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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
 Posted - 02/08/2004 : 23:29:28
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Greetings,
I am trying to trace Norweigian ancesters and was wondering if anyone can help.
I have very limited information based on a marriage certificate.
There is a certain Elaine Maghreta Anderson (apparantly born in Japan c.1892) and whose father is a Kristen Anderson and was noted in his profession to be a Master Mariner.
I have contacted the Norweigian embassy in Tokyo but the embassy holds no archive records since Norway has had diplomatic relations with Japan from only 1905 onwards.
Does anyone have any further information or suggestions on how to research this further? |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 07:55:35
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In the 1900 cencus there are only one person listed as born in Japan - unfortunately it's a boy.
In the same cencus there are absolutely none born 1892+/- 2 years named anything like Elaine/Ellen/Elin/etc Ma(r)gret(h)e living in Norway.
The father's name are much too common to be able to find in any cencus.
But if you really want help - why keep back information? You must know more than you say - at least who married whom, when and where? |
askeroi |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 11:13:39
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Thanks very much for your help askeroi.
The information I have is from family talk and a copy of the marriage certificate of my grandfather with Elaine Anderson.
The marriage certificate has the following details:
It was a mrriage solemnised on 6th April 1915 at the H.B.M. Consulate General in Yokohama
Darell Drake was 24 years old, a bachelor and a teacher living in Tokio. His father was a Samuel August Drake (merchant). Darell Drake was English.
Elaine Maghreta Anderson was 23 years old, a spinster and no profession listed and living in Tokio. Her father was a Kristen Anderson (Master Mariner).
Ealine was apparantly a proficient painist and performed at concert level (I have heard the name of Enrico Caruso, the famous Italian tenor) and have apparntly made a number of recordings. I was told she was apparantly born in Japan (I do not know if this was true). Not sure about the mother but I have heard she may have been Sweedish. Apparantly Kristen died sometime in Elaine's childhood and her mother re-married a German teaching (German?) in Japan. I also heard Elaine may have graduated from Berlin at some time. Darell and Elaine later lived in Shanghai.
In theory, Kristen Anderson, being a Master Mariner......there should be records......but unfortunately, his name is so incerdibly common I don't know how to pursue this. I have only his daughters name and possible links with Japan (Tokyo? Yokohama?) in the late 19th century. |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 03/08/2004 : 23:04:06
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It seems like she was born AND raised in Japan. It won't be much to fetch in norwegian genealogical sources I'm afraid.
Have you tried good music encyclopedias? Do you know the record company (they may have info).
I did have some searches on the internet for "Elaine Anderson/Andersen" +Caruso and/or +piano without much luck, but...
On the other hand there was one Kristen Andersen in the 1900-census not present at his home as he was at sea (abroad), but this is a very very long shot as no daughter Elaine (and if she was in Japan her parents probably also was...):
http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f00723.wc2&variabel=0&postnr=1104&fulle=true&spraak=n
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askeroi |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 00:36:02
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Hey, thanks very much for your attempt to help anyway askeroi.
What is Good Music Encyclopedias? Is there a website?......(I'll see if I can find it myself)
I can't read Norweigan at the moment but i can probably guess at what the words mean....first column is the household, then Forename, then surname, Kjonn = gender? (I assume m = male and k = female); what is Bosat?, Midlertidig bosted?, then I assume Familiestilling = relationship in household? (S= Son; D= Daughter) or is that the Yrke column? I assume Sivilstand = marital status; then you have the year of birth and the remaining three columns I am not sure.
Sorry to trouble you......at least I might learn some Norweigian while I am at it!
Hmmmm.......maybe someone here might have an index of names of ships with names of sea captains (of Norweigian nationality) in the 19th century? I don't know.....just thinking out loud....
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2004 : 06:34:59
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Some encyclopedias are good (include a lot of info) - I'm speaking in general. Try the local library. (Internet has it's advantiges, but it's not "complete"). Or maybe the guy in the biggest local (classical music) record shop can help you.
