Desperate for HELP!
maryemcfadden	Searching for John Lake, his wife Lena Olson Lake and son Julius J. Lake (all born in Norway... Julius in 1862). I BELIEVE they arrived in America in 1865 and became citizens in 1870. I found Julius in Ramsey County, St. Paul, Minnesota through the 1900 Census and thus learned the names of his parents. I have reserached and have secured all information from that time forward to date BUT I am trying to trace back to see where John, Lena and Julius arrived, what ship they came on, where they lived in Norway and then backtrack for the rest of the family from there. I am lost on how to use this website to secure the above information. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY HELP! Thank you.
Hopkins	The 1900 US census (Ramsey Co., MN) lists Julius Lake as born Jan. 1862 in Norway and immigrated to US in what appears to read 1867. 1870 US census (St. Croix Co., Wis) lists a Julius Lake as 9 yrs old born in Norway and living with a family headed by John Lake (36 yrs old) and Carrie (40 yrs old), children Olina or Olivia, Charles, Julius, Hendrick and Morris, a 75 yrs old Eva Oleson is also living in the household. Have you also researched in any and all church records of the early congregation(s) in the US that the family may have been members of? Looked for obituaries for Julius and his parents? Found the family in the 1880 US census? Looked for any local directories and/or state censuses in locations where the family resided before 1900? You've probably learned that Lake is not a Norwegian surname - you really want to look for patronymic names for each member of the family that was born in Norway, birth years and any more evidence about WHEN they emigrated/immigrated - ports of entry, etc.. The family must have adapted the name Lake from something in Norway - you really want to find US records that are contemporary to the time when the family may have started using the name Lake and would list original naming patterns and/or the original location(s) in Norway where each was baptised and/or confirmed. In your research of all the US sources what clues were found about locations in Norway?
Hopkins	Oh my goodness - I never ever figured the search I just tried would actually work. Seeing the 1870 US census and the list of children in the family of John Lake - all the children born in Norway - I decided to search for one or two of the less common given names in the 1865 Norwegian census. (Hoping upon hope that the family would still be in Norway for that enumeration.) Look what popped up! http://www.rhd.uit.no/folketellinger/ftliste_e.aspx?ft=1865&knr=0502&kenr=0005&bnr=0005&lnr=000 Unless you are SURE the John Lake family who lived in Wisconsin in 1870 ISN'T the same as your Lake family - I'd say you need to research in the Norwegian records of the area I'm pointing to.
Jo Anne Sadler	Both the Vardal and Gjøvik parish records have been microfilmed and are available for rental at a local Family History Center. There are only a few basic words in these records, they are not hard to read, they would include birth, death, confirmation, moving out (Utflytted) records: [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=topicdetails&subject=401288&subject_disp=Norway%2C+Oppland%2C+Gj%C3%B8vik+%2D+Church+records&columns=*,0,0"]click here[/url] As far a passenger list, it is most likely at that time most Norwegians came through through Canada and also the factor of the Civil War.
Brining	This is probably Jens' father and mother in the 1865 census [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f60411.wc2&gardpostnr=253&personpostnr=1582&merk=1582#ovre"]Click Here[/url] Carla
maryemcfadden	WOW!! Thanks to ALL for responses ... I truly appreciate the help! Have been researching for over twenty year but for IRELAND. Spent time today with the dictionary trying to dope out Norwegian words. To Hopkins: Thanks!! Have to connect the dots between Julius Lake in St. Paul and the family you found in Wisconsin. Concern is that on Julius' death certificate mother is listed as Lena / father as John but the Wisconsin family lists a Carrie and no mention of a Lena. Will be researching 1880 census at the Federal archives later this week to learn more about the Wisc. family. As to your question about about clues to Norway ... this was provided on Julius' death certificate and census records. He died in 1950. In past have been able to secure needed info without use of newspapers, in this instance, how can I look into obits? Are they posted on line? Blown away with your link to the Norwegian census with the Wisconsin family ... if I can connect the dots to this family ... I couldn't have been luckier ... thanks to you! To Jo Anne Sadler: Thanks!! I really value the link you provided. Plan to head to Salt Lake again in either June or September and the info you provided is really invaluable. As for passenger list, have been trying to submit names that responder HOPKINS provided on the Passenger List page on this site but with no luck. Can't figure out yet what I'm doing wrong. TO BRINING: Carla, can't believe that you linked me to Jen'fs father and mother in the 1865 census in Norway! For this document, I REALLY needed the dictionary but, even after looking up some of the words, still have some questions. If I'm reading this right, Jens's father's name is Kristian Jens Leich and his wife is Anne Olsd. Am I right that the next individuals listed are their "lodgers"? ...or is their information unrelated to the Kristian and Anne info? Also, based on this census sheet, can I learn where they lived? Again, thanks to all! I am light years ahead in less than 48 hours and I have all of you to thank. I really appreciate your time and effort on my behalf!
