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Identifying my great-grandfathers' parents


Colin McEvoy
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Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this in, and apologies that this is in English and not Norwegian. I am an American trying to do genealogy research about my great-grandfather (who is from Norway), and this is my first time posting in the forums here.

 

My great-grandfather was named Peder Olsen (changed to Peter when he came to America). Before I started doing family tree research, my family didn't know very much about Peder, where specifically in Norway that he came from, or the names of his parents. In my research I found he was born somewhere around 1864 or 1865, probably came to America in the late 1880s or so, and he worked as a boat captain. By at least the 1900s, he lived in Bayonne, New Jersey. In 1915 he married my great-grandmother, Eliza Duffy; he had been married to someone named Bridget before that. A note on a family record I found indicated he may have been from Stavanger.

 

Here at the Digitalarkivet  I found an 1865 census and an 1885 census from Stavanger for a Peder Olsen that I believe is my great-grandfather. The 1865 Census in particular (a link to which can be found here if you can't find it on the site) seemed to be a perfect match because it matched 1) Peder Olsen's name, 2) the residence (Stavanger), 3) his approximate birth year (1864), 4) his occupation (sailor), and 5) he had a brother named Magnus. (The 1910 U.S. Census indicated Peder had a brother named Magnus temporarily living with him in Bayonne.)

 

So I thought for sure this was my great-grandfather, and if so, those Census records and other records on Ancestry (like this baptism record for Magnus, among others) I found indicated his parents names' were Knud Olsen and Inger Pedersdatter.

 

However, I just received a copy of the New Jersey marriage license of Peter Olsen and Eliza Duffy (it has the surname Duran from her first marriage), which can be found here, and the birthplace and names of parents have me questioning myself a little bit. I THINK they may be phonetic spellings of Stavanger and his parents' names (my understanding is Peter had a thick accent that other Americans struggled to understand) but it's making me wonder if they are an entirely different place and set of people altogether?

 

If I'm reading the handwriting correctly, it looks like Birthplace is recorded as "Stavanga, Norway", the father's name is "Knuda Olsone", and the mother's name is "Enger Petersen."

 

Do you think it's safe for me to assume that this refers to Stavanger, and that "Kunda" and "Enger" are indeed the Knud Olsen and Inger Pedersdatter that I had previously identified? Or do you think this means I am on the wrong track?

 

(In case it's helpful, here is the link to Peder Olsen's profile on my Ancestry tree, which includes other sources I've cited related Knud, Inger, and Peder's siblings.)

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I had a little trouble using your link for the 1865 Census. Here is a link that might work better.

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01053290010752

 

The link to the marriage document worked fine.

 

Yes the place is likely Stavanger and father would be Knud or Knut Olsen and the mother would be Inger or Enger Petersen (in Norway she would likley be Petersdatter or Pedersdatter.  Spelling can vary some in Norway and then in the transfer to America vary even more.

 

Very nice family tree on Ancestry.com. It is only visible to those with a Ancestry.com subscription but still very useful.

 

 

 

 

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I can`t see any thing you refer to here that should indicate you are on a wrong track.

Stavanger could easily be pronounced like « Stavanga»  in english.

However the norwegian census says Peter was born in « Næstrand» sic . Nedstrand these days. I wouldn`t emphasize the birthplace in his marriage record  to much. Until 1918 Stavanger and Nedstrand were both situated in Stavanger Amt. Today Rogaland Fylke. (Fylke = County)

 

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Yes, I had believed that Peder was actually born in Nedstrand, and then later moved with his parents to Stavanger, where the rest of his siblings were born. I had also found an 1875 Norway Census on Ancestry that further led me to believe this.

 

I wasn't too concerned about the Nedstrand/Stavanger issue when it came to the marriage record. I was more concerned that the names of his parents on the marriage record were slightly different than the Knud Olsen and Inger Pedersdatter that I had found elsewhere. But I'm increasingly confident they are probably the same individuals.

 

Thanks for the replies!

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Based on the 1865 Census this could be the baptism record for Inger. 

 

Inger Pedersdt

in the Norway, Church Records, 1812-1938

Name:Inger Pedersdt

Gender:Kvinnelig

Record Type:dåp (Baptism)

Birth Date:18 Febr

Baptism Date:21 Febr 1836

Baptism Place:Nedstrand (Hinderå), Rogaland, Norge (Norway)

Baptism Municipality:Nærstrand

Father:Peder Bergesen

Mother:Mette Holgersdt

 

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/16406304:60606

 

A second look shows that you also have her in your tree as this person.

 

 

 

 

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Yes, I believe that is my 2nd great-grandmother! LOL And in fact, I only just yesterday got my AncestryDNA results and it linked me to a likely cousin who had Inger's parents (Peder Bergesen and Mette Holgersdatter) in their family tree as well, so that only FURTHER convinced me that these indeed were the ancestors of Peder Olsen (and, by extension, myself). So I think I'm on the right track. 🙂 Thanks!

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Have you looked at this guy for the birth of Knud. The parish is Sjernarøy which looks like a sub-parish of Nedstrand.

