My greatgrandfather Erik Danielsen was born 15 Nov. 1831 to Daniel Erichsen, Sørgefoss and Marthe Maria Thoresdatter. He married Christi Torstensdatter. They emigrated to America 2 May 1861 with their three children, Martin born 1853, Thorvald born 1856 and Anne Dorthea born 1859. I have not been able to find out where they sailed from, what ship they sailed on and what their arrival point was. Any help would be appreciated. Erik was baptized at Norderhov Church. DonD (ddlcdan@aol.com)
1861 was before they really started keeping consistent records of emigrants leaving the country. Some departure ports have some ' sketchy' records surviving that early (for example the passport applications from Bergen 1842-1860 are better than nothing - but not much - I can find one person out of 7 KNOWN to have sailed on the same ship from Bergen in 1859). If your ancestors landed at any of the US ports (New York, Baltimore, Galveston, Boston, Philadelphia, etc.) you have a good chance that the passenger list will be in the US National Archives collection - BUT you have to determine which port yourself and start searching. If they arrived through Quebec - then you've got trouble again because Canada didn't keep the records that early for the long-term archives.
You indicate that they came from Norderhov in Buskerud Norway - you've studied the Norway maps to try and figure out which would be the most likely port of departure for a trip to 'Nord-Amerika'? Checked the archives and repositories to find out what the earliest year is for the emigration records? You know where they lived after emigrating? You've considered which ports of arrival might have been most likely and checked what years records for those ports are surviving?
I keep hoping for an announcement that the emigrant registers for the port of Stavanger and destroyed in a fire many years ago - are suddenly completely resurrected - a previously unknown copy of those records is found safe and sound in another location! Well - I can hope and dream.... no matter how unlikely.... as long as I'm dreaming - can I also hope to hear that the handwritten records are the BEST handwriting examples ever discovered in old records?
Erik Danielsen Røsbyeiet - Emigration
Posted - 14/01/2005 : 01:35:45
