And here is the summary of Marilyn's trip to Denmark with her cousins. I have to admit, I have not done more than scan this before now, so I'm curious to see what she has to say. With as long as I've been researching this side of the family, it's fascinating to me how much I know, and just how little I still know, in spite of everything, both at the same time.
I recall what first started me on this road—an assignment for a women's studies class on my family. We had to write a paper on three generations of women in my family. Being the family genealogist, I decided to go home and look at my family tree. The story of my great-grandmother dying so young stuck out to me, and my grandmother was still alive at the time, which meant I could interview her for the paper, so I felt it would be a fascinating story to do.
I really had no idea how detailed this search would become, nor how involved I would find myself in my great-grandmother's history. I'm fascinated by everything I've learned, and really, I can't wait to learn more. I'm just glad I got the chance to talk with her about Oline. It's definitely one of my treasured memories.
Just one letter today, though it's in several parts, as it was written on at least two occasions, and also includes the transcript of the trip. I hope you will find this as fascinating as I do.
As always, I've taken out any personal addresses and first names of family still living aside from Aunt Marilyn have been changed to initials. Also, any misspellings have been left as they were written to preserve the feel of the original document.
Idyllwild
July 6, 1987
Dear Maggie,
When I began to write a synopsis of my recent trip to Denmark in response to a special request from Luther's sister Bee, I found that it was becoming something that would be the beginning or rough draft of the complete story I want to write.
This enclosure is indeed rough, as you can see by the errors in typing and sentence structure. It needs and will get a lot of editing, but as I go through it, I am reminded of other events that will go into the final draft. However rough it is, I feel that you might be interested in the outline of my story now, and I am therefore sending you this copy.
If we are able to clear up the mystery of grandmother Sophie's father homesteading in Minnesota, that story will be included in the final. Therefore, the final will include whatever we find out about him and Oscar and Tina. It appears possible that there may be more cousins in the U.S. if Grandfather or Oscar or Tina left any behind. Uncle Hans says there are none, but he has not kept in touch for many years. We'll see.
Marilyn
I'm sending this to Torben also. I hope you received my letter in Chicago. It included 2 photos – one of Sophie and one of her 6 children.
I hope & expect that you had an enjoyable trip, liked Elderhostel, found the Chicago relatives in good form and Uncle Hans in good health.
Marilyn
P.S. My notes of our visit w/Uncle Has do not show that he had a picture of Sophie and Rasmus in his album. I hope you found one.
(COPY)
[Address redacted]
Idyllwild, CA 92349
July 1, 1987
Dear Bee,
I think I have been like a cow chewing her cud. I have had to pause for a while to digest my experiences in Denmark before putting much on paper. The pictures I took have slowly been coming back from the processor, and seeing them has helped in my "digesting" process.
Elsa and I flew together from LAX to Copenhagen, over the pole, and Karen met us there. She had gone from Chicago to Copenhagen a few days ahead of us to visit friends. We had just the weekend in Copenhagen to get over jet lag and visit two relatives and Tivoli and the Stroget. Can you imagine a world famous shopping street like the Stroget in Copenhagen closing at noon on Saturday? That's what they do – all over Denmark the merchants close at noon on Saturday. This is by law, and some Danes I talked to about it find it very inconvenient and don't like it. We visited in the suburbs of Copenhagen twice – the first to a cousin of Elsa's from her mother's side of the family, the second a cousin of the three of us from our fathers' side of the family. They all served beautifully prepared meals, delicious and fresh, on gorgeous china and crystal and sterling silver. That's one generality about Denmark I will make – no matter how simple the home or family I visited, they all had beautiful tableware to use of porcelain, crystal and sterling silver. I am sure you can understand how I appreciated that!
Early Monday morning we got our rented car, an Opel Kadette 2-door, and headed west for Jutland. There we vsited another of Elsa's two cousins. She and her husband and son live on an old farm of 18 or 20 acres that they have refurbished and updated. They have a small private forest, a few head of cattle, they plant a bit of grain and raise kitchen crops and honey. Some of this they sell, but they don't make a living at such a small farm. Ingelise is a nurse and works in nearby Arhus; Helge, her husband, is a professor of biology at Arhus University, and their son Hans-Jakob was just that week taking his exams to graduate from high school. Ingeliese served us the most succulent meal of the loin of a buck shot that year in their private forest. Only one buck a year is taken, and we were honored to share the most choice cut. We did some sight-seeing around Arhus, toured their farm, heard their stories, and generally had a lovely 3 days with them.
Then we took the back roads, through some tiny towns and countryside that was heartbreakingly green under a bright sun and blue sky to our Uncle Adolph and Aunt Agnes. They are very elderly now, but received us graciously by immediately pouring us a glass of liquere in lovely cut crystal glasses. Then we all drove to the home of one of their daughters nearby who set a spread of coffee and cakes and cookies and puddings to please a queen. Others in the family came to join the party, and I met a cousin I have long wanted to meet, charming Henny. One of her sons was there, equally as bright and charming as his mother. Another young man came by in his furniture van -- he works for a furniture company making deliveries, so he swung by on one of his trips in his van to meet us. We looked at lots of pictures and heard many stories, mostly in Danish. Thank goodness Karen knows the language!
From there we went to our cousin Anders in Randers, who was just back from the hospital, having had a hernia operation. But he was on his feet and was the gracious host. We stayed two nights with him and his wife and son and visited his sister Birte for one evening of cake and coffee at which all the rest of the family were in attendance – young and old. At Anders' suggestion, we spent one day visiting the ancient and preserved town of Ebeltoft on the sea shore of the Kattegat.
Where did we go next? We learned that I had yet another cousin in Denmark in my mother's family. Svend and his wife Kathrine lived near Arhus (south of the city) in Lindved, so we planned our trip to include a visit there. It was raining torrents when we arrived at his home, but we stayed for coffee and cake and the taking of some pictures. Svend is about 83, frail, but with such a fine-boned patrician face that I snapped several pictures in order to be sure to capture what I saw. They got out their photo albums to show us some of their lives and events and children and grand children. As soon as we left, I learned later, Svend telephoned his sister Ingrid to tell her all about our visit. We began to sense the excitement I was causing in my mother's family members.
We wound our wet way through the countryside, always taking back roads. We had a marvelously detailed road map of Denmark, and all the roads are so well signed, that it was easy and a great pleasure to wind around the countryside at will. I was doing all the driving because the car's insurance was in my name, but it was not a strain – except when I would try to back up. That funny Opel had a reverse stick shift nearly impossible to find, and when I did find reverse, I could not see out the rear of the car. There was a dangerous blind spot behind me and I needed the help of Elsa and Karen to keep me from hitting things.
We visited some distant cousins that Karen knew well, the Rolskovs and Nanna Christensen, a maiden lady with a huge loom in her basement and a beautiful set of porcelain cups and saucers and plates for coffee. We had dinner with Nanna on service of the old, classic blue and white Danish ware. The Rolskovs had two of their four children at home for a visit (they are in their 20's), and they could do well in English. They also have been living interesting lives of their own – much travel and taking work that was meaningful to them. The young man in the family, Anders, had just spent several months in the western United States living and working with native Indian families.. He had pictures and stories to tell that would be the envy of any other adventurous young person.
Elsa wanted badly to see Legoland for the benefit of her grandson John, so we drove there for a brief visit (it was nearby, and we left Karen behind to visit more fully with the Roskovs) in a driving rain storm. I think my photos for John did not turn out at all, but Grandma can tell John that she was there.
We saw the cities of Silkeborg and Viborg on our way and stayed the night in a "kro" in Stor Binderup. The kro and a gas station was about all there was of the town, but the kro (inn) was especially nice. It was an old thatched roof inn with modern motel units added to it. It was locally owned and operated but a member of what is called "Romantik Inns." This one had been visited by Frederick V (king of Denmark in the 1700's), and that gave the place a special dispensation for something or other. Even though the motel units were new, they still had bathrooms that doubled as shower stalls with hand-held showers. You're lucky that your towels are still dry when you finish showering.
We were heading north the next day, our destination Løkken on the North Sea. Several towns we went through Karen knew well from her childhood. Her mother and father were in the hotel and restaurant business, and Karen grew up in several of them – in Ars, Løkken and Aalborg. At each of them we would wander around looking for the house or hotel she had lived in, and Karen would find the current owner and have long reminiscences with him/her. In the hotel in Ars, for instance, when she was shown the linen room, she exclaimed, "I had the measles in this room!" In Løkken we found the little home they lived in and ate lunch in a restaurant where her mother was cook during the German occupation. Karen left us briefly the next day to pay a personal and quiet visit to her father's grave. He died when she was still a teenager.
Elsa and Karen loved stopping at antique stores, so we did a lot of that. And as you can guess, I found the perfect remembrance of this trip to Denmark – a 3-piece set of coffe cup and saucer and cake dish in an old pattern – Royal Copenhagen "Henrietta." It is a very elegant pattern with lots of gold and small hand-painted flowers. It was an extravagance (I was sincerely trying not to spend much money for this trip), but Karen convinced me that it was a good buy. Inasmuch as Karen for 10 or 15 years was the buyer and manager of Scandinavian Design, an elegant store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, I felt she knew what she was talking about. There was of course the worry about getting it home intact, and it became the 4th passenger in our car – "Don't sit on Henrietta!" or "Is Henrietta safe?" or "Be careful of Henrietta!"
