Inter-Library Loan Failure

Well, I tried ILL, but I guess the books I wanted were the "ungettable get."  I ordered several Norwegian Bygdeboks -- books with a wealth of genealogical and historical information -- that I know exist at St. Olaf's University in Minnesota and the University of North Dakota.  I guess they are not sharing!  I will have to try another set of books next.  I will keep you posted....

Obituary Hunt

Since most of my ancestors are in Norway and Italy, I haven't really played around with searching obituaries.  I have one ggg-grandmother and her two sons who became members of the LDS church and emigrated from Norway to Utah, whereas her daughter, my gg-grandmother, remained Lutheran and stayed in Norway.  It has been really interesting to study my Utah branch, and I have learned a lot about my gg-uncle Martin Christophersen, who was quite prominent in the LDS church and in Salt Lake City.  But I have not found much information about my ggg-grandmother Ellen Hansdatter (buried in Salt Lake City under the name Ellen Christophersen) other than a cemetery and burial record. 

The other day I was reading one of my favorite blogs, http://herstoryan.blogspot.com/, and a post about finding an exciting obituary, and I immediately thought about my ggg-grandmother Ellen who died in 1899.  This is a few years before there are available death records in Utah, so finding an obituary was my only real hope for learning more information.  So I thought, "What the heck," and I googled the search term "Utah Newspaper Archives" and found the site http://digitalnewspapers.org/.  I then browsed by county, Salt Lake City, and put in the keyword name Ellen Christophersen.  The obituary literally took me a minute to find.

Unfortunately, the obituary doesn't say how she died, but it is still a very exciting find!  Once I had my first hit, I figured I should try to find the obituaries for Martin and Hans Christophersen.  In a matter of minutes I found one for Martin and a funeral announcement for Hans (not shown).  The obituary for Martin has a lot of interesting information, so read on...

Stay tuned for more finds.

Found Descendants of my Great Uncle Christen

A few posts ago I wrote regarding my search for two great uncles who had come to America (http://haugenhistory.blogspot.com/2009/12/tale-of-two-great-uncles.html).  UPDATE: I was able to find the descendants of one of them and have made contact.

This has been extremely exciting.  By tracing the deceased son of my great-uncle, I was able to find records with the name of his children, and long-story-short, Google is a powerful thing!  I found the children and emailed my way to finally receiving a response from two of Christen's grandchildren.  This led me to finding out that one of Christen's children was still alive!  She was born in 1917, and I have talked and emailed with her daughter as well.  This was wonderful because I was able to find out quite a bit about Christen and his life in North Dakota.  He was a homesteader in Fertile Divide who met a widow, Inga, and they had three children.  Christen was quite the musician, and he had played for the King's band in Norway.  He continued to play his trumpet in Grenora, ND.  I also found out how harsh life could be in ND in the winter as I was told he would have to ride his horses in bitterly cold winter weather, 20 miles both ways, to buy coal to keep the home warm.

Here is a synopsis of things I learned from Christen's daughter:

1. Her father said he skied a lot down the hill close to his home in Norway,  and he had to walk up the hill (makes sense since the Jordbaerhaugen farm is on a hill)
2. He played the trumpet in the King's Band in Norway (I mentioned this already)
3. He was a physical fitness advocate, and every night he would lead his children in exercises
4. He started a band in Grenora-played for barn dances, at the church, anywhere they would let him!
5. He had a beautiful singing voice and started the Haug quartet with his wife and two older children

6. They belonged to Bethany Lutheran Church

7. He liked to be called Chris

I was able to inform Christen's descendants regarding the location of Jordbaerhaugen, the farm that gave them the surname Haug.  Christen's daughter had never seen a picture of her grandparents (my great-great grandparents), so that was pretty awesome to share.  I also sent some pictures of my grandmother, her first cousin.  I am in the process of collecting some more information and things to send, and they are looking for more pictures to send me.  I am posting one picture I have received so far (see below).  Christen is on the far left with his three children.  I am also posting a picture of Christen's brother, Kristian Olausen Jordbaerhaugen -- my great-grandfather.

