Olava Olsen

[DonL]

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?

[Thamesite2017]

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

[cmclayton]

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

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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.

[DonL]

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..

[Mk2_Zephyr]

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 

and Helen Pedersdatter (Peters daughter) would usually be transcribed over here as Helen Pederson on records,