Dortha Pedersen Miller
Dortha Pedersen was born on the small island of Foldøy , seven kilometers off the coast of Jelsa, Norway, on July 21st or 23rd 1831. She was the fifth of six children born to Peder Valentinson/Faltinson and Dorthe Sofia Andersdatter. Jelsa is a shore town in the district of Ryfylke in Rogaland county Norway. She was baptized on August 14th in Jelsa and it is possible she was baptized in the church seen in the picture below. This church was built in 1647 after the medieval stave church was torn down. The first church was founded in the 12th Century and was an important church center for hundreds of years. I have been able to find baptism records for Dortha along with her brothers and sisters (Faltin, Bronla, Ellen, Anders, and Martha). Life was hard in Norway prior to the 1840's, with considerable economic uncertainty, and that was true in Dortha's young life. She lost her mother when she was six years old and there is a story tha...