Far left, Christen Olausen Jordbaerhaugen (1881 - 1938) or Christen Olausen Haug, in North Dakota with his children.  Photo taken July 9, 1936.

My great-grandfather Kristian Olausen Jordbaerhaugen ( 1878 - 1962)

One of Christen's grandchildren sent me a link to help me locate Christen's grave.  He is incorrectly listed as "Christian" Haug, but his grave is still there, along with his wife, Inga, and a number of other relatives.  If you would like to find a grave, the site http://www.findagrave.com/index.html is pretty good!

Next on my to-do list is to track down the other brother, Nils.  I had traced him from Norway to Ellis Island to North Dakota where his brother Christen lived.  It looks like the family rumor that he went to Canada is true, and I am attempting to contact descendants in British Columbia.  I will let you know more once I know for sure this is the right family.

Photo Restoration

I have many old pictures in need of restoration, so I sent a few to my software engineer husband to see what he could do.  He has been doing image processing for 24 years and decided to get into the picture/photo restoration business.  Here is a picture he fixed for me recently.  More to come!

Agrippina Strano is my maternal great-grandmother.  She was from the Catania area of Sicily, probably Mineo or Palagonia.  I estimate she was born around 1880 and died around 1910.

Tombstone Tuesday

On Christmas eve, my uncle in Norway sent a picture of my grandparent's grave.  Shown is the traditional candle lit in their memory.  This was really nice.

2010 Resolutions

It has been a busy couple of weeks.  My parents came to visit, and we did some shopping, traveling, and eating!  I have a lot to undo regarding the last item on that list.  However, some genealogy excitement did occur over the holidays.  My father gave me a bowl for Christmas that belonged to my great-great grandmother Hanna Andreasdatter (Haugen).  It is blown glass that looks wavy, beautifully pink, and sits on a silver pedestal. I looked it up and found out it is a Victorian Bride's Bowl.  It was often used for berries or other fruit and was given as a wedding gift, hence the name.  My gg-grandmother married in 1889, so I am guessing the bowl dates back that far.  My mother brought me a few items to scan and maybe hold on to for a while until she misses them -- my Italian grandfather's diary written in 1915; a letter from my great-grandfather to my grandfather, written in 1914; a diary with a play written by my grandfather's aunt while he was in boarding school and that also contains a first draft of a play written by him; and she also brought a few other other things for me to see and photograph.  Another exciting thing that happened during the holidays was that I was asked to write an article for a Norwegian genealogy society magazine.  I worked really hard on this and had my father help me translate it into Norwegian... I think it might come out January 5th or 10th.

So what are my resolutions for 2010?

1) Organize, organize, organize!
2) Get everything into a software program on my computer and keep a copy on Ancestry.com.  Right now, I only have the latter.
3) Scan, scan, scan.  Share, share, share.
4) Finish my genealogy Web site and make it live.
5) Contact as many people related to family history as possible.
6) Clean up the holes on my tree.
7) Order several items from the LDS library for my research.
8) Write more articles.
9) Have my husband restore a few old photos for me.
10) Protect and restore old family history books and items I own. 

I wish everyone a Happy New Genea-Year!

Wordless Wednesday

Jordbærhaugen farm in Lommedalen, Baerum, Akershus, Norway.  Jordbærhaugen means "strawberry hill" in English.  I love it!

 

 My great-great grandparents and their children lived here and used the surname Jordbærhaugen.

Olaus Kristensen Jordbærhaugen 1846 - 1915

Jonette Kristoffersdatter Jordbærhaugen 1853 -1921

Children: Kristian, Einar, Kristen, Anton, Nils, Paula, Gunda, Peder, Margit, and Jenny.

I would like to know how 12 people fit in this house!  

