Olava Olsen

[DonL]

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

[Ven]

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

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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

[Mk2_Zephyr]

 did you consider this might be Olavas sister ?

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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

[DonL]

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

[Mk2_Zephyr]

 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.