Johan Aron Andreasen & Karen Marie Olsdatter

Johan Aron Andreasen & Karen Marie Olsdatter

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 Wisconsin. I will write more later. Tracing these families can be a challenge because of the patronymic naming of children, changes in spelling (Olsen/Olson) and a Swedish/Norwegian border that was always moving.

Andreas Family Group

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 photo was hanging on her wall. Ole was indeed our common ancestor.

Ole Olsen, Brattesta

OLE OLSEN, BRATTESTÅ

Ole Olsen Family

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 as I tell their stories.

Gustav and Johanna OlsenOLSEN family treeOLSEN family tree