In Løkken, a summer resort along the North Sea, the rain became quite heavy, but it let up enough after dinner for us to walk down to the sea under a bright moon. We were staying in another old "kro" and had a dinner of local fish (plaise, coated in crumbs and fried in butter, big enough to cover the entire plate) with kartoffler (small boiled potatoes) and a vegetable.. In the main dining room someone was celebrating a birthday with about 100 friends – a sit-down dinner with full service, speeches and songs and much merriment.
Our arrangements were that I would do the driving, Karen would negotiate our hotel and dining arrangements, and Elsa would watch the map. At this particular dining room, we were led to understand that if we would eat what they were serving the birthday party people, it would be much appreciated by the kitchen staff. Of course we were happy to oblige. And another thing about staying at these little inns: they never asked us to register in advance or make any payment in advance. Often the room rent included conventional breakfast, so we would settle up the next morning. But we could easily have skipped out early in the morning without paying for our rooms. I wonder how they protect themselves from that?
That weekend was a holiday weekend – Whitsuntide. Many places were closed from Friday through Monday, and although we did not see evidence of many people on the roads, hotels and dining rooms seemed to be very busy. We had a hard time finding a place to stay after we left Løkken Sunday night, but Lady Luck and Karen were with us. Karen came out of a country kro that had no room that she would accept (she was particular!) when she spotted a taxi that just drove up and discharged a passenger. She engaged him in lively conversation, jumped into our car and said, "Follow that taxi!" So for 26 kilometers we followed him on a narrow country road, through forests and over moors of heather, and left him when he waved us off to the left, and proceeded to a charming, fine, old, complete country inn with swimming pool, walking and bridal paths, recreation house with sauna and pool tables, and a large dining room and bar. The lady manager came out with Karen, both of them chattering away, and Karen translated that there was a room for us if we would promise not to ask for breakfast before 9:00 AM! Also, they had just had a big party that evening to which they served wild boar and they were tired out. Karen inquired, "Is there any wild boar left?" So sure, enough we had a lovely leisurely meal of wild boar that evening, served by a charming middle-aged gentleman who, it turned out, was a guest (and friend) of the establishment and offered to help out by serving tables! The wild boar, incidentally, was good.
Another memorable adventure was our trip to the island of Samsøe where our Deerfoot Lane neighbor Ingelise Weber grew up and where her father and stepmother still live. Samsøe lies east of Jutland and is accessible only by ferry. We had a 9:30 AM reservation for the ferry so tried to find a room for the night before near the port of Hov. After much driving and a couple of disappointments in finding rooms, we got closer and closer to Hov and pulled up at the only kro in town. Karen went in to negotiate for a room and came out looking doubtful, but she said, "They have a room for us but the bath is down the hall and the sink in the room does not work. Do you want to look at it?" Well, we had to consider it. Our backs were to the sea, something Elsa said a good Viking would never allow to happen to him. However her mother (Aunt Helga) had always told her that whenever she might be in Denmark she should never worry about staying in a kro. A kro may be simple but will always be clean. So we said of course we would look at it. What alternative did we have? Upstairs we trudged, narrow, winding stairs they were, and looked at the room. Very simple with three cots and two windows.. Down the hall was the bath – toilet, shower and sink. Not obviously dirty, but not inviting, any of it. But what was our alternative? Nobody wanted to commit the three of us to such a deal. Suddenly Karen spied a dirty ashtray sitting on the toilet and dumped the butts into the toilet bowl with a comment. That made the chambermaid furious and she and Karen had a few words. I started to giggle and had to hide myself because I couldn't control my giggles. We said we would take the room, lugged our bags upstairs by ourselves (through the dining room with crumbs on the table), all while trying to help Marilyn control herself. I was having hysterics; I couldn't stop laughing at our situation. A GOOD VIKING NEVER LETS HIMSELF BE BACKED TO THE SEA!! We were a stone's throw from the harbor for the ferry to Samsøe and the beds were clean, so we slept well. Next door to the kro was a bakery where we bought some delicious pastries for breakfast and felt much better in the light of day. Karen went into the bar and paid the bill and came out saying it wasn't so bad after all.
A cup of coffee on the ferry and the antics of a group of school children going to Samsøe for a week's camp-out revived our spirits. The day dawned sunny and clear, and the island of Samsøe was out of this world with charm and a sense of living in a story book, and Lise's parents, Axel and Kisse, were as gracious as one could hope for. We enjoyed their charming old cottage and their erudite company, delicious meals (two of them), a walk around their acreage and a drive around their beautiful island. Axel is a retired doctor of veterinarian medicine and Kisse was a nurse from Copenhagen. They are both sophisticated, well traveled, educated to include the arts and literature, and gernerous to a fault. It was a memorable day for us. We left on the 7:30 PM ferry for our next stop.
Since it remains light until 10:30 or 11:00 PM, we drove across the bridge to the island of Fyn to visit Bogense where Aunt Helga grew up and where Karen knew several places to buy products of folk artistry. We spent a lot of time on Bogense for Elsa, and it was very, very old and charming. We stopped in two places where Karen knew the artists and bought a few little things as mementoes. Spent a lot of time at the Bogense kirke (church) because Elsa had to check out the new arrangements they make for burials. All these years Helga and her sister Anna have been paying to maintain their parents' graves, but this past year they would not allow them to do so. It seems that many churches in Denmark are now planting over old graves with grass, especially near the front entrances, and not allowing old gravesites to be renewed. Many of the new places are being redesigned to accommodate the ashes of cremated people, since 85% of Danes are now choosing cremation. It takes less room in the churchyard, is the reasoning. Anna is understandably upset that she cannot continue to renew her parents' grave, but now Elsa can convince her that she is not the only one to suffer this disappointment.
I'm out of order in this story, I see. I am reminded that before we left Jutland we also drove to Give to visit the grave of Karen's mother, but after more than an hour of searching, we could not find it! Karen was naturally very upset, but she will return to Give after her trip to Stockholm and Helsinki and Leningrad and visit during the day when she can have the help of the official people at the Give church. We were there after 5:00 PM. Then we drove to Thyregod where my father, Elsa's father and Karen's mother were brought up, but it was late then, too, and the church was locked. I have many pictures of Thyregod from our trip in 1978, so I did not mind missing the inside of the little old church.
After visiting Bogense, we drove for the night to Nyborg, the ferry port that goes to Sjaelland. We were getting near the end of our trip and my visit to my mother's people in Fjenneslev and Alsted. We stayed in a grand, new Best Western hotel, one of those set up for conferences, and situated facing the water. It was very modern, still uncompleted in some areas. But as new as it was, the shower was a corner of a tiled room screened off with a shower curtain.. That evening I hosted a dinner for the two cousins to celebrate Elsa's 59th birthday and to thank them both for the many nice things they had done to make the trip possible and such a pleasure.
We were due at my cousin Ingrid's home in Fjenneslev/Alsted by 2:00 the next day, so in the morning we drove north from Nyborg along the seashore to a lovely little old town named Kereminde. We passed, and stopped to photograph, two grand private estates, working farms, really, and one of them being owned by a baron whom Karen knew – of course! She found out all about him and his family from the gardener on duty whom she engaged in a lively conversation. In Kereminde there was a very old cottage turned into a museum that we visited and enjoyed very much. It had a special showing of authentic utensils, furniture, clothing, etc. of the Danish housewife during the 1930's. Naturally we all recognized many of the implements that were in the kitchens when we grew up.
Lunch was had on the ferry during the hour's ride to Sjaelland. Drove to Alsted and pulled in on time to meet cousin Ingrid and her husband Poul. After warm greetings and being shown to our rooms, we of course sat down to have coffee and something. I don't really remember what we ate, but it may have been that they waited lunch for us. They were sitting by the front window when we drove into the yard, I know. Poul took us for a drive around the area while Ingrid finished preparations for the family dinner at 6 PM. He took us to the Alsted church where Luther and M and I visited in 1978 and where I thought my mother had been confirmed and baptized. But she did attend the schoolhouse which was next door to the Fjenneslev church. If all this confuses you, I'll try to explain.
Fjenneslev, Alsted and Flinterup are three tiny towns of a few farms all within eyesight of each other and separated by rolling lands of pasture and crops. The school and a very historic church are in Fjenneslev; my mother was born in Alsted/Flinterup on the family farm still referred to as Stubbegaard. Alsted is where cousin Ingrid and cousin Ulla live and Fjenneslev is (I think), where cousin Kathrine lives. The lines blur, but I was told that the official of division between county seats goes right through that area. The records from the church at Fjenneslev belong at the "county seat" in Sorø and the records from the church at Alsted belong in the "county seat" at Ringsted. Because the church at Fjenneslev has so much ancient history to it, it is classified now as a national treasure of sorts and is supported by the state, while the Alsted church is still a little country church serving the people nearby. The records show that my mother was baptized and confirmed in the Alsted church.
