Ellis Family Tree

1865 Norway census: Lived at Nedre Torvegade, Kristiania, Oslo, Norway

Norwegian officer, major in engineering brigade. 1852 was appointed as Internal Ministry 'road assistant', and in 1864 incorporated in the newly established 'road director office', as he had to his death. He introduced a technical and systematic treatment of 'road projects' in-depth study of traffic conditions, route, road width, finishing, processing options, etc.; the baselines, he drew up, also later in the material have been followed in the state public roads. In the beginning of 1860-years he was chairman of railroad surveys.

In 1875, it was erected an obelisk in memory of Bergh 5 km north of Lillehammer.

Christian Vilhelm Bergh was Norway's first 'road director' and had great significance for the development of the road on the 1800-century. Bergh grew up in a civil environment, and received officer training. He became lieutenant in 1833 and captain in the artillery brigade 1837. Two years later he was transferred to an engineer brigade, and this gave him the opportunity to work with the road. He advanced to the major 1862. From 1839 worked Bergh most of road building, and in that context, he constructed a number of major bridges, including over Glomma near Sarpsborg, over Drammenselva near Åmot and over Sira at Bakke. 1852 Bergh was appointed to the Internal Ministry's assistant in the way aker, and 1864, he received ministry as Norway's first 'road director'. In this capacity he showed himself as a skilled administrator, and he had great work. He undertook several study trips abroad and was familiar with the new principles for road building, which he then applied for Norwegian conditions. In particular he was concerned by developments in France, where Napoleon's authoritarian regime built an excellent road network after chaussée principle, making the roads bonded to get into the terrain. A problem for Bergh was that he had to leave much of road maintenance to local authorities, which had very different priorities for what was needed to do.

Bergh was interested in both planning and practical execution of roads, maintenance and transport economic studies. Very important was it that he introduced the roads that were added in flat terrain, as opposed to the previously used the French system, where the roads came the most straight line, even if this meant that they were very hilly in the Norwegian landscape. Before a road project was started, he ensured that it was carried out thorough investigations in the field, and he had made real drawings, which were 'stripped on road network' graph paper, a method that was used in a long time.

Bergh realized that a modern public roads needed good employees and therefore plans for systematic training of public roads staff, both officials and workers. He also wanted to ensure the engineers position in road judiciary through to transfer power from the lawyers, who dominated the ministry, to professionals technocrats, and he was an important spokesman for technocrats's entry in the ministry offices. Much was achieved when roads directorate was created 1864. This institution was staffed with engineers.

Bergh gained health problems, but he worked well with the office manager Hans H. Krag, who later became 'road director'. The collaboration was so close that it is difficult to distinguish what is due Bergh and what was Krags profits. Bergh was appointed knight of St. Olavs Orden 1862 and of Svärd order the following year.

Her 2nd Marriage