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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
 Posted - 16/07/2014 : 19:07:04
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So I've had no shortage of headache over the destroyed 1890 census. I have been impressed by the skills of some of the members here to identify very hard to sort out data however and hope someone might help me with the hardest piece of my tree I've seen so far?
My (adoptive) father always thought his great grand father and great uncle came over together from Norway leaving their family behind. I was able to discover from the 1900 census that this was not the case and their parents came too. They changed their name about 30 years after arriving to Bly so that made things even more difficult.
The original family name in the US was Anderson and I found Christopher Anderson on the 1900 census in Lessor Township, Polk County, Minnesota. (Or I believe his name is Christopher.) He is living with his son Christ and Christ's wife Mary. Christopher's wife is listed as "Karn" and everyone thought her name was Karen. Nothing is known about her and I can't find a burial record in Minnesota. (I just found his grave last week, actually.)
I can find him on the 1895 Minnesota census living with his son Andrew but his wife Karen is not listed. I don't know where she would have been since they both supposedly came in 1870 (according to the 1900 census.)
They did not come immediately to Minnesota when they came in 1870. Supposedly they went to Chicago and there's a story that some records were destroyed in the Chicago fires but I have no details there. However I do show in one census that they came to Minnesota by around 1879. They arrived in Lessor Township in around 1883.
Christopher Anderson appears to be born Mar 16th, 1822.
Karen Anderson appears to have been born Nov 1827.
Son Andrew born March 3, 1856
Son Christ (Christian?) born July 21, 1863.
I have birth locations of "Kongsvinger" in family records but I also have a record that suggests they came from Akershus. Not sure if the family moved around or what happened there.
I've been trying to crack this nut for the last year so any help the more talented here might provide would be greatly appreciated! Hopefully even educational.
Thanks everyone!
James |
Edited by - aethos on 16/07/2014 19:09:59 |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 21:19:00
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| Oh I know and admittedly I may be downplaying the gravitas but... it couldn't have been some little midyear state census. No it had to be almost the entire 1890 census with just a few shards squirreled away. :P I'm actually very surprised I've never found Karen. I looked at all 350 or so people buried in the cemetary with her husband. I've searched high and low. I hope some intrepid and skillful individual might know of something I may have overlooked or not known enough to track down. She must have died in Minnesota but I don't know when, unless she went to Montana with her son Andrew. I'd be surprised but I haven't checked there. Without a last name that's also tricky. |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 21:27:43
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When did the name change take place?
Where did you get the birth dates and what family tradition said Kongsvinger? |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 21:40:42
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My father has old letters and hand written documents that talk of Akershus and Kongsvinger. The name change, as far as I can tell, took place between 1900 and 1920. There's a story behind that too (apparently issues getting groceries delivered with too many Andersons!) but as far as I can tell Christopher Anderson never changed his name. His sons Christ and Andrew changed their names to Bly. I know that by 1920 Andrew was in Montana with his wife.
I'll try to firm it up. I know I saw a census where Christ's wife Mary was listed in the household with Andrew and it listed her as wife. I don't know where Christ was at that time or where Andrew's wife Helen was but she's there with the kids. I need to dig up that record again to confirm what name they went by at that time but it was either 1900 or 1910 if memory serves. |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 22:09:23
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| I believe part of the problem tracking them for the census may be related to the fact that they all worked each other's farms. I remember being told that as a child. They would all load up as a group and go to whichever farm needed to be worked. They'd stay there and live at the farm until the work was done. The wives would do a lot of the work for the kids and preparing big meals. As a result when my grandmother's mother died, my grandmother (at age 13) was sent to Crookston, MN where the UofM had a culinary school. They had to train her to take over and prepare food. |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 22:16:28
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The 1900 Census with the whole family together.
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Chr Andersen Senior
[Chr Andersen Sen]
Age: 78
Birth Date: Mar 1822
Birthplace: Norway
Home in 1900: Lessor, Polk, Minnesota
Race: White
Gender: Male
Immigration Year: 1870
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Karn Andersen
Marriage Year: 1852
Years Married: 48
Father's Birthplace: Norway
Mother's Birthplace: Norway
Occupation:
Household Members:
Name Age
Chr Andersen 78
Karn Andersen 72
Christ Andersen 36
Mary Andersen 18
Clarance Andersen 1
Lauris Andersen 2/12
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 22:25:52
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Here is a long shot for you. Kongsvinger is in Hedmark Fylke, A son of Christopher Anderson should carry the name Christphersen or some variation of it. The birth date is not July 21, but it is July and the mothers name is Karen.
