Vonen was born in Dale i Sunnfjord to blacksmith, gunsmith, watchmaker, farmer and guesthouse host Bertel Johannesson Vonen and midwife Berthe Helene Skjærdal.

[1] Vonen's first folklore tales were printed anonymously in 1865–66, and she had 24 tales printed in Dølen in 1868–69, under the headers "Æventyr fraa Sunnfjord" and "Segner fraa Sunnfjord, fortalde av gamle Synnve".

Vonen made hiking trips in Jotunheimen along with mountain pioneers such as Emanuel Mohn, Ernst Sars and William Cecil Slingsby, and she was among the first women to ascend Galdhøpiggen.

[2] She was awarded King Oscar II's Medal of Merit in gold.

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