Emigration of Lorentz and Bendigte Strand
Kimi HusseMy great great grandparents came from Norway in about 1872-1873 to either Canada or USA and ended up in Benson, Minnesota. I can not find them on passenger ships to the US so I am thinking they came through Canada. What would be their route and what port would they have landed? I am also trying to find out where in Norway they are from. Any other ways to do this?
Jo Anne SadlerI recommend you read some of the many articles on this site about routes, travel, ports, maps, etc. As far as finding them in Norway you have to research all you can on this side of the pond, including marriage, birth, death records, obituaries to verify parents names. Researching siblings also leads to information. Cyndislist.com has many links with research guides, familysearch.org has a free online guide to Norwegian research and basic research help.
HopkinsIt is hard to guess the location of Benson, Minnesota - but in the 1900 US census there is a Norway born woman named Bendigte (married to a man surname Knudsen) and has 'step'children listed in the household by the surname Strand. All this in Swift County, Minnesota. If this is the right woman then studying the US and Minnesota censuses may help you to expand your understanding of the year that she immigrated to the US. But in the 1880 US census is the Strand family living in Mower County, Minnesota? http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=MINN1880&gardpostnr=86176&sokefelt=skjul
Kimi HusseYes, this is my family. My gg grandfather died Dec. 26, 1890. Bendigte died in 1910. I did obtain her death certificate (these are available from 1910 on) thinking it would list more about where she was born (town) and possibly the name of her parents. Unfortunately it did not, so back to ground zero. We have a good friend going to Norway this summer so I was trying to get straight to the Norwegian part to find the town that she is from. I have studied the censuses and have some family info saying that one baby was born in 1872 and died in Canada. The 5th child was born in Benson in 1876. So I know they came to the US somewhere in this 4 year time period. Rgds, Kimi quote]Originally posted by Hopkins
It is hard to guess the location of Benson, Minnesota - but in the 1900 US census there is a Norway born woman named Bendigte (married to a man surname Knudsen) and has 'step'children listed in the household by the surname Strand. All this in Swift County, Minnesota. If this is the right woman then studying the US and Minnesota censuses may help you to expand your understanding of the year that she immigrated to the US. But in the 1880 US census is the Strand family living in Mower County, Minnesota? http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=MINN1880&gardpostnr=86176&sokefelt=skjul [/quote]
Kimi HusseThe Strand family in Mower County is not a direct line but maybe a cousin. I know that my ggrandmother Marie Strand Horton remarried after her first husband died in 1915. I do not have the year in front of me but she did marry a Peter Strand. Kimi
HopkinsYou cannot skip 'straight to the Norwegian part'. Even with an unusual name like 'Bendigte'. Search for details about those who emigrated from Norway in any and all American records. Check US federal censuses, Minnesota state censuses (1875, 1885, 1895, 1905), birth records, death records, applications for marriage licenses, land purchase records?, local published histories of county, town and/or churches where they lived, and look for records of the church congregation where they attended ! There will many times be a notation about where the member of the church was originally baptised and/or confirmed in the Lutheran church. For the emigrants from Norway - this notation will most often be the name of the parish in Norway where they grew up. You can search for 'Bendigte' in one of the 1865 Norwegian census databases. I would NOT assume that her given name was spelled exactly in that manner but probably similar and you probably have at least an approximate year for her birth. I searched the NHDC 1865 database for females born between 1843 and 1845 with given name starting with 'Bend' - I found 19 possible matches. I would expect her 'surname' in the database to hopefully 'match' the given name of one of her sons. This database has a link for you to study the instructions on its use - http://www.rhd.uit.no/folketellinger/folketellinger_avansert_e.aspx
HopkinsThe record I saw in a US census 'Bendigte' listed that she came to the US in 1875. You didn't mention the names of her sons - but I saw a son named Peter in the same census. The 1865 census possibles included a 'Bendikte N. Pedersdatter', birthyear to match the info in the 1900 US census. I decided to look closer and the 1865 census shows that to be living on a farm named STRAND! in Kvæfjord, Troms, Norway. Most logical port of departure for a native of Troms would probably be Trondheim. Looking at departures from Trondheim in 1875, females with given name starting with 'Ben' - finds this record -- http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=EMITROND&gardpostnr=14194&sokefelt=skjul You have to use ALL the CLUES from every American record possible! You didn't share much information from those records and I just lucked into that one from my own research into US censuses.
