Where do I begin, my Norwegian Genealogy Research

When I initially thought about researching my Norwegian ancestors, in 1999, 'over the ocean', I froze. That is, my internal dialogue was "What in the world are you thinking? You can't read Norwegian and all of the records will be IN NORWEGIAN!"  True enough.

But, over time and bit by bit I began to tackle this insurmountable challenge. It was all self-taught and took massive hours of patience, study and tenacity. I still have a long way to go, but I feel much more confident these days.

Today, however, it's a much easier journey. That is with the introduction of the internet and the fact that several Norwegian entities have worked hard to make materials more accessible to those of us 'overseas'. Many have even taken the extra step to publish materials in ENGLISH.

Last evening I came across a brochure that will be beneficial to anyone who wants to 'cross the ocean' virtually. The brochure was a collaboration between

the National Library of Norway

the National Archives of Norway, and

DIS-Norge, the largest genealogy association in Norway

A Handbook of Norwegian-American Ancestry

You may find it helpful to click on the link and download the PDF to your computer. It walks you through the vital records available in Norway, addresses the question of 'old Norwegian naming customs', and explains how bygdebøker can be useful in doing lineage research. It also clearly explains the three repositories that can be accessed (virtually) to find those gold nuggets of family history. It also provides links to these organizations, and in the case of DIS-Norway, talks about a particular database called Gravminner (the Norwegian name of the DIS Headstone database).

Final note. It's a journey, not a race. Enjoy the time you spend on researching your family history, but be sure to record and document where you gleaned your information.

What Separates Norwegian Lutherans in America?

I’ve found that among the most eye-opening dialogues are those between early Norwegian-Americans. Two such men in particular come to mind: Rev. U. V. Koren and Martin Ulvestad. Their debate focused on the question of “Why is There No Church Unity Among Norwegian Lutherans in America?”

Source: Luther Seminary • ELCA Region 3 Archives

THE HISTORIAN & THE PREACHER

Martin Ulvestad (1865-1942) was born in Volda, Møre og Romsdal, Norway, and immigrated at age 20 in 1888 from Trondheim. His ‘claim to fame’ was as an author, publisher, and historian. He lived in Minneapolis, Tacoma, and Seattle (1917-1942). The 1930 Federal Census lists his occupation as "Publisher, Norwegian Genealogy." You can read more about him at Great Norwegian Lexicon and The Promise of America. His final resting spot is listed on Find-A-Grave Memorial #84290423. He is best known for his two volume Norwegian language history "Nordmændene i Amerika" (Norwegians in America) was published in 1907. It was translated and republished in this century by Astri My Astri Publishing.

Rev Ulrik Vilhelm Koren (1826-1910) was a Norwegian-American author, theologian and church leader, as well as a pioneer Lutheran minister who served at Little Iowa Congregation (later called Washington Prairie Lutheran) in Winneshiek County, Iowa. He was the first Lutheran minister from Norway to settle west of the Mississippi.  You can read about him on the Great Norwegian Lexicon, and find his final resting spot on Find-A-Grave Memorial #133783360.  On a personal note, he was the minister of the church my mother’s paternal family attended, and was also the mentor and role model for my grandfather, Rev. Gustav Hegg.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Mr. Ulvestad made several public statements in various publications, asking the question, “What separates Norwegian Lutherans in America?” He followed this with the following challenge: “What is needed is a straightforward explanation and comparison of the doctrinal differences that are said to exist.”

Mr. Ulvestad continued, saying, “…[I’ve] come to the conclusion, that it is [Norwegian Lutheran] Christianity, and not our doctrinal concepts, that has suffered the most.” He wrote, “If this were the main issue about which there was disagreement, namely, the way to life in God and the way to salvation, then there would be no talk of uniting. One cannot compromise the Word of God. The way which God has prescribed seems, however, to be clear enough, if only we would follow it.”

Reverend Koren, an octogenarian, took up the challenge and wrote a public response to Mr. Ulvestad's question, which was then printed in the Clergy Bulletin in 1905. The piece was lengthy – 15,400 words – and covered a vast amount of history and theology.

Today we have the opportunity to read and study the famous article in English translation You can read it online here:

  Why Is There No Church Unity Among Norwegian Lutherans in America?

If you are up to the challenge, please read the piece and share some of your thoughts about it.

Norwegian Naming Patterns, Expertly explained in a YouTube Video

Brad Imsdahl is a descendant of Norwegian immigrants who came to Minnesota. He's done a wonderful job of telling his family immigrant story, via a 25 minute mini-documentary, from Oppland Co., Norway to Brooten, Stearns and Pope Co. Minnesota. Brad’s great-grandparents, Peder and Marit Imsdal came from the Imsdalen, a remote valley located north of Lillehammer in Oppland County Norway. Peder immigrated in May 1884, worked on a farm, and later sent money to Norway for his wife and son to immigrate. 

The YouTube video explores the reasons why so many Norwegians immigrated to Minnesota, about the Homestead Act, and why people changed their name, after immigrating.  Of note, is Brad's explanation of the naming patterns, of Norwegians, (4 minutes) at 9:48. It should also be noted that these patterns varied through time and from area to area.

I learned of Brad, and his video, from a Norwegian Blogger named Martin Eidhammer. His picture and brief bio are below, as well as a link to his blog:  Norwegian Genealogy and then some: Genealogy, history and culture from Norway.