Kristian is my great-grandfather.  I have also written about Kristen (Christen) and Nils Olausen Jordbærhaugen, who both came to America in 1905 and 1907, respectively. The link is here: http://haugenhistory.blogspot.com/2009/12/tale-of-two-great-uncles.html

 

Why Do You Study Genealogy? Pass the Question

Over the summer I did quite a bit of running, fueled by my IPOD and ancestors in my thoughts.  The more I could focus on stories of my past, the farther I ran.  Somehow, knowing the history gave me a reason to keep going. Genealogy and uncovering past lives has given more meaning to my life. 

I truly have come to believe what my byline says:  You don't really know who you are until you know where you've been.  But not everyone feels as I do.  I have relatives who have said, "I don't look at the past, I only look forward."  And, yet, there are millions of people interested in their past.  So, I'm curious... why are you interested?  Is it medical history? Is it curiosity? Is it love for a grandparent and knowing more about her/his history?  Please let me know by posting on your blog.

Here are my reasons:
1) My grandparents lived in Norway and Italy -- far from me.  Although I regularly visited, I always felt there was something missing... something my cousins had that I did not.  I wanted to learn their history and where I really came from.  Through genealogy research, I remember my grandparents and honor their lives. 
2) I love history and the tangents I learn by studying an ancestor.  I have learned about lumber on the Glomma, the soldier's life in Sweden, living in a Salesian college in Sicily.  When someone is born in 1750, I immediately think we were colonies of England at the time.  An ancestor died or was baptized in 1865?  Well, there was the end of the civil war in the U.S.  Historic events give the dates and people I learn about so much more meaning.  And then to unfold a person's life, completely unknown at one point, is like watching a flower blossom from a bud. 
3) I am somewhat of a romantic at heart.  These people lived and loved, and I honor their lives by not forgetting them and bringing them back to life.  Don't we all want to be remembered and feel like our lives had more meaning than our short time on this planet? 
4) There are so many questions I did not get to ask my grandparents, and this is how I know them better and still have conversations with them, though they are now gone.
5) I grew up on Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.  I still like nothing better than seeking the answers to mysteries.
6) I have made new friends and met new people, some of them relatives I did not know.

Please tell me why you do it!

Me with my Norwegian grandparents.  Do you think the retro-loveseat dates me?

My Italian grandparents together.  I'm not sure, but this was probably taken in Rome in the early 60's.

As Spock likes to say: Live long and prosper. (You have to be a Trekkie to get that, by the way.)

Letter to Santa

Everyone seems to be writing letters to Santa, so here goes:

Dear Santa,   

                                                                   

I haven't always been on my best behavior this year, but I have been pretty good.  Ok... fair? Yes, well, good enough to send you my list of genea-goodies I wish to receive, right?  So Santa Baby, won't you come down my chimney tonight?

1) I'd really like a death record for my ggg-grandfather Samuel Andreasen -- something that tells me when he died and about his accident out at sea.

2) Please give me knowledge of Nils Olausen Jordbaerhaugen's name change in the U.S. and what became of him. Yes, that would be exciting!

3) It would be so nice to learn what happened to Oleane Jakobsdatter's mother, Helena Magnusdatter, my gggg-grandmother.  Did she die? Did she go back to Sweden?  Why does she disappear after 1865?

4) Some pictures of graves in Italy would be lovely, as I don't have any, and I never thought to take pictures while I was there (this was obviously before I became genea-obsessed).

5) Finding lost graves of ancestors would be the cherry on top of all my gifts.  The Norwegian grave-mining site hasn't been too helpful yet because my area of Norway isn't fully included in the database yet.

6) I need one of your elves to help me find more relatives with pictures and information.  The more the merrier. 

7) I need Italian records for all my Sicilian ancestors.  I know this one is hard to do, but I should be able to find something!

Have I asked for too much?  I actually do have more requests, Santa baby, but I will save some for next year.  After all, I don't want to seem greedy.

                                                                                       Cheers!

                                                                                        Astrid   

Tombstone Tuesday

Visit to Baerums Verk, Norway, June 1999.  My son and niece take care of my grandfather's grave -- Thorolf Johannes Haugen (1914-1981).

