Memorial stone commemorating the teachers training college student - Tomas Fondenæs
On the oldest part of the churchyard at Norum church there is a somewhat tall, obelisk-shaped memorial stone. The inscription indicates that a student was buried here and that teachers and college friends erected this memorial on his grave.
The inscription
The memorial stone is made of light granite and the inscription reads as follows:
TOMAS FONDENÆS * 23 October, 1882 * 21 January, 1902.
There is also an inscription on the pedestal:
THIS MEMORIAL IS RAISED * BY HIS TEACHERS AND * COLLEGE FRIENDS * AT VOLDEN (VOLDA).
Image
The memorial stone on the grave of Tomas Andreasson Fondenæs. Weathering and lichen have made it fairly hard to read the inscription.
Dating
2003.
Photographer
Hermund Kleppa.
Owner
Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane.
Tomas Fondenæs
Tomas Andreasson Fondenæs, born 23 October, 1882 at Hosanger, was son of Andreas Johnsen Fondenæs, born 1846 at Lindås, and Anna, born 1845 at Manger. In 1900, the household lived at Lomelde and Andreas Fondenæs was cantor, teacher, sub-postmaster, and farmer. Tomas and his sister Maren were students at "Sogndals folkehøgskule". Tomas probably started at the teachers training college at Volda in the autumn of 1901, and died of meningitis on 21 January, 1902.