Norway, Select Baptisms, 1634-1927 about Christian Kristoffersen
Name: Christian Kristoffersen
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 26 jul 1863
Baptism Date: 30 aug 1863
Baptism Place: Eidskogen,Hedmark,Norway
Father: Christopher Andersen
Mother: Karen Andersdr
See number 184
http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=8864&idx_id=8864&uid=ny&idx_side=-70 |
Edited by - AntonH on 16/07/2014 22:31:08 |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 22:29:46
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Yup, that's them! It's not the whole family though. Christ/Mary with their first two kids, Clarence and Lawrence. Many more would come.
Andrew and his wife Helen are missing here as well. I haven't found him in 1900 but I've found him in the MInnesota census for 1895 and 1905. In 1905 he lists his name as "Andrew Bly Anderson". In 1910 he appears on the census with Mary (Marie) and all of her and Christ's kids. Then in 1920 he's out in Montana with his wife Helen. (Where he stayed the rest of his life.)
The problem is getting back before then or tracking down who Karen was. The family story is that they were in Chicago for a brief period but we have no records of that. I haven't been able to find them in the 1870 or 1880 census. |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 22:32:20
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Oh that's awfully close. I can perhaps look for a record for Andrew that matches those parents?
Here's something... I know Karen had 7 children from the 1900 census. However in 1900 only 3 were living.
I've never heard of a living sibling to Andrew and Christ. The plot thickens.
I see a marriage between a Christopher Anderssen and Karen Andersdatter in Vinger, Hedmark in 1853. Perhaps there's something there? |
Edited by - aethos on 16/07/2014 22:40:35 |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 23:04:40
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Birth date for Andreas does not match well with the one you have posted for Andrew.
Norway, Select Baptisms, 1634-1927 about Andreas Christophersen
Name: Andreas Christophersen
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 5 mar 1857
Baptism Date: 15 mar 1857
Baptism Place: Vinger, Hedmark, Norway
Father: Christopher Anderssen
Mother: Karen Andersdr
FHL Film Number: 307234
Reference ID: 918
See number 104
http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=8867&idx_id=8867&uid=ny&idx_side=-75 |
Edited by - AntonH on 16/07/2014 23:11:53 |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 23:05:03
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I think you might be on to something. I left a message with my father to go pull what he could from the old letters to see if we can sort out Kongsvinger. It looks like the Christopher and Karen you found were married in Kongsvinger in 1853 which is right in line for the birth of Berthea and Andrew.
He did tell me that the family lost their bible in an apartment fire. Perhaps they had lost track of some of this information as well? Hard to believe parents forgetting their children's birthdays though.
I hope to know more about Kongsvinger soon as this is the closest record anyone has found yet. Thank you! |
Edited by - aethos on 16/07/2014 23:07:14 |
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jkmarler
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
7765 Posts |
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aethos
Medium member
USA
92 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 23:16:05
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That is interesting. Most of them match. (The year is right for their immigration too.) However
1865 census:
Bertha age 11 (1854)
Andrias age 9 (1856)
Karelius age 6 (1659) (male)
Christian age 3 (1862)
1870 emmigration:
Berte age 12 (1858)
Anders age 10 (1860)
Torveig age 8 (1862) (female)
Kristian age 4 (1864)
Is it likely to see these kinds of errors and have those people still be the same ones? Also not sure on the children Karelius and Torveig. |
Edited by - aethos on 16/07/2014 23:22:48 |
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AntonH
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
9224 Posts |
Posted - 16/07/2014 : 23:26:47
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This is likely the birth record for Karelius (Torveig)
Norway, Select Baptisms, 1634-1927 about Karelius Christophersen
Name: Karelius Christophersen
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 14 feb 1860
Baptism Date: 4 mar 1860
Baptism Place: Vinger, Hedmark, Norway
Father: Christopher Anderssen
Mother: Karen Andersdr
FHL Film Number: 307234
Reference ID: 2396
See number 86,
http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=8867&idx_id=8867&uid=ny&idx_side=-195
No Torveig found in Hedmark in the 1865 Norwegian Census. |
Edited by - AntonH on 17/07/2014 02:49:22 |
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Topic |
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Who burns a census