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000039139046

 

Nr. 13 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/kb20051213020063

 

The farm is called Wingekalhage. Some version of Vinje? I notice you have attached the farm name of Vinje to Magnus in your Tree.

 

The marriage of Ole Mikkelsen and Mergrethe Knudsdatter

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/327/pv00000009230947

 

 

 

 

 

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Ahh, this is very helpful! Prior to this, I had identified who I believed were Inger Pedersdatter's parents, but I hadn't identified any for Knud Olsen. But it looks like this identifies them!

 

And yes, I attached Vinje to Magnus' name in my tree because it seemed to be the surname he started using himself. The 1885 Stavanger census (here) identifies him as Magnus Olsen, but the 1891 Norway Census (here) lists his parents as "Knud Olsen Vinge" and "Inger Olsen Vinge", while still listing Magnus himself as "Magnus Olsen." After that Magnus seems to permanently use "Vinje" as his his last name, including on the 1900 Norway Census (here), on his later marriage records (here), on travel records (here), and on his tombstone (here).

 

Based on my research I was confident Magnus Vinje and Magnus Olsen were indeed the same person, but was a bit confused about where the "Vinje" name comes from. But these records you shared with me seem to indicate it is related to the family farm name Wingekalhage?

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21 minutes ago, Colin McEvoy said:

. But these records you shared with me seem to indicate it is related to the family farm name Wingekalhage?

 

Yes, the family was probably associated at some time with the Vinje farm. The farm is spelled Vinje or Winge. Same name. I think Kolhagen is some sort of sub farm under Vinje?

 

Here is a Familysearch link for the Sjernarøy Parish. At the bottom of the farm names is Vinje.

 

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Sjernarøy_Parish,_Rogaland,_Norway_Genealogy

 

 

I have noticed that Ancestry.com is a little lacking in baptism and marriage records for Sjernarøy Parish making the search a little more difficult.

 

 

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Sjernarøyene is an archipelago north in Ryfylke. One of the islands is Bjergøy. There is a farm called Venja and Kalvhagen near by. Venja and Winge is probably the same. The latter being the ‹proper› spelling of danish officials, and the former how it is pronounced by the locals. Hence todays name. Kalhagen/Kalvhagen likewise.

 

Reg.

 

 

Skjermbilde 2022-06-20 kl. 22.51.38.jpg

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A  little more of a long shot but probably the correct Ole. In the marriage record for Ole Mikkelsen, the farm name is listed as Nygaard and his birth year is given as 1808. 

 

Here is an Ole baptized 16 August 1807. The farm is Nygaard. The father is Mikel Mikkelsen and the mother is Ragnild Olsdatter. 

 

The record is second from the bottom left hand column. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/kb20070621660408

 

There is a widower in the 1801 Census with one son Siur living on Wiig (NOT likely your relative, birth year is way off of the 1775 shown in the Bygdebok)

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058360000831

 

This is most likely your Mikel Mikkelsen born 1776 and not yet married 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058357001436

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, Even Stormoen said:

Sjernarøyene is an archipelago north in Ryfylke.

 

Very useful Even. Is there a bygdebok for Sjernarøy, Rogaland that might provide some history of this family. Especially of Mikel Mikkelsen. 

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3 timer siden, Anton Hagelee skrev:

 

Very useful Even. Is there a bygdebok for Sjernarøy, Rogaland that might provide some history of this family. Especially of Mikel Mikkelsen. 

Yes, there is a bygdebok for Sjernarøy. Here is the link, but it will probably not work outside Norway:

https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017010548147

Here are copies of the chapter about Nygård and Ola and Mikkel Mikkelsen:

Screenshot_20220621-024158_Chrome.thumb.jpg.c0f34cead48d52651091f86d518b39db.jpg

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34 minutes ago, Christer Kjølsrud said:

Yes, there is a bygdebok for Sjernarøy. Here is the link, but it will probably not work outside Norway:

https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017010548147

Here are copies of the chapter about Nygård and Ola and Mikkel Mikkelsen:

 

Very nice. Combined with the Ditigalarkivet records it will give a good look at the family and the farm.

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An interesting point is the marriage of 6 Ole Mikkelsen born 16 Aug 1807 and married 20 Oct 1832. 

 

The Transcribed record from Diigtalarkivet gives the wife as Mergrethe Knudsdatter. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/327/pv00000009230947

 

Nr. 8 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/kb20051213020192

 

1865 Census also shows her name as Magrete Knudsdatter 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01038214002914

 

However the bygdebok has the wife as Margrete Paulsdatter?

 

 

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I guess I would tend to stick with the data from Digitalarkvet so that the family tree looks like this. 

 

Mikkel Mikkelsen born 1775 married to Ragnhild Olsdatter born 1780

 

Ole Mikkelsen born 1807 married to Margrete Knudsdatter ?

 

Knud Olsen born 1835 married to Inger Pedersdatter

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Thank you all very much for this information. You've given me even more than I was expecting! It's very exciting for me because for the longest time, I didn't know anything about Peder Olsen's ancestry except that he was born in Norway. And now there's so much to explore about his ancestors going back several generations.