Martin Roe Eidhammer is a Norwegian Blogger, living in Norway. He’s married,
has three children and is, by profession, a psychiatric nurse. He grew up in Vestnes in Romsdal
 (Møre og Romsdal county) and we are now living in Skjevik, east of the town Molde (M&R county)

Understanding the new Digitalarkivet website - Launched May 2017

Kitty Munson Cooper is a "a blogger, genetic genealogist, genealogist, programmer, web designer, speaker, mother, grandmother, gardener, dog lover, cat lover, and World Champion Bridge player." who writes a blog titled:

KITTY COOPER'S BLOG

I recently discovered this blog when I went on a journey to understand the new Digitalarkivet web site. The site, at first glance, appears to be rather stright forward, however I'm having challenges navigating it and wanted some insights. Kitty provided this in a blog posting that she wrote February 6, 2017 and updated on June 6, 2017.

In Kitty's own words ...

Searching the Norwegian Digital Archives, a Rootstech Talk 

Many of us Norwegian-American researchers have been complaining about the new archives and its search function. So I went to the talk by Finn Karlsen of the Digitalarkivet hoping to gain a better understanding. Of course the first thing he told us was that the old archive would die at the end of March as would the links we might have been using in our trees to reference data there. This is not news as we have been hearing it for a while... keep reading.

Kitty also has some other interesting posts that may be of interest:

• Kittiy's Family History - her father is 100% Norwegian-American
• Norwegian Genealogy
• Norway DNA Norgesprosjektet • Norwegian Names in your GEDCOM
• Translating Farm Books Using a Norwegian OCR Program

Check out her blog. It's well worth reading.

You can also read about the 'launching of the new digital archives (website) on the sites blog: 

Digital Archive blog

New digital archives are launched with some reduced functionality

posted, May 26, 2017

Uncoding Gothic Script

I recently attended an online Webinar (a seminar that is conducted over the World Wide Web) hosted by the Illinois State Genealogical Society. The title was  "Luxembourgers on the Prairie: Researching your Luxembourg Ancestors" presented by a good friend, Lisa Oberg,  She is a self proclaimed librarian, genealogist, and history enthusiast who lives and works in Seattle.  The premise of the webinar, as stated in her fabulous handout, begins with "Small, but might, Luxembourg is a European county with a distinct culture and heritage. Throughout history, the county has been ruled by Germany, Franc, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain."  I'm not a Luxembourger, but the information she shared was amazing and useful for anyone.

One of the many items she discussed was the fact that the records are written in a script that is not easy to decipher. Blackletter (sometimes 'black letter'), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura is frequently encountered in northern European texts. It is also referenced as Fraktur, a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and the several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. 

To date, there are no known online tools to automatically translate from documents written in this script into English. :( 

That said, I want to share with you a few links that I learned from Lisa as well as a recent reference to Gothic Script that I read in the Fall 2016 issue of Currents - The Newsletter of the Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA). Below is a clipping from that newsletter. It provides suggestions on how to read the Dano-Norwegian language that was used in Norway. 

The author of the piece, Dale Hovland, is a member of the Hadeland Lag and a volunteer with the NAHA at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Kudos to him for sharing his knowledge.

Two of the many weblinks Lisa provided in her webinar handout help the user understand how to navigate the script. 

The first: German Script Tutorial, provided by the BYU Family History Center. This site provides background information that can be useful in understanding what you are seeing on the printed page. 

The second: German Scripts – Stephen P. Morse is located on the website produced by Stephen P. Morse: One Step Search Pages.  These links are widely used by genealogists throughout the world. 

I highly recommend that you check out all of the links in the Blog post, for further insight on how to read documents 'from the old country.'

Still Yule-festing!

Four out of five Nearby Norwegians made it to this year's Yulefest at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle on Sunday, November 20.  Within a few years, the Nordic Heritage Museum will be moving to a brand new site, and we'll have more to explore during our Yulefest get-togethers.

Clockwise from upper left:  Carolyn Merritt, Chery Kinnick, Cathy Lykes, and Luci Baker Johnson (missing this year is Barbara Holz Sullivan).

Poulsbo AYPE Viking #6: Halvor Holte

Halvor O. Holte was part of the "Viking" contingent to represent his community in the Norway Day parade at the 1909 Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition (AYPE) in Seattle. See the explanatory blog entry for this series: Poulsbo Vikings at the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, 1909.

It is not known whether or not Halvor Holte actually lived in Poulsbo, Washington, or how he was selected as a representative member of that community for the AYPE.  By 1913, the Seattle City Directory listed Holte as a watchmaker, so it is likely he was living in Seattle by 1913.

Holte was born on October 7, 1881 in Rindal, Norway.  Having immigrated from Norway in 1906, he was a more recent arrival than the other Poulsbo "Vikings" who participated in the 1909 AYPE Norway Day activities.  Holte, a naturalized citizen, was also younger than the others.  He was about 27 years old when the photograph to the left was taken.

Holte had the dubious distinction of having to register for two United States drafts in his lifetime.  His registration card for World War I lists his brother, Nils Holte, from Bellingham, as the next-of-kin, so it is assumed he was unmarried at that time.  Tall and slender, he had brown eyes and brown hair., and it is very probable that the mustache he sported in his Viking photograph was a real one.  By 1918, he lived at 921 Water Street in South Bend, Washington.

Holte registered for the World War II draft in 1942, when he was about 60 years of age.  At that time, he still lived in South Bend, with his wife, Dora, from Montana, and their son, George.  At some point in his professional career, he began advertising himself as a "jeweler" instead of "watchmaker," as the add from the 1958 Raymond High School yearbook shows.

Fortunate to be very long lived, Holte passed away at age 97 in Pacific, Washington.


Sources:

--Seattle City Directory, 1913
--U. S. Federal Census, South Bend, Pacific, Washington, 1930
--U. S. School Yearbooks, 1880-2012, Raymond High School, Raymond, Washington, 1958
--U. S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Halvor Holte
--U. S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Havlor Holte
--Washington Death Index, 1940-1996

_________________________
Chery Kinnick