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 General genealogy
 Ole Erickson (Urness) born 1897 WW1 veteran and?
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  20:10:47  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Listers,

I have for many many years been struggling with the destiny of this young man from the Urness farm in Hafslo:

Ole Erikson, born in Hafslo May 13, 1897, son of «husmann» Erik Hansson Urness (1846-1911) and Margretha Tollefsdotter (Olson) Legreid (1864-1960), emigrated in 1914 to Louisburg, Lac qui parle Co., MN (where his brother John Erickson lived at the time), but in 1917 he joined the Armed Forces!

The US Veterans Administration Master Index shows:

Name: Ole C Erickson
Record Type: Military Service
Birth Date: 16 May 1897
Military Date: 4 Aug 1919
Military Place: Leavenworth, Kansas

Here he shows up as Ole C. Erickson in the 1920 census as a Army laborer at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO - «married»: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4313213-01118?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Nzx25129&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=58107055

Then there are TWO applications for social security, and by then he had «changed» his birthplace to Louisburg, MN:

Name: Ole Erickson
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 16 May 1897
Birth Place: Louisburg, Minnesota
Father: John Erickson
Mother: Margaret Olson
SSN: 567050722 (issued California)
Notes: Jun 1937: Name listed as OLE ERICKSON

Name: Ole C Erickson
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 5 May 1897
Birth Place: Louisburg, Minnesota
Father: Hans Erickson
Mother: Margret T Olsen
SSN: 542122719 (issued Oregon)
Notes: Dec 1938: Name listed as OLE C ERICKSON

At the time of WW2 draft he had an address in Seattle, WA and an employer in San Francisco, CA: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44045_04_00009-04414?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=7e74a656e6ce41d9c2a2add73bef5a1b&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Nzx25123&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.268608753.1621079734.1618435785-390650824.1612707015&pId=36899453

The last time his family in Norway ever heard from or about him, was at the time he joined the army in 1917, and they have always been wondering what happened to him! They even had the Salvation Army search for him!

Many people would be very happy to learn what became of Ole Erickson, and I thank you all very much in advance for any suggestions!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane

AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
9301 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  20:35:54  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
This might be him as a seaman in 1937?

Ole C Erickson
in the New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
Name: Ole C Erickson
Arrival Date: 30 Jul 1931
Birth Date: abt 1897
Age: 34
Ethnicity/ Nationality: American
Port of Departure: San Nicholas, Aruba
Port of Arrival: New York, New York, USA
Ship Name: Gulfwax

Ship Crew

Probably the same guy on two other ships.

Levithan 1927

Departure 1940 San Francisco

Edited by - AntonH on 17/04/2021 20:54:06
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
9301 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  21:04:10  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I noticed he was a "wiper" on the Levithan in 1927. A wiper on board a ship is represented by a union such as Pacific Coast Marine Firemen,

https://www.nytimes.com/1963/06/28/archives/union-is-warned-on-job-rejection-marine-firemen-are-told-turndowns.html

He was a member of the Marine Firemans Union on his WWII Draft Card. Here is a link to their main site. They have headquarters in San Francisco and a branch in Seatte.

https://mfoww.org/directory


Edited by - AntonH on 17/04/2021 21:12:02
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  21:26:39  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Anton and other Listers!

This is just fantastic! It was today that I discovered his WW2 draft, and I just googled that Marine Fireman's Union. Now I understand I haven't been able to locate Ole in any census records after 1920. He must have joined the fire wiper crew some time in the 1920's and travelled around on various ships?

And on this list from 1927 it even gives his home place as Louisberg, MN: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYT715_4056-0131?treeid=&personid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Nzx25140&_phstart=successSource&pId=2000306676

Maybe the Marine Foreman's Union have records on Ole?

Now that we now what happened to him I remain with two great questions:

** Was he indeed married as thee 1920 census says? Info on wife and possible children?

** What became of Ole after 1942? Date and place of his death?

Thanks again for wonderful assistance in this matter!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane

Edited by - loyane on 22/04/2021 12:54:27
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
9301 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  21:32:16  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
It certainly would have been easy for him to have been missed in the 1940 Census. The ship manifest for the President Garfield says it arrived in New York on August from San Francisco and is leaving New York to return to San Francisco through the Panama Canal on August 25.

I suspect that he did not spend much time on land that year.
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
9301 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  22:38:14  Show Profile  Reply with Quote

Ole Erickson
in the Washington, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1965Name: Ole Erickson
Gender: Male
Nationality: Scandinavian
Arrival Age: 33
Birth Date: 1897
Departure Place: Vancouver, British Columbia
Arrival Date: Aug 1930
Arrival Place: Port Angeles, Washington
Ship Name: Admiral Nulton
Line Number: 21
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
9301 Posts

Posted - 17/04/2021 :  22:42:56  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Alvie in 1946. Lists San Francisco as "where engaged to work". Also lists himself as Nor. also still an oiler
Ole Erickson
in the New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
Name: Ole Erickson
Arrival Date: 7 May 1946
Birth Date: abt 1898
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: nor
Port of Departure: Cherbourg,France
Port of Arrival: New York, New York, USA
Ship Name: Mills Victory

Mils Victory

Edited by - AntonH on 17/04/2021 22:45:00
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 18/04/2021 :  00:37:07  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Anton and other Listers!

