Using original photos and letters from my Dutch and Norwegian ancestors in addition to my many years of research, these posts tell the stories of their immigration and life in Humboldt County, California.
This newspaper clipping is one of the treasures from Gustav’s box of Norwegian/Swedish photos. The man is Gustav Severin’s first cousin, son of the elder Ole Olsen, and in 1933 he was celebrating his 80th birthday. It establishes the fact that their grandfather, Ole Pederson, was indeed a land owner. Following is a summary: 80 […]
Why would Gustav and Johanna leave Norway? Family Group: Ole Pederson and Svanov Olsdatter There were a number of compelling reasons that were non-negotiable for Gustav Olsen: paucity of land, religious freedom, diminished social status, and relatives that sent favorable news from America. These reasons are worth exploring because they really drove the direction of […]
I have many photos of my ancestors. This is one of my favorites. I love the composition; the young women are balanced by the ranch wagon and the mountains hold them in place. The large axe held by Anita makes a bold statement?. The jumble of legs and knees pulls my eye to their snagged […]
Annette Andreason, the sister of my great-grandmother Johanna Louise, and Ole Solberg arrived on American soil in 1867. Johanna and Gustav, along with their daughter Carrie Olsen Sands corresponded with many of her cousins and I have photos of almost everyone and their extended families.
In 1867 my first ancestor left Norway for America. Annette (Andreasdatter) Solberg was the older sister of my great grandmother, Johanna (Andreasdatter) Olsen. Annette was the catalyst for additional emigration of family members in the fifteen years to follow. Annette was born in the Knile Sogn (parish), Bohuslän, Sweden, on December 11, 1840. She was […]
Andreas and Johanna are my Swedish great-great grandparents and parent of my great-grandmother Johanna Olsen. They moved from Sweden (very near the Norwegian border) to Telemark, Norway in the mid-1800’s. . As with the Olsen family, some of their children stayed in Norway and some left for America and ended up in Minnesota and […]
This photo came from my collection of family photos taken in Norway. Someone had written “Ole Olsen Bratteså ??” on the back. When I traveled to Norway to meet my cousins for the first time I carried this photo in the hopes that it could be identified. When I walked into cousin Elsie’s home this […]
This is a box of memorabilia from Norway that belonged to my great-grandfather, Gustav Olsen. It contains photos, newspaper clippings, and letters all written in Swedish or Norwegian. I had all of it translated and did some detective work regarding family groups. It was this material that prompted me to find my ancestors in Norway. […]
In 1890 my Norwegian great-grandfather and Swedish great-grandmother moved to Humboldt County, California. They traveled to their homestead in Showers Pass with seven of their children and Johanna gave birth to her tenth child upon arrival. Two children were lost to malaria in Texas around 1886. The following family tree should help you place them […]