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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
 Posted - 29/01/2014 : 17:30:42
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The wife Elen.
Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Elin Forkerdin
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1857
Date of Arrival: 12 May 1880
Vessel: Moravian
Search Ship Database:
Port of Arrival: Quebec, Quebec
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Roll: C-4530
Son Toralf
Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Harvey Forkerdin
Gender: Male
Age: 2
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1878
Date of Arrival: 12 May 1880
Vessel: Moravian
Search Ship Database:
Port of Arrival: Quebec, Quebec
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Roll: C-4530
Daughter Kristine
Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Christina Forkerdin
Gender: Female
Date of Arrival: 12 May 1880
Vessel: Moravian
Search Ship Database:
Port of Arrival: Quebec, Quebec
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Roll: C-4530 |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 18:24:41
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| Big help from Kåre for posting the Trondheim "Em. from Trondheim April 14. 1880" giving me some names to look for besides Ole, As you saw he was transcribed under O Never would have found him. But Jens that was a name that worked well. Also big help from cmtodd for the heads-up. "The family's last name is often misspelled in the US records (Farkelson is the most common misspelling)." So when I saw Jens Forkerdin age 4 in May of 1880, it was simple. |
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cmtodd
Junior member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 18:30:46
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| You have, indeed, found the family on the Moravian! What time you have saved me. I had just started searching through the Quebec arrivals for May. This finding is so important in my search for Gunhilda Kristine. Now I know that she did arrive with the family in the U.S. Am trying to track down immigration records for Port Huron but it is difficult. Not kept systematically until 1885. Thank you!! |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 18:32:47
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quote:
Originally posted by cmtodd
I found a family tree on Ancestry that lists Kristine's death as 1880 (but this had no documentation).
Very smart lyndal40. That was a tough one.
Chris, re. the above. Sometimes a date of death is entered as "AFTER" a year, such as "After 1880." Then date shows up on the database as 1880! If Kristine is found in 1880 but not thereafter, her death could be listed this way. I guess only the creator of that family tree can tell you why he/she listed her death as found. |
Edited by - JaneC on 29/01/2014 18:35:41 |
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cmtodd
Junior member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 19:07:26
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Kåre, I have found birth/baptism records for Ole, Elen, Jens & Kristine (Gunhilda Kristine). Have not found one yet for Thoralf. The family seems to have moved around a lot. The record I have for Kristine is a little different than the one you found but contains essentially the same information. I think the birth date for Ole is actually 1853. It is a little clearer on the version I found. I'll try to put hyperlinks below. Haven't done this yet!
Here is link to Ole#216
Here is link to Elen #16
Here is link to Jens Martin..#66
Here is link to Gunhilda Kristine#54..
The English translation of the Em. report I found indicates that Lier was their residence. A transcription I found of Ole's obituary indicated he was born "near Christiana, Norway Sept 17, 1853)...He was married to Ellen Kristine Romo June 7, 1864..." [this date is probably a transcription error or wrong. Ellen would have been only 8 yrs old!] Haven't found their marriage record yet. |
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 20:01:34
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Wow.
Ole born on farm Sandbakken in Asker parish at Oslo Sept. 17. 1853.
Parents; Thorkel Olsen and Marthe Haraldsdatter.
Coffe time
Kåre |
Edited by - Kåarto on 29/01/2014 20:08:40 |
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cmtodd
Junior member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 20:09:16
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Jane, Thanks so much for the heads up on the birth date. I went back and checked the Ancestry family trees. They all list the date as 1880, with a place of Lake City, South Dakota. If any of this information is valid, either the date or the location is wrong. The Census and homestead info I have for the family consistently points to their arrival in South Dakota in 1883.
I can't find the family in the 1880 Minnesota Census. The 1880 census entry for Ellen's relatives in Minnesota were June 5th (Bereth Iverson, Wanamingo, MN) and June 17th (Christopher Johnson, Belle Creek, MN). Perhaps Ole & the family were still enroute to stay with her sister. The paper Kåre referenced gives the typical route from Quebec to Minnesota and some info on how much time it took. That may help with this hypothesis.
