Bjørn Tolleivson Frøysåk (1634 – 1709) was a Norwegian farmer and merchant. Frøysåk was born at Gol in

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

, Norway. He was born into one of the major farming families in

Hallingdal Hallingdal () is a valley as well as a traditional district located in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of six municipalities: Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. Hallingdal is one of the ma ...

. His father, Tolleiv Arneson Frøysåk (1605–1677), had owned several properties. Frøysåk worked as a farmer all his life. In addition to farming, Frøysåk took part in

timber trade There are multiple market layers for wood products. Each country has its own domestic market that may be connected to a regional or global market. Timber supply to domestic markets in many tropical forest countries is largely provided by informal lo ...

and trading of real estate, and ran a

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

. Frøysåk was married twice. With Ingebjørg Hersgård (died 1680), he had seven children. With Guri Tolleivsgard (1659–1733), he had eight children. Frøysåk is particularly known for a painted

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

from 1699, showing Frøysåk with his family (both his wives including the deceased Ingebjørg and children). The epitaph, originally in

Gol Stave Church Gol Stave Church () is a 12th century stave church originally from Gol, Norway, Gol in the traditional region of Hallingdal in Buskerud county, Norway. The reconstructed church is now a museum and is now located in the Norwegian Museum of Cultural ...

, was relocated to the

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large open ...

in 1906.

References

1634 births 1709 deaths 17th-century merchants People from Gol, Norway Norwegian farmers Norwegian businesspeople {{Norway-business-bio-stub