A Tale of Two Great Uncles

The first time I eyed the Baerums Verk Slekstbok on my grandmother's bookshelf, I was hooked.  Norway is wonderfully rich in its genealogical information, and they even do it for you, publishing it in volumes of bygdeboks by parish, or in this case, a slektsbok (genealogy book) for the town.  It was 1994 when I first leafed through one of these books and read the history of one of my grandmother's lines that went back to 1647.  Names, birth and death dates, farms... it was all there.  Note: I have since found some errors in the information, but who cares!  It makes the research so much easier.  I believe I have stated in a previous post how curious I was regarding the names of those who "reise til America" or left for America.  Where did they go? Who are their descendants? Where do they live today?  I hoped to find out one day, and so here I am, years later, having nearly accomplished finding all who left Norway for the land of opportunity  -- those I know about anyway. 

I have posted before on finding my great-great grandmother's brothers, and even her mother (my ggg-grandmother), who left Norway for Salt Lake City in the early 1870s.  They were converted Mormons, which was a big surprise to me, and they are all buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  I made a connection with a descendant who sent me pictures of their graves and some information, too.  But I also had two others on my family tree who went to America that I needed to find.  They are my grandmother's two uncles, or great uncles to me.  I was stumped for a while, because they had obviously changed their names when they arrived.  One of the brothers went back to visit the family in Norway in the late 50s or early 60s.  I believe my grandmother or her siblings may have kept contact with him at one time, and they probably once had an address.  But that information has surely gone with them to their graves.  Therefore, I have been trying on my own to find the two brothers, Christen Olausen Jordbaerhaugen (b. August 6, 1881) and Nils Olausen Jordbaerhaugen (b. October 31, 1885) (shown in the picture, left). 

The first records I found were from the Digitalarkivet emigration database (found in http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/WebFront.exe?slag=vis&tekst=meldingar&spraak=e).  After inputting several variations of my great-uncle's names, I found their departure records.  Christen left Norway on April 28, 1905.  He traveled on the Angelo from Kristiania/Oslo to Hull, England and then crossed over to Quebec on the Bavarian.  After more digging, I found a record showing he crossed the border into the U.S. on May 13, 1905 and was heading to Towner, North Dakota.  I believe he later lived in Fertile Valley, Divide, North Dakota, and he shortened Jordbaerhaugen to Haug (and who would blame him).  I found several records of a Christen O. Haug, and in some cases Christ O Haug or Christen Olausen Haug.  The birth dates and year of immigration match this person.  He married Inga from Minnesota and had a few children listed on different census records -- Sylvia, another sister, and Chester.  I was able to trace Chester Haug from North Dakota to Minnesota.  The North Dakota Death Index told me that Christen died December 26, 1938 at the age of 57, in Rolette County, and his son Chester died in Minnesota in 2002 (Social Security Death Index). 

The Angelo brought Christen Olausen Jordbaerhaugen to Hull, England.  It left Kristiania on April 28, 1905.  Below is a picture of the Bavarian, which he sailed on from Liverpool, England to Quebec, Canada.  Photos courtesy of www.norwayheritage.com .  Check out the site for detailed information on these and all ships Norwegian immigrants sailed toward a new life.

Chester had three children, who are living, so I will not name them here in case they don't wish to be publicized.  I have been trying to find a way to contact them to verify they are descendants.  But I am pretty sure my research is right.  I had posted this search on Ancestry, since I am still a bit wobbly searching records in the U.S.; most of my research has been in Europe.  But over the course of a week, I managed to find all the above information.  Then suddenly, someone posted a response to my query with the same exact research results (except for Christen's death record, which I had not found yet).  He/she seemed like an expert, so I feel like my conclusions are accurate and verified.  Hopefully a descendant will verify further.  Of course, I have this idea that everyone in the world is interested in their genealogy, so I am thinking of how much information I can give Christen's grandchildren about their grandfather's home in Norway.  Their father, Chester, was pretty young when Christen died, so their history in Norway may have been lost to them.  And I know a lot about that history and where their name Haug came from -- the Jordbaerhaugen farm that still exists in Lommedalen, Baerum, Norway (near Oslo).  

