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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
 Posted - 16/08/2018 : 17:46:25
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Harriet Mary Helland lived in Copenhagen with parents in 1885. Harriet is the only child born in Hong Kong.
George Johan Helland, listed as father, born in Norway, occupation: Husfader forh.Consul,Telegraf Embedsmand
1885
Interesting that a Carl Vang was lodging
in Copenhagen in 1885,
occupation Skibsbygmester
listed as born 1849 in Aalborg
(where Harriet was in 1880)
1885
A description of the work of George J Hellend in China:
"....George J. Helland, a Norwegian took over as head of the firm and as the Danish consul. Additionally, Helland was also consul for Sweden and Norway. In c.1876, he became the General Agent (China) for Det Store Nordiske Telegraf-Selskab (Great Northern Telegraph Company) of Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in 1869."
http://hongkongsfirst.blogspot.com/2009/09/sutherland-13.html?m=1
Is it certain that the children taken away from China by Carl Vang were his own children? Could it be that taking them to (supposedly) Europe was a task he undertook for another?
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Edited by - JaneC on 16/08/2018 20:54:49 |
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michaelchangwong
Starting member
Australia
10 Posts |
Posted - 21/09/2018 : 10:02:39
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Hi. I have now subscribed to two Danish genealogy websites. After some discussions there, it became apparent that Carl Vang might not be the person who could be our g-g-grandfather. He was, in fact, really a shipbuilder born, raised and worked in Denmark. He was drafted for military service for about 6 months. There were no records of him visiting China, or joined the merchant navy. Carl bought a shipyard in Denmark when he was in his 20s, and died in Denmark at a relative young age of 37. Also, he didn't quite fit the general profile given in the stories and anecdotes by our older relatives in Hong Kong. It might be that the sound-like on 'Carl Vang' came up in just that, stories and anecdotes.
Nevertheless, further research in one of the Danish forums revealed that Harriet Mary Helland, who was identified here in Norway Heritage, was brought back to Denmark with a younger brother in 1871. The topic can be found, here: https://www.slaegtogdata.dk/forum/index.php?topic=140459.0 . Their mother had died in Hong Kong earlier in 1871, so the two young children were brought back to Copenhagen by their father. Their father remarried in Copenhagen in 1872. He was also Consul for Denmark in Hong Kong, AND Consul for The Kingdom of Sweden and Norway in Hong Kong, from 1862 to 1872. He was born in Bergen, Norway in 1830. So, there are many things I like about him, George Johan Helland, that fits our family's stories and anecdotes. He acquired Danish citizenship in 1889, stating that he arrived in Denmark in 1871.
It is fortuitous that Harriet Mary Helland popped up in Norway later in life! If she hadn't, I would think to would be harder to find our ancestors based on stories and anecdotes that got embellished over the age.
I did a search for George Johan Helland on digitalarkivet. I was puzzled when I found no records of him there, or on familysearch.com, relating to his younger years in Norway. That is strange. Can anybody help throw some light on this?
Many thanks. |
Michael |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
Posted - 21/09/2018 : 10:53:44
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Hi, nice to see you again michael.
There certainly could be a connection between George Johan Helland and Carl Wang.
The posted 1885 census lists GJH as born in Bergen 1831.
The following biography was included in the post that was the last in this thread in August.
"George Johann Helland, John Burd and Co.
.... George J. Helland, a Norwegian took over as head of the firm and as the Danish consul. Additionally, Helland was also consul for Sweden and Norway. In c.1876, he became the General Agent (China) for Det Store Nordiske Telegraf-Selskab (Great Northern Telegraph Company) of Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in 1869."
In the family story (two children sailed back to Norway with Carl Wang), is it possible the children could have been someone else's children (e.g., children of George J Helland or someone similar). How certain is the family story that the children were indeed Carl's own biological children.
Searching the database of foreigners who applied for Danish citizenship turned up only one Helland, as follows - born in China in1869, arrived Denmark 1871, applied for citizenship 1889.
Efternavn:. Helland
Fornavn: G.D.
Erhverv: Student
Fødeland: Kina
Fødselsår:. 1869
I DK fra: 1871
Bopæl, lokalitet: København
Amt, region:. København og Frederiksberg
Lov af: 01 03 1889
Tillæg: B
Løbenr: 118
The above is probably George Douglas Helland, who was born in Hong Kong.
1880 Danish census George Douglas Helland
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Edited by - JaneC on 21/09/2018 12:45:20 |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7790 Posts |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
Posted - 21/09/2018 : 12:11:10
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George Johan Helland and Carl Wang could be related, or acquainted, or share a social or professional network in Norway or China - making the Peder Carl Wang found by jkmarler rather appealing.
Birth of a son Andreas Reinhard Wang in 1853 to a Carl Peder Wang, malermester, and Juliane Magrethe Lindrup, baptized at Korskirken in Bergen:
link
A Geni family tree for Amund Helland, son Georg J Helland:
link
A biography of Amund Helland, from Wikipedia
"Amund Helland (17 August 1786 – 20 August 1870) was a Norwegian merchant and leading trader in Bergen, Norway...
"Helland was born in the parish of Bjerkreim in Rogaland, Norway. He was the son of Eivind Helland (1749-1833) and Elen Abeland (1751-1833). He grew up on the Helland farm in the area. In 1804, Hans Nielsen Hauge visited Bjerkreim. Helland was gripped by Hauge's sermons and went with him to Bergen. He became a devote Haugean (haugianere) and worked with Hauge for three year. He next went to sea for several years. In 1813, he returned to Bergen where he became a leading merchant. He developed his own fleet and traded in grain carried in his ships to Trøndelag returning with fish from Northern Norway...
"He was first married to Talette Vig (1786–1820), with whom he had three children. Two years after the first wife's death, he married her younger sister Malene Vig (1790–1859) with whom he had six children. He was the grandfather of geologist, Amund Helland. He lived in Bergen until his death in 1870."
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Edited by - JaneC on 21/09/2018 13:41:18 |
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michaelchangwong
Starting member
Australia
10 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2018 : 11:40:42
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Hi. I am now working on the basis that "Carl Vang" is likely not be the person we are after. There are a bit of uncertainties and conjectures in my Auntie's book. If we somehow will reach a conclusion that GJ Helland is not the ancestor, then I will revisit the possibility of the Peder Carl Vang you have suggested. Thanks for understanding.
I've been trying to find a picture of George Johan Helland through a number of channels, for the purpose of comparing it to ours. No luck so far. I will keep on trying.
Helland was appointed as Consul for Sweden and Norway in Hong Kong (1866-73). I contacted the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, who suggested that I contact the Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet SVAR), who holds their old records. The archives sent me the following from an old book they have:
Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/12j62efxlk03j5q/Almquist.%20G.%20Helland%20konsul%20Hong%20Kong.pdf?dl=0
My Swedish is non-existent. With the help of Google Translator, I could make out that the archives noted Helland emigrated to America around 1850. That would place him at 20 years of age, and might explain why he did not appear in censuses in Norway after 1850. I tried looking for him on the emigrants database on this Norway Heritage website, but he is not there.
I could also make out that in 1856 he was in San Francisco (?) Then he worked for the Danish company John Burd and Company in Hong Kong starting in 1858. What a well-travelled Norwegian, given that it was in the 1850s ! He then remarried in Copenhagen and lived there, went to Shanghai, China, then back to Copenhagen.
Cheers.
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Michael |
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Searching for g-g-grandfather d.o.b. 1820s-1840s
