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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
 Posted - 23/08/2004 : 04:16:23
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MY grandfather is said to have been born in Tromso (or at sea under an American flag) ,to have served to the trade of tinsmith in Tromso for 4 years and then to have been at sea for 14 years. All I know for sure is that he was in Southern Mississippi USA by 1905, working for the railroad. I have been told he had two beautiful sisters who lived in the Chicago, Ill. USA area in the early 1900's. He lists his birthday as July 4, 1873 on his railroad retirement papers and he died in 1944 in Mississippi. His railroad retirement papers lists his father as John and his mother as Mary. He gives his fathers birthplace as Norway and his Mothers birthplace as Ireland. His 3 known children's names were:
Harald Sigard Johnson
Olaf Marinus Johnson, Jr.
Cecile Johnson
That's all I know, would appreciate any help.
Thanks!
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
Posted - 23/08/2004 : 19:16:38
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Thanks so much,
Have printed these out and now have to try and translate. I am VERY new to Norway searching and very grateful to be here.
According to the 1920 Us Census OM Johnson immigrated to the US in 1897, it also says his Mother was from Ireland and her language was english. His Railroad retirement papers (completed by him) say he was born at sea under the American Flag. The 1930 US census says he was born in New York. He himself said ,in a Newspsper article written about him ,that he was born In Tromso Norway.
Thank you for your interest. |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 23/08/2004 : 23:01:56
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That's OK - the confusion doesn't stop there. In the 1910 US census he lists that he was born at sea and his father was from Ireland, mother from Norway....
Was he a member of the Lutheran church? |
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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
Posted - 24/08/2004 : 01:52:45
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| Will call my only cousin and see if she knows about his religion, she is older than me and knew him. The wife, my grandmother was Southern Baptist. Her father was a Baptist minister.. I did notice the confusion about which of his parents was Irish. I'm guessing it is just an error by the census taker,the 1930 US census says, he was born in New York, his father born in Norway, and his Mother born in N. Ireland. I KNOW for a fact he was indeed born! |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 24/08/2004 : 02:30:24
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Well, there's another entry in the 1875 census for Tromsø that I'd like to point out to you.
http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f71902&variabel=0&postnr=4772&fulle=true&spraak=n
I saw it much earlier but the reference to the family as being Baptist made me hesitate. The father has Johan as part of his given name (often changed to John), the mother has Marie as her first given name. The son is born about 1874/1875 and has the right given names. The son is not listed with the typical patronymic in this census but he could also have used a variation on Johanson or Johnson as a name. I don't know what the father's occupation, Bødkersvend, means. |
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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
Posted - 24/08/2004 : 05:40:47
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| As I had feared my Cousin didn't know about our grandfather's religion. She didn't remember if he went to church or not. He was an old man in her memories and she did remember he had nice hair and that he liked to sing. She said he had a heavy accent. |
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askeroi
Senior member
Norway
299 Posts |
Posted - 24/08/2004 : 07:23:37
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A bødker/bødtker/bøkker is a cooper, barrel maker, and a svend in this connection is a learner - he hasn't become a master yet, he hasn't passed his examen.
But this doesn't seem to be the right family to me - both surname and age is wrong. And though the age info often isn't too exact, the listed one is newborn - in his first year - while the one we're looking for is in his third - and I can't see anybody mistaking that, especially as the couple has another child born the actual year 1873...
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askeroi |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 24/08/2004 : 16:59:23
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Gigi - If he was born at sea - we couldn't know exactly when, where (and IF) they had the child baptised. But if he lived his early years in Tromsø and IF he was a member of the Lutheran church then - you have a chance that he went through confirmation in his teenage years. Consider going through the microfilms of the Tromsø church records and looking for his confirmation record. That record often recorded more details about his baptism and parents.
Check the with LDS library catalog to find what Tromsø, Troms parish records they have available on microfilm. |
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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
Posted - 30/08/2004 : 04:39:46
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Still trying to make sense of the info I've been given (Thank You)
I have found 2 Possible Olaf Johnsons. At the Ellis Island site
They are about the right ages and could fit the info I have.
# 1--April 24, 1904--Olaf Johnson aged 34 M M carpenter
Liverpool, point of departure, says he is an American Citizen! and Scand. came on the ship Majestic
Place of Residence Christianstand arrived in Brooklyn NY
#2--Feb 4, 1904--Olaf Johnson S Ethnicity USA Place of
residence Hehengborg
Ship name Oceanic departure place Liverpool |
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GIGI
Starting member
7 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 05:02:03
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| I just KNOW that the answers lie in the Digitalarkivet , but I just don't understand how to find them. I have looked at the Seamens Roll's for Tromso, in the right time frame but I don't think that I found him. I really feel like he must have been in Tromso (even if he was born at sea ,under the american flag ,in New York) Maybe his family came to America and then went back to Norway. He told the newspaper that he came from Tromso. I am hoping to go to Mississippi to do some research soon,after this Hurricane Frances gets through with her destruction! I will try looking at old newspapers on Microfilm to see if I can find anymore written about him in 1905. |
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Brining
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
868 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2004 : 06:15:33
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Hi If you haven't already, you should get copies of his marriage and death certificates, obiturary, naturalization papers, or anything that might tell you what his fathers full name was and his mother's maiden name. His father's name in Norway would probably not have been Johnson since they followed the patronymic naming system. Knowing his last name would give you more information to search on.
Good Luck Carla |
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Looking for birthplace of Oluf Marinus Johnson
