HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION Sunnmøre forms the southern part of the County -Møre & Romsdal Fylke and is the most populated district of the County. Sunnmøre consists of a great number of islands bordering the Atlantic Ocean (Norwegian Sea) -and of the mainland where there are some of the wildest and most beautiful fjords in Norway. Between the islands goes the inshore channel or sea road between all the towns and villages along the long Norwegian coast. During the present century, with its revolutionary developments in transportation on sea, on land and in the air, the town of Aalesund has established itself as the center of the district and is called the Capital of Sunnmøre. But it has not always been so. In older times there were several places which strove to be district centers. Such places were grouped around families led by strong men who, through ability in leadership and through power, assumed supreme authority in their districts. If we go back some hundred years these rulers fought each other and tried to establish themselves on strategic headlands along the coast as headland-kings. When they died they were buried like kings, with their boats and weapons, and many such grave mounds have been found on Sunnmøre and also on the Jangaard headland. The main population on Sunnmøre was concentrated on the coast, mainly the on the islands. This was natural as all traffic and trade followed the coast. The connection with the interior country - with Eastern Norway - was blocked by the high mountains - the Dovre and the Jotunheim mountain ranges, and road connection across the mountains was established only in the present century. When the chieftains of the West Coast wished to fight their counterparts in Eastern Norway (the Oslofjord area), which they often wished, they had to sail around Southern Norway. When they did not fight each other they raided other countries and were called Vikings. Many Vikings came from Sunnmøre, and the best known, or most feared was Ganger-Rolv. This name means "Rolv who walks" as the legend goes that he was so big that no horse could carry him. He raided and conquered Normandie in France and settled there as the first Count of Normandie. He was the forefather of William the Conquerer and later English kings. Ganger-Rolv was the son of Ragnvald Mørejarl (Earl of Møre) who was one of the Chiefs of King Harald Haarfagre and had his home on the island of Vigra. Harald Haarfagre was the king who conquered all of Norway, which had been divided between several kings and chieftains. This took him 10 years and before he started his task he gave the promise not to cut his hair before all of Norway was one country under his rule. Thus he was called Harald Haarfagre which means "Harald with the pretty hair". When the job was done Ragnvald Mørejarl had the honor to cut King Haralds 10 years old hair at a big party held at his home on Vigra. After the Viking era, people seem to have settled down to more peaceful activities as landowners, and the chieftain families concentrated on production and trade specializing in fishery products. On Sunnmøre there were some well known families, which kept their power and importance for centuries. The best known is the Arnmødling family which continues through the Giske-family up to the 16th century. The family founder Arnmod Jarl (Earl Arnmod) was killed in the famous battle against Joms-Vikings at Hjørungavaag on Sunnmøre in the year 986. His grandson Kalv, Finn, Thorberg and Arne were well known Chieftains during the christening of Norway led by king Olav den Hellige (King Olav the Saint) who was killed in the battle off Stiklestad in the year 1030. Finn's daughter Ingebjørg married Malcolm Canmore of Scotland and their son was King Duncan of Scotland. Thorberg married Erling Skjalgsøn daughter Ragnhild and their daughter Thora married King Harald Hardraade who was killed in the battle of Stanford Bridge in England (1066). In the same battle against King Harold of England was Thorberg's son Eystein Orre also killed. Thorberg's grandson Skofte was the first Norwegian crusader and died in Rome (1103) on his way from the Holy Land. Thorberg stayed on Giske and is the forefather of the Giske-Family. The history of these families or the Sunnmøre Vikings raids to foreign countries has no direct connection with the ancestors of the Jangaard family. The reason for including this short historical introduction is to show that the people of Sunnmøre have been seafarers far back in history. The roads to the outside world did not go inland but out over the oceans to Scotland, England Ireland and France, and other European countries. From our district the road also took a more northern direction to Iceland, Greenland and Vinland - the later Canada and The United States. The earlier raids to these countries were changed to more peaceful expeditions for hunting and fishing. The generations from active men - the crew on Viking ships and other expeditions in Vesterled - has therefor a different development than more earth-bound generations engaged in agriculture and other rural occupations. They lived a freer life and their work craved greater personal responsibility for the result of the adventures, whether they were pirates, sailors, navigators or captains. This has formed the character of the population through the times past and up to our day, and this retrospective historical glaze is intended to show the background for the people with their family root in Sunnmøre. The Sunnmøring has kept his desire for freedom and for retention of his individualism through centuries and proved for their descendants the value of these qualities. Where such desire for freedom and individualism reigns, new generations will look for other outlets for their energy when conditions at home do not satisfy their activity of mind. They will look westward - the old roads across the oceans. Numbers of the Jangaard family have followed this path and established themselves in other countries where new generations are thriving in vigorous growth. They did not leave their family seat in Norway from want or family controversies. They come from good homes of high moral standing where they acquired qualifications for continued development of the family traditions in their in their new lands. Family solidarity and traditions are kept in high esteem by the people of Norway, giving strength to builders of the new generations but also responsibility to them.