Thank you so very much for the latest discoveries of Ole Erickson.

Thus we know he was still alive in 1946! In the meantime I sent off an e-mail to the Marine Firemen’s Union in San Francisco, CA, hoping they may still have some old membership lists? At least we may hope...

Thanks again for your great assistance in this matter!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane

Edited by - loyane on 22/04/2021 12:53:01
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
7790 Posts

Posted - 19/04/2021 :  20:54:15  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Do you know about Ole's brother John? Perhaps Ole is mentioned in an obituary???
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 19/04/2021 :  21:24:58  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Jackie!

Thank you very much for your latest message!

Checking with John and his family was one of my first options when I first started looking for Ole, but John's only daughter Esther, who died in 2013, had absolutely no idea what had become of uncle Ole, so I woudn't expect John's obituary to be of any help! John Erickson died in Orlando, FL Sep. 21, 1985.

Thanks again for your great efforts in this matter!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
7790 Posts

Posted - 19/04/2021 :  23:47:41  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
John Erickson, 90, 117 21st Terrace S.E., Largo, died Saturday. Born in Norway, he moved to Largo from Flint, Mich., in 1970. He was a retired carpenter and a member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Survivors: wife, Elizabeth; daughter, Esther Erving, Orlando; three grandchildren. Moss-Feaster Guardian Funeral Home, Largo.

Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) - Monday, September 23, 1985

Ole not mentioned one way or the other.

The funeral home might have more info and they appear to be still operational.

https://www.mossfeaster.com/about-us/
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 22/04/2021 :  00:33:31  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Jackie and other Listers!

Thank you very much for your latest suggestions! However, I decided to wait, and here is what I have today received from the Marine Firemen's Union:

~~~~~~~~~~

Mr. Oyane:

We possess minimal records on members of the Union, especially dating back to the 1930s and earlier.

However, the records we do have indicate the following:

Name: Ole C. Erickson
Union Book Number: 1026
Height: 5 feet 7 inches
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Date of Birth: May 16, 1897
Place of Birth: Minnesota
Date Initiated in Union: March 1, 1934 in San Francisco
(He had service in the Union prior to this date - the union was reorganized in 1934)

Also, our records state that he was killed in New York City in October 1946.

There is no explanation of how he was killed or by whom.

He was buried in New York on October 16, 1946.

That is all we have.

Anthony Poplawski
President/Secretary-Treasurer
Marine Firemen's Union

~~~~~~~~~~

So now we know what happened to Ole! How about an exact date of his death or even a newspaper write-up about this event?

Thanks again for your great assistance in this matter!

Lars E. Oyane
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
7790 Posts

Posted - 22/04/2021 :  02:42:27  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Here is the death record transcribed:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W55-HCC

Birthyear given as 1891, we wouldn't have looked for him with that date.

Search for newspaper story of Ole's demise or an obituary from 1946 in Genealogybank, Old Fulton History, Brooklyn Newstand and the New York Times archives finds none.

It puzzles me a bit that Ole doesn't appear to be in the 1930 Merchant seaman's census....

This is from the Rosehills cemetery website https://rosedale-rosehill.com/about-us/:
OLE ERICKSON 66-1745 /SD
Rosehill 55 10/16/1946

Edited by - jkmarler on 22/04/2021 06:02:23
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 22/04/2021 :  09:52:41  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Jackie and other Listers!

Here is a death notice for Ole Erickson in Nordisk Tidende from Oct. 17, 1946: https://www.nb.no/items/da53667e4150b478ee91c5c22d4a4eb8?page=13&searchText=%22ole%20erickson%22

This confirms his identity.

The only remaining question now concerns whether he was ever married, like the 1920 census suggests...?

Thanks again for your wonderful assistance with this family!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran

USA
7790 Posts

Posted - 22/04/2021 :  12:40:11  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Murdered! What was he doing in Harlem? It would be interesting to know how the deed was done. Does his SSN match either of the two applications?
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loyane
Junior member

Germany
73 Posts

Posted - 22/04/2021 :  12:52:17  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Dear Jackie and other Listers!

Thank you very much for yor latest message!

It doesn't really say he was murdered, does it? But one woild expect there to be write-upsabut the event in New York, unless killings were alreadu]y so common back then, it wasn't noticed...?

And yes, the social security number does «match» the first one from 1937!

Thanks again for your great assstance!

Very sincerely yours,

Lars E. Oyane
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