My father, however had told me that he visited Mother at her home in Fjenneslev, so naturally when Luther and M and I were in Denmark in 1978, we went to Fjenneslev and assumed that the Fjenneslev church was Mother's. At that time, the lady who was tending the church for tourists told us that the records were sent to the "county seat" in Ringsted. When I wanted to trace her, therefore, I wrote to the Historian at the Ringstead office. That puzzled my relatives very much because it was wrong. But it was really good luck in the end, because when my letter of inquiry was received by the local historian in Ringsted, he was about to forward it to Sorø. But knowing that Sorø did not have as good a local historian as was in his own office in Ringsted, and since the lines blur in that area anyhow, he gave my letter to one of his people to work on. Mr. Kjaer-Hansen was able to work across both lines of official demarcation and come up with the answers I needed.
I don't think my family members in Alsted/Fjenneslev/Flinterup had anything but a casual interest in family history until my letter came along and until I came along to visit them. Ingrid and Poul put on a beautiful dinner party for us all that first evening – 11 of us, counting Elsa and Karen. None of them could speak any English and I was glad to have Karen along, but the conversation was so excited (at a Danish dinner table everyone talks – nay, shouts – at once!) that not too much got through to Elsa and me. I did understand, however, that they had a great deal of difficulty accepting the fact that I was in Fjenneslev in 1978 and did not come to see them!
Karen left the next morning for Copenhagen and then on to Stockholm, Helsinki and Leningrad and return to Copenhagen before returning to Chicago. Elsa left for her flight to Los Angeles on Saturday morning, and I was left along with Ingrid and Poul and all these relatives until the following Thursday! Oh, but they were hospitable. We tried our best with sign language, a Danish-English phrase book and a smattering of German that Poul and I knew. They had had a German army officer billeted in their home during the occupation of World War II. The cousins each took turns having me over for a visit, a dinner and something special. Two of them had daughters-in-law who knew English, so that helped us a lot. Sunday, cousin Frede (a man) and his wife, Gudrun, son Leo and daughter-in-law Lisse (who knew English) and their two children, 11 and 15 years old, devoted the entire day to me. I was picked up at 9:30 AM and taken to the old family home, Stubbegaard, in Alsted-Flinterup. This is where my mother and her 5 brothers and sisters grew up. A young couple now owns the farm and it is there livelihood. One barn is for pigs and one for cattle. We were shown around and invited in for a drink of wine with the owner's mother and the farm hand, Torben. Jorgen's wife was in the hospital, just having given birth to their first baby. It was raining torrents that morning, but we proceeded with our visit as if it did not matter. And it didn't. Those people are used to weather like that and continuing doing whatever needs doing. Then we visited the family farm of Frede's son Leo, took pictures and looked at family photos and old inherited items, like a large trunk that belonged to my mother's brother Herman (Frede's father). Off to Frede and Gudrun's home next for a big dinner. Then off in two cars to tour the countryside, two huge and beautiful estates with handsome manor houses, one with absolutely gorgeous grounds that the public allowed to enjoy. After that, we found ourselves deep into the countryside at a very, very old cottage that has been turned into a place that serves coffee and aebleskiver and is very popular with those in the "know." It was a wonderful day, and Lisse was a charming young woman, easy to talk with about affairs of the day for Denmark.
One night was set aside for dinner with cousin Kathrine (pronounced "Katrina") and her husband Jorgen. They had a house that is an antique dealer's dream – the furniture and artifacts would bring a small fortune in the right hands. Again, we ate a delicious meal off lovely porcelain, intricately cut crystal and handsome sterling. But no vegetable or salad. Roast beef, boiled potatoes, rich brown gravy, pickles, and for dessert a fruit pudding with rich cream. Their son and family came over after dinner, and so the table had to be set again for coffee and pastry before we went home. One of the most interesting items of that evening was seeing a copper coffee urn that Kathrine has, supposedly handed down through the family from my great-grandfather before he went to America to homestead on a farm in Minnesota. This is a mystery because they have the coffee urn but never heard of the fact that their grandmother's father had gone to America. Uncle Hans in Omaha had been very specific about the fact that when he came to America in 1912 he went to work on his grandfather's farm in Minnesota. I have the local historian, and others, working on clearing up this mystery.
The evening we went to cousin Ulla's for dinner was something else. Her husband Poul ("farmer Poul") was a large and exuberant host, pouring snapps and wine and drinking "skaal!" as often as possible. That meal was a formal "kolde table" smørrebrød meal, with lots of fish, meat, bread, more meat and more bread, and on and on. Then the table was cleared, we went into the living room to discuss the family tree with the local historian Mr. Kjaer-Hansen who was their guest, and then the table was set again for coffee and dessert. A daughter and her son came to pay their respects, and Poul grandly commanded his grandson to sit next to me and speak English. The poor kid was embarrassed, but I tried to be easy on him and soon we were comfortably talking together. The rest of them carried on their talking in their typical Danish way. I think I remember this from my childhood. The adults sit around talking excitedly and loudly, two or three at a time, shouting across the table to make a point, always with jovial good humor. They interrupt each other, embroider each other's stories in tandem, disagree and correct each other, but I never saw a frown. It seems like a game, and even though I couldn't understand them, I watched in amusement and amazement and pretended that the conversation was a ball that I could watch bounce from court to court. But as it always turned out, there were usually three balls going at once!
One day Ingrid and Poul took me with them when they went to the Alsted church to put fresh flowers on the family graves. This was very charming and quite moving to me. They did their gardening and watering on each grave and explained who each was who lay beneath us. A caretaker came by and chatted a bit, then went up into the belfry and began pealing the bell. Poul told me I could go up and watch, so I did – in the little door with the huge key, up the worn stone steps, winding in a tight curve, then up a ladder, the wood worn smooth as silk, into the belfry. The two bells were hung on massive beams; the light came in through small windows in the steeple, the attendant was pulling on the clapper with a fat rope, and the sound went through me in waves. After ringing one bell for about 5 minutes, he moved to the second bell with a different tone and began to strike the hour of 5 o'clock. But he struk it 9 times for 5 o'clock. It was an emotional experience for me; I felt as though I were in another world, and indeed I was. The waves of sound brought me to tears, and I wept for – I suppose – the lost memory of my mother. That experience was fairly early in the week I spent with Ingrid and Poul, and after passing through that emotion with the bells, I enjoyed the many other sights and sounds with a better balance of joy and learning.
And so the day came to leave for Los Angeles. Ingrid and Poul rode into Copenhagen with me to be sure I didn't lose my way or need their help. They are in their early 80's, and I certainly did not want Poul carrying my heavy suitcase, but they wanted to be there and I worked it out so he did not get to carry my suitcase. If it had been a lovely day weather-wise, they would have stayed in Copenhagen and visited Tivoli before taking the train back home, but it was raining again. I'm sure they needed their daily nap when they returned home as it was. I said goodbye to them reluctantly, but I shall always remember them with deep affection.
Luther met me at Immigration and had a welcome-home gift of Flora Danica perfume spray! It took me a week to settle down from the excitement, and I don't know that I ever will. This trip was such a highlight that I am a changed person. I have a lot of great pictures and it will take some time to get them all in order and to write up the story of it. Now I have a lot more people to correspond with, also. And who knows, perhaps some of those grandchildren of the cousins will pay us a visit some day. That would be nice.
If you can sit through this long letter at one sitting, I congratulate you, Bee. I'll close here without further ado.
Lovingly,
Marilyn
As for me, I'll leave most of my thoughts for another time because this is so long, but I have to say I envy her the chance to have gone. It sounds like it was a truly incredible experience.
Finding Oline Correspondance 5
Finding Oline Correspondance 4
A very short post today. I've got Marilyn's reaction post to her Danish trip after this as well so I'll have that to post next week. Beyond these two, the notes are scattered, so I'm not sure how much more I'll type up for now. I'll probably pop in periodically to do more, but I think after Marilyn's reaction, most of what I'll share will just be snippets, rather than whole letters.
If family have anything else to add to the search that they know about, I'd love to hear it. Every time I look at these letters, I find a bit more, so I wouldn't be shocked in the least to learn there's more out there. Genealogy is an ongoing process that can never reach it's ultimate conclusion because there is always more to find.
Next month (Tuesday), I will be starting NaNoWriMo, so my attention to Genealogy will be minor at best, but I do promise I'll be back, and hopefully I'll have all new things to share.
These letters in this post take place between the siblings' visit to see their Uncle Hans and Marilyn's trip to Denmark. The first is a letter from Evelyn to my grandmother about their visit to uncle Hans. The second actually takes place after Marilyn's trip, but before she wrote up her notes about it, so I've included it here as a link, since I actually wrote it up before.
As always, I've left any misspellings as they were written to preserve the feel of the original document.
