Sunday

On this date (November 12, 1954) Ellis Island Closed

 


On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts it doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since opening in 1892. Today, tens of millions of Americans can trace their roots through Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor off the New Jersey coast and named for mercha...read more here

A Norwegian woman from the west coast of
Norway poses at Ellis Island for the camera.


Ellis Island, a part of our American Culture and the starting point for our Norwegian ancestors, including my grandparents Paul and Dagmar Sevald(sen).




Monday

A welcome gift from new found cousins

 Through Ancestry.com's DNA matches I "found" a new third cousin. Her great grandfather, Lauritz (Louis) Gundersen, was the younger brother of my great grandfather, Nils Gundersen. She put me in contact with her grandmother Adeline. I met with Adeline, a sharp and energetic lady well over 90 years old, and much of her family. We talked about our family and their immigration stories. Read about that meeting HERE. When Adeline passed, just one month shy of her 100th birthday, the family invited me to her memorial held at her home. They shared family photos and!!!! I now have a photo of my great great grandparents Gunder Andreas Nilsen and Marthe Marie Halvorsdatter! Marthe Marie died young in childbirth. In the second photo Gunder Andreas is pictured here, I believe, with his daughter Gunda who took over housekeeping duties after her mothers death.




  Thank you my cousins,



Tuesday

East Telemark Bunad

 If you have Norwegian blood in you, you most probably know what is a Bunad. 
The traditional folk dress of Norway. They differ a bit from one part of Norway to another. They are all beautiful. Here is a photo of a typical bunad from East Telemark, Porsgrund region. This is the region my grandmother Dagmar and her family came from.


I am sure if you have been to a Syttende mai (Norwegian Constitution) parade you have seen this bunad. It is one of the most popular, and I believe most beautiful, of all the different bunads.
The Sons of Norway have a blog where they discuss the bunad, its origins and use today in Norway.

Check it out? click here→  Bunads of Norway




Friday

Best Of Fredrikstad, Norway: City Highlights Video


My great grandparents, Anders and Ann Marie Sevaldsen were Seventh Day Adventist Missionaries to Fredrikstad in the early 20th century. They are found there in the 1900 National Norwegian Census along with their first three children; my grandfather Paul, Karl and Sally.

Thursday

A question finally answered - the death of great grandfather Anders Sevaldsen

My great grandfather Anders Sevaldsen was an elusive fellow to research. I found lots and lots of information about his siblings, parents and ancestors, but information about him, not so much.  I surmised that perhaps it was due to him being a missionary for the Seventh Day Adventist Movement in Norway. Perhaps as a dissident of the Norwegian state church he resented filing with local priests responsible for the vital records of their local parish. Or, perhaps it was because my grandfather Paul, Anders oldest son, never mentioned him. Estrangement perhaps?


Through this blog I was contacted by a gentleman studying early Norwegian Adventist Missionaries. He googled my grandfather's name, up came "Welcome to Ranae's Norwegian Family Heritage" and bammm!! 

Thank you Trygve, I really appreciate now knowing the date and place of Anders death. Even more interesting are some of the details of the life of a man who dedicated his life to God.  I once said that the little I knew, or thought I knew, did not endear me to the man, but now? 

Morning "Aftenposten" newspaper 
Tuesday 18 Nov 1930 pg. 10 

    
 Always searching and looking forward to more of Trygve's discoveries,