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Mari Samuelsen
Starting member
Norway
13 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2011 : 21:43:26
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Hi!
I'm trying to figure out what happened to my great- great grandfather,Thorvald Christian Tønnessen.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/MJH2-TPB/p1
He went to America the same year as my great grandmother was born and then suddently broke of all contact with his wife and daughters in Norway. I found information about an naturalization petition in 1896 and also managed to locate a picture of the petition on the internet. The name and birth date on the petition fits perfectly.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/SMV2-C6T/p1
Does anyone know how, or where, I can possibly find more information about this? There are stories of him possibly finding a new wife so we are interested in finding out what happend to him after he applied for american citizenship.
Any information would be appreciated!
Mari
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Mari Krogstad Samuelsen |
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jwiborg
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
4961 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2011 : 22:00:27
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When did he emigrate? About 1880?
A Thorvald Tallersen, born Aug 1857 in Norway can be found in the 1900-census for New York City, Kings, New York,
He is listed as widowed, and Immigration Year 1880
#86
Jan Peter |
Edited by - jwiborg on 12/09/2011 22:10:13 |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2011 : 23:31:07
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Hi,
Here is the webaddress of the Italian Genealogical Group. They have several interesting New York vital records database which you might have a look at for your guy:
http://www.italiangen.org/
Good Luck,
Jackie M. |
Edited by - jkmarler on 12/09/2011 23:33:48 |
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Mari Samuelsen
Starting member
Norway
13 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 09:55:51
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Thank you both for answering! I will look into the information.
My great grandmother was born in the summer of 1889 and we have found two migration documents stating that a Thorvald Tønnessen, born july 5th 1858, was on a ship going to America in february 1889 and also another year before that ( I can't remember what year right now). It is said that he left while my great great grandmother was pregnant. He was supposed to go to America and get things ready for the rest of the family to join him, but when my great great grandmother came to New York they had an arguement and he left her all alone. The stories says that they were agueing because he had fallen in love with someone else and my great great grandmother got help from the embassy to get back to Norway. In the norwegian census of 1901, by her name, it is stated that Thorvald had been in America for quite some time without beeing heard from.
My mothers uncle have told my aunt some stories about what he had heard about Thorvald, but we don't know if all of it is true. We have been able to rule out some of them. It is kind of a mystery and my family has wondered about what really happened, so it would bee really cool if i could find out more about his life in America.
Mari |
Mari Krogstad Samuelsen |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 14:57:43
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Hi,
Have you found when your great grandmother went to America as well? There were Norwegian embassies in a lot of places--it might be helpful to know when that argument occured and where.
Jackie M. |
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Mari Samuelsen
Starting member
Norway
13 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 15:16:40
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I haven't been able to find her name on any of the ships papers. I don't even know if the story about her going over there to meet him is correct. If there was a norwegian embassy in New York at the time it must have been there. It's as if he just disappeared after the naturalization petition. But I'm not giving up, somewhere there has to be more information about him.
Mari |
Mari Krogstad Samuelsen |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
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dodgeboy12
RIP
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 21:04:08
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I found this woman Emma and her son Jakob.
1887
Jakobs Father was a Thorvald Kristian looks like Tønnesen b. 1858.
#5
Jim |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9216 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 23:35:17
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Here is a candidate for arrival into New York. The transcriber lists his name as Torr but looking at the original maifest it looks to me as if the first name is Thorv. short for Thorvald?. Strange departure port, from France. I have no explanation for that.
Name: Thorr Tonnesen
Arrival Date: 16 May 1889
Birth Year: abt 1859
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: Norwegea
Port of Departure: Boulogne Sur Mer, France and Rotterdam, Netherlands
Destination: United States of America
Port of Arrival: New York
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States
Ship Name: Obdam
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 13/09/2011 : 23:47:17
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Hi,
Or perhaps he changed his name.
In Ancestry in the Immigration & Travel database there is a Thorvald Tonnesen who changed his name to Thomas Thompson at Philadelphia Pennsylvania in a certficate #1951685 on 4 Oct 1923. This may be the actual naturalization record, but the information doesn't say that for sure.
