Matrilinial Monday – Ivare Kirstine Larsen

Photo of Kirstine & Jørgen found in a Vejle museum

Name: Ivare Kirstine Christensen

Called by Grandkids: I have a feeling my great-grandfather may have called her Bestemor. Apparently she was very fond of him. Otherwise, he and his siblings would have called her Mormor, as she was their mother's mother.

Birth: 1845 Vindbjerg, Denmark

Death: 1932 Vejle, Denmark

Spouse: Jørgen Larsen

Marriage: 1863 Vejle, Denmark

Children: Else Katrine, Kirstine, Birte Marie, Mette Margrethe, Lars Kristian, Maren Kirstine, Søren, Dagmar Augusta, Ane Marie

Parents: Kresten Christensen and Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

Siblings: I only know of one, though I know she had more: Katrine

About: Kirstine was born into a farming community, and I assume her father was a farmer, though at this moment, I know almost nothing about him, so that may not be true. At 18, she married farmer Jørgen Larsen, and the two proceeded to have nine children together, the oldest of whom was my great-great grandmother.

The one actual tale I have of her is when my great-grandfather was ill as a young boy. She lived in a house in town by that point, but they lived out in the countryside, and couldn't even afford to take him to town by cart, so his mother carried him all the way to town, and after he was discharged, he was sent to live with his grandparents until he was well enough to return home. According to his aunt Dagmar, this ended up being more than a year because Kirstine was so fond of him, and continued to insist that he stay.

She lived until the age of 86, and at the time of her death, her children had given her at least 18 grandchildren (I have limited info on several of her children's lives, so it is possible they had children that I do not know of), and at least 15 great-grandchildren.

Kirstine (right) with her daughter (left, grandson's wife, grandson, and their eldest daughter, ca 1926

Brick Wall People – Part 19 – Henrick Hansen

No Photo

Name: Henrich Hansen

Birth: 1793

Death: unknown

Marriage: 1819, Trondheim, Norway

Location(s): Trondheim, Norway

Relation to me: Henrich Hansen was my mother's father's father's mother's mother's father. Which makes her 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): none known

Parents: unknown

Spouse(s): Susanne Pedersdatter

Children: 1 known – Pauline Henrikke Roness

Other Family: none known

Details: Henrich Hanson is one where the names start to get blurred in my family tree. Given his daughter's name, I assume the Roness was a location appellation, and that he likely had it too at one point, just not on the records I have found. But because I have not found it in the records I have that show him, I am still a bit unsure if he is the father I am trying to find in this instance, as he is not listed in the family record that was compiled by one of the Bordewich family in Minnesota. He is listed on his daughter's marriage record, but the name is such a common name, it's hard to be certain I have the correct one.

I know nothing of his life, though I assume he was born in Norway, and will until I am proven otherwise wrong. Beyond that, I have almost nothing. I don't know what he did for a living, or where he lived, though it is likely he was located in Trodheim for a time, as that is where his daughter was born. I'd love to know more about him and his family, both with his wife, and what siblings he may have had.

Proof:

1)      My first proof for Henrick is his daughter's marriage record. Without that, I would have had no clue even who to start looking for. It gives only his name, however, which got me little further.

2)      The second proof I have for him was Pauline's birth record. This gives only a bit more information, but it also lists his wife, which made it possible to find the third bit of proof.

3)      With his wife's name, I was also able to find a marriage record for the couple, though that gave me only a little more information, and got me no further back in Henrich's line.

Needed:

As with most of my other brick walls, I have little BMD info, so I would love to get that better recorded. As I said above, I'd also love to know more about his life with his wife, and how many children they had, and who his parents were, and if he had any siblings. I'd also like to understand the Roness name better, as I'm sure there's something there that I am missing.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Christine Knudsen

No Known Photo

Name: Christine Jensdatter

Called by Grandkids: I assume my great-grandfather would have called her farmor, as she was his father's mother.

Birth: 1834, Thyregod, Vejle, Denmark

Death: 1918, Thyregod, Vejle, Denmark

Spouse: Hans Knudsen

Marriage: 1854, Thyregod, Vejle, Denmark

Children: Jens Christian, Ane Marie, Karen, Mette Marie, Knudmine, Jens Skov, Knud Peter Ingvard, Hans Christian

Parents: Jens Christian Pedersen & Mette Matisdatter

Siblings: Ane Cathrine, Christine, Mathias, Petrea Ane, Peder, Poul Christian, Christen, Karl

About: This is the level of my genealogy where I start to run out of substantive information. I know more about the other branch of my great-grandfather's family than I do about this one, and have three photos of his grandmother on that side, but none of this grandmother. Obviously, she lived in Vejle her whole life, and was surrounded by family until her death. Her husband was a farmer, so I imagine their lives were busy, and that they struggled quite a bit. Especially with eight kids to raise and feed.

She lived a good long life, though; she was 83 when she died. At her death, all 8 of her children that I know of were still very much alive, and all had started families by then. She had just welcomed her 44^th grandchild into the world. She also had at least one great-grandchild before her death, and at least three more were born in the following year.

Brick Wall People – Part 18 – Henrich Christian Schrøder

No Photo

Name: Henrich Christian Schrøder

Birth: 1790, Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Death: unknown

Marriage: 1817, Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Location(s): Slots-Bjergby, Denmark

Relation to me:Henrich Christian Schrøder was my father's mother's mother's mother's mother's father. Which makes him 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown

Spouse(s): Anne Sorensdatter

Children: 3 known – Birthe Marie, Niels, Caroline

Other Family: none known

Details: Henrich is a very recent discovery that I have yet to prove, but the information matches my Birthe Marie's, so I believe that he is the right father for her, or at least am inclined to until I am proven wrong. As it is, I know nothing about this man, given that he is such a recent discovery. I look forward to learning more about him and his family.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Henrich is a PAF file I found at Family Search, so the information is sketchy at best at the moment, until I can find more, but the Birthe Marie in the file definitely matched mine, so it matches in that way, at the very least

Needed:

Anything on this man. All I have came from the PAF file, so I have no absolute proof one way or the other that its information is valid at all as of yet. I am pleased to see that the family seems to have been located in Slots-Bjergby for at least three generations, given his granddaughter was also born there.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Selina Howells

The Howells ca 1885, shortly before the move to Canada

Name: Selina Roberts

Called by Grandkids: Grandmother Howells, I think

Birth: 1846, Duffryn, Wales

Death: 1933, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Spouse: Gabriel Howells

Marriage: 1874

Children: Ellen Catherine, Howell Gabriel, Selina Jane, Gwen Mary, Hugh Cadvan, Eliza Anne, Catherine, Edward Gabriel

Parents: Hugh Roberts and Ellen Griffiths (or possibly Pugh)

Siblings: none I'm aware of

About: I know little of Selina's early life. Only that she was born and raised in North Wales, where she met and married her husband Gabriel. Gabriel was from a long line of weavers and stone masons in the area, and so he made a living there for a time while they started a family together. Unfortunately, in 1877, a whooping cough epidemic swept through the area and the couple lost their eldest two children. They had three more after, but eventually the couple decided to leave, hoping to find a more hospitable location for their family.

They moved to Southern Wales, where Gabriel took a job in the mines doing Masonry. It was hard, dangerous work, and soon enough, the couple decided to move again. By this time, they had six children. They moved across the ocean and settled on Gabriel's brother's farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Unfortunately, between the two families, there simply wasn't enough space, and Gabriel really wasn't a farmer at heart, so the family moved again, settling in Winnipeg. The children all grew up there, and began their adult lives there.

Hugh served during World War I, and he was the first to move away from the area, settling in BC. The rest of the family soon followed, most settling in and around Vancouver, BC. Selina and her husband eventually followed, wanting to stay close to their children.

The couple lived long enough to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary, surrounded by nearly all their children and grandchildren, even one branch that had travelled from California to be at the event. At the time of her death, Selina had 6 children, all of whom were married, and at least eighteen grandchildren.

Gabriel & Selina's 50th anniversary, with most of the family in attendance.

Brick Wall People – Part 17 – Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

No Photo

Name: Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

Birth: unknown

Death: unknown

Marriage: unknown

Location(s): Vejle, Denmark

Relation to me: Else my father's mother's father's mother's mother's mother. Which makes her 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown, though her father's name is likely Ivar, or some variant.

Spouse(s): Kresten Christensen

Children: 2 known – Ivare Kristine and Katrine

Other Family: none known

Details: Else has been on my family tree with her husband from the beginning. She was added to the tree by my grandmother's cousin, who was her father's aunt's daughter on this side of the family. Unfortunately, the only other time I have seen her anywhere was on a family tree at Family Search that had some misleading information, so I have been unable to get further back.

I have no idea where to start looking, given the sparse amount of information on this side. Likely the family were farmers, and therefore there are likely few records on them. But I intend keep looking, though for now, this branch is on the back burner.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Else is the information given to us by our distant cousin, who would have been her great granddaughter. Aside from that, I have no other information on her.

Needed:

I have no BMD information on Else, but I do know she was from Denmark because that is where this part of my family is from. I do have a record of her death in Vejle, so I know she lived there for at least a short time, if not before. I have not been able to find proper census information on this branch, though I do continue to look in hopes of finding some, but they are right on the edge of the time where even that is available. The best I can do is hope to find church book information for this family.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Hannah Jones

Name: Hannah Griffiths

Called by Grandkids: Gu (pronounced Gee, Southern Welsh for grandma)

Birth: 1849, Newcastle Emlyn, Wales

Death: 1933, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

Spouse: Benjamin Jones

Marriage: before 1882

Children: Daniel Thomas, David, Joseph, Jack, William, May, Sophia

Parents: unknown

Siblings: unknown

About: Hannah was born near the west coast of Wales. I know nothing of her early life, only her birth date and location. I do know that she and her husband settled in the town of Merthyr Tydfil after marriage, and raised all their children there. They ran the town post office, though I am not sure when they began to run it, and she continued to run it even after her husband's death in the early 1900s.

Most of their children stayed close to home. I don't have specifics on most of the boys, but my great-grandfather, whom I believe was their eldest child, travelled to Canada with a group of friends, and ended up staying there and marrying a nice Welsh girl he met in Vancouver BC. The family came back to Wales to visit once or twice before Gu's death, and my grandmother remembered her fondly.

David, fondly called Davey, was recovering from a bout of flu when his mother's hat was swept away by a gust of wind and landed in a pond. He insisted upon retrieving it for her, and ended up with pneumonia and died. She always blamed herself for his death. Of the other three sons, I have no further information beyond names. May and Sophia married and settled happily with their husbands, staying near their mother. Sophia and her husband had at least three children I am aware of. Though I suspect that there were other children in the extended family, I have no record of them at this time.

I actually know relatively little about Hannah's life and how she lived, so any information from family would be greatly welcome.

Hannah with Eliza, Basil, May, Sofia and Ivor ca 1924.

Brick Wall People – Part 16 – Kresten Christensen

No Photo

Name: Kresten Christensen

Birth: unknown

Death: unknown

Marriage: unknown

Location(s): Denmark

Relation to me: Kresten Christensen was my father's mother's father's mother's mother's father. Which makes him 7^th generation before me.

Alias(es): None known at this time.

Parents: unknown, though his father's name is likely Kresten as well, or some variant.

Spouse(s): Else Katrine Ivarsdatter

Children: 2 known – Ivare Kristine and Katrine

Other Family: none known

Details: Kresten has been on my family tree from the beginning. He was added to the tree by my grandmother's cousin, who was her father's aunt's daughter on this side of the family. Unfortunately, the only other time I have seen him anywhere was on a family tree at Family Search that had some misleading information, so I have been unable to get further back than him.

I have no idea where to start looking, given that Christensen is one of the most common names in Denmark, and so the name Kresten Christiansen just doesn't stand out. Not to mention the fact that his family were likely farmers, and therefore there are likely few records on them. But I keep looking.

Proof:

1)      The only proof I have of Kresten is the information given to us by our distant cousin, who would have been his great granddaughter. Aside from that, I have no other information on him.

