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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: DonL on Saturday 05 April 08 01:49 BST (UK)
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My grandmather, Olava (later known as Olivia) Olsen (Born in Norway), daughter of Christian and Berta Olsen was married to William Anderson (from Sweden) in Wellington in 1884.
I have not been able to track down when and how she came to NZ and despite some proming leads on her parents these have been off on the wrong track, so it's back to the start in a search for any information on Olava and her parents.
One of the witnesses at the wedding was a Lina (or Lena) Olsen and we have not been able to locate any information about her - although there is an entry in the passenger lists at the Petone Settler's Museum when a person of this name arrived in 1884 a few months prior to Olava's wedding. Olava has identified her parents as Christian and Berta (nee Chritiansen) Olsen on her marriage certificate. Her death certificate put her age at 69 in 1929 when she died so was born in Oslo (formerly Christiana, Norway) in 1860.
There is an age discrepancy as she stated her age as 21 at the time of her marriage. Did she come to New Zealand alone, with one parent or both?
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Hi Don
Whats the thread addresses, so we can see what suggestions we can eliminate
Did you know if she had a sister Bettea/Lottie? born NOrway abt 1864
Did you eliminate the Berte Maria Olsen who was at Norsewood 1893 as her parent?
BYe
Althea
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Hi Don and Althea
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,295417.0.html
this is the thread where Berta Olsen burial has been found
Thanks heaps Christine
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Hello Althea,
It seems that that Bertha Olsen was the wrong person as I have had someone look at the headstone and she has a different husband and I have since found that they married in New Zealand long after Olava's marriage - so its off looking for the real Berta and Christian. I am beginning to wonder if Olava came alone, with her mother or with both parents. I think I need to find her arrival and see if other passengers with the same name came at that time. A Lena Olsen arrived in NZ in 1884 a few months before Olava married and was a witness at that marriage - could have been a sister or cousin - or a sister in-law - there seems to be no record of Lena being married in NZ.
This family of ours is full of mysteries - especially the Scandinavian ancestors Olsens, Anderson and Lindales (Lindhals). Somewhere there are some answers... but where?
Thanks again for your interest - it has been most helpful - even if it eliminates some things we thought were our answers.
Regards
Don
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Hi Don
Whats the thread addresses, so we can see what suggestions we can eliminate
Did you know if she had a sister Bettea/Lottie? born Norway abt 1864
Did you eliminate the Berte Maria Olsen who was at Norsewood 1893 as her parent?
Bye
Althea
Hello again - I do not know if she had any sisters - other than perhaps Lena.
I will re investigate the Berte Maria Olsen and the Christian Herbert Olsen both on the 1893 Electoral Roll residing in Norsewood, Waipawa Electorate. That is a possibility, but again will require a bit of checking... for some odd reason I had been chasing up a Bertha Sophia - the only name on Olava's marriage certificate is Berta, with no second name, same with the stated father, Christian (with no second name) - so here's hoping
Regards and many thanks
Don
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The Christian Olsen is definitely not Olava's father as he is two years younger than Olava - according the the Alien registration files.
Have checked on the NZSG First families records and cannot find any familiar names on the Bettea records - no Chritiansens, Andersons and no Olava, Berta or Christian - so look like ther is no direct connection oher than they were both born in Norway in thew 1860s.
Don L
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Looks like I have been barking up the wrong tree. Information from contributors to Norway-Heritage have located Olava on the 1865 and 1875 Norway Census. Seems she was a step daughter of Bertha (probably her aunt). Olava's parents were Anders Olsen Nordlokken and Helen Pedersdatter and she had three sisters
Inge born 7 may 1858, Petronelle - born 8 June 1862 and Eline born 8 July 1865.
Eline is probably the Lena Olsen who was a witness at Olava's wedding to William Anderson.
The Norwegian informants have given me records back to the mid 1750s on Olava's maternal side. The naming tradition is hard to follow unless you have had that upbringing.
Olava arrived here in NZ about 1880 if the information on her 1917 Alien registration is correct.
I have been unable to track down her date of arrival and the name of the ship which she came on.
Anyone got ideas on this?
It's been an amazing journey so far.
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The Petone Settlers Museum on-line passenger data base has Lena Olsen arriving on 3 May 1884 - age 20 - this pretty well ties up with her birthday in 1865 - arriving just in time for Olava's wedding.
What happened to Lena - Papers Past reports that a Lena Olsen was charged with the murder of a new born child... don't know the outcome or if it is the same Lena. Another report has a Lena Olsen as a bridesmaid at a society wedding. Have not been able to trace Eline (Lena) getting married, or any info on her death..
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That is strange, she should have been Olava Anderson/sen (actually Andersdatter) according to patronymics.
It is fairly simple to follow downwards but tough going upwards ;D
and Helen Pedersdatter (Peters daughter) would usually be transcribed over here as Helen Pederson on records, :o
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Hi Mark2
Yes, some of that info has now come from the Norway Heritage chat site. Seems that Olava may have come here as a single girl - not sure when she arrived. It looks as though her sister Lena (Eline) came her later and was a witness (possibly bridesmaid) at Olava's wedding in 1884 to William Francis Anderson (originally Franz Wilhelm).
