[#5240] Christina Servina Nelson

[Gjest Dale Tuvey]

I am searching for information on Christina Servina Nelson, my great-grandmother. According to marriage records here in the USA she was born August 18, 1875 in Bergen (family tradition also is that she was from Bergen or Nor Bergen). Her father was listed as Søren Nelson and her mother as Christine Olsen.With my limited skills and inability to understand Norwegian, I can find no record of these people in Norway or information about Christina coming to the USA. I would be grateful if anyone can find them.

[Gjest Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen]

The closest match I could find for Søren and Christine were married in the Domkirken church in Bergen April 10th 1871:Søren Kristian Nilsen, blacksmiths apprentice from Førde (Sogn og Fjordane - north of Bergen), born Dec 24th 1840, and Kristiane Olsdtr Kalland, also from Førde, born March 11th 1840.Note that the patronym Nelson is Nilsen/Nilson/Nilsson/Nilssøn in Norwegian, and that the female version of Olsen is Olsdtr (Ole`s daughter). Christine may well be an Anglification og Kristiane.This pair christened a daughter in 1873, named Sofie Nikoline Marie. They might have moved out of the city after this, because I haven`t been able to find Christine christened in Bergen yet. I will take another look, though. Maybe others that read your request may be of more help...Good luck!

[Gjest Dale Tuvey]

Heidi-Thank you so very much for this information! These are certainly Christina's parents. I hope I can find her birth information too, but having the place where Søren and Kristiane were born will likely let me trace their ancestors back using census and church records. If you find anything else I would, of course, appreciate your sending it.I am grateful for your help. I marvel at the willingness of complete strangers to take the time to help others with their genealogical research. I hope someday that I will be able to return the favor for another searcher. I am impressed with your ability in English. It is almost colloquial. Did you spend time in the United States? I wish I knew even a little Norwegian. Well, thanks again for the information. I was getting very frustrated because I couldn't find anything and now I am very happy! :-)

[Gjest Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen]

Hi!Just glad to be of help! I can understand that the search in Norwegian files isn`t too easy when you don`t know the language...Thank you for complimenting my English - I am a halfbreed - Canadian mother - and lived in the States for many years, which may well be the reason. :-)To help you further it would be much easier if I knew approx. when she left for the States and what her destination was. Did she leave with her whole family, or alone? And did she marry in Norway or in the US?And, if she practiced Norwegian naming traditions, what were her childrens names (and siblings, if you know)?PS: Are you sure her middle name was Servina, not Sevrina?

[Gjest Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen]

Hi again!Well, I found her parents! They moved from Bergen to Vaksdal, in Bruvik parish, which is west of Bergen almost half way to Voss!Søren worked as a blacksmith at the Vaksdal mill in 1900. He was from the Reikvam farm, and Kristiane was from Kalland. Both farms are in the municipality of Naustdal, near Førde in Sogn og Fjordane.Seems Kristiane was born in 1845, not 40. (I`ve seen the date 45 more times than 40, even if it says 40 at her marriage. The 1900-census and the birth of Sofie says 45).This is the link to the 1900 census:Lenke doesn`t live there with them, but they have two sons and a daughter born later, so it seems the older siblings either got married or emigrated.Her younger siblings are Mathias William (1886), Johan (1888) and Wilhelmine Kristine (1890).Funny thing is that my husband`s ggrandfather worked at the Vaksdal mill at the same time, so the families were obviously neighbours! :-)

[Gjest Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen]

And again:Søren Kristians parents were: farmer Nils Sørens. Reikvam (Reiakvam) and Sofia Olsdtr.Link: [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/wc/webcens.exe?slag=e&filename=digitalpensjonatet/sognfjord/sogndaap&variabel=0&postnr=164774&fulle=true&spraak=eKristianes>Lenke parents were: Ole Anderss. Kalland and Nikoline Ivard. And her baptism shows she was born in 1845.Link: