A Norwegian Passport ~ Ole Iversen

Last week I shared the Migration Record of my 2nd great-granduncle, Ole Iversen with you. That document was found in Norway's Digital Archives website. While I was doing research in that amazing website, I found the passports for Ole Iversen, his wife Anne and their daughter Guri. How exciting!

Today I'd like to share Ole's passport with you.¹ I'll share Anne's and Guri's passports in future posts.

The full image above may be a bit difficult to read, so here's a cropped portion of the image showing Ole's information.

Information found in this document

Given name: Ole
Last name: Iversen Marteplads
Gender: m
Age: 35
Issued/presented: 20 April 1858
Individual remarks: af Naes, 65 Tommer, undersat, blaa, morkebrunt
Id: og00000000903791
Serial number: 121
Fee: 64 s

I cropped the "Individual remarks" section of the document even further.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I don't read or speak Norwegian. So once again I posted a translation request in the Norwegian Genealogy Group that I belong to on Facebook. And as before, I did get help. Two kind people responded. I was especially interested in this "Individual remarks" section of Ole's passport. It appears that this is a physical description of Ole Iversen. How cool is that!?

With the help from the kind people in the Facebook group, here is the translation of the "Individual remarks" section.

Individual remarks: of Nes, 65 Tommer = inches tall (5'5"), undersat could mean stocky build, blaa means blue which must refer to Ole's eye color, and morkebrunt = dark brown which must refer to Ole's hair color.

We don't have a photo of Ole, so reading this physical description of him is really wonderful.

Ole and his family immigrated to the United States in April of 1858. The Migration Record for Ole and his family didn't have a specific date. It only had April in the date column. Since Ole's passport was issued on 20 April 1858, this tells me they left Norway sometime after that date.

Norway's Digital Archive is such a wonderful website. If you have Norwegian ancestors, I highly recommend giving it a try. And, if you'd like to access the passports section of Norway's Digital Archive, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 

© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 “Passport protocol for Hallingsdal bailiff's office 1856-1865,” database, The Digital Archive (https://www.digitalarkivet.no : accessed 24 February 2015), entry for Ole Iversen Marteplads, 1858, Buskerud, Flå, Gol, Hemsedal, Hol, Nes, Ål, Hallingdal bailiff; citing: The State Archives in Kongsberg.^↩

Leaving Norway ~ Ole Iversen

Last week I shared the Migration Record of my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Iver Iverson. In that post, I mentioned that I also have the Migration Record for Iver's brother Ole. Today I'd like to share that record with you. It just so happens that it is the exact same record as Iver's. That's because Iver and Ole were listed on the same page in the Migration Record for 1858, which is part of a Parish Register for Nes, Buskerud, Norway.¹

Iver is listed inside the blue rectangle on this page and Ole and his family are inside the red rectangle near the bottom of the page.

Before we look at the information about Ole and his family in this document, I'd like to tell you a little bit about them.

Ole Iversen was born on 1 November 1822 and was christened on 8 December 1822 in Nes, Hallingdal, Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Iver Stenersen and Guri Olsdatter.²

When Ole was 33 years old, he married Anne Gunbjornsdatter. Their marriage took place on 29 September 1856 in Nes, Hallingdal, Buskerud, Norway.³

Their daughter, Guri, was born on 28 May 1857 and was christened on 14 June 1857 in Nes, Hallingdal, Buskerud, Norway.⁴

Guri was only about a year old when Ole and his young family immigrated to the United States.  What must it have been like for them to make this long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858?  I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for them.

Let's look at the information in the Migration Record. I don't speak or read Norwegian, so reading some of the words in this document was a bit difficult.

Here's a cropped view showing Ole and his family in the Migration Record.

I couldn't figure out what some of the words were in these columns, so I asked for help in two of the Norwegian Genealogy groups that I belong to on Facebook. I uploaded these images and posted my query. Within half an hour two kind and helpful people from one of the groups translated the words in the document for me. I was told that the word in front of Ole's name is an abbreviated form of "husmann" which means tenant farmer. And I was told that the word in front of Anne's name is "hustru" which means wife, and that the word in front of Guri's name is "barn" which means child.

Information for Ole

Number: 52
Date: April
Name: Ole Iversen Mar. (Mar. is short for Marteplads, Ole's place of birth)
Age: 36
Destination: Amerika

Information for Anne

Number: 53
Date: April
Name: Anne Gunbjornsdr Opdal (Opdal is Anne's place of birth)
Age: 1827 (year of birth instead of age)
Destination: Amerika

Information for Guri

Number: 54
Date: April
Name: Guri
Age: 1
Destination: Amerika

Ole and Anne had two more children after they arrived in the United States. Here's the complete list of their children.

1. Guri Olesdatter (1857-1922) [born in Norway]
2. Isabelle Marie Iversen (1863-1954) [born in Minnesota]
3. Iver O. Iversen (1864-1928) [born in Iowa]

Ole's parents, Iver and Guri, and his brother Christopher, immigrated to the United States in 1861. I will be sharing their Migration Record in a future post.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 The National Archives of Norway, Digital Archives, Buskerud county, Nes, Parish register (official) nr. 9 (1834-1863), Migration records 1858, Ole Iversen, page 593. Line 52.^↩
2 "Norway, Baptisms, 1634-1927," index, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 10 March 2015), Ole Iversen, 01 Nov 1822; citing FHL microfilm 123840.^↩
3 ] "Norway, Marriages, 1660-1926," index, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 10 March 2015), Ole Iversen and Anne Gunbjornsdr, 29 Sep 1856; citing Nes I Hallingdal, Buskerud, Norway; FHL microfilm 278,204.^↩
4 "Norway, Baptisms, 1634-1927," index, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 10 March 2015), Guri Olesdatter, 28 May 1857; citing FHL microfilm 123,841.^↩

Leaving Norway ~ Iver Iverson

My paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Iver Iverson, was born in Marteplads, Nes, Buskerud, Norway on 2 August 1827. Research that I inherited from my dad stated that Iver and his brother Ole immigrated to the United States in April of 1858. Last year I downloaded a digital copy of an immigration record that shows that they did emigrate from Norway in April of 1858.

While doing research for this blog post, I found a query from 2004 in the Norway Heritage website forum asking for help to find an immigration list and passenger list for Iver Iverson. This query was written by my dad. Here's what he asked:

"My great grandfather immigrated from Marteplads, Nes, Buskerud, Norway sometime between 1850 and 1860. He came to America and fought in the Civil War with the Iowa Regulars. He settled in Benson, Minnesota. I am looking for a passenger list and immigrant list showing him as an immigrant from Norway. Any pointers would be appreciated. Thanks."

Jan Iverson

My dad passed away almost six years ago. To find his query while I was writing this blog post was bittersweet. Before my dad passed away, I focused my family history research on my mom's family lines. But now I'm researching my mom's and my dad's family lines.

In my dad's query from 2004 he didn't seem to know exactly when Iver had immigrated. After posting his query he must have found the answer he was looking for. I copied some of his research notes from his genealogy database into mine. And the notes he had for Iver Iverson indicate that he found the date of Iver's immigration from looking at a microfilm of parish records for Nes, Buskerud, Norway (film 278204). It's amazing that today I can just look online and find that information.

Iver is found in this Migration Record for 1858. It's part of a Parish Register for Nes, Buskerud, Norway.¹



This document is found in The National Archives of Norway website. This website is absolutely wonderful. If you have Norwegian ancestry, I highly recommend it to you. It's free to access, which is awesome.

Iver Iverson (spelled Iversen in Norway) is found on page 593, line 30. Iver's entry is inside the red rectangle.

I cropped Iver's entry to get a better view.



And here's the information found within this record.