In the 1930 census in Philadelphia there is a Thomas Thompson aged 70, born Norway, widowed, retired, came to US in 1888 and is a naturalized citizen.
There is also a Thomas Thompson buried in the Philadelphia National Cemetery b. 8 Sept 1859 d. 20 June 1941. His headstone is pictured at Ancestry and carries this information:
Thomas Thompson
New York
OMI
US Navy
1859-1941
Not an exact match but pretty close...
Jackie M. |
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Mari Samuelsen
Starting member
Norway
13 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2011 : 01:01:54
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Thank you all for helping me!
Some of the information does fit very well with the story told by my great-uncle. Feels like we're getting closer to the truth.
The biggest part of the story was that my great great grandmother had their son with her to America, and after the arguement Thorvald kidnapped the son and left Emma all alone. It is said that when she returned to Norway without her son his name was never mentioned again. But since we couldn't find anything about their son, we didn't believe that part. If he did kidnap his son it's kind of weird that he came back to his wife and then had two daughters born in 1888 and 1889. Maybe the son died while they where there.....
I'm not sure if Thorr Tonnesen is my Thorvald, because he came to America in february of 1889, but there has been stories about him beeing a sailor. In the naturalization petition from 1896 it says that his occupation was carpenter. In the migration papers from 1889 he is listed as a danish sailor though. In the christening documents concerning his son Jakob he is listed with the occupation maskinist, which in english can mean both engineer (within shipping) or machinist.
Another thing my great-uncle also said was that Thorvald moved from New York and possibly changed his surname. I've found at least two other Thorvald Tonnesen or Tønnesen that came to America, so it''s difficult to say which one of them became Thomas Thompson, but it's worth checking out.
Mari
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Mari Krogstad Samuelsen |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9216 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2011 : 01:20:55
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This is likely Emma Tonnesen arriving in America. I know it says her name is Emma Jameson and I never would have located her looking for Emma Tonnesen. I looked for Kittle Johnsen the name next to Emma and Jacob on the Emmigrater fra Kristiansan posted by Dodgeboy 12. I found Kittle Johnson fairly easily and the two names directly below Kittle are Emma (last name almost unreadable) age 25. It could be Tonnesen. I am sure that the transcriber just guessed at the names. Right below Emma is a Jacob age 10 months.
Bernhard Selvig is close by as well. So if the Emma and Jakob from the Emigranter fra Kristiansand are your Emma and Jakob then these are the right ones.
Name: Emma Jameson
Arrival Date: 18 Apr 1887
Birth Year: abt 1862
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Ethnicity/Race/Nationality: Norwegian
Place of Origin: Norway
Port of Departure: Christiania, Norway and Christiansand, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark
Destination: United States of America
Port of Arrival: New York
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States
Ship Name: Hekla
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Edited by - AntonH on 14/09/2011 02:36:14 |
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dodgeboy12
RIP
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2011 : 01:50:03
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Hi
The Thomas Thompson that Jackie found looks like a dead
end. Petition #59697 matches the document Jackie cited
And he was born in 1880 immigrated 1902 .
Jim |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9216 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2011 : 01:55:55
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This is the information on Jakob Tonnesen.
Name: Jabeol Jameson
Arrival Date: 18 Apr 1887
Birth Year: abt 1886
Age: 10/12
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/Race/Nationality: Norwegian
Place of Origin: Norway
Port of Departure: Christiania, Norway and Christiansand, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark
Destination: United States of America
Port of Arrival: New York
Port Arrival State: New York
Port Arrival Country: United States
Ship Name: Hekla
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 14/09/2011 : 02:07:36
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Hi,
Too bad about the Philadelphia Thorvald...
Here is the New York Times online paper. Has a very usuable archive search from 1851 & up:
http://www.nytimes.com/
Jackie M. |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
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Topic |
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thorvald christian tønnessen in USA
