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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
 Posted - 12/12/2006 : 07:45:04
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| Looking to find living descendents and also ancestors for my Great Grandmother Tena. Her obit says she has one sister Martha Fixen from Odeboldt Iowa, brothers - Reverend T. J. Oppedahl from Sacred Heart, Minn., and Knute Jorgenson from Kenosha, Wisc. Tena came to the US when she was 10 years old. She was born in 1855 in Hardanger Norway. Funeral Home book lists her parents as George Oppedahl and mother Sarah Tolofson both born in Norway. Tena lived in Iowa. Thanks for any help!! KIm |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 15:28:49
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This woman would be the wife of Peter Sexe, right? Sexe/Sekse/Seksæ farm(s) are located in Ullensvang, Hordaland, Norway and in that same area is a farm called Opedal - probably a logical first place to check for the origin of her family.
George and Sarah are not Norwegian names so expect those names to have been adapted from Norwegian names. George would probably have been Jørgen and Sarah some name probably starting with S but difficult for Americans to say properly. 1900 US census lists Norway born George and 'Sonva'? Oppedahl living in Callendar, Roland township, Webster Co., Iowa. George is listed as born 1827 in Norway and his wife as born 1820 - both immigrating in 1865. (On the same page is a Knut Jorgenson family - young enough to be one of their sons)
"Odda, Ullensvang og Kinsarvik i gamal og ny tid - Bygdesoga - IV/2" page 148 will probably give you a start for tracing the ancestry of the parents -
Jørgen Torsteinsen of Opedal farm in Ullensvang (b.1827) married Synneva Tollevsdtr of Skåltveit farm (b.1820). They left the Ullensvang area for more northern Norway about 1853 and are noted as having left the the USA about 1866 with at least three children.
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 17:52:35
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| thanks again hopkins.. you are so knowledgeable on all this...I have found a little on T.J. in Sacred Heart and little on Martha Fixen..not much though.. I had also found out about the one in Callendar just last night.. contact person listed on that site I can't get a hold of.. not reachable anymore..so dead end there...I do have a bygdabok here of my Dad's I will look as you suggested in this area around Hordaland..since you have steered me in that direction..didn't know Opedal was around the same area as Hordaland. Where would a person get a map that shows these areas from years gone by? Thanks for the tip on George maybe being Jorgen.. and Sarah something else..that is also useful. THANKS!!!!!!! |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 19:06:40
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"Opedal" named farms are not unique to the Hardanger area of Norway - there are/were a number of them (with of course a long history of spelling variations). I only thought that one might be logical to check first because of it's proximity to Sexe. Just lucked out...
If you don't have the correct volume of that bygdebøker set - you can use it on LDS microfilm #1124552. A second set of earlier books about that area is also available on LDS microfilms #1259725 and #1259728 - the Ættar-boks by A.K. Bu - where the spelling is far more 'colorful' (supposedly in the local style) and the information presented in a very tabular style with very little narrative.
Old Norwegian maps? I don't know, but you can purchase excellent modern close-up maps of Norway from TravelGenie in Ames, Iowa.
http://showcase.netins.net/web/travelgenie/
You might like to start with the Cappelens (Intermediate Series) Maps - either section 1 or 2 will include the Sørfjorden area of Hordaland. I just checked and the 'closer' maps put Sekse farm right on the edge of the grid section named 'Ullensvang' (map grid 1315 I) - you might like that one later.
If you happen upon a good source for old Norwegian maps - let me know.
Are you still in Iowa? |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 19:24:22
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| yes in iowa. close to Jewell actually not far about 40 miles or so..where Peter and Tena lived and their family. Also only about 12 miles from Callendar area for Tena's sibling...never knew all this stuff... Also Henry and Carrie (I found recently)(siblings of Peter O. Sexe). I haven't got to LDS center..time problem..but will soon I hope. Found another descendent of Hans - hoping to correspond. I have Bydeboker IV -I and II for Odda/Ull/Kins. Thanks again!!! KIM |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 22:14:16
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Good for you!! See if you can find cemetery records where they might be buried in or near Callendar/Roland township. Then see if the older church records are still available ... first check for the old Norwegian-Lutheran congregations.