Number: 30
Date: 17 April 1858
Name: Iver Iversen (Marteplads)
Age: 2/8 27 = 2 August 1827 [I'm not sure why Iver's birthdate is listed instead of his age]
Destination: Amerika

In a blog post last week, I mentioned that I have digital copies of immigration records for Iver's brothers Ole and Christopher, as well as for his parents Iver and Guri. I'll be sharing those records in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 The National Archives of Norway, Digital Archives, Buskerud county, Nes, Parish register (official) nr. 9 (1834-1863), Migration records 1858, Iver Iversen, page 593. Line 30.^↩

Ole Anthon Christopherson's Birth Record

Yesterday, I shared a blog post in which I wondered whether or not my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Ole Anthon Christopherson, was a Sea Captain in Norway. The reason I wondered this is because the words (Sea Captain) are written next to Ole's name on two separate family group sheets that were given to me. If you'd like to read that blog post, click HERE.

I belong to two Norwegian Genealogy groups on Facebook. Today, I decided to share yesterday's blog post, along with a request for ideas about how I could find out if Ole was a Sea Captain, in these Facebook groups. Very quickly, people started to help me. It was wonderful! And one very kind person actually found Ole's birth record on the National Archives of Norway website! This wonderful person also found Ole's confirmation record and his parents' marriage record! I'll share those in future posts.

Today I'd like to share Ole's birth record. If you'd like to see his birth record on the National Archives of Norway website, click HERE. His record is number 65 on the left side of the page.

Here's Ole's birth record.¹ I highlighted the birth date, Ole's name, and his parents' names.



I'm so grateful to have this birth record! And I'm so thankful for the kindness of the person on the Norwegian Genealogy group who found it for me.

This record proves that Ole was born in Tromso, Norway. And this record also gives me his correct birth date. I incorrectly had his birth month as April in my genealogy database. He was actually born in May. His correct birthday is May 21, 1837.

I'm very grateful that I posted my question in the two Norwegian Genealogy groups on Facebook. I'm also very grateful for the kindness of those who helped me today. The genealogy community really is so kind and helpful!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "Tromsø 1829-1837." Tromsø 1829-1837. National Archives of Norway, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.Kildeinformasjon: Troms fylke, Tromsø, Ministerialbok nr. 8 (1829-1837), Fødte og døpte 1837, side 520-521. No. 65.^↩

Military Monday ~ Iver Iverson – A U.S. Civil War Soldier from Norway

I'd love to visit Norway someday.  That's where my paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Iver Iverson, was born - Marteplads, Nes, Buskerud, Norway, to be exact.  He was born on August 2, 1827 and passed away on January 1, 1895 in Glenwood, Pope, Minnesota.  His parents were Iver Stenersen and Guri Olsdatter.

Nesbyen, Nes, Buskerud, Norway
Photo by John Erling Blad
Wikimedia Commons
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

Isn't Iver's birth country gorgeous?  It's just so picturesque.  If this photo (above) looks anything like where he lived, I have to wonder why Iver would have ever wanted to leave his beautiful homeland of Norway.  Please don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful Iver did decide to immigrate to the U.S.A so I could be born here.  But I've still wondered why he decided to emigrate from Norway.  What were the driving forces behind his decision to leave?

The following paragraph regarding economic difficulties in Norway could explain the reason why Iver and many other Norwegians left Norway.

The website "intro" states,¹

"....In the last half of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, about 800,000 Norwegians emigrated to the USA.  Norway's economy was poor and it was difficult to find work.  Many people dreamed of starting a new life in the USA.  They had heard that there were many opportunities there.  Many people found life in this new country difficult at first, most did well."

The information I have states that Iver and his brother Ole immigrated to the United States in April of 1858, and that his parents and another brother, Christopher, immigrated in April of 1861.  I'd love to find proof of this someday.  Years ago, my paternal grandmother, Ingrid Anna (Gillberg) Iverson, hired a professional genealogist in Salt Lake City to research our Scandinavian roots.

