[#6858] Norwegian immigrant in Canada before 1800

[Gjest Louise]

Does anyone know of any norwegian immigrants in U.S.A. or Canada before 1800? If so, where did they arrive and why ? My gggggrandfather was born in Norway around 1752, according to his death certificate, and his name was Pierre or Peter Bohrs, or Borges, or Booz.... (he got married in 1794 in Canada and died in Rimouski, Quebec, in 1816). I never found any reference to his parents or whereabouts ... Louise

[Gjest Tore H Vigerust]

A lot of norwegian sailors travelled to Amerika about 1792-1800 and stayed there, for example from Christiania. Tore.

[Gjest Louise]

Thank you Tore for your reply. You are the first person confirming to me that such immigrants (settlers) did exist. Do you think that there are publications or registries existing about those particular sailors ?Louise

[Gjest Louise]

I have a big favor to ask : would it be youseful that I ask someone to translate my message into Norwegian ?Louise

[Gjest N B Macdonald for Louise]

Probably not necessary, but I'll enter your questions in Norwegian. --Beth in Bergen

[Gjest Louise]

Thank you Beth, this is very kind of you ! I will try to understand any possible norwegian reply without having to bother anybody again with the translation.Louise

[Gjest Terje Hatvik]

Louise whoever-you-are (a surname would certainly have been appreciated), I might have something for you:I got a bit curious regarding your inquiry, so I gave it a try, though I must admit that this task very much resembles looking for the famous needle in a haystack.Anyhow, the lead-tread in this case the way I see it is Peter's surname; Borge /Bohrs or similar. There are several farms in Norway with names resembling this, of which a variety lies round / in vicinity of Bergen, our 2.nd largest city.Bergen has a good harbour and for centuries there has been a lively merchant marine trade & shipping to and from this city. Furthermore, it's also a natural starting point for immigrants to North America.However, to the better of my knowledge - there are no official records concerning Norwegian immigrants immigration for such an early date on the internet - at least not yet.Assuming that 'Peter' is an anglification of his original norwegian name given when baptized, I looked for more nordic equivalents of Peter; i.e. 'Per', 'Peer', 'Peder' and 'Petter'.I didn't find anything which on the web-sides, but on a so-called "bygdebok" (i.e. a genealogical research which displays all inhabitants in a certain parish, including births, marriages, deaths and so on,, for a particular period of time); I found at least ONE candidate which MIGHT fit the aforementioned description:Per Johannesson (i.e. son of Johannes) Skåldal, b. 1752 on the farm Skåldal in Indre Arna, which then was a parish under Haus, currently under Indre Arna. Today Skåldal & Indre Arna are parts of the municipality of Bergen. [This is anyhow not more than 15-20 km away from the city centre of Bergen].This individual, Per b. 1752; is reported alive in 1766, when his father Johannes Sjurson, farmer; dies. There seems to be no further knowledge of Per and his whereabouts after this. So maybe, and again just maybe, he is the one who turns up somewhere in Canada some years later ??It looks like Per was a twin, but that his twin-sister, Synneva; died as an infant. A younger brother, Sjur, b. 1754; is also mentioned as alive in 1766.Their mother was Sissela og Cecilia Nielsdaughter Hjortland, b. 1717, d. 1760. She was a widow when she married Johannes (himself a widower) in 1751. Sissela's first husband was Olav Olson Skåldal(1697 - 1746). Then she was married to Per Erikson Borgo (1719 - 1751) in 1747, all of them farmers. When Sissela dies in 1760 Johannes marries another woman, Maria Johannesdaughter Neset (1735 - 1784).This is - as already indicated - just "a shot in the dark", but it fits in somehow.Oh yes, the surname 'Borges': Near Skåldal (in the same parish) there is a particular farm with the name 'Borge' or 'Borgo' (depending on how one decides to spell it). Per's mothers previous marriage wwas to a Per E. Borgo. They had two kids together. Maybe your Per (b. 1752) was fostered on the farm Borgo with his older halfbrothers? Just a theory, though.I found this information - valid or invalid - in the bygdebok "Haus i Soga og Segn - part III, Ådna sokn" by one Lars M. Ådna.Hope you'll find this satsifactory or at least encouring, Louise.Kind regards, Terje Hatvik

[Gjest Louise Gelinas-Bause]

Thank you Terje for such an extensive research. I must apologize for not identifying myself properly, not nowing what exactly "forfattar" meant. (I am a French Canadian, at least for the last 5 generations ...!). On some forums I participated in, we just were requested a pseudonym. So, I thought it was what it meant... Sorry.Maybe there are very few chances that I will be able to link Pier or Per to this Norway link of yours, but it is certainly worth the trial for me. It has become more and more important to me to understand what was the significance of the songs my great grandmother used to sing to me when I was 6 or 7 years old, before I went to bed. She died at 101 years old. Even my father says that his grandma used to sing songs with strange words that he would not understand. She only said that is was about some "genius of the night"...Anyway, thanks again, and should I discover anything, I will certainly let you know !!Louise Gelinas-Bause

[Gjest Terje Hatvik]

Hello, Louise!Thank you for a polite and swift reply. As you now have found out the term 'forfatter' can be translated into Editor. But don't worry, it's just a minor detail.I just want you to know that IF you want to go any further on the path I indicated/suggested to you, you have to get someone to check the church records for the parish of Haus for you (for confirmation of miscellanous names, dates etc.).I am confident that someone have easier access to these church-records than myself and therefore is able to gather available information quicker.But again I will strongly emphasize that this Per Johannesson Borge or Borgo, b. 1752; is just ONE out of many norwegians with the surname Per, Peer, Peter and so one born on the actual year in question.However, if you want to proceed I should mention that according to the information I obtained from the aforementioned book Pers father, Johannes Sjurson; originally came from another farm called Litun; also in the same parish. Both Borgo, Skålsal and Litun are currently existing farms.And regarding the christian name of Pers mother, - please be aware that it can be spelled in more than one way (and thus appear in many peculiar styles): Sissela, Cecilia, Cesilie, Siscilie etc.. The letter 'C' is normally pronounced 'S' in Norwegian, as in English.Having said so, I would like to encourage you to proceed your research & I wish you all the best in your hunting for ancestry somewhere in Norway. Hopefully you will discover something that will lead you onto the right path -.All the best, Terje Hatvik

[Gjest Louise Gelinas (Bause]

Thank you once again, Terje, and YES, I will do whatever is necessary (and available to my limited understanding of Norway's history, language and ancestry system) to follow this path... I know that the possibilities are thin that this Per could be the one, but it is certainly worth the trial !I will follow any methodological suggestion in order to do so. I appreciate your help very much.Louise

[Gjest Louise Gelinas (Bause]

Update : This path might mean something after all. Per Johannesson Borge was said to have a brother named Sjur. In one of the census, two Bougos are reported, Pierre and also "J.", in Rimouski. I intend to look deeper into that.Note : Bougos as written in French, would translate Boogoze in English.Louise