I have also contacted likely churches in Minnesota to see if they have record of Gunhilda Kristine's death. I've not received any response, however. I found a recent 13 Dec 2010 post on minnesotahistory.net that one of the worst blizzards ever in Minnesota happened on 15 Oct 1880. The storm came on unexpectedly, dropped 15" of snow in some areas and started one of the worst winters ever in the midwest. Adding terrible cold and snow to the stresses of a baby just coming off the immigration from Norway may have been too much for her. But this is one strong family, so perhaps she did make it to South Dakota. Can't rule that out yet. On Nov 22, 1892 Ole wrote in his homestead application that his family consisted of "wife and 8 children" and "we have" resided on the land since first establishing residence thereon [May 1883]. So, the first Gunhilda Kristine had likely died by then. The 1900 census indicates Ellen had had 10 children by 1900, 9 of whom were living. Eight children are listed [Jens is missing--haven't found him yet], including a Hilda C who was listed as being born in Dec 1882. This Hilda C was the next child to die, in Aug 1900. All the evidence I have found so far supports the view that Gunhilda Kristine, born in 1879 and Hilda C, born in 1882, are different children.
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 21:01:08
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Elen Kirstine Christophersdatter/Kristoffersdatter born on farm Rømo in Hegra Feb. 7. 1856
Parents; Christopher Jensen Rømo and Gunhild Arntsdatter Gederaas
A search on Google gave me this family-tree
Kåre |
Edited by - Kåarto on 30/01/2014 00:15:04 |
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 21:11:38
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Marriage in Hegra parish, Øvre Stjørdal June 7. 1876;
Bachelor Ole Torkildsen "Jernbanearbeider" Railroad-worker from farm Sandbakken in Asker and maid Elen Kirstine Kristoffersdatter Gederaas, see couple #11
Photos of Hegra church build 1783 includes the altar where Ole and Elen married 1876
In Norway Hegra is known from WW2 and the Battle of Hegra Fortress 1940
Kåre |
Edited by - Kåarto on 29/01/2014 21:54:41 |
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cmtodd
Junior member
USA
44 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 22:59:03
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Oh, Kåre, how wonderful to have this information! To see the actual church where Ole and Elen were married and to have so much more information added to what is known about the family is overwhelming!
One surprise is that Elen's middle name was Kirstine, not Kristine. Looking back at the writing I can clearly see that now. Went back and checked Gunhilda Kristine's name to be sure I hadn't misread that as well. It does look to me that it is Kristine, not Kirstine.
I'm also glad to find records confirming that Elen is listed as Kristophersdatter. Almost all the family trees I found listed her as Jensdatter. But that didn't make sense to me given the Norwegian naming practices of the times. I started listing her as Kristophersdatter in my tree. The marriage record clearly supports this name.
It is so interesting to see how Ole's profession changed over time--from railroad worker, to telegraphist, to clerk, and then to farmer in the US. (He farmed for at least 27 and perhaps as much as 30 years in South Dakota). What a change it must have been to go from office jobs to farming. Ole (and Elen!) must have been very open to taking risks. I'm not sure I would have the courage to do what they did.
Many, many thanks to all of you who have added so much richness to this family's life! |
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Kåarto
Norway Heritage Veteran
Norway
5861 Posts |
Posted - 29/01/2014 : 23:52:24
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You are welcome Chris.
Does your name Chris has anything to (Elen) Christophersen to do?
Ca 50 % of the population in Norway emigrated to America from ca 1830 to WW1, it was called America fever, family, friends, neighbors em.
It was hard times for those who had to stay, espesially the parents etc. knowing they would never meet again
From the many thousands of letters we know that many were homesick for their "valleys, forests and lakes", but the important thing for the parents was that the children did not have to starve anymore.
The railroad to Hegra was opened one year after Ole emigrated, so we can assume that he had walked here several times.
Rømo is an old farm, spelled Røttmo 1559, Rødmou/Røttmou 1590, Rømo 1610, Rømmoe 1626 and Røemoen 1723.
The name Rømo, rød means red, and mo means plane land, namet after the red color of Bog iron
If some of interest or importance emerge I will post it here.
