returning ships
thelebrityAll passenger lists I've come across on the web are concerning ships arriving in the USA. Where should one look to find passenger lists for ships departuring USA to arrive in Norway? What archives will have such lists? Per Helge Seglsten
BorgeHello Per Helge You do not mention any time frame in you question, but whatever it is, your chances are not good I'm afraid. As far as I have brought to my knowledge, there are no archived passenger manifests for ships arriving to Norway. However there are The British Board of Trade passenger lists inwards which exists for the years 1878-1888 and 1890-1960. You could be lucky to find the people you are looking for as passengers traveling via Britain to Norway from the US, as this was a very common route. The bad news is that these lists are not filmed. They can only be seen at the Public Record Office in Kew, England. In addition to that, there are passenger lists inwards for the Norwegian America Line, starting from 1912. However they are limited to 1st and 2nd class passenger only. The lists are available at the Norwegian-American Collection National Library, Oslo (Nasjonalbiblioteket, avd. Oslo) Børge Solem
thelebrityI was thinking of the years between 1886 and 1905. I guess that leaves me with Kew. I don't suppose any US records exist that could be helpful, or... Per Helge Seglsten
BorgePer Helge If you find any such lists in the US let us know! Børge Solem
Richard LineI also have ancestors returning to Norway. 1. Johannes (app.1870's) did not like Indians. 2. Gabriel Line returned twice to Norway before marrying and finally returning to Minn in 1911. It would be nice to find ports/dates to better understand what my grandfather was doing for repeat return to Norway Richard Line
jwknudsenHello Borge & Per Helge: I just read your exchanges about returning passengers, a question I was about to pose (original inquiry below for reference) I've inquired about this at The National Archives and Records Administration, but have no news from them. I'll keep you posted. Absent passenger manifests, were any sorts of police records kept for returning citizens who stayed to live for some time? For example, my great-aunt Anny Knudsen was born in the US and brought back as a child to live in Norway. To my knowledge, she died there during the Occupation. Would she have been considered an American citizen based on her US birth, or Norwegian since she was a minor travelling with her Norwegian mother? Would her situation trigger some sort of immigration or municipal record? Thanks for your assistance, John Knudsen knudsenje@worldnet.att.net Original inquiry: Where can I access of passengers arriving in Norway 1890 - 1920? I am searching for passenger manifests listing family members who travelled between the U.S. and Norway between 1895 - 1913. While I've been able to locate ample records of their emigration to the U.S., I've found none for return trips to Norway. I am currently searching for two specific manifests: The first manifest would list my great-grandmother Marie Sofie Knudsen travelling with her children (Karl, Adolf, Nicolai, Anny, Hans) from New York to Norway (Kristiansand?) sometime between 1895 - 1900. The second manifest would list my grandmother Amalia Thorsen Knudsen and her infant children (Evelyn, John) enroute to Norway (presumably Bergen) sometime between 1912-13. Marie Knudsen and her eldest children first appeared in the Digitalarkivet as April 1891 emigrants (#'s 20218-20222) sailing from Kristiansand to New York on Thingvalla. They were later enumerated in the 1900 Norwegian census (#'s 2457-2463) at 0922 Hisø (Sandvigen). Amalia Knudsen and the children appear in the Digitalarkivet as May 1914 emigrants (#'s 79629-79631) sailing from Kristiansand to New York on Kristianafjord. The U.S. National Archives record their arrival in New York June 1, 1914 .
jwknudsenDear Borge & Per Helge; I've had a 12/11 email from National Archives & Records Administration re: outbound passengers. The US does not keep records of passengers going abroad. NARA advises checking the Norwegian Archives. I'm sorry to hear the Norwegian-American Line collection only covers 1st. & 2nd class passengers. I have a relative who's said to have made 40 crossings on the line working off his passage, so he'd never appear in those lists. Ah well... Best, JK
BorgeWell, if he worked off his passage, he would probably be considered being a seaman, so maybe you will be able to find him in a seaman's record somewhere. Børge Solem