Another good reason for me to find a descendant to communicate with is that I have yet to find as much information about the brother, Nils Olausen Jordbaerhaugen.  He is the one who came to visit the family in the 50s or 60s, and I even have pictures of that visit (one is posted above).  I know that he left Norway on March 23, 1907, on the Montebello, and headed to where his brother was living in Towner, ND.  He departed from Liverpool on the Caronia and came through Ellis Island.  He used the surname Jordbaerhaugen, which was spelled Jordbarhauen on the ship manifest.  He also traveled with four friends from Lommedalen.  The manifest mentions him going to ND to his brother.  But after Ellis Island, he disappears.  Yet I know he was alive in the States at least through the early 60s.  So what did he change his name to?  I have tried every variation of his name that I can think of, but no cigar!  So, I hope one of Christen's descendants might know where he lived and his American name.

A picture of the Montebello in Kristiania as passengers board to start their journey to Hull, England.  Nils Olausen Jordbaerhaugen sailed on this ship, leaving March 23, 1907, on his way to meet his brother Christen who now resided in Towner, North Dakota, USA.  He sailed with 4 friends from Lommedalen, Norway.  Below is the picture of the Caronia the 5 friends sailed on from Liverpool, England to Ellis Island, New York.  He arrived on April 5, 1907.  Photos are a courtesy of www.norwayheritage.com .

Recap, in case by some miracle someone with information reads my blog: Christen Haug was born Christen (or Kristen) Olausen Jordbaerhaugen on August 6, 1881.  There is a draft registration card from WWI that says 1882, but this is incorrect.  Christen died 12/26/1938 in Rolette County, North Dakota -- correct birth date of August 6, 1881 in this record. He lived in Fertile Valley, Divide, ND through several census records with wife Inga.  Nils was born Nils Olausen Jordbaerhaugen, Oct 31, 1885.  The last record I have of him, as I mentioned earlier, is him going through Ellis Island upon arrival on April 5, 1907.  Their birth, baptism, and confirmation records are recorded in Vestre Baerum parish, Akershus, Norway.

Wordless Wednesday

Summer of 1999, Baerums Verk, Norway.  My son met his great-grandmother -- my Bestemor.

Tombstone Tuesday

Martin Kristoffersen (1850-1927), born in Burud farm, Lommedalen, Vestre Baerum, Akershus, Norway; died in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.  He was my great-great grandmother's brother who sailed for America on the Nevada from Liverpool to New York in 1871.  My great-great grandmother stayed in Norway.  Back of the headstone is shown below.

Kreativ Blogger Award -- Thank you Thomas and Regina

Thomas MacEntee http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-kreativ-blogger-awards.html and Regina http://kinfolknews.blogspot.com/ both awarded me the Kreativ Blogger award!  I am honored.  Thanks so much!!!!

Now as part of the challenge, it seems I must reveal seven things about myself.

1) I grew up in Italy, Spain, Germany, and New Jersey, and I speak 4 languages (one of them still needs some work).
2) I worked as a science researcher for over 20 years.
3) I published a romance novel back in 2001... and wrote 5 more books after... no luck selling those yet.
4) I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do a few years ago.
5) I'm a sucker for an old man or woman who needs help, and I cry at commercials, too.
6) I love a good bottle of Riesling wine.
7) If I don't travel every so often, I get antsy and depressed.

I also need to pass along the award to seven other bloggers. Here are some new ones, some older ones, and some from across the ocean.

http://herstoryan.blogspot.com/
http://dream-of-genea.blogspot.com/
http://landailyn.com/blog/
http://lailanc.blogspot.com/
http://kaskilli.blogspot.com/
http://valentinoswife.wordpress.com/
http://www.littlebytesoflife.com/

Wordless Wednesday

Above: My favorite picture of my Italian grandmother, Giuseppa Napoli (June 11, 1914 - Feb 25, 1998).  The above picture was taken on her wedding day, April 1933.  I think she looks like Greta Garbo.

