looking for ancestors Tjersland
chris thomson	I am currently doing my husbands genealogy and I know that his family came to America from Norway (specifically Flekkefjord) around 1869-70. In Norway their names were Lars and Mathilde Tjersland and their son Berngar August Leo. I am looking to find out when they left Norway and where they landed in America. Thanks for all your help in advance Chris Thomson
Hopkins	Did they emigrate to the US? Did any of them survive to be listed in the 1900, 1910 and/or 1920 US censuses? Those censuses will help you determine the year of birth for each listed in those censuses and possibly a more accurate year for when they arrived in the US. Both dates can be very important to finding them in emigration lists, if possible. Did the son later go by the given name Ben? settle in Skagit Co. Washington?
Jo Anne Sadler	What were Lars and Mathilde patronymic names?
Jo Anne Sadler	Here they are in the 1865 census, Vest-Agder: [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f61004.wc2&gardpostnr=193&personpostnr=1211&merk=1211#ovre"]click here[/url] They most likely left from Kristiansund but those records do not start until 1873. The Flekkefjord church records from 1724-1931 have been microfilmed by LDS and can be rented at a local History Center. That would give you much information including their moving out record for their exact date of emigration. In looking at the Index of Departures on this site, the great majority of ships during this period went to Quebec. After you identify their exact date of departure, you can rent the Quebec passenger list microfilms from a Family History Center or by inter-library loan.
chris thomson	I find Lars and Mathilde in the 1880 census for Chicago and then I find Berngar in the 1900,1910 & 1920 census also for Chicago. It looks like they came to America chose Chicago and settled down and stayed put. I lose Lars and Mathilde after the 1880 census. I feel fairly certain they stayed there I just can't find them. I don't know what port they came into but thanks for the tip about the church records! And can someone please tell me what a Handelsborger is! Thanks for the help
Hopkins	But they didn't use the name Tjersland in America? No wonder I couldn't find references to them in the US censuses.... The 1880 census lists them under the surname Thomson.... They have earlier lived in Minnesota and had a son born there 7 years earlier. Matilde was born in Prussia and Lars born in Norway (the 1865 Norwegian census clarified the location as Nes in Vest-Agder). The LDS FamilySearch website indicates that someone else has done some work on that family - submitting information over 20 years ago? perhaps that submitter did more work later? You'll find help for how to read and use the Norwegian parish church records here - http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~norway/articles.html Handelsborger would be a compound word - consult this word list online - http://home.online.no/%7Eotjoerge/files/word.htm
Jo Anne Sadler	In the Einar Haugen modern dictionary, handelsborger means "business license".
Jo Anne Sadler	There is a Lars and Berngar Thomson listed in the Illinois State Death Index: [url="http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/GenealogyMWeb/IDPHDeathSearchServlet"]click here[/url]
Jo Anne Sadler	1900 census, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois Mathilda Thompson, 58, born March 1842 in Germany, head of household, married, married 35 years, 12 children, 5 living. Immigrated 1870. Louis, born June 1878 in Illinois Bettie born September 1880 in Illinois Lars, Jr., born Oct. 1885 in Illinois She might have been a widow and listing her as married could be an error.