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Name: SUNDE, Odin Nilsen Nilsen

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Birth Date: 12 June 1874 Troms, Norway

Death Date: 24 Jan 1939 Mt Elgon

First Date: 1915

Profession: Norwegian saw miller

Area: Mount Elgon, P.O. Kitale, 1930 Sundale Endebess

Married: 1. 1899 Ragna Olava Kristiansen d. 1900 2. 1902 Olufine Olsen b. Liland, Norway 1 Apr 1885, d. 2 Sept.1953 Mombasa

Children: Ragna (S. Africa 18 Feb 1903-22 Oct 1986 Pietermaritzburg) (O'Neill); Odin Ernst (13 Nov 1905-1990); Arthur (1907-1985); Edmund (20 Sep 1909-1977); Haakon Michael Inge (26 May 1913-1997); Mabel Elgonia (9 Nov 1918-2002)

Book Reference: KFA, Nicholson Memoirs, KAD, Red 25, Red 31, Hut, Red 22, Trans Nzoia Scrap Book, Nicholls, Barnes

General Information:

KFA - A Norwegian family, Odin and Olufine Sunde, who settled on Mount Elgon in 1915 with their 5 children - a 6th, another Elgonia, was born there. They ran the first sawmill, powered by a home made water wheel. For a long time their only neighbours were elephants. Their eldest son, Mr Odin Sunde, still lives on Mount Elgon and makes fishing nets from local flax twine. A second son became a crocodile trapper.
Red 22 - O. Sunde, Kitale - Timber Merchant
Trans Nzoia Scrap Book - 'A Fishing Net Factory' - In 1947 a new enterprise began to take shape in the Trans Nzoia. Odin Sunde, hitherto the owner of Suam Saw Mills, decided that making fishing nets might be a more agreeable occupation. Fortunately, he under-estimated the difficulties of erecting a factory 7,600 ft. up on Mount Elgon. Several tons of machinery in 71 cases had to be hauled up the slippery mountain roads, and the 5-ton boiler was gingerly inched up on a 3 ton lorry! This machinery which cost in the region of £33,000, finally lay strewn around the factory floor while Odin and his friends scratched their heads over the problem of getting it all put together with no bits left over ……….. [successful for some years but finally unable to compete with Japanese imports and factory closed in 1956].
Mount Elgon Saw Mill - In about 1910 Odin Sunde set up a saw mill on the Rongai River which flows down the North-East slope of Mount Elgon. His home-made water wheel drove the circular saw and the rawhide belt was regularly chewed up by hyenas at night. His Post Office was Soy, 45 miles away, and all timber had to be moved the 120 miles to railhead at Londiani by ox-wagons without benefit of roads or bridges. In 1922, with a loan from Henry Mitford-Barberton and in partnership with Sven Lovan and Petter Axelsson, Odin established a new mill further north near the Chepchoine River.
In 1927 Edward Josselyn, late works manager of Arthur Ransome & Co., bought out Loven and Axelsson and two years later with Leigh Norman as third partner yet another mill with up-to-date equipment was built near the Kwoitobbos River. Two of Odin's sons, Odin and Arthur, were by then helping in the family business, and in 1930 Mount Elgon Saw Mills was registered in Uganda. The following year Leigh Norman left the mill and bought a farm near Endebess which he called 'Dunmillin'. When his friends enquired as to the origin of this unusual name, he would only look at them with a twinkle in his very blue eye and we have been left to speculate ever since!
In 1934 Edward Josselyn became the sole owner of what was by now a limited liability company, and his son Dick came out from England to learn the trade, which was a fortunate arrangement as Edward died that same year while on a business trip to Rhodesia. Since then the Mill has been run by his wife and son, but in 1937 'Tub' Roberts joined the firm as manager and in true tradition married the boss's daughter Mary.
Odin Ernst - KR 1042  must be a son
Barnes - Mombasa Cemetery - Mrs Olofine Sundi (Norwegian), died 2 Sep 1953 age 74, European Hospital, Heart Failure, carcinoma
Nicholson - Pioneer farmer in the Trans Nzoia.
Red 25 - Elgon Saw Mills, Kitale.
Hut has Odin Sunde 1937 Sundale Endebess father of Ole E. Sunde 1922 Elgon Sawmills married to 1. Sonia 2. ?
National Archives, Kew: he was naturalised British on 29 July 1927
 

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