Caroline Eliza Carlsen & Carl Olaf (Carlsen?)
GidgetI am very interested in finding any information about my great grandfather who travelled from Oslo to Queensland, Australia in 1880. We do not know his birth date, but know that he was born in 1877 in Oslo and was three years old when he left Norway. He travelled from Norway to Australia with his mother Caroline Eliza Carlsen. We have only ever known my great grandfather as Carl Olaf Steffensen as on 12 March 1881 his mother Caroline married Swend Steffensen at Rockhampton, Australia. We guess Carl must have then taken on his stepfathers surname. We assume that Caroline travelled using the name of Carlsen. On the marriage certificate to Swend her name was given as Caroline Eliza Carlsen. Her mother is shown as Hannah Elizabeth Anders and father Carl Ellensen. Caroline was 28 when she married Swend so must have been 27 or 28 when she travelled to Australia. Caroline was born in Olso. They later lived in Bundaberg (not far from Rockhampton). After Swend died on 6 October 1901, Carl and Caroline travelled to New Zealand in 1901. They lived in New Plymouth (where my family lives today). Carl died in 1944. Both he and his mother are buried at a local cemetery. I would appreciate help locating any information including the ships they travelled on. My ultimate goal is to find out Carl's birth date so we could perhaps obtain his birth certificate and find who his birth father was. Looking forward to hearing from you. Lisa Steffensen
hastoHe is in the immigrant list from Oslo 1878 as Carl Olaf Olsen, 1 3/4 years old: http://129.177.171.80/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=EMIOSLO&variabel=0&postnr=46714&fulle=true&spraak=e His mother is number 46705 (click "previous") 1875 census: http://129.177.171.80/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f70301&variabel=0&postnr=17479&fulle=true&spraak=e 1865 census: http://129.177.171.80/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f60301&variabel=0&postnr=17221&fulle=true&spraak=e As you see, these censuses are not very accurate. But it definitly is your family. I searched Familysearch LDS IGI, and found a birth of a brother who died as a child: CARL THEODOR Birth: 09 NOV 1857 Domkirken, Oslo, Akershus, Death: 1857 Father: CARL EDVARD ELLINGSEN Mother: HANNA ELISABETH ANDRESEN LDS IGI batch number: C424663 That was the sure hits. Then I will make some guessing, trying to locate Carl's father. The immigrant list records Caroline as Carlsen, using her patronymic surname. Carl Olaf Olsen is then probably also using a patronym, he is a Olsen=son of Ole. He is probably born jan-feb 1877. LDS IGI search gave only this candidate: KARL OLUF SORENSEN Christening: 10 JUN 1877 Domkirken, Oslo, Akershus, Father: OLUF SORENSEN Mother: KAROLINE KRISTIANSEN This boy might also be called Carl Oluf Olsen in those days of changing surname conventions. - But the mother has a wrong surname. So, a small chance it is right. If so, the father is perhaps this 35 ys old unmarried rope-maker from Copenhagen: http://129.177.171.80/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f70301&variabel=0&postnr=9460&fulle=true&spraak=e
GidgetHarald It was wonderful to get your reply. We never imagined we would ever be able to find out any of the information you were able to locate. Especially Carl's surname Olsen. I see from the emigrants from Olso list that the line they travelled on was St Olav. Was this the actual ship they sailed on or the shipping line (company)? If it is not the ship is it possible to find out the ships name? Would the records show if they travelled directly from Olso to Australia on the same ship? Do the records show the town in Australia that they would have arrived in? Caroline's occupation is shown as pige. Could you tell me what this translates to, as I am not very good at reading Norwegian, which also makes searching records difficult. I much appreciate what you have located for me, it would have been impossible without your help! Thank you Lisa
sorensen02My name is William Eric Sorensen and I am looking for records of my father Wilhelm R. Sorensen I saw a Sorensen in your topic and I wondered if you might have some imformation . He was born in 1902 in Norway and came to the U.S. about 1919. Thank you