Brining	Yes Jens' father's name is Kristian Jens (Jensen) Leich and his wife is Anne Olsd (Olsdatter). They are renting (Inderst) on the Gardsnavn (farm) Einerstøen. There is probably no connection to the others living there. You should read some of the articles on John Føllesdal's site [url="http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~norway/index.html"]Click Here[/url] They are very helpful. The family is still in St Croix county in the 1880 census [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/census/household_record.asp?HOUSEHOLD_CODE=1880US_6677467&HOUSEHOLD_SUB=1&frompage=5"]Click Here[/url] Carla
Hopkins	The information on John's death certificate, while wonderful to have, was obviously not completed by the ONE person who knew the answers best -- but rather the info would have to given by someone who may have been in great grief and/or distress at the time. Whoever reported the death may not have known his mother's given name. But the last name matches for his mother. In the US they may have thought it a maiden name - in Norway it was her patronymic name. I agree with Carla - please take time to start studying the Follesdal articles - you need to learn about the differences in Norwegian genealogy. http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~norway/articles.html Finding obituaries in the US is an American genealogy question - look for answers to that in American 'how-to' articles or books. I've stumbled across one or two US obituaries (before 1990's) online - but most earlier are not online but are in newspaper archives or historical library collections. I think you missed an item in the posting guidelines for this website -- * Make your topic title descriptive. Do not use titles like "HELP PLEASE!!!!", "PASSENGER LIST", "NAMES", "SHIP" because people who might be able to help you may overlook the topic if it doesn't look like it?s in their area of expertise. Also others will overlook it because there might be more than one topic with the same subject I nearly avoided your posting because of the topic title. Be more descriptive (next time). Take a look at some of the other topic titles that seem descriptive. Online Databases of emigrants from Norway are not claimed to 100% complete. The Norwegian government didn't start keeping records of persons leaving the country for a time - so for some early time periods and areas no records exist at the departure ports. That's why you want to find out WHEN they left Norway and have some idea of WHERE in Norway they would have left from. US records will sometimes contain those two important pieces of information.
Brining	Some of the Gjøvik and Vardal parish records are on line [url="http://www.slektshistorielaget.no/Kilder/gjovik/retur_index.htm"]Click Here[/url] and click on Kirkebøker I did find Julius born Jan 28 1861 Christened March 10 1861. The site and my computer don't "play well together" so I couldn't search too much but I did find Kari's mother's name is Oline (Lena??) Carla
maryemcfadden	Carla, just got in and found your message ... really made me feel like its Chrsitmas! Thank you for taking the time! I clicked onto the link you provided ... then clicked Kirkboker ... (church records) ... then converted the text to English ... then I didn't know what to click next ... if ever you have five minutes, could you please give me a brief explanation (sorry to be a pest) ... I plan to try again tomorrow , when I won't be quite so tired, and maybe I can dope it out or find iuse nstructions on the site. Would like to know how you did it so I can research the rest of the family. Thank you ... very much!
maryemcfadden	To Hopkins: Thank you for your detailed note ... I plan to read the articles and visit the site you posted just as soon as I get the time. I also appreciate the heads-up regarding this forum and the "subject". If you haven't guessed, this is the first forum that I've ever participated in and I appreciate your guidelines. Thanks!
Brining	Unfortunately converting to English at that site doesn't cover the database search [:I] To find the record for Julius under the Døpt column (christening) click on Vardal, Hunn og Gjøvik, then under Døpte Vardal, Hunn og Gjøvik click on Vardal 1860-1866. Wait for the next screen to fully load, it could take a while if you have a slow connection. You should see boxes you can fill in. Under Fornavn (1st name) enter Julius and under Far (father) fornavn enter Jens and click on Søk You should get another screen that will bring up the search results. If you fill in no fornavn, Jens for Far and Kari under Mor fornavn you will get the children born to them. Clicking on the number on the left will give you more detail. Hope that works John Føllesdal's site also has a Norwegian American dictionary that is helpful. Carla
maryemcfadden	Hi Carla! Thought you might be interested in knowing that I applied the instructions you gave me in your last note and, armed with the Norwegian American dictionary have since found birth and christening records for ALL of Jens and Kari's children! Am so thrilled with this information and a bit proud that I was able to translate the Norwegian categories listed on the left side. All achieved because you were willing to help. With regard to the "fadder" (godparent) information, I would just like to confirm that: Gift Mann Jens bor Lilleengen translates to married man John lives Lilleengen. Mann Handelsbetjent Graff translates to Man, Shop Assistant, Graff??? Not sure if that's right , or if the godparent's name is "Handelsbetjent Graff" Mann Garver E. Hallingstad translates to Man "Garver E. Hallingstad" being his full name??? Mann Uhmager Amudsen -= Man (Watchmaker) Amudsen or do you think Uhmager is his first name?? Kvinne Brith Utheim = Woman + her name?? For four of the five children, All list Jens and his wife as Fadder #1 & #2, with the exception of the fifth one which lists Gift Mann Kjobmand Bye and Gift Kjobmand Byes Kone. I can translate these but can't understand why for their 5th child Jen and Karie are NOTt listed as Fadder #1 and #2. Would you have a clue? Finally, if instead of "church" in the left column, if I clicked on "marriage", would I be able to research Jen's/Kari's marriage? Since the first child was born in 1856, I assume their marriage had to be 1855 or before. Thanks for everything! TO HOOPER: Just want to let you know that I have since learned that all of the naturalization and other vital papers I need are available through the Area Research Center of the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. I plan to begin research work on this as soon as I get time. I have also secured a listing of all the cemeteries in St. Croix ... so I have my work cut-out for me. One question: "How did you know to look for Julius' father John Lake in Wisconsin???" Thank you! Can't believe how much I have already learned in less than a week!
