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 the oldest of six children. Her long life was one of resilience and determination. I find her story to be fascinating. A 1979 excerpt from a letter written by her grandson, Ernie Solberg, tells us something about his grandmother and grandfather, Ole Solberg:
“Grandpa Ole Solberg was born near Oslo, Norway, in 1821 and was 19 years older than Grandma who was born in 1840; He was sort of an adventuresome fellow who even went over to Stockholm, Sweden in 1858, having heard that Russia was paying high salaries to mercenaries in the Crimean War against Turkey. But he learned that the war had been over for a long time so he was stuck in Stockholm almost broke and had to go to work. That is when he met Grandma.
Annette Olsdatter (sic) was a French Swede, whose grandfather was one of the 10,000 French soldiers Napoleon left behind to support the monarchy he set up to rule Sweden in 1810, Field Marshall Prince Jean Bernadotte as King Charles XIV. Incidentally, the present royal family of Sweden is descended from that same dynasty. Grandma jokingly told me the Swedish women absorbed those 10,000 French soldiers in just two generations.”
It appears that Ernie’s grandma also had a great sense of humor.
Ole Solberg and Annette (Andreasdatter) Solberg
After their marriage in Stockholm, May 1, 1861, they moved to a tenant farm near Oslo. Her parents and five siblings would soon follow and settle in the Telemark area south of Oslo. Tenant farming meant long hours and a hard life with little hope of owning the land or prospering – especially in the hard economic times of the 1860’s. After the birth of two children the appeal of starting a new life in the United States must have been irresistible.
Newpaper Ad for the Caroline
Courtesy norwayheritage.com
On May 1, 1867, Ole and Annette boarded the sailing ship Caroline for Quebec, Canada. Annette was pregnant with her third child and had 5 year old Charles and 1 year old Henry in tow on a crowded ship at sea for almost two months. The ship carried about 85 people and passage would take 53 days!
They arrived in Quebec on June 22, 1867 and headed south to Glendorado, Minnesota, where they would build a home and have 6 more children. The Olsens in Humboldt County, California, would stay in touch with the Minnesota Solbergs for many years. My Aunt Carrie, niece of Annette, corresponded with several of her first cousins in Minnesota. Annette’s youngest son would homestead in Showers Pass, Humboldt County, alongside his uncle Gustav Olsen and first cousin Oscar Olsen. I visited the original Solberg farm in Minnesota and the Lutheran cemetery where many are buried. I received much of my information from the late Shirley Wadsworth (Minnesota) and late Peggy Solberg (California) who were largely responsible for passing on many photos and stories of the remarkable Solberg family.
Annette would leave her parents and 5 siblings in Norway. Three would follow her in 1881 or 1883 – on steamships which were much quicker and less arduous. The family is pictured below:
- Annette Andreasdatter: was 27 when she left – settled in Minnesota.
- Johanna Louise Andreasdatter Olsen: was 12 when Annette left – later settled in Humboldt County, CA
- Berndt Andreason: was 16 when Annette left – later settled in Wisconsin but returned to Norway later in his life.
- Nels Andreason: was 18 when Annette left – later settled in Wisconsin, then Minnesota.
- I’m not sure who this is. It could be their mother Johanna Greta Olsdatter but these photos may not have been taken at the same time and it is likely Beate in later life.
- Beate Andreasdatter Gunderson: was 16 when Annette left. Stayed in Norway. Beate kept in touch with her aunt and uncle Gustav and Johanna Olsen.
- Johan Aron Andreason: was about 23 when Annette left. Stayed in Norway but some of his children emigrated and settled in the Chicago area.
I have many stories and photos of all the Solberg descendants and may write more in later posts. In 1881 Gustav Olsen and his brothers-in law, Berndt and Nils, traveled to Galveston, Texas. Berndt and Nils would travel to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Gustav would stay and work in Galveston to wait for Johanna and their son Oscar (my grandfather), daughter Marie and Gustav’s two sisters, Hanna and Otilde Marie.