Samuel Andreasen (1841-1875?) and my Swedish Roots

The day I discovered the Norwegian Digital Archives site was the day I immediately jumped on searching information on my paternal grandfather's line.  I already had some information on my grandmother's side from a bygdebok, and she had also been alive a lot longer for me to learn more about her roots.  Therefore, I opted to start with my Bestefar (grandfather in Norwegian) and quench my curiosity.  My initial goal was to learn the origin of the Haugen name.  I have posted before regarding this discovery http://haugenhistory.blogspot.com/2009/09/haugens-of-world-bred-on-small-hills.html.  

To start, I needed an idea of where "Haugen" all began, and my father told me how his grandfather Thomas had once used the surname Samuelsen as a child before he used Haugen.  Samuelsen was actually my father's great-grandfather's surname before he, too, took the name Haugen.  Since Norway used the patriarchal naming system, we surmised that his great-grandfather's father's name was Samuel... but Samuel who?  Therefore, the first mystery to solve was the full name of my great-great-great grandfather.  

My father did know a little about Samuel X.  When he was a boy, my father interviewed his great-grandfather Emil for a school report -- a report he still had.  His great-grandfather had recounted about his father Samuel -- a seaman who had died when Emil was 3 or 4 years old.  The story was that his father had sailed to South America on his ship and fell from the bramsail when he was up there to make a repair.  He fell to the deck and was killed instantly.  

My hunt for Samuel X began by searching for my great-great grandfather Emil Samuelsen Haugen (seen in the picture above) in the 1900 census.  I found him as Emil Samuelsen, with his wife, Hanna, and their son Thomas, all living in Moum Soendre farm in Borge, Oestfold, Norway.  The good thing about the census find was that it gave me a birth year for Emil and a location -- Vestre Fredrikstad, 1871.  However, I was unable for a long time to find a birth record for him in the parish archives.  I have since found out this is because his mother Akoline Oleane and father Samuel had joined the Methodist church before Emil was born, and Methodist records are not always available online.  However, it seems that after Samuel's death, Emil and his mother did rejoin the state church (although, at the time, I did not know yet about the Methodist connection). I, in fact, did find a confirmation record for Emil in the Vestre Fredrikstad Lutheran parish archives instead of the elusive birth record.  In this record, his father's name is listed.as Samuel Andersen, and his mother is noted as Akoline Oleane Johansdatter.  

This is a good place to go on a tangent and tell you what I have learned regarding names in parish and census records in Norway: there are many errors and inconsistencies.  In the case of Emil's mother, I soon learned that her name was often just Oleane without Akoline.  She was also sometimes Johansdatter, and other times Jakobsdatter.  As it turned out, her father was Johan Jakob Ruth, and she seemed to use either his first or second name as a surname.  Overall, the most common entry for her ended up being Oleane Jakobsdatter.  But by figuring out what seemed like a game of musical chairs with her name, I eventually found two wedding records... and... a surprise... she had married Samuel Andreasen (not Andersen), and they were BOTH from Tanum Parish, Vastra Gotalands, Bohuslän, Sweden.  The record also had their respective ages, so I now knew the probable year of birth for Samuel Andreasen (1841).  From there I found the record stating they were both leaving the state church for the Methodist church.  I also found a note in the state church records stating that Oleane Jakobsdatter and Samuel Andreasen had had a son, Emil, and the correct birth date was mentioned, too.  The Lutheran state church obviously still kept records of those who had left the church.  In the end, there were now several records pointing to the name Samuel Andreasen, and he was originally from Sweden, as was Oleane.  As I understood it, there was a story of Swedish roots circulating in the family, but everyone was surprised both of them were Swedish.  

One of the marriage records stating that Oleane Jacobsdatter marries bachelor seaman Samuel Andreasen from Trosvigbjerget, Glemmen Parish, 12 December, 1869.  The record says they were both born in Tanum Parish, Sweden.  The other marriage record also states their parents' names, but it is hard to read, so I opted not to post that one.