Dear Margaret:
Your letter came sometime ago but have been busy so delayed answering. I feel I have known the Hansen family forever and sure enjoyed your visit. I'm so glad you wrote to Hans & this week he got a letter from someone from Cleveland & he remembered attending their wedding so word is getting around & mail is important to him although he doesn't feel capable of answering.
We went to our last graduation tonight. Our granddaughter graduated with honors & made the Nat'l Honor Society & got a letter in music. She will enter Nebr. Business School to learn court reporting. She wants to be a lawyer & figures she can pay her way with that skill.
Did you know Elk Horn Iowa is a Danish Community, the largest in the US? They had a big celebration last week. Several years ago one of the Danes bought a windmill, had it dismantled it & reconstructed it there.
This is the season for Eastern Star Luncheons so I have been visiting other Chapters. I don't know many in other chapters but they usually have interesting programs and it's nice to be among people.
Thanks for the pictures and I saw Marilyn's. Hans always shares his letters with me.
We took him cemetery on Memorial day.
Today my back was hurting so I didn't go to his room so Maral went up & then they came down & we visited in the lobby but I couldn't stand the smoking very long.
My cousin & wife came to visit Thursday. They live in Phoenix. My brother and another cousin came and we talked over old times like you folks did.
I sure miss the typewriter, Charles took it when he went to Ca. and he's not back yet.
Keep in touch with Hans. He still talks about your visit.
Evelyn
The second letter is one I wrote up in this post, which details part of Marilyn's trip to Denmark and a conversation about their maternal grandmother.
Next week: Marilyn's trip to Denmark
Finding Oline Correspondance 3
I'm a bit behind on this. A few things came up in the last few weeks, so I've been distracted. But hopefully I'll be back on track these next two Fridays, because starting the first I'll be doing NaNoWriMo for the fifth time, which means I'll be very distracted for most of November.
But as soon as that is over, I plan to get back on track, and maybe write a good deal more on Oline.
Today I have the letter from their cousin Ingrid Hansen; a letter from Marilyn to her siblings containing the letter she received from Evelyn Deats, who was Uncle Hans's caretaker when they got back in touch with him; her response to Evelyn; and a second letter from the Ringsted Archives.
As always, I've taken out any personal addresses and first names of family still living aside from Aunt Marilyn have been changed to initials. Also, any misspellings have been left as they were written to preserve the feel of the original document.
Dear Marilyn,
Thank you for your letter, and for the foto.
We are looking forward to see you here in Denmark.
We hoped very much, that you arrive after the 3rd of June.
We are in Norway from the 26th of May, until the 3rd of June, and will be very sorry, if we do not see you.
In your letter, you asked for our telephone number, here it comes: 03 64 82 37.
We do not speake English, so we hope, your cousin Karen Margrethe will call us, when you arrive Copenhagen, and we hope, she will be helpful, when we meet you.
Will you please send the name and address of the family in Jylland.
We will then take contact with them.
Ingrid Hansen.
(signed) Ingrid Oline Hansen
Dear Torben and Maggie:
Following is a copy of the letter I received from Evelyn Deats of Omaha:
Dear Marilyn,
I am Hans' step-daughter in law. I am the one who takes care of his mail, his business and visits him every Thursday. Your letter came yesterday but I won't be able to get to Hans for a few days as we are snowed in as you can see by the papers.
I don't think Hans could call you on the phone. He is very deaf. He has a Hearing Aid but doesn't wear it much as he has an infection in the ear and goes to Uni. Hosp. Almost every week for treatments. So glad to hear from you as the only address I had was Kai Hansen and I wrote him about Hans.
Hans address is Douglas County Hospital
4102 Woolworth Ave., Room 424
Omaha 68105
On July 6, 1 day after his 96 birthday he had a gall bladder operation at Lutheran Hospital. He was very sick as it had damage his liver and colon and was there till the end of July when the Doctor had him moved by ambulance to County (this is more of a rest home, but they do have a couple od doctors therepart time. It’s a very old building but he gets wonderful care, its clean, and the nurses dearly love him. His mind is so clear, and his sense of humor so great, they have lots of fun with him. Mostly colored nurses but so kind, most of them call his "pop" and call to him as they pass his door and always stop to say "hi" to me when I visit.
Hans is the only one they can visit with as most of the patients are in wheel chairs and most don't know where they are. I've thought of moving him but decided it's best to leave well enough alone.
I got him on Medicaid now so that helps financially. They take most of his social security but leave enough for me to buy his personal things each month. My husband Marcel, his step son, is getting senile and not much help, and Elene, his step-daughter, is getting senile and is no help at all. She was in hospital and rest homes from July 30 till mid Oct. and I went to see her several times a week and took care of her finances. She's back in her apt. now.
I wound up in hospital the last week of Febr. With a bleeding ulcer from all the extra responsibility so now I just take care of Hans. I'll be 80 in June and I wear a back brace so I don't get around much but I still drive the car so if you come by plane let me know so I can meet you. Hans and I have had some good talks about Denmark and his family. I found an old album with pictures of his family in it. I'll take it to hospital when you come and he can tell you about them. I hope he will give it to you as it wont' mean anything to us. After he moved to County I asked him about hisfolks names he said his mother was an Olsen with an "E" but it took some time to remember her first name and then gave me his fathers name and said he died when he was 3 or 4 years old. I've really got to know Hans since he's been at County. When he was in his apt. we didn't see him much as he was independent, didn't need help but always came to our house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He was known as the Mayor of Park Ave. He walked down to the church to the site for his noon meal each day and was always a hit with the ladies. I know you will enjoy him. Awaiting your visit.
[address redacted]
P.S. It looks like we are snowed in for several days. Had to go out the front door only have a narrow path from side door to garage. Neighbor tried to use our snow blower on it but it got clogged up. Beats all, had such a mild winter – no snow – and now with early flowers out and trees budded this has to come. Have grandson stranded in St. Louis till planes can fly again. Live in Nebr. And you find a variety of weather that's for sure. Hope you can read this. I miss my son's elec. Type-writer. He's in Palm Springs for a few weeks. Drove an old couple out there.
Maggie: Torben called this morning. He has reservations on United Flight #277 April 25 arriving in Omaha at 9:57 AM. He'll meet us at the baggage place if we miss him at the gate. He leaves Tuesday the 28th at 9:30 AM. Those flights are very convenient to ours.
Torben has agreed to bring his tape recorder. I think it's younger and less bulky than mine. I will ask Mrs. Deats to have 2 rooms reserved for us at a motel reasonably close to where Uncle Hans is staying. Maggie, would you please ask R to arrange for a car rental for us when we arrive at the Omaha airport? I bought my ticket directly from United, so I don't have an agent to go through for the car.
Torben: Maggie and I will meet in Denver and fly from there to Omaha on the same plane: United #280, arriving in Omaha at 8:36AM. We leave Tuesday the 28th on United #667 at 7:35 AM.
Tomorrow morning I start 2 weeks of jury duty in Riverside, and on Easter Sunday we'll host a dinner here for the Sanborns, Johnsons, Sauters, Alexanders and N Hansen. Then it's off to Omaha and an adventure I never dreamed would happen!!
Keep in touch.
Marilyn
April 5, 1987
Mrs Evelyn Deats
[address redacted]
Dear Evelyn,
The long distance telephone lines have been busy between here and Seattle and Cleveland since I received your letter. Thank you for writing such a nice, newsy letter.
You wrote me that you had written to a Kai Hansen about Hans. Would you please give me his address?
My brother and sister and I are planning to fly to Omaha on Saturday, April 25. Our planes all arrive in Omaha at about the same hour (8:30 Am and 9:57 AM), so we will rent a car at the airport when we arrive. We have reservations to leave Omaha early the morning of Tuesday, April 28.
May we ask that you call a motel to reserve rooms for us that are reasonably near Douglas County Hsopital? We will need one room for Mr. Torben Hansen of Cleveland, Ohio, an one double room for my sister Mrs. Margaret Hillinger of Seattle, Washington, and myself to share. A reasonable price would be about $40 per night per room. We will need the rooms for 3 nights – the nights of April 25, 26 and 27. Tomorrow I begin two weeks of jury duty; otherwise we would be able to visit Uncle Hans earlier. I do hope we don't tire him out too much with 3 days of visiting, but I could not obtain a return flight at a reasonable price earlier than Tuesday.
If you have any suggestions of somewhere we might take Uncle Hans for a drive or a meal, we would appreciate your telling us. And of course we will telephone you as soon as we arrive.
Thank you very much for your help. We look forward to meeting you.
Marilyn Weare
Marilyn, Maggie and Torben visited with their uncle Hans on April 25, 26, and 27th. The notes for that visit can be found here.
Dear Mrs. Marilyn Hansen Weare.
Mr. Kjaer-Hansen, who has made the research concerning your family has got a letter from your cousin, Ulla and has asked me to translate it to English, which I am pleased to do. (I enclose the original letter)
"Dear Marilyn.
It certainly was a surprise to hear signs of life from our cousin in America, but it was a pity that it was not many years ago. I remember tha Father many times said, "If only I knew where Line's children were".
