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WirePlugging
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 06/05/2021 : 16:42:47
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Hello and forgive what may be an ignorant question?
I am an American and I do not have contact with my family so I can't ask them further. My father was only partially present in my childhood.
He always claimed to be Italian to me but he had a very Norwegian surname (Johansen). I started researching family history and was able to trace his side of the family back several generations to find his father had immigrated to the USA from Oslo.
My question is, while I am completely sure that he is/we are Norwegian, he doesn't fit the typical image of a Norwegian person by USA standards. He was a very dark olive skin, with straight black strawlike hair typical more of an Asian person. Myself and my one sibling are both pale but my sister has the same long black hair.
Also, in color photos I found, my father's father (grandfather) is even darker than he is, with the same straight black hair. My great grandfather was also very dark skinned. They all have hooded eyelids.
My father's mother (grandmother) sometimes claimed to be Romani, but she was batty with dementia and I frankly do not entirely trust her. She is long dead besides so I can't ask her further.
Is there an explaination for this? Is it possible they were somehow Italian but living in Norway with Norwegian names, or possible even Romani as my grandma claimed? Is there another ethnic group it could be? |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7848 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2021 : 18:19:09
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Norway was a sailing nation and had ships and sailors everywhere on the globe.
Also there were many Norwegian Christian missionaries.
For example using the main search engine at the digitalarkivet and inputting for a birthplace Kina (Norwegian for China) finds 160 examples. In the 1900 census there at least 4 sailors of Chinese origin on boats in harbors who could jump ship and maybe stay. |
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ToreL
Advanced member
Norway
883 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2021 : 20:07:55
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There has been a Romani ("tatere", "reisende") population in Norway for a long time, and they have been using common Norwegian names like Johansen.
Information about such ethnic affiliation can sometimes be found in historic censuses.
The men in the picture at the bottom left here seem to fit the description of your family members. Their last name was Magnusson. |
Edited by - ToreL on 06/05/2021 20:35:27 |
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WirePlugging
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2021 : 13:21:44
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| The people in those photos do look very much like my family members. I think this is onto something. Thank you both! |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7848 Posts |
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WirePlugging
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2021 : 14:25:56
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| Is there any labeled as such as "Christiansen" or "Anderssen"? Those are the other names in my tree. Thank you for the help! I don't speak Norwegian and have been struggling to find this myself. |
Edited by - WirePlugging on 08/05/2021 14:27:29 |
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ToreL
Advanced member
Norway
883 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2021 : 15:27:36
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quote:
Originally posted by WirePlugging
Is there any labeled as such as "Christiansen" or "Anderssen"?
Christiansen Magnussen |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7848 Posts |
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Venstop
New on board
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 17/05/2021 : 04:24:04
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| Doing an inexpensive genetic test may shed some light. |
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Dark skinned Norwegian ethnicity