This started me on a quest into Sweden and their records.  As it turned out, these were not so easily available because access was not free.  I had to go through Genline to find the information I needed.  But I did eventually find the information... and a whole new world.  Since I intended to focus on Samuel, I will tell you about him and save the information on Oleane for another post.

Samuel Andreasen was born May 3, 1841 in Tanum, Göteborgs och Bohus län (Bohuslän), Sweden and baptized on May 5, 1841. His birth record said his parents were soldier Andreas Rörberg and wife Johanna Olsdotter (37 years old), living at the soldier croft under Rörvik (a hamlet). Godparents (baptismal witnesses): Olof Pettersson, Elias Andersson, Oliana Pettersdotter, Anna Olausdotter; the first three were from Rörvik, the last one from a place called Orrekläpp. The "family state" record also listed Samuel's parents and siblings.  Soldier Andreas Pettersson.Rörberg, was born February 17, 1804 (probably in Tanum since there is no note to the contrary).  By the way, Rörberg is not a family name but is a soldier name.  I learned that in Sweden any soldier who was assigned to this particular croft had to assume the name "Rörberg".  Before becoming a soldier, he had been Andreas Pettersson, which matched the father's name listed in the Norwegian archives marriage records for Samuel Andreasen and Oleane Jakobsdatter.  In the family state document, there was also Samuel's mother, his father's wife Johanna Olsdotter, born October 1, 1804 (probably in Tanum since there is no note to the contrary).  The children listed were son Samuel, May 3, 1841; Olof Martin, Feb 23, 1844; daughter Petronella, May 7, 1830;  daughter Maja Stina, Jan 17, 1833; daughter Agnetha, Nov 2, 1835; and foster son G. Karl, Nov 2, 1838.  

Another husförhörslängd (household examination) record mentions that Samuel joined/registered in the Sjömanshus in 1859 (18 years old) and received a paper, probably to show when signing onto a ship. Sjömanshus /Sailor's house is a trade union, or likewise for the merchant navy, and Samuel probably joined the Sjömanshus of Strömstad. Once he emigrated to Norway in 1869, he would have changed to a Norwegian one. However, it could be very possible, being so close to Norway, and with the Swedish/Norwegian union at the time, that he was on a Norwegian ship already.  He also had two sisters living in Norway before his official emigration to Norway.  I mention these possibilities because relatives, who are also descendants of Emil Samuelsen Haugen, have a chest that belonged to his father Samuel with the name inscribed as Samuel Andreasen and the date 1861 (when I first started my search for Samuel X, I did not have contact with my relatives and did not know the existence of the chest and, therefore, his name).  The chest emblem uses the Norwegian spelling of his name and not the Swedish spelling, and 1861 is years before his official emigration, so I wondered about this.  The story of the chest is that when Samuel died at sea, the chest was sent home to his wife and son.  It passed on from Emil to his son, Hans.  Hans's daughter in Kongsberg inherited it, and there it still is!  It is amazingly beautiful as the picture shows.

 Samuel Andreasen's chest.  When the lid is lifted there is the emblem shown

below.  The flags represent the union of Norway and Sweden at the time.  Beautiful, isn't it?

 

Samuel's official emigration to Norway was found in the Emibas CD and said: Samuel Andreasson Sjöman = sailor; jordägare = landowner. (unmarried man) Emigrated March 6, 1869 from Ertseröd, Westra, Nytorp, Tanum, Göteborgs och Bohus län (Bohuslän) to Fredrikstad, Östfold fylke, Norge.  It was only nine months later he married Oleane Jakobsdatter in the Glemmen church in Oestfold.  His son Emil was born on September 10, 1871, and Emil was very young when the news came of his father's death.  I am not sure of the year of Samuel's death, but he had the accident on his ship somewhere between 1874 and 1875.  Emil told my father in the school report interview that he believed he was about 4 years old when his father died. 