I'm still thinking that Knut Jorgenson on the same 1900 census page is likely to be George's son (which means the poster you saw on Genealogy.com might be tracking the wrong man for herself). Another document which would tell you the parents of that Knut Jorgenson would be the 1925 Iowa state census. Names of parents, including mother's maiden name, are recorded on that census.
Also, if the families have burial plots close to each other that also makes it more likely that they are related.
My families settled in tiny Thor (Humboldt Co.) and also near early Norwegian settlements in Story Co and central Iowa. I left the state many years ago so I envy your closeness to those actual areas. That bygdebok said that a brother of George/Jørgen settled in Thor - but I can't find him in any records I have researched - I'm still searching for my old list of people in the cemeteries near Thor.
Where did Tina first use the surname Thompson?? |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2006 : 01:41:26
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| We don't know when Tina/Tena used the surname Thompson...found in family Bible and other things I am finding. I just got her obit a short time ago.. surprised by both her brothers having different last names too.. Sort of throws us...yes nice to be close to the place I am hunting for information in.. Your roots:Humboldt Co. not far at all from here. I feel for you being so far away for family searches. I can do a lot of my searching free or for small fee. The only problem is.. I am so new to this though that I probably pass by important bits of information -when not thinking right..so I comb through things once, twice and then again...over time. thanks again for the tips..they are all once again useful. KIM |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2006 : 03:06:48
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In your area of Iowa you might have encountered people with the name Chelsvig and/or Chelsvik - their original patronymic name in Norway was Johnson or Jonsen (a few cousins from that same farm excepted). Jon Jonsen lived on a Norwegian farm called Kjellesvik (not from the Ullensvang area). His various grown sons and daughters emigrated to Iowa and almost all used different surnamesand NONE of them struggled with the KJ... spelling for more than a few years.. some of them were Johnsons forevermore. That family splintered into more names and any other I've encountered.
Don't let the adoption of different American surnames discourage you - it happened quite often.
By the way, if you pass any Chelsvig graves while you explore in your area (and you probably will) - give them a very respectful nod for me... |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2006 : 14:15:07
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| Interesting...kind of like a huge puzzle putting all these little pieces together. I will certainly respectfully nod at any Chelsvig graves. thanks once more.. |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 18:04:12
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| Hopkins -- I am hoping you can once again help me.. when looking at page 148 (which you helped me find).. I have been trying to figure out what it says for Torstein (1797 -1866) something about drukna.. drowning?? can you help me? Many of the words are difficult to figure out .. Thanks.. KIM |
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Hopkins
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3351 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 20:10:53
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I'm the LAST person who should try to help with translations. Sorry.
I think it is referring you to something written in the Ættar-boks - someone resided on the farm Brattespe farm in old days, somebody drowned and something in the church books....
I just can't do it. |
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jwiborg
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
4961 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 21:08:07
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Yes, drukna means that there's been a drowning fatality.
If you could post the complete sentence, it would be easier to say whether it was Torstein or any other family member who drowned...
Jan Peter |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 22:57:06
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Torstein Nilsson Sandvin O. br. 7 (1797 - 1866) festa plasset 18/11 1824. Men dei budde på sine gamle dagar på sine gamle dager pa Brattespe, I *ættarbok for Ullensvang* står det at han drukna seg, men i kyrkjeboka : slog sig ihjel
Thank you both for your help... |
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jwiborg
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
4961 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 23:13:48
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Torstein Nilsson Sandvin (1797 - 1866) rented the place on 18-nov-1824.
But they lived their old days on Brattespe.
In "Ættarbok for Ullensvang" (family farm history from Ullensvang), it is written that he drowned, but the churchbook says "killed himself to death".
Meaning: Not in terms of suicide, but most likely by a big fall to the ground, and then hit his head with a stone or something.
Jan Peter |
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kmn24
Starting member
20 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 23:27:58
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| thank you Jan.. I could not figure it out...you are so kind to help me... sad ending for Torstein... |
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jan iversen
New on board
Norway
4 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2015 : 23:26:30
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Hello
I know that this topic is very old, but I try anyway.
I am descendant of Jørgen Torsteison brother. Mikal Torsteinsen.
He lived in Sørreisa, Troms, Norway and have a lot of descendants here in Norway.
I have some information about Jørgen and his ancestors.
I am very interested in finding Jørgen and Torstein Family and descedants in the US.
Jan Iversen
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Tena M. Christina Thompson Sexe (Oppedahl)