For many years, you know, we did not hear from Uncle Hans, either. but then suddenly there came at letter, and as far as I remember he had been married for 18 years. I think that Father had him searched for by the Salvation Army, -- without result.
Frede has been here to-day and has shown me your letter. It must have been very nice for you to meet Uncle, and nice for him as well. After Father and Mother died I took over the Christmas letters, -- it rarely became more, but a sign of life is also good.
You ask if we cousins know each other. Yes we do, for we don't live far from one another, and I live next to your mother's uncle's farm, but it has just changed hands.
We are still having visits from Mr. Kjaer-Hansen from the localhistory archieves, with whom you have been corresponding. He is doing a good piece of work for us.
We are looking forward to seeing you. Give our love to your two cousins and to Margaret and Torben.
Love to you from mu husband and myself
Yours Ulla. ".
Translation by N.J. Hansen
archivist.
Mr. Kjaer-Hansen asked me to send you the "family-tree", and we hope that you understand it, but we can talt about it, when you come.
The family tree referred to in the letter detailed the Hansen family starting with Oline's parents and going through their grandchildren. I have a photocopy, which also included this picture of their children:
L-R: Top: Oline, Herman, Maren Hansine
Bottom: Ole, Johanne, Hans
If any family members would like a copy, just contact me and I will get it scanned in so you can have one. My copy isn't the best, but it is a wonderful record to have.
I still have a good deal more to come: another letter from Evelyn, and much more from Marylin, including a summary of her trip to Denmark. I'll do my best to get at least some of that up next week.
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - The Ancestors GeneaMeme
Am a bit behind because I got a temp job this week, but until I can get more letters typed up, Randy Seaver posted his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, and I couldn't resist:
"Your missin, should you decide to accept it is to:
1) Participate in the Ancestors GeneaMeme created by Jill Ball on the Geniaus blog.
2) Write your own blog post, or add your response as a comment to this blog post, in a Facebook Status post or note, or in a Google+ Stream item.
Thank you to Jill for the SNGF idea! Jill is collecting Ancestors MeGeneaMeme entries too.
The rules, and the Meme list, is given below in my response."
Here's what I have:
The Rules:
The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item
The Meme:
Which of these apply to you?
1. Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents
2. Can name over 50 direct ancestors
3. Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents
4. Have an ancestor who was married more than three times
5. Have an ancestor who was a bigamist (not that I'm aware of at this point in time)
6. Met all four of my grandparents
7. Met one or more of my great-grandparents (Met three of them, as a matter of fact. And remember two quite well. I was lucky that way.)
8. Named a child after an ancestor
9. Bear an ancestor's given name/s
10. Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland
11. Have an ancestor from Asia
12. Have an ancestor from Continental Europe
13. Have an ancestor from Africa
14. Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer (The Welsh and Danish sides were both heavy farming families)
15. Have an ancestor who had large land holdings (not entirely sure, though I think not. I think most family farms were fairly small-time, though I could be wrong.)
16. Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi (Lewis Edwart was apparently very big in the Quaker church before they left Wales, and at least one of my Jewish great-great grandfathers, if not both, were Rabbis.)
17. Have an ancestor who was a midwife (unsure, though it would be cool)
18. Have an ancestor who was an author (unsure, but I do know that writing runs in the Bordewick family, at the very least. Google Fergus Bordewich.)
19. Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones (Mostly Jones. Though I think I might have seen a Smith somewhere. I could be remembering ex's family, though.)
20. Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
(what, no Scandinavian ones? Or is that too automatic if you have Scandinavian roots?)
21. Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X
22. Have an ancestor with a forename beginnining with Z
23. Have an ancestor born on 25th December (not that I'm aware of)
24. Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day (ditto)
25. Have blue blood in your family lines (who knows? I suppose it's possible.)
26. Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth (both of them, actually. Mom was born in Canada, and dad in Germany, though he was born on a US military base, so he's a US citizen.)
27. Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth (All but one, actually. Germany and Canada. The one born in the states was even born to immigrants.)
28. Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century (two of them--one Danish line and one Welsh line.)
29. Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier (Just the Danes.)
30. Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents (At the very least, Holger Hansen and Daniel and Eliza Jones, though I'd have to look through my papers to be sure.)
31. Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X (not that I know of)
32. Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university (My paternal granfather did get a degree, but I believe he's the only one. I'd have to check on my maternal grandfather, and I'm fairly sure none of my great grandparents attended a university.)
33. Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence (none I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean there weren't any)
34. Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime (my great-grandfather was killed by a motorist when he was crossing the street. Though I'm sure there were plenty more.)
35. Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine (Many here in Oh, Spusch.)
36. Have published a family history online or in print (two books sister and I put together for our families.)
37. Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries
38. Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family
39. Have a family bible from the 19th Century (No, but I believe someone in the family still has the Howells bible.)
40. Have a pre-19th century family bible
So what about you?
Finding Oline Correspondance Part .5
So I know I said last week that I would do the responses to Marilyn's letters from Omaha and Denmark, but then I went through the letters I had and found one that pre-dated my first entry here. So we'll call this entry Finding Oline Correspondance .5, then.
This is how Marilyn got the information that she sent to the Ringsted Archives.
Here are copies of papers Marilyn asked that I look up for her effort to find where our mother came from. The death certificate seemed to be the source of the use of the name OLIVE. I think it is also on her gravestone. Then when I found the marriage license I saw Olive again. Followed by Finland and Asmus instead of Rasmus.
Under Oline, in 1929, her will was probated. It was written Oct 2, 1925 but gave no clues to her Danish heritage.
Found Holger's naturalization papers listing "Aline"s birthdate as 1889, born at Ringsted.
I thought you might be curious about these. Couldn't find Oline's naturalization papers.
Marilyn & Lu are taking a big swing thru the East and we expect to see them next month. They also plan to see T & L later – after Lu's 50th reunion.
The end of May we're going to visit N & see the home he bought last fall.
Hope you both are well as ever.
Torben
An exciting letter for me, because I didn't realize Oline had a will, so I'll have to look into that and see if I can get a copy. Could make for some interesting reading.
As for Oline's naturalizations, I have been told that wives didn't need to be naturalized so long as their husbands were, or were already citizens.
And some scans of the mentioned documents:
Holger's Naturalization information:
Their Marriage Documentation:
And Oline's Death Certificate:
Sorry they're a bit blurry, but any family members who would like a copy, I'm definitely willing to send the versions I have on my computer, which are much better.
Next week: The promised responses from Omaha and Denmark.
Finding Oline Correspondance Part 2
Last week, I posted my aunt Marilyn's letter to Denmark to find out more about her mother's family, and their response. This week, I'm sharing the letters she wrote to her cousins and her Uncle who was still alive in the US.
(Again, I've taken out all the personal addresses below, even though most are likely no longer where my family lives, just for my own personal comfort)
Mrs. Poul Hansen
[address redacted]
DENMARK
Dear Cousins Frede, Ulla, Ingrid and Katrine:
Today I received a letter from Mr. Niels-Jorgen Hansen of the Midtsjaellands Lokalhistoriske Arkiv in Ringsted telling me that I have 4 more cousins in Denmark. My family are as thrilled as I am to learn about you.
In adition, the news that Uncle Hans is still alive and is in the United States comes as a wonderful, great surprise. My brother and sister and I have fond childhood memories of him. I have written to him immediately to ask if I may visit him in Omaha, perhaps late in April.
I shall be traveling to Denmark late in May or early in June with two cousins from my father's family. We will rent a car and drive throughout Denmark fro about 2 weeks visiting family. Although the date of our flight into Copenhagen is not yet firm, I expect that we will be able to visit you the first week in June. Please let me know a day that is convenient for all of you for this historic visit, and we'll make our plans accordingly. I plan to stay in Denmark about a week after our tour.
I am sorry to say that I do not speak Danish, but one fo the cousins I shall be traveling with does speak Danish very well and will be our interpreter. Her name is Karen Margrethe. The other cousin's name is Elsa.
There are many questions I want to ask about your family, but I will leave them for our meeting. I am sending you a photograph of myself taken 4 years ago at my 60th birthday. I resemble my mother Oline very much. I will bring other family pictures with me, including some of my sister Margaret and brother Torben and their families.
When you write to me, please send a telephon number so I may call one of you from Copenhagen. Although I am mailing this letter to Ingrid, it is meant for all of you.
I will close with many greetings to you and your families and my great anticipation for our meeting in June.
Your cousin,
Marilyn Hansen Weare
March 21, 1987
March 22, 1987
Mr. Hans C Hansen
[address redacted]
Dear Uncle Hans:
I am your sister Oline's daughter Marilyn.
I have recently been able to locate cousins Frede, Ulla, Ingrid and Katrine through correspondence with the Midtsjaellands Lokalhistoriske Arkiv in Ringsted, Denmark. The Arkivleder gave me your address.
I am so happy to find you after so many, many years, and I want to go to Omaha to visit you in late April. Please telephone me COLLECT at
Sister Margaret lives in Seattle, Washington now. She has 4 children and 4 grandchildren. She and I have each visited Denmark several times.