Following the death of my Grandma Ingrid, my father, Jan Iverson, inherited her family history stuff.  My father was involved in researching his Norwegian and Swedish ancestry and for many years I've been researching my mom's ancestry.  Since my dad's death, I've felt the need to continue researching his ancestry as well.

The immigration dates I have for Iver, Ole, Christopher, and their parents are from my dad's records.  Perhaps he got this information from my Grandma Ingrid, who got this information from the professional genealogist.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate the professional genealogist's report or source materials regarding these immigration dates.  And so far, my research hasn't produced any immigration information for Iver, his brothers, or his parents.

I know that Iver immigrated to the United States before February 23, 1860, because on this date Iver married Marit Thorsdatter in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  In the United States, Marit went by Mary, as you see her name listed as Iver's widow in the pension file page above.

Four years after Mary and Iver were married, Iver enlisted in the U.S. Civil War.  By then, Iver and Mary had one child and another one on the way.

Iver's enlistment date was February 19, 1864.  He was involved in the Siege of Spanish Fort and Battle of Fort Blakely, Mobile.  He was transferred to the 34th Iowa Infantry on July 12, 1865. Iver was honorably discharged on August 15, 1865.

By the time Iver enlisted, the war had been going on for three long years already.  I have some questions. 

• Assuming that Iver's immigration date of April 1858 is correct, what were Iver's thoughts and feelings when the war started only three short years after Iver arrived in the U.S.A.?
• How well did Iver speak English by the time he enlisted in the war?
• What was his citizenship status when he enlisted?

I can't help but wonder if Iver ever longed for the beautiful scenery of Norway as he faced horrific and terrifying scenes like this during the Civil War.

Battle of Fort Blakely
Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain

I'm grateful for Iver's service.  He suffered long-term health problems from his service in the Civil War.  I'm also grateful that he stayed in the United States after the Civil War ended so his many descendants, myself included, could enjoy the blessings of living in the United States.

I have Iver's Civil War pension file, which is very interesting.  I will be sharing information from it in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 "Norwegian History: Immigration and Emigration." Norwegian History: Immigration and Emigration. Intro Student Book. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.^↩

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael Christian Christopherson

My regular readers may remember that my family and I spent an enjoyable time in Utah on vacation recently.  I wrote about it in my blog post I'm Back!!.  We had a great time together.

And as any other good genealogist would do, I planned a couple visits to local cemeteries while we were there.

One of the cemeteries we visited was the Ogden City Cemetery.  If you have ancestors buried in this cemetery, be sure to check out the cemetery's link.  This website allows you to search for your ancestor's burial plot and see it on a map.  Very cool!

Buried in this cemetery are several of my Christopherson ancestors from Norway.  Today’s post will focus on my 3rd great-grandfather, Michael Christian Christopherson.

 

Grave Marker of the Christopherson Family



Christopherson Family Gravestone

Michael Christian Christopherson Grave Marker

Transcription of Grave Marker:

MICHAEL C.
Christopherson
Born at
Christiansund
NORWAY
JAN 18, 1812
Died
SEP. 24, 1882

Michael was born on January 18, 1812 in Christiansund, More Og Romsdal, Norway.  He was the son of Christopher Christiansen and Peternilla or Petronella Mikkelsdatter.

Michael married Serianna Olsdatter on February 15, 1834 in Tromso, Troms, Norway.  They were the parents of seven children:

1. Christiana Christopherson (1835-1889)
2. Ole Anthon Christopherson (1837-1914) - My 2nd great-grandfather
3. Peter Christopherson (1840-1930)
4. Serianne Michelia Christopherson (1843-1928)
5. Julia Maria Christopherson (1845-1874)
6. Anne Johanna Elizabeth Christopherson (1848-1935)
7. Henning Abraham Christopherson (1857-1937)

Michael and his family immigrated to the United States sometime between 1867 and 1875.  Michael died on September 24, 1882 in Harrisonville, Weber, Utah.

More on this family in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012