Still trying to find more info on Olava's arrival - and would dearly love to find some photos - she died in 1929 when she was 69 while my late mother was living with her.
Thank heaps for your help and interest..
Don L
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Hello Don , I'm researching WWI soldiers and am interested in Carl Christian Olsen as a member of the 1 st Light Trench Mortar Battery. His next of kin was C.F - brother- from Tory St Petone.
Is this chap one of your Olsen family?
I'm not a relative, just interested in the WWI connection for my research.
Keith
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Hello, at this stage of my research I have not come across a Carl Olsen. However if it is in connection with WW1, Rifleman William Carl Frederik Anderson, the eldest son of Olava (nee Olsen) and William Francis Anderson was a soldier in WW1, he died in NZ in 1918 after returning from the war and is buried in the karori Cemetery with his mother and another brother.
DonL
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Hi Mark2
Yes, some of that info has now come from the Norway Heritage chat site. Seems that Olava may have come here as a single girl - not sure when she arrived. It looks as though her sister Lena (Eline) came her later and was a witness (possibly bridesmaid) at Olava's wedding in 1884 to William Francis Anderson (originally Franz Wilhelm).
Still trying to find more info on Olava's arrival - and would dearly love to find some photos - she died in 1929 when she was 69 while my late mother was living with her.
Thank heaps for your help and interest..
Don L
I have now made contact with the youngest grandaughter of Olava Olsen and Frans Wilhelm (William Francis) Anderson which continues a family story that Frans was a crew member on the ship that carried Olava to NZ. They formed a relationship on board the ship (name as yet unknown) and when it arrived in NZ, Wilhelm jumped ship and eventually (in 1884) married Olava.
According to her Alien Registration in 1917 she had been in NZ since 1880 - although her death certificate states she had been in NZ for 55 years, which would have put her at 12 years of age and her arrival as 1874....
Are there records of ship deserters in NZ and the name of the ships from which they came? This may narrow down the search for Olava's ship and her actual date and port of arrival.
any help would be much appreciated by all the family and my new found cousins and aunt.
DonL
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did you consider this might be Olavas sister ?
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Now that's a thought. Olava was either 12 or 16 when she arrived in NZ so it is unlikely she travelled alone.... will check with my new found aunt to see if she knew of any of Olava's siblings.
Still searching for her arrival. Have recently found on her probate that she was called Fredericka Olava and this is the name my aunt has showing on herversion of the family tree... this could be the reason I have not been able to locate her arrival.
Thanks Mark2
DonL
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Using the Frederica name I have now found that Olava arrived in Wellington, New Zealand on board the Arethusa on 7th December 1879 aged 17 and came under the Vogel assisted immigrant scheme as a domestic servant.
So a longstanding jigsaw piece is now in place.
On with the rest of the search for footprints in history.
Thanks all for your help on this one
DonL
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An examination of the passenger list shows that Olava was the only non English speaking person on this voyage - she was accompanied by 374 immigrants from England, Ireland and Scotland. Must have been a traumatic journey judging by excerpts from the on board diary of Charlotte Couchman.
Olava's sister is likely to be the lady holding the baby. She had arrived in NZ in May 1884. ands was a witness at the wedding of Olava.
Still trying to track down the actual arrival and ancestry of Olava's husband Frans Wilhelm (William Francis) Anderson.
Don L
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Have to say Don, that the other woman standing next to Franz is a far better
bet to be Olavas sister, struck me straight away as being similar.
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Hi MK2Z
Your observations are great - this could be her sister Caroline (known as Lina).
So who is the lady with the baby?
If the photo was taken around 1909 then it could only be someone not directly a family member or Frances Mary Pauline Anderson (nee Dumbleton). At her death she had two children Sophie and Henry. Will have to try and find when they were born to follow this aspect up.
Once again, you are a great help.
DonL
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No, they should all be family,
like I have outlaid before, my guess is
sisters husb, sister, Franz, Olava, Percy
^
son of above
^
Nellie, maybe wife of son, (eldest daughter of Franz ? **) , someones wife.
*** this woman is definitely closely related to Percy, Nellie.
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Hi MK2Z
Yes I agree that there are define family likenesses in the ladies.
Having now got some information on Olava from NorwayHeritage I have found that Olava had three sisters, Caroline Olsdatter (probably known here as Lina - a witness at Olava's wedding), Karen Olsdatter and Maria Olsdatter, plus one brother Hans Jacob Olsen.
I know at least that Caroline may have arrived here in 1884 (as per info available on the Petone Settlers Museum site - ) but am not sure about the other sisters and Hans. There are some of these names on the NZSG Index which will need some further followup.
Thanks for your input MK2. Much appreciated.
Incidentally, NorwayHeritage researchers have tracked back to the 1600's with Olava's ancestors - even have copies of church documents etc. Very impressive.
Don L
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Olava's sister Karen Christine arrived in Welington on 27th January 1876 and married Charled Lamberg (from Sweden) later that year. In 1903 Charles died and in 1911 Karen married Emil Cornelius Myhre (name changed from Myers in 1920). Karen is buried at Karori Cemetery with both husbands.
Caroline (also known as Lina or Lena) arrived in 1884 and in 1885 married Emil Pasche.
Still looking to see if Olava's mother Berta and brother Hans Jacob and other sister marie ever came to NZ
DonL