Brother Torben Skow lives in Cleveland and has 2sons, no grandchildren.
And I live in southern California. Luther and I have 2 married daughters and no grandchildren as yet.
Father Holger died on Christmas Day in 1977 in Cleveland.
I plan to go to Denmark in June of this year to visit cousins in Holger's family. Now I can also visit the cousins from Oline's side of my family. They know I am coming. What a thrill to have found them and you!
I am enclosing a picture of me taken in 1983, on my 60th birthday. I believe I resemble Oline very much.
It would be wonderful to see you again. Margaret, Torben and I have fond memories of you. I hope you will telephone me right away.
With love from your niece,
Marilyn Hansen Weare
Next: Letters from the cousins, from Omaha, and from the Ringstead Archives.
Finding Oline Correspondance - Part 1
So I'm starting on a book about my grandmother and her sister's search to find information about their mother. I've written about Oline before. She died when my grandmother was nine, and their father lost touch with the only sibling she had in the US, so they lost touch with that side of the family.
In the mid-eighties, my great-aunt took it upon herself to track down what little information they could find about their mother, tracking down her death and marriage certificates, and used the information she found to write a letter to her home town in hopes of finding more family.
The letters below are the letter she wrote, and what followed.
(I've taken out all the personal addresses below, even though most are likely no longer where my family lives, just for my own personal comfort)
[address redacted]
24 February 1987
Direktor
Midtsjaellands Lokalhistoriske Arkiv
Skolegade 9
4100 Ringstead, DENMARK
Mr. Direktor:
I plan to visit Denmark in June 1987 to visit my father's family. I also wish to find any members of my mother's family, and ask for your help in locating them from your records.
My mother, Oline Hansen, was born in Fjenneslev, Denmark, December 25, 1888. Her father was Rasmus (or Asmus) Hansen; her mother's name was Sophie Olsen. She had one younger brother, Hans Hansen, so far as I know.
Oline emigrated to the United States about 1914/15 and worked a while in Chicago. After a visit home to Fjenneslev about 1916, she returned to the United States and lived in Cleveland, Ohio, where she married Holger Skow Hansen (of Thyregod, Denmark) September 14, 1918. I was the second of their 3 children (born 1919, 1923 and 1925). Mother died in Cleveland, Ohio, March 26, 1929.
We have lost all trace of Oline's brother Hans. He lived in Cleveland and visited us when Mother was alive. He was not married at the time, but he vanished a few years after Mother died. We have never known of Mother's family in Fjenneslev.
The above information was obtained from public records in Cleveland, Ohio. I did not find Oline's name listed in the 1911 census for Fjenneslev.
Enclosed is a check for US $10.00 towards any fee you charge for this service. I will be glad to pay whatever charge is required.
It would be a wonderful experience to visit any cousins, aunts or uncles from my mother's family (if there are any), or to see the records, when I visit Denmark in June. I am very grateful for your help and hope to have an early reply.
Very truly yours,
Marilyn Hansen Weare
(Mrs. Luther S. Weare)
The response from Ringsted:
Skolegad 9 * 4100 Ringsted * Giro 9061533
Telefon 03*616859
Mrs Marilyn Hansen Weare
[address redacted]
Concern your letter February 24, 1987,
I wish to give you preliminary answer about your Mothers family here in Denmark, later I can send more information.
You have 4 cousins namely:
Frede Hansen, [address redacted]
Ulla Hansen, [address redacted], married with farmer Poul Jensen
Ingrid Hansen, [address redacted], married with painter Poul Hansen
Katrine Hansen , [address redacted], married with farmer Jørgen Jensen.
I send a Xero with the addres of Hans Hansen he had send a Christmas-card 1986, to Ingrid Hansen.
Your cousins are looking forward to see you.
We have informations-name and dates-about your family, perhaps these can have interest.
Ringsted March 11.1987
Kind Regards
(signature illegible L Something Hansen)
Midtsællands Lokalhistoriske Arkiv
I have more, but I figure I'll spread this out a little since I don't have much to post about these days, and there are a lot of letters I can add. :)
And a note: I didn't even realize until I started typing this up just how appropriate it was to do this this week. It was Holger and Oline's Anniversary Wednesday.
On Jewish Names and Naming Traditions
So yesterday, I spent dissecting the Jewish names in my family.
We've two branches on our Jewish family tree: The Seneft (sometimes spelled Senft)/Hillingers (originally Hilinger), and the Kresch/Reich-es.
The Seneft Family was located in Galaicia in a town called Sedziszow, which was either west and south of Rzeszow in what is now Poland, or a good deal further west and just north of Krakow. I'm leaning toward the idea that they were north of Krakow, as the other location seems far too close to the location I have for Dora's family to make sense for them never to have met.
Leon Seneft has a first name which sounds a bit too anglicized for me, and I need to look into Yiddish/Hebrew variations of the name. I don't know if he was born in Galicia, as I have no record of him beyond the few mentions my grandfather made, a slight mention in my grandfather's birth documents, and a ships' manifest his daughter was on mentioning him as her closest relation.
His surname is another problem all together. Not Yiddish at all, but German. Very German, in fact. Seneft is a Germanic surname meaning "mustard seller." How a Jewish man would end up with such a German name confuses me, so I'm wondering if it was an imposed name for official documents, and there was another more Hebraic surname used in other documents that I don't know at all, or if he used that in England exclusively, and something else beforehand…it's all very frustrating. I do know that a search for Seneft or Senft in that area comes up with almost no hits at all.
His wife, Mindel Hilinger has a much more Jewish first name, though her surname, again, is not very Jewish at all. Despite that, however, I do know that there are many references to Hilingers/Hillingers/Hellingers and many other variations of the surname in the area, if not as many as the other half of my Jewish family tree. Mindel is a bit of a puzzle, though, because Mindel is more commonly a boy's name, and not a girl's name. So that makes me go hmm as well. Unfortunately, I have even less record of her than of her husband, who I have at least found some document of, if not much. The only mention I have of her that I can think of is on Alex and Dora's family book information, when it covers the parents of the couple, and that is scarce at best. I do know there is a possible Austrian connection for this branch of the family, as that seems to be where the Hillinger name is centralized.
Leon and Mindel had at least five children, though there may have been more. But this is where the true Anglicization of names come in. They moved to England when most of the children were small, and so the kids grew up with English nicknames rather than Yiddish/Jewish ones.
My great-grandfather was Alex, though I believe he was born Elias. I don't think the two are an exact match, but I have found a record for an Alex Hilinger variant—Sander Hillenger, a Jewish form of Alexander, which may have been related to my great-great grandmother in some way, so the name may have passed down to my great-grandfather. I also know that at different times his name was spelled different ways—both Alex and Alec.
His siblings all had similar Anglicized names: Annie, Jennie and Jack. There was a third brother, but I don't yet know his name, so I don't know what he may have gone by either way. Jack I assume was probably a form of Jacob, though it may have been something else…Ichak (or other forms of Isaac), perhaps. Annie, I have just discovered, may have been changed from Chana, which was a common translation to English. Other possible options for her name are Chaya, Hinda, Nechama, and Elka, among others. For Jennie, a very common Anglicization, I've found: Shaina, Zelda, Chana, and Gitel, among many others.
On the other side of this part of my family tree, I have Benzion Kresch, and his wife, Fiege Golda Reich. Their daughter, my great-grandmother Dora, was born in Czudek, Galicia, if I have translated my documents right. The town I've found on the map is just west and south of Rzeszow in Poland. Both of her parents have extremely common names for their location, Benzion is one of many forms of the given name Benjamin, and Kresch seems to be a very common surname in the area. Feige and Golda are also very common, and Reich was common in both Jewish and non-Jewish families.
Unfortunately, this means I'm basically looking for the Jewish form of Jones or Hansen on this side of the family, which makes finding them highly unlikely. I did find information today that says that Jewish children were often named for already dead grandparents, and given that my great-uncle, my grandfather's brother, was named Ben, I know that means my great-grandmother's father must have died before 1920. 1919, if the wedding announcement is to be believed, as it only lists "Frou Kresch" as announcing her daughter's marriage, along with Leon Seneft, Alex's father.
As for where Benzion and Fiege were born, I've no clue. The few documents I have on them tell me very little, aside from the fact that Fiege lived in Czudek, and that Benzion was a teacher who traveled from town to town. It is possible that if any of this branch have Ukranian connections, it would be Benzion's side, though I have no proof of that at this time.
Then there is my great-grandmother Dora and her sister Minna. At this time, these are the only two children I have for this pair. Minna (Mina?) was the name Dora and Alex chose for my grandfather's twin sister, so she may have been named for her aunt, though it was not common to name a child for a living relation at the time, so it's possible she was either dead (though I think not—I believe I have a photo of her in the 40s at one of their daughters' weddings). I'm inclined to wonder if both Dora and her sister's names weren't diminutives of some longer name, given neither sound particularly Jewish to me (though I suppose I could be wrong).