Samuel's death record is still one I have yet to find.  One possibility is that it may be recorded in the Methodist church records.  I have written the church in Fredrikstad for Emil's birth record and received no response.  I hope to go and visit the church so I can search for it and any death notice regarding his father, Samuel.  I also plan to visit the archives for the navy or seamen records and see if I can find a notice of his death there.  Once Samuel emigrated to Norway, he would have joined a Norwegian seaman's union in Fredrikstad -- another place to search for records!

So, as you can all see, I was able to learn quite a lot about my ggg-grandfather Samuel Andreasen.  And only one year ago, I had no clue what his name was!

Below is a screenshot of the immediate family for my great-great grandfather Emil Georg Samuelsen Haugen.  My apologies; it is probably hard to see, but I believe you can click on the picture to enlarge it.  The name of his father Samuel is abbreviated for the sake of space. I descend from Emil's son Thomas and his son Thorolf.

Trip to Oslo

This is one of my favorite pictures.  I have stood on this corner in Oslo myself, and it is rather extraordinary for me to see my grandfather and great-grandparents standing there circa 1920.  Behind, to the right, one can see the famous Nasjonalteateret (National Theater).  Nothing has changed, including the iron post behind them, on the left.  What is different is the period of time, the clothes, the car sputtering away in the background.  Front row: Eleonore Haugen, Thorolf Haugen (my grandfather), and Norvald Haugen. Second row: Great-grandfather Thomas Haugen, Mailis Haugen (in his arms), and great-grandmother Joergine (Ludvigsdatter) Haugen.

Treasure Chest Thursday

My great-grandfather on my maternal grandfather's side, Carmelo Dibennardo, was from Palagonia, Sicily. He was probably born circa 1870. He was married to Agrippina Strano, my great-grandmother who died young. My grandfather, Vincenzo Dibennardo, was a boy when she died. My great-grandfather remarried and my grandfather was sent to a Salesian boarding school in San Gregorio where his aunt, the Mother Superior Sister Filomena, worked and lived. My mother has a letter written in 1914 from my great-grandfather to my grandfather while he was at school. 

Here is a translation of the letter. Keep in mind that by "mother" he really means step-mother.  One thing I like about this letter is the names given of family members. Unfortunately, it will not be easy to know if they are related to my great-grandfather or my great-grandmother.

Palagonia, 24 October 1914

My Dearest Son,

It was a great pleasure to receive your dear letter, and a few days later a postcard as well . (And now) you want to know if Maria, Giovannina, and your mother and I are doing well ...( yes, we are as you are ).  We couldn't come to visit earlier because we were waiting for your aunt Giovanna who promised you she would come to visit you at boarding school.  You must know that she came to Catania on the 19th, so she only had 4 days in all for her stay, and because of this, she couldn't come to see you.  But that's okay because you're fine, and your aunt Sister Filomena loves you like a real mother.  Your sister Maria will be back after the Indian Summer, we think around the 12th of November.  You also want to know if I will bring you your sister Maria to visit you at school, and I tell you right now that I will not be the only one to do so, but also Aunt Peppina (Josephine), and also Miss Ruffo, who at this moment is in Palagonia for a short vacation.  You also wish to know what I think about our citrus (crop), and what can I say.... I don't know the answer to your question.  Your sister Maria, your mother and I send you a big kiss, and Aunt Peppina and Uncle Gaetano send their kisses. Your mother and I send you our blessings and our good-byes (we will see you soon).


Your most affectionate father,
Carmelo

Wordless Wednesday

This picture was taken in the 1940's from across the Glomma River. The line points to the house built by my great-great grandfather, Ludvig Hansen. This house was built in the 1890's based on a poem written by my great-gandmother.  Below is a picture of the house today.

Ludvig Hansen 1858 - 1929

Born in Oestfold, Tune Parish, Rekustad

Died in Oestfold, Borge Parish, Hvidsten eller Vesten

Tombstone Tuesday

Haslum Kirke is a cruciform church built circa 1190 in Bærum, Akershus. Many of my ancestors on my grandmother's side were also baptized and married here. The church has a large graveyard, and I wonder if there are any old headstones like there are at Tanum Kirke. Who knows what I may find when I visit!