Much is available about Nils and his wife Johanne and their lives on the family farm Øvald. An Eidanger bygdebok (local farm history book) mentions them as famous for their entertaining on the Eidanger fjord. This is an etching of Nils and Johanne.
The rights to the farm Øvald came through Johanne's father Ole Gundersen. The first time we hear of Nils is in the Norwegian Eidanger church parish record of their marriage. The record although in Norwegian and over 150 years old is very legible and even I as an American not versed in Norwegian can read quite clearly his name (Nils Jensen) and the date of his birth (1812) and the name of his father (Jens Hansen). The record also clearly states that Nils was born in Bamble. The 1865 Norwegian National Census states Porsgrunn and bygdeboken states the same. And that is where it ends. Before his marriage to Johanne, Nils and his father Jens are nowhere to be found. I have searched the 1801 census extensively for Jens and scoured the Bamble, Porsgrunn (and surrounding area) parish birth records in a 10 year window for the birth of Nils.......................no luck. Did the marriage record of Johanne and Nils state the wrong patronymic for his father Jens? I can't believe Ole would give his wife in marriage to someone who just showed up in town, someone without family and history?
WHERE DID YOU COME FROM NILS??????
I GIVE UP!
Well, for now anyway, but I have quit before and as the Terminator said "I'll be back".
chip chip chip chip chip....someday, somehow, someway I will find you Nils and Jens. Just you wait and see.