NB She's not listed (neither as Anderson/Andersen nor Drake)in "Musikkens verden" (The world of music) encyclopedia which I have at home - and that's a mastadont at more then 2200 pages...
The following are not good (formal correct) translations, but it will tell you what it's all about (hopefuly):
Bosatt = where living
Midlertidig bosted = living at the moment (not permanently)
Fødested = place of birth ( t = tellingsstedet i e place counted in the cencus)
Statsborgerskap = nationality (N = Norwegian)
Trossamfunn = religion (S= statskirken i e the national church)
BUT I HAVE STRONG DOUBTS about this listing.
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askeroi |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2004 : 21:42:34
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Thanks for trying to help askeroi....I agree, I doubt this listing is the correct one.
I will somehow find out one dayyyyyyyy........acdfrhyuiutliujyvgtfr *bangs head on keyboard* |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2004 : 23:45:37
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The child was probably baptised - in Japan. I think norwegian missionaires have been in Japan for a very long time - and that would be a 'natural' place to baptice the kid, don't you think?
I found the internet site for the 'united' missionairies (something like that). It's in Norwegian, but it contains a link to an e-mail adress where you can contact them:
http://www.misjonsforbundet.no/sider/artikler.asp?type=Nyhet&tittel=Nyheter%20fra%20Misjonsforbundet
Try to click 'kontakt oss' (=contact us) and ask if they have baptism records from Japan ca 1892.
At least that's a suggestion... |
askeroi |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 08:01:34
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Excellent suggestion and brilliant lateral thinking!
It's worth a try and I have fired off an e-mail to them. I am prepared to explore every reasonable avenue. |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 10:45:56
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I got a pretty quick reply from them:
"Thank you for your e-mail. I'm sorry to tell you that our mission never has had mission work in Japan. Because of that it is impossible for us to help you. Hope you can find other missions that can help you with inromation. If you look at the web-page http://www.bistandnemnda.no (don't contact them, they don't know anything about this), you'll find a coonection "medlemsorganisasjoner" (member organisations). There you'll find e-mail addresses for more Norwegian Mission organisations.. I would have tried "Det Norske Misjonsselskap" and "Norsk Luthersk Misjonssamband" if I were you"
Anyway, I will try the others and see what surfaces.
Cheers |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 11:29:12
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hey askeroi (just to update you),
Yes I tried your link....I recieved two replies this morning....but basically, they said they have not got anything on their files since they started missionary work in Japan from 1951. They have searched in 'other books' but have turned up nothing. They said the first Norwegians to work in China started out for the China Inland Mission. They also said Anderson is a Swedish name. I will contact the Swedish Embassy in Japan and see if they have anything too. |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 23:07:07
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Pity it didn't work - it seemed like a good idea. And it's strange that no-one "cared about Japanese souls" until 1951. But if everybody sais so...
Yes Anderson (or Andersson) IS a swedish name. But it's also a norwegian name, only Andersen is more common. The reason why I didn't state this is that plenty norwegian -sens became -sons in english speaking countries.
Let's hope you have more luck with the Swedes. You could try to post a question on a swedish debate forum here:
http://genealogi.aland.net/discus/
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askeroi |
Edited by - askeroi on 11/08/2004 06:07:35 |
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eurasiandavid
Starting member
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2004 : 14:21:08
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Just heard from the Swedish Embassy:
Thank you for your e-mail requesting information about a Swedish ancestor of yours.
Unfortunately I have to inform you that the Embassy does not keep any records
dating back so long, at least to the middle of the former century. As her name was
Andersson I believe she must have been of Swedish descent, but in order to find
records on the family I suppose you need more information in order to trace them.
With the very best regards,
Ingegerd Adlercreutz
First Secretary
Embassy of Sweden
Tokyo
The only other 'new' information from interrogating my family was that Elaine was very fond of Japan and grew up or spent much time with a Samurai family in her childhood. My grandfather met Elaine in Nagoya, so that would be between 1913 (he left England for Japan via Siberia) and 1915 (6th April 1915 marriage date). They were both living in Tokyo at the time (from marraige certificate as stated before). |
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Andersons in 18th century Japan