Good night from Norway.
Kåre |
Edited by - Kåarto on 30/01/2014 00:21:22 |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2014 : 03:13:43
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Love the rich details Kåre adds.
Chris, about the baby Kristine dying in Lake City, Marshall, South Dakota in 1880 - maybe a descendant has heard a family story of this? Maybe the family story mistakenly says "Lake City" because that is where Thoralf lived? And a younger brother Gustav? (and perhaps others in the family...) I think you are correct to suspect the Lake City story, but it would be interesting to know where the family tree creator got that idea. Probably one person posted the information, and others merely copied it. It's possible a friend or relative lived in Lake City and the Torkildsons landed there first as a kind of headquarters, while scouting for the land they'd like to homestead.
1921 US Patent for a car jack by Torl Torkildson of Lake City, Marshall, South Dakota
http://www.google.com/patents/US1394375
1930 Torl Torkildson, widowed, in Lake City, Marshall, South Dakota - working as a mechanic in a garage
1940 Torl Torkildson, married to Agnes, in Lake City, Marshall, South Dakota
Find-a-Grave: Torl Torkildson born Aug. 20, 1877, died Nov. 11, 1956, buried Lake City cemetery (South Dakota Death Index names him Thoralf Torkildson)
In the USA, his older brother Jens = Martin Jens Torkildson (born 28 October 1875 - died 1932 Fort Totten, Benson, North Dakota)
When Jens Martin died, Thoralf married his widow, per Find-a-Grave biography
Gustave Adolphus Torkildson (1882-1930) also lived in Lake City
It seems there would be plenty of chances for descendants to get confused about Lake City.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Torkildson&GSiman=1&GSst=44&GRid=57389104&
The births of the next children of Ole and Ellen - the first born in the USA - are the best clues to finding Kristine's death, as I'm sure you've already calculated. Their death records or obits or descendants may tell their exact place of birth, and those would be the locations the family lived 1880-1883 (presumably Goodhue County, Minnesota) and where Kristine most likely died. To help you we'd need to know all the information you've ferreted out in this regard, though I suspect that if you cannot find her death, after all your efforts, the forum maybe can't either.
BTW: Given the errors you mention, sprinkled through the family trees on Ancestry, I think it's really cool you are building credible, solid research to find the true story. |
Edited by - JaneC on 30/01/2014 04:06:49 |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2014 : 03:57:12
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Here is the family in 1900. Hilda was born somewhere in Minnesota in Dec 1882. The next in line Peter O. was born in South Dakota on Feb 25, 1885.
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Hilda C Torkeldsen
[Halda C Takeldson]
Age: 17
Birth Date: Dec 1882
Birthplace: Minnesota
Home in 1900: Pleasant, Clark, South Dakota
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Marital status: Single
Father's Name: Ole Torkeldsen
Father's Birthplace: Norway
Mother's Name: Ellen K Torkeldsen
Mother's Birthplace: Norway
Occupation:
Household Members:
Name Age
Ole Torkeldsen 76
Ellen K Torkeldsen 44
Thoralf Torkeldsen 22
Hilda C Torkeldsen 17
Peter O Torkeldsen 15
Clara M Torkeldsen 13
Hattie E Torkeldsen 11
Onolda J Torkeldsen 9
Harrold I Torkeldsen 5
South Dakota Births, 1856-1903
Name: Peter Oscar Torkildson
Birth Date: 25 Feb 1885
Gender: Male
County: Clark
Father's Name: Ole Torkeldson
Mother's Name: Ellen Christina Roomo
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2014 : 04:04:37
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While looking for the birth record for Hilda, I came across this record. I am not sure where it fits in your search, however there are too many names that fit your search to not post it.
Minnesota, Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980
Name: Gunhilde Christina Torklesind
Birth Date: 5 Dec 1882
Birth Place: Dodge, Minnesota
Gender: Female
Christening Place: Dodge, Minnesota
Father's Name: Ole Torklesind
Mother's Name: Ellen
FHL Film Number: 1316663 |
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Inman Line Ships