To add to this confusion, today I read through the Jewish Given Names article at JewishGen.org, only to discover that there is likely even more confusion on both sides than I'm aware, given that Galicia had so many different language groups, including Hebrew and Yiddish for the Jewish population. At any one time, you might have Polish, German, or even Russian translations of names as well as the Yiddish or Hebraic names. Which means that just about every document you read is likely to have a different version of the person's name, depending on who wrote it, what language it was written in, and the reason it was written.
And the worst of it all…this is only 1/4 of my family tree… I swear, I could write a book on names and naming traditions…
Brick Wall Update
So a Brick Wall update is very overdue. I haven't done one of these since last year, and while I haven't gained a whole lot of new insight in that time, I like to keep posting about these, in hopes someone will find me who has a connection.
Brick Wall 1 -
The Seneft/Senft/Hilingers:
I still don't know a whole lot about my great-grandfather's family before he left England after World War I.
I know that he was born in Galicia, somewhere in what is now southern Poland. I've not been able to pinpoint the location exactly because there are several places with the name on his family record, or that are too similar to be discounted. The one I think most likely at this moment is some miles north of Krakow, Poland.
According to my paperwork, Alex/Alec (possibly Elias or some variant) Seneft was born June 2, 1883 in Sedziszow, Galicia to Leon and Mindel (nee Hilinger) Seneft or Senft. Unfortunately, until I learn more, that's as far back as I can officially go in time. I've no clue when his parents married or when or where they were born, though I assume that they were probably born in Galicia as well.
As for the Seneft surname…I've seen both spellings, but I keep coming back to this version, though I think given the fact that they probably wrote it in Hebrew, it could go either way. I do have one issue with it, though. Seneft is not a common Jewish name, so I can't help wondering where it came from, or how long it was a family name. I do know that at one point the Germans forced the Jews to take German surnames, so perhaps it came from that period? Either way, I've not found a whole lot of Senefts or Senfts in Jewish lists from the time my great-grandfather was born.
I'm not sure at what point the family moved from Galicia, or even how many siblings my grandfather had. I have record of four others, but there may have been more, since my records are not complete. I only have names for three, though: Annie, Jennie, and Jack. There was also another brother, but I've no name for him at the moment.
I did find one more interesting piece of information on this side: Jennie and Jack may have been twins, which is something that runs in our family, so it makes it more likely. I found one record of a Jack Seneft who died in New York, where I know my great-great uncle lived, which gave me a birth year of about 1893, and I found an Ellis Island record for Jennie Seneft which also gave me an 1893 birth date. Neither is confirmed, of course, but it would make sense, given that my grandfather was a fraternal twin, and that his younger daughter had fraternal twins as well.
The Kresch/Reich Family:
I really know even less about Alex's wife, Dora, and her family. I never separated her side from her husband's before now because I knew so little, but with the amount of information on Alex's family, I didn't want hers to get lost. Starting out my search for her side, all I had was her and the names of her parents. This past year I've learned a little more, but not much.
Dora was born January 15, 1892 in Czudek, Galicia to Benzion Kresch and his wife, Feige Golda, formerly Reich. I have record of only one other sibling for her: Minna, but I don't know if she was older or younger.
I found Czudek on a map very close to Rzeszow, Poland, so I'm fairly certain of their location, and the paperwork I found list her father's occupation as teacher, so I have that as well. But other than that, I have nothing about this family until after Dora and her sister moved to Frankfurt after World War I.
Unfortunately, Kresch is a very common name in this area, so narrowing things down is nearly impossible, though I did find a possible record at one point for a Benno Kresh's death—Benno was my grandfather's older brother, and I believe he may have been named for their grandfather.
For this side, I'm hoping to find a record proving their location and whether or not she had any other siblings. I'd also love to find her parents' birth dates and locations.
Brick Wall 2 -
The Hansen Family:
I've recently made a little more progress on this side. I know have confirmed that Rasmus Hansen's parents Were Hans and Maren (Rasmussen) Nielsen. I've found several different Census records showing Rasmus living with his parents, including one that shows he and his first wife living with them, so I've got record of their general birthdates and locations, but nothing before that.
Hans Nielsen was born about 1816, and his wife Maren was born about 1817. Both were born in Soro, though I don't have a town listed yet. The two had at least six children: Ole, Niels, Rasmus (my great-great grandfather), Jorgen, Jens, and Ane Lisbeth. I've got general dates for them all, and assume that they were all born in the Soro area.
According to the records my great-aunt got from Fjenneslev when she sent for information about her mother's family, my great-great grandfather was born in Knudstrup, so likely all his siblings were born there or near there as well, as it looks as though the Nielsens had a farm which my great-great grandfather took over when he married. I'll have to look a bit into his older two brothers, to see why they didn't. Perhaps they went to America? Possibly died in a war, or of some sickness? Or found another place to live? Either way, the first Census record after his marriage shows that he and his wife are living there with his parents still in residence.
Sill have nothing further back, and I'd love to firm up birthdates, but at least now I have somewhere to start. :)
The Olsen Family:
When my great-aunt got the information for her mother's family, my information only went as far back as her grandparents, my great-great grandparents, Rasmus (above) and Maren Sofie Olsen. So I had her birth information—June 27, 1855 in Slots-Bjergby, Soro, Denmark—but absolutely nothing else on her family or his.
I was lucky enough to find her birth record, though, which listed her parents as Ole Larsen and Birthe Marie Schrøder. However, once I started digging before, I found a rather interesting story. It seems that my great-great-great grandfather, Ole, came here to the states (he is now officially my earliest relation in the US) sometime around/shortly after my great-great grandmother was born. Like many men of the time, he left his wife and child behind, stating he'd send for them once he was settled. But like many of those men, he never did.
So Maren Sofie is an only child, and it looks as though as soon as she was old enough to work, she was sent off to work for other families. I do have a possible record of her being a seamstress, which seems likely not only because of the time, but also due to the fact that her daughter, my great-grandmother, also made a living that way for a time, so that may be an inherited talent.
Of Ole Larsen, all I know is a general birthdate—1812. No location at all, though possibly Soro, given that that's where Maren Sofie was born. I know that he settled in Minnesota, but I've only vague ideas of where—I only have the information from my great-great uncle to go by, and I'm not sure if the names have changed in that area or not.
For Birthe Marie, things get even stranger. I have other records for her, but nothing I've been absolutely able to confirm yet, aside from a previous marriage before Ole. For her, I have four records. Her daughter's birthrecord, which is the most confirmed. Then I have her wedding record to Ole, which lists her birthdate as 1820, and shows her as having been widowed by that time. Then I have her wedding record to her previous husband, the one listed on the wedding record to Ole, which lists her birthdate as 1817. Finally, I have a possible birth record, which lists her birthdate as 1825.
For me, the birth record is the most interesting, though it really only lists her mother, and only gives her father's surname. But if I can confirm it, it will give me her birth location as well, which is much further south than her daughter, somewhere in the south of Sealand near the islands or on the islands, if I remember correctly.
I'm speculating that if this is the same Birthe Marie, that she wanted to get married, but was under the age of consent at the time, so they gave a much older age to whomever married them so she could. I know that birth ages weren't something as paid attention to in this time, but that much of a difference, I think she'd know. And the fact that the two wedding records have such disparate ages suggests to me that that was her way of trying to equalize things so that she was closer to her true age.
I also can't help but wonder if she married again after Ole deserted her, though I've no way to know that for certain right now. But I'm working on it.
Brick Wall 3 -
The Park Family:
Since finding my great-grandfather's death record online, I've gotten no further in this search. Finding a marriage record between a Park and a Dunlop is like finding a blue pen in a stack of pens—far too common to be helpful. If I had a first name for her, it might help, but John Park is just too common a name. And I don't even have a location to narrow things down that way.
I do still speculate that her name might be Mary, given that that was my great-grandmother's name—that is to say Mary Dunlop Park—so it would make sense she was named for her grandmother.
All I know for certain is that Robert James Park was born to John Park and his wife, a former Dunlop, on June 24, 1852, somewhere in Ireland (though I suspect Northern Ireland).
I was lucky enough to find a record of the 1911 census with Robert Park and his wife and their children on it, though. To this point, the only record I had of them was the 1901 US census, while they were living in Philadelphia, and before their final daughter was born. This lists them living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1911, and shows that my great-grandmother was a shop girl at the time. Still not sure when they came to Canada, though it can't have been too much later—my great-grandparents married in Vancouver in 1917, so they probably left no more than five years after that census was taken.
The Curran Family:
The Curran family has been a bit less elusive. For Thomas and Jennie (Jane nee Blair) Curran, I've now got 8 possible children, a wedding record, birthdates, and even fathers for each of them.
Thomas Curran I now have listed as being born 1840, though still no location, to Francis Curran and his as-of-yet unnamed wife. Jennie Blair was born in 1838 to John Blair and his as-of-yet unnamed wife. They were married on July 31, 1860 in Antrim, North Ireland.
I've still only got three daughters confirmed: Elizabeth, Sarah, and Rhoda. I also have records for Jennie/Jane having six other children: Anna, John, Thomas, Sara Jane, and Joseph. All my records seem to indicate either Antrim as the locations or Belfast, though I know that Belfast is inside Antrim county, so I think that muddles things a bit.