Hopkins	You asked - "How did you know to look for Julius' father John Lake in Wisconsin???" Using an online US census 'index' -- put in a search for surname=Lake and born in Norway. Only a few like that in various years. You'd mentioned father was named John and there was one in Wisconsin. I use a US census 'index' which is available through the goodwill of my local public library. Check with your public library - find out what they have available. Also try contact with any local genealogical society - they will know of local availability of resources of possible value.
jwiborg	Hi, did you find the marriage record? It's under "[url="http://www.slektshistorielaget.no/kilder/gjovik/kirkeboker.htm"]Viede i Vardal 1854-1866[/url]" Marriage, Vardal 07 SEP 1855: Jens Christiansen Leich and Kari Olsdatter Kallerud He is 23, from Næs, lives on "Værket", his father: Christian Leich She is 28 and from Kallerud, her father: Ole on Kallerud (prob. a farm) Gift Mann Jens bor Lilleengen = married man Jens lives [on] Lilleengen. [:)] Mann Handelsbetjent Graff = Man, Shop Assistant (salesman, clerk), Graff [:)] Mann Garver E. Hallingstad = Man, tanner E. Hallingstad [;)] A "garver" was a man working with leather, skin and fur for different purposes. Maybe [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f60301&gardpostnr=560&personpostnr=16340#nedre"]this[/url] man? Mann Uhmager Amudsen = Man (Watchmaker) Amudsen [:)] Most likely Uhmager should be uhrmager/urmager Kvinne Brith Utheim = Woman + her name [:)] /Jan Peter
maryemcfadden	Thanks for your help! On April 27th I was able to get into the Vardal Church Records 1854-1866 and found the records for Jens & Kari's five children, also the marriage information you just sent. However, I truly appreciate your explaining the "fadders" on the baptismal records, as I WAS NOT able to decipher that, even after I attempted translation. I am REALLY EMBARRASED to admit that on numerous occasionsI have since tried to get back into the Baptismal Records but have been unable to do so and am completely lost as to why I am having such a problem. As an example: Under the heading "Dopte i Vardal 1844-1853 .... Fornavn: Julius Slektsnavn: Leich Far fornavn: Jens Far bosted: Gjovik Mor fornavn: Kari . WHAT I DON' T UNDERSTAND IS ... ALLE KOLONNER: (ALL COLUMNS) ... I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT TO INSERT HERE. Believe me, I've tried for hours before asking for help on this forum. Yet, when I insert all information without an insertion for "All Columns", the search returns no records found. Also, would you be able to let me know where I would find the Church records for Naess, Hedmark about 1833. When I bring up the County Hedmark, the municipality of Naess is not an option. Any suggestion you could make would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!
jwiborg	Hi, the field "Alle kolonner" can be used in a very handy way. Input any name there (e.g. "Hans"), and leave the other fields blank. You will now do a search for "Hans" in every coloumn, ie., the hits can be in any coloumn.... [:)] Was that clear..? Btw; you should try to input as little information as possible...! Due to spelling mistakes etc. For instance "Leich" can be spelled in different ways, then it's better to do a searh for just julius under "alle kolonner" or "Fornavn"... And Julius is under "Døpte i Vardal 1860-1866", not "Døpte i Vardal 1844-1853" as you indicate in your last post... Naess is spelled Næss (1801), Næs (1865) and Nes (1900). There's not many records from Næss available on Digitalarkivet.no, I could only find "Borgerlig vigde i Hedmark og Oppland 1856-1920" (civil marriages in Hedmark+Oppland 1856-1920) Nes became a part of Ringsaker municipality in the 1960's. [img]http://ringsaker.kommune.no/archive/diverse%20internett/ringsaker-historie-filer/image003.gif[/img] Jan Peter