Saturday

1900 Norwegian National Census - Ole Helleksen Family

Norwegian National Census 1900
Eidanger, Telemark, Norway
the farm Røra



Ole and Hanna are my second great grandparents. Ole was born in Bø and all of the rest of the family were born right here in Eidanger where we now find them in 1900. Son Gotfred is married to Kirstine and they have two children of their own. Their daughter Gunhild Marie (my great grandmother) is already married and also living in Eidanger on a different farm. She is on the farm Øvald with her husband Nils Gundersen (my great grandfather) and her first two children, one of whom is my grandmother Dagmar.

Oles occupation is listed as "Arbeider-isarbeide". Google translate was no help so I turned to a Facebook Norwegian group for help. A very kind lady, Mette Fausko, submitted this explanation...

"Before electric refrigerators and freezers became common, the Norwegian winter cold ice production 
was a flourishing business. Ice was of course particularly sought after in warmer countries, 
and large blocks of ice were transported by ship from Norway to even as far as including Spain. 
In 1898, Norway was the world's largest exporters of ice. Here's what a Ice works did."


Ole and his son Gotfred were ice cutters!

our Great Great Grandparents
Ole Helleksen
b. 12 February 1842 Bø, Telemark, Norway
d. 21 October 1904 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway

Hanna Matea Gunuldsdatter
b. 22 August 1848 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway
d. 3 November 1902 Eidanger, Telemark, Norway