So far, that's everything I've got. I'm hoping I'll be able to find more, but Irish records are scattered at best.
Brick Wall 4 -
The Jones Family:
Like the Jewish branches of my family, I've come to realize that unless I manage to connect with distant family still in Wales, I may never get any further back on this side. Benjamin and Hanna are far too common names, and Jones is just about the worst Welsh name to research, unless you have specific dates or locations. Hannah's surname of Griffiths is only a little better.
What I know:
Benjamin Jones was born December 24, 1865 (though my notes say 'before,' and I'm not sure why, so that's not an exact date at the moment) in Caio, Wales. Hannah Griffiths was born February 1863 in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. The two were married sometime before 1882, and had seven children: Daniel (my great-grandfather), David, Joseph, Jack, William, May and Sophia.
I've done a little looking at Census records, but I don't have enough information on either of them to be certain I've found the records I need, though I have found a few interesting possibilities.
The Gabriel/Howells Family:
Nothing new here at all to relate, aside from the fact that I recently discovered that one of my Welsh branches is Huguenot-descended. After glancing through the Welsh surnames that I have, Gabriel seems a very strong possibility, as it is a French name. I also know that the Gabriels were known for weaving, and I found a reference to a Northern Welsh group of Huguenots who were known for just that, so I think that might be them. Right now, it's the only line that makes sense.
Since I've got three generations here before my family came to Canada, I think this one will probably be left off in the future until I get further back in other lines.
The Roberts Family:
This one is one I've never gotten any further with aside from finding Selina's mother listed as Pugh instead of Griffiths on Selina's death record. I have no clue where they were from, or when they were married, or if they had any children aside from Selina.
What I do have:
Selina Roberts was born May 26, 1846 in Barmouth, Wales to Hugh and Ellen Roberts.
And really, that's it. Any time I try to look up any of these three, I come up completely blank. Unfortunately, the names, even Pugh, are just too common.
Any help on any of these lines would be greatly appreciated. Particularly the Jewish and Welsh branches.
Where We're From – The Unknown
This post is the last of my posts on this subject. It's also going to take on a different form, because I've got no specific locations to point to with these. The locations in this post are either family rumour, my own conjecture based on names and locations, or my assumption based on the origins of certain groups.
I'll start with the Galician Jews. Though I've nothing before my great-grandparents' births in the late 1800s, most Galician Jews were German or Russian Jews. Because of the location and names involved, I'm inclined to say that my family were German aka Ashkanazi Jews. I don't know how many generations they lived in Galicia, but they probably migrated there at some point between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, as that seems to be when most migration from Germany to Galicia took place for the Jews. And whoever my original Jewish German ancestor might have been probably came to Germany with the migrations from the Middle East in the tenth or eleventh century.
There's also the Hilinger/Hillinger family, whose origins seem to be from Austria, though I have not specific connection to my family as of yet. Nor do I understand how the Austrian Hillingers might have ended up in Galicia, if they are connected.
The next family origin I've speculated on is my Northern Irish roots. Three of the four names I have for those families are what we in America call Scots-Irish, meaning those Gaels who lived in Scotland but were transported out of Scotland and settled in Northern Ireland. Of the four names I have for my family (Curran, Park, Dunlop and Blair), only Curran is a well-known Ulster-based name. The other three all have strong origins in Scotland, leading me to believe it quite likely that at least one line, if not all three, probably trace back to Scotland, though as of yet, I have no proof. I guess time will tell.
The final and most-murky family mystery line is that of the possible Huguenot origins of one of my Welsh lines. I've only recently learned about this one, and though I have some speculation about which line it might be, it's really too soon to tell. But if that's so, that means at least one of my lines originally has origins in France. Which is one of those places I always assumed I had no connection to before this, which I find amusing. And goes to show—you should never just assume anything.
And really, that's it. I'd love to be able to prove even a tiny fraction of any of the above speculations, but that's going to take a lot of digging, and many more generations before I can prove or disprove any of them, so I guess I'll just have to wait to find out.
Thank you all for reading along (if you did), and if you have any insight into any of the above locations, I'd love to hear about it. Particularly if you have any connections to any of the following families: (Galician) Seneft/Senft, Hilinger/Hillinger, Kresch, Reich, (Northern Irish) Curran, Park, Blair, Dunlop, (Welsh) Jones, Griffiths, Gabriel (I believe this is the Huguenot line) /Howel/Howells, Roberts.
Resources:
* The History of Jews in Galicia
* The History of Eastern European Jews
* Ulster Scots People (aka Scots Irish)
* Huguenot
Where We're From – Galicia
One of the biggest discoveries I made in the past year was the location of my great-grandparents' birthplace. My Grandfather was a German Jewish immigrant who came here in the 1930s for the obvious reason. His father's businesses had all failed because of the Nazis, and he took that as a sign it was time to leave. Because of their life, my great-grandfather never talked about his past to his children. He was a very busy man, and once they arrived in America, he grew sick, so there was never a lot of chance to talk about where he was from.
When my grandmother passed last year, I received a number of their papers—including my grandfather's birth record, which I was shocked to find listed not only his own information, but all of his siblings and his parents as well. It was a godsend. We knew that one or the other of them had been born in an area that was now Poland, but I knew nothing beyond that until I saw those papers.
After finding them, I began to do research. Galicia was a German/Austro-Hungarian state in Eastern Europe that passed through a few hands, but in the 1800s was an especially poor place to live for many. One Polish nickname for the area can be translated as "Naked- and hunger-land." Many Jewish peoples were settled in the area, but starting around 1880 or so, pogroms began to drive them out, and they fled to other places, my great-grandfather's family among them.
When World War I ended, the state was disbanded, and the area my great grandparents lived in became part of Poland. Many of those remaining Jewish towns were later razed by the Nazis in World War II. You can read more on the country here at Wikipedia.
I've despaired of making sense of all this, given those facts. But I do keep trying. I'm fairly certain I have my great-grandmother's birthplace located, but I have since discovered there are several possible towns that might be where my great-grandfather was born. I've marked them all on the map, so people can see them.
A map of the locations:
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View My Galician Ancestry in a larger map
1. Czudec, Galicia (now Poland)
This is where I believe my great grandmother, Dora Kresch, was born. I know almost nothing about her life here, only that her father was a teacher (and possibly a rabbi) in the area, according to my grandfather's papers. I believe her father may have died here as well, though her mother later came to live in Frankfurt to be near her daughters, where they moved after World War I.
2. Sedziszow, Galicia (now Poland)
This one I am much less certain of. My great-grandfather's birthplace is listed as Sedziszow, but looking up the location both on Google maps and at JewishGen, I've discovered at least three possible locations for him, and I'm unsure which is the proper one, though at the moment, I'm inclined to believe it's the location several miles north of Krakow. What little I do know is that Alex and most or all of his siblings were born in this town, and that when he was young, his father decided to move the family to England, likely to find a better life for his family.
And really, that's all I have right now. Hopefully someday I'll have a good deal more, but really, I'm even amazed to have this and to be able to find possible locations at all.
Next up: Conclusion – "Pre-history" (ie, where my family might have come from as well)
Where We're From – Waystations
So if I'd been thinking, this post would have been about any place in countries that had only a few locations, particularly those where we didn't settle. Canada nearly fits—the Howells lived in Saskatchewan when they first came to Canada, and later settled in Winnipeg, but all moved on to other places—mostly around Vancouver. Vancouver is the only place where we have more than living or marriages listed in Canada. The Britsh Isles are another—all the England locations were only waystations, as was the Isle of Man.
However, there were enough locations in England that I felt it deserved it's own post, and Vancouver had two generations of my mother's family born there, so I felt it deserved it's own post.
But that still leaves two other places where my family settled for a short time, and should I find more, I will add them when they are discovered. Which means this one will be a short one, but still, both were very instrumental in my family's journey to where they settled.
A map of the locations:
View Waystations in a larger map
1. Paris, France
The Hillinger family left Germany and settled in Paris in the early 1930s while my great-grandfather Alex sought asylum from the US. They stayed there for a year, and my grandfather learned a good bit of French while they were there, even picking up a job as newspaper boy to make a bit of extra money for the family. He later used French and German as a translator in the US Army during and after the war.
2. Antwerp, Belgium
My great-grandfather's father decided to move the family here when my great-grandfather and his brothers were still young. The fishing in the Lofoten Islands was in decline at the time, so he and his brother decided to find new avenues. He moved his family, and his brother stayed behind, between them setting up a relay of goods from one are to the other. Unfortunately, at the time, there was a good deal of animosity toward the British in Belgium over the Boar war, and our name, Bordewich (later changed by my great-great grandfather to Bordewick) sounded very English to them. They were shunned and even in one particular instance, spat upon, so after only a short time in Belgium, they moved again—to England.
And that's it, until I learn more about my family tree. The last two posts will focus on Galicia, which I have only learned of this past year, and the places my family may have come from in even earlier generations which I have yet been unable to conform.
Next up: Galicia