prest og ingen skole paa Spring
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*) Gaarden Rekkve har havt sit navn i 2000 aar
eller mere. Det er et af de gamle “vin”-navne —
sammensat af et forled Rekk og vin. Første led
skriver sig sandsynligvis fra elvenavnet Røkka, som
Rekkveselven mulig har havt — et navn ofte brugt.
Rekk-vin vilde da betyde “engen eller græsgangen
ved elven”. I flere diplomer fra 1300 aarstallet —
de mest paalidelige — er navnet skrevet Rækkuen. I
de dage brugtes u for v. Voss blev f. Eks. skrevet
Uors. De fremmede embedsmænd i dansketiden
forstod ikke de norske navne og efter tidens smag
gav dem et latinsk sving. Det gode norske navn
Rekkvin blev saa skrevet Reqwin, Recqwen,
Røquen, Recave og Reque. I de sidste mandsaldre
har man skrevet Rekve og nu Rekkve. som det
ogsaa udtales. — Red.
PASTOR STYRK SJURSON REQUE.
(By J. L. R.)
I want to at first make note of the fact that the
family from which Styrk Reque came, has always
spelled the farm name with “que”, and not “kve”, as
seems to be used in Norway nowadays. In the old
Bible that Styrk's father brought from Norway in
1845, and where the family name was recorded, it was
always spelled Reque. In the Vossingen No. 2—3, 5th
year under the pictures of Sjur Styrkson Reque, and
his wife Anna, (born Gjermo) is a misprint, in that the
name Reque is spelled with “kve”*).
Styrk Sjurson Reque was born in the year 1836 on
the Reque farm at Voss, Norway. His parents were
Sjur Styrkson Reque and Anna Pedersdatter Gjermo.
Before Styrk was three years old, he had fallen in a
large well at the farm, but fortunately was pulled up
again each time just before he sank. One time, he fell
in the barn and struck his forehead so that he bore the
mark of it all his life.
When Styrk was 9 yearsold his father immigrated
with his family to America. It has been told to me
that both Styrk and his sister Mari fell in a canal
between Albany and Buffalo, NY, on the trip here
but were fished up by one of the crew, so Styrk
escaped with his life this time too.
When the family arrived in Chicago, they stopped
two weeks and Styrk learned a good deal of English
in that short time so he was of great help to his father
as they traveled further up country to Spring Prairie,
WI.
Styrk had to drive the oxen, and became very
proficient at yelling "Gee and Haw”. The first money
Styrk earned was by catching quail that he carried to
Madison, (thirty miles) and sold to the hotels.
There was neither minister nor any school at Spring
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*) The Rekkve farm has had its name for 2000
years or more. It is one of the old “vin”-names —
combined from the first section Rekk plus vin. The
first part probably comes from the river name Røkka,
as the Rekve's River possibly had— a name often
used. Rekk-vin would then mean “meadow or grassy
path by the stream”. In several documents from the
1300's — the most trustworthy — the name is
written Rækkuen. In those days "u" was used for "v".
Voss, for example, was written Uors. The foreign
officials in the Danish times didn't understand
Norwegian names and according to the practice of
the time, gave them a Latin look. The good
Norwegian name Rekkvin became then written
Reqwin, Recqwen, Røquen, Recave and Reque. For
the past generation people have used Rekve and now
Rekkve, as it is pronounced. — Ed.
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Translated by Stanley J. Nuland