Marita Avdal

Marita Einarsdotter Hagaberg (1865–1916) lived with her family in a small house on the mountain farm Hagaberg in Utladalen in Sogn. When she was diagnosed with leprosy, they built a separate annex to comply with the rules of isolation, but in her daily life, Marita continued living with her husband and children.

When Chief Medical Officer Hansen arrived on his inspection rounds and the boat docked in Øvre Årdal, the villagers sent a message up to the mountain farm as soon as they saw the doctor, so that Marita could move into her own room before he knocked on the door and found everything to be in order. Living at home was not uncommon, but it was rarer to have such community support.

Petter Arnt Løvdahl is proud to tell the story of his great-grandmother and how well her descendants have fared.