Kimi HusseThank you so much... I had tried to do a lot of this but did get stuck. After your message last night I did check again on another web site which said that first children were often named after their grandparents. I am sorry, I just did not know this. I only can go by a printed sheet given to me, which gave me the names of all the children. First born (then died in Norway) were Matilda and Peter. The 3rd and 4th child were Matilda and Petra, then Ludwig, Peter, Josephine, Marie, Theonora, and Marianna. I also tried the Minnesota Historical Society and did not have too much luck.. Anyway I did try to retrace your steps on the NHDC. I was only able to access "Bend" on the less advanced census and a matching birthdate did not show up. I did follow the instructions on the advanced version but listed only her first name in the upper left hand box. I left all the others as none. I filled in female and birth year from 1843 to 1845. What is "og" and what is "eller"? I did not have anything else confirmed so how did you do this? Thank you again for your time from one new researcher.... Kimi (Also thank you thank you from all my family!)
Jo Anne SadlerThey should be registered in one of the Police Protocols: [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/WebMeta.exe?slag=vismeny&fylkenr=&knr=&aar=&dagens=&katnr=5&alle=true"]click here[/url] This is a good dictionary: http://home.online.no/~otjoerge/files/word.htm
HopkinsIt has been a long long time since I read the instructions for the NHDC databases. I just looked at them again -- someone has worked hard on NEW instructions in recent years - nice graphics, explanations of several tricks I'd have to study a great deal of time to understand how to use, etc. But somehow they've almost hidden one item that I use MOST in the advanced version of a search there -- the WILDCARD! You want to look for someone with a name starting with the letters Bend? type in Bend% % is the WILDCARD. You could search for a last name like Hus% or a given name like Ki%. The % can be any letter or combination of letters. You can use it more than once -- for example looking for a Last name like %isvol% is permissable - might not return a list of too many people (since we'd expect that to probably be a farm name and it's a little early in 1865 for many people to start using farm names as surnames). Try that -- I think you'll find great improvement in the results.
BriningHi Here is Lornts (Lorentz) in the 1865 census [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=f61911&gardpostnr=166&personpostnr=1321&merk=1321#ovre"]Click Here[/url] I am pretty sure that this is the family in the 1880 US census listed with the last name Baker [url="http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/webcens.exe?slag=visbase&filnamn=MINN1880&gardpostnr=37618&merk=37618#ovre"]Click Here[/url] Carla
BriningThe IGI at the LDS site has the birth records for their children [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=100227182819&lds=1®ion=12®ionfriendly=Norway&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=®ionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly="]Peder[/url] [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=100083470279&lds=1®ion=12®ionfriendly=Norway&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=®ionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly="]Mathilda[/url] who must have died since there is a 2nd [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=100083470280&lds=1®ion=12®ionfriendly=Norway&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=®ionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly="]Mathilda[/url] born in 1872 and [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=100083470282&lds=1®ion=12®ionfriendly=Norway&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=®ionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly="]Petra[/url] Bekkert in LORENTS MATHIAS BEKKERT KRISTIANSEN's name is probably where the last name Baker came from in the 1880 census. Carla
BriningHere is there marriage record [url="http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/igi/individual_record.asp?recid=500224294820&lds=1®ion=12®ionfriendly=Norway&juris1=&juris2=&juris3=&juris4=®ionfriendly=&juris1friendly=&juris2friendly=&juris3friendly=&juris4friendly="]Click Here[/url] if you click on BENEDIKTE's name you will see her father's name is PEDER VILLUMSEN. Carla
Kimi HusseThank you for all this info. Yes these are all the census's that I have looked up and confirmed that are part of my family. I actually was puzzled by the "Baker" and thought that it was his profession and since he had only been in the US for 5 years, maybe he had misunderstood the census taker. So what is the significance of "Bekkert." I think I understand him to be Mathias son and since the first born had been Mathilde (I am guessing this is the feminine form of Mathias). So if I am to look up more information on gggrandfather Lorentz, can I try Lor%? I actually did try this and found one born in 1834, but a Matthias son. From our family records he was born in 1833. But I just noticed they are showing him with a different birth year on NDHC.
Kimi HusseI did figure out the information about my gggrandfather!!!! Thanks to all for your help. Kimi