Kare: I'm pretty sure the 1841 birthdate is wrong, but I have no real proof of that. The date I have is 1847 and 1845 and 1847 both "Fit" better than other years from the records I have found. He was not in Bergen in 1865, he woould have been in the USA sometime between 1859 and 1860 if what I have is correct from the stories passed down. He supposedly was the oldest of 6 children and this is the reason he was sent to sea. Apparently there was a new step mother who came into the picture and they did not get along. Have no proof that his mother died when he was 12 other than the story that was passed down. He was very secretive about anything involving his past in Norway from what I have been told. The story says he changed his last name from "Hanson" to Hansen" when he got to America. there is nothing passed down about him changing his first name. Again, I am out of state for work and have none of my info with me, other than my memory. I know the story by heart from the little I have as I heard it over and over again from my grandmother as I was always fascinated with the story. I'm not sure where the Family Search info came from that has his brithyear as 1841, but I can't disprove that either. I think that seamans records may be the only solution to finding Oliver for sure, but have no idea how to look them up or if they even exist. Thanks for your help, and I really appreciate anything you can find that would help in the search.
Most of the Norwegian seaman's records are not online nor easily accessible. (I have already checked the 9,000 sailor database at sjĝhistorie.no and the only Oliver Hansen there was born in 1901 in Glemminge, Norway. So far the coverage in the database is southern Norway. ) It appears that you have to have some idea where the candidate was from in order to know where to access them.
I'll post the address to the online index to Bergen baptisms covering Oliver's dates and you can have a look yourself. These "old" databases will only be searchable through 30 Dec as the Digitalarkivet is closing them down on 31 Dec 2013--or so they have posted. I'm not familiar enough with the "new" search engine to tell you if the data is findable with it, it may not be.
Oliver Hansen Depart Bergen 1859-60
Posted - 28/12/2013 : 22:53:54