 

I'm still new to genealogy research, especially when it comes to Norwegian sources, and I've never seen pages from a bygdebok like this before. Are these kind of books common, and should I be looking for them for all of my Norwegian ancestors as I uncover more in the future? And if so, is there a best way to search for them? Are they available on the Digitalarkvet?

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A bygdebok is what I would call a Farm History Book. It gives the history by owner of an individual Norwegian farm. They are usually written on a parish such as the one above for the parish of Sjernarøy, Rogaland. 

 

You can access them at the Norwegian National Library through the link given by Christer above if you have a Norwegian IP addresss. Or you can go to a library, usually a university library in the United States. There are probably several hundred bygdebøker written on the various parishes.. 

 

If you live in the mid-west the best locations are the libraries at U of Minnesota, University of North Dakota, University of Wisconsin, St Olaf University in Minnesota and Luther College in Iowa. 

 

Here is an example of the UND collection.

 

https://apps.library.und.edu/bygdebok/

 

Click on Rogaland on the map 

 

https://apps.library.und.edu/bygdebok/rogaland

 

Click on Sjernarøy,

 

Looks like UND has one volume, there is probably more than one volume

 

https://apps.library.und.edu/bygdebok/place/304

 

 

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Now the question is how can you get access. 

 

Get a VPN for use on your computer that is Norway accessible. 

 

Visit one of the libraries. Each library listed above  has a collection and some are more complete than others. 

 

Find a Research Librarian at one of the libraries who will perform searches for you at a reasonable price. I use Michael Svenson at UND and travel across town to Wilson Library , University of Minnesota when I am in a hurry to do the search. 

 

 

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Here is an excellent Family Tree covering your family from Mikel Mikkelsen born 1775 and married to Ragnhiold Olsdatter. The Tree does not cover all of their children and does not include your ancestor Ole Mikkelsen born in 1807. 

 

The tree goes back in time from Mikel Mikkelsen back to Orm Ivarson Steinbru, born about 1602 in Suldal, Rogaland. Each person is sourced. Most of the sources are bygdebok from various parishes of Rogaland. 

 

Should you figure out a way to access the Bygdebøker, you would have a ready made list of ancestors and the bygdebok title and page where the person is found. 

 

Here is the source for rOm Ivarson Steinbru. 

 

2 Hallvard M. Hoftun, GAMLE SULDAL: GARDS- OG ÆTTESOGE (Utgjevar: SULDAL KOMMUNE - 1972), side 480.

 

https://www.helgeland.nu/English/english-pub/i7669.html#i81041

 

 

 

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Even tho I am not going to try and gain access to all of the various bygdebøker (note singular is bygdebok and plural is bygdebøker}, I can use Family Tree to check out the information especially that found in the 1801 Census. 

 

The Family Tree lists the parents of Mikkel Mikkelsen born in 1775 as 

 

Father: Michel Mikkelson Nådland (1732-      ) 16 
         Mother: Anna Danielsdotter (1734-1814) 17 

 

Here they are in the 1801 Census on Naadeland farm. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058359000970

 

https://www.helgeland.nu/English/english-pub/i7669.html#i81041

 

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Mikkel Mikkelsen married Ragnhild Olsdatter in 1803. 

 

This is very likely her in the 1801 Census as a working girl on the Kaade (Kåde) farm. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058357001454

 

These are her parents from the Family Tree 

 

         Father: Ole Toreson Koddeberget (1750-1833) 
         Mother: Barbro Mauritsdotter (1749-1824) 

 

They are on the same farm Kaade farm in the 1801 Census. The names are spelled somewhat differently than the Family Tree, but you are probably getting used to seeing that. 

 

They are Ole Thorsen and Barbra Monsdatter in the Census. The birth year for Ole is probably wrong in the census. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058357001447

 

https://www.helgeland.nu/English/english-pub/i8721.html#i81042

 

 

 

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Thanks guys for all this fantastic information. I've been gradually adding it all to my Ancestry tree, which is taking a while because there's so much to add. A good problem to have!

 

I did have two follow-up questions if it's not too much trouble...

  

On 6/20/2022 at 8:55 PM, Christer Kjølsrud said:

Yes, there is a bygdebok for Sjernarøy. Here is the link, but it will probably not work outside Norway:

https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2017010548147

Here are copies of the chapter about Nygård and Ola and Mikkel Mikkelsen:

 

Christer, if I'm reading this right, on there is more information about Jo Gunnarson (the husband of Ragnhild, item H under 5. Mikkel Mikkelson) on a different page. (It says Sjå Aubø, husmenn nr. 53.) If that is the case, could you screenshot that page for me as well, so I can add that info to my tree, too?

   

On 6/20/2022 at 5:20 PM, Anton Hagelee said:

The record is second from the bottom left hand column. 

 

https://www.digitalarkivet.no/kb20070621660408

 

Thanks very much for sharing this, Anton. Unfortunately, since I don't read or speak Norwegian and am struggling with the handwriting on top of that, I can read very little on this record. LOL Is there any other relevant information here I should know about besides what you have already shared with me above?

 

Thanks!

 

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