Needed:

I have no BMD information on Kresten, but I do know he was from Denmark because that is where this part of my family is from. I also assume he was living in or near Vejle in his lifetime, as I know that is where his daughter, my 3-greats-grandmother lived when my great-grandfather was a child. I have not been able to find proper census information on his branch, though I do continue to look in hopes of finding some, but he is right on the edge of the time where even that is available. The best I can do is hope to find church book information for him and his family at this point.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Goodbye, Grandma

We said goodbye to the last of my grandparents today. She died last year, and I've been overly quiet about it because it's been hard for me to sort through everything along with the other stresses of my life when it happened. At the time, we had a lovely memorial, and her remaining friends and neighbors came, as well as the lady who ran the home she lived in the last few years of her life, and family from all over, including my grandfather's cousin.

Today's group was much smaller. Grandma's four children, two of three spouses plus a girlfriend, both granddaughters, both great-grandkids, three nieces plus a beau, one grand-niece, and all of that grand-nice's children. The weather was gorgeous. We took the ferry (pre-arranged), and at mid-point in the trip, they slowed, and my uncle threw her ashes into the water, and then several roses were thrown after. The ferry blew its horn three times, and that was it. They gave us a certificate to memorialize it. It was nice. I'm glad I got to go. Afterwards, most of us had lunch at a nearby restaurant, and sat and talked about her and about family... I think she would have been pleased.

I miss her, but it's hard to come to terms with the fact that all my grandparents are gone now, so it's been hard to put it all into words. Of that generation, I only have three great-aunts left. and one is in very failing health, and I think another is not doing too much better. I just remember them always being there, and now they're just gone. I miss them all, each in their own way. I wish I'd talked to them more, asked more questions, been braver in asking the questions I was scared to ask when they were alive. I wish I could hug them all once more.

I guess if I could talk to them one last time, it would just be to say thank you. For being there, and being so strong. For the lives they gave us all, and the sacrifices they made for us over the years. And that I hope, in whatever afterlife there is, that they are together with their spouses and happy. And that I love them very much.

RIP Merle Tydfil Bordewick 1915 -2012

Matrilinial Monday – Lizzie Park

Robert & Lizzie & friend at Mary's wedding in 1917

Name: Elizabeth Curran

Called by Grandkids: Grandma Park, I think.

Birth: 1862

Death: 1954

Spouse: Robert James Park

Marriage: 1883

Children: Jennie Curran, Helen Brown, Robert Curran, Elizabeth, Mary Dunlop, Rhoda, Margaret, George Dunlop, Florence

Parents: Thomas Curran and Jennie Blair

Siblings: Anna, Sarah, John, Thomas, Sarah Jane, Joseph, Rhoda

About: Elizabeth was the eldest child of Thomas and Jennie Blair according to my records. She had seven siblings I know of, and it's possible there were more, though at one time, I only knew of her and two of her sisters, Sarah and Rhoda. She was born in Antrim, Ireland, possibly in or near Belfast, or possibly in the town of Antrim. Though I know little of her early life, I am pleased to have found this much, and hope to eventually find more.

She and her husband likely married in Ireland before emigrating to America and settling in Philadelphia, where they raised all their children. Two of their children, their eldest two died in infancy. They lived in a larger Irish immigrant community, but when times got difficult in America for immigrants, she and her husband decided to move the family back to Ireland. They settled in Belfast for a time, where most of their children grew into adulthood. They were there for less than ten years, though, when one of their daughters married and moved to Canada, then wrote letters back to the family speaking of her new home country in glowing terms, and so the rest of the family migrated there as well, settling in Vancouver, where most of them met their spouses and lived for the rest of their lives. Elizabeth and her husband lived happily in Vancouver until their deaths, his in 1930, and hers in 1954. She was lucky enough to meet three of her great-grandchildren before her death.

Lizzie (right) at grandson George's wedding, with his other grandmother Harde on the left, 1939

Brick Wall People – Part 18 – Hans Henrich Bordevick

No Photo

Name: Hans Henrich Bordevick

Birth: 1769, Bardowick, Germany

Death: 1813, Veilholmen, Norway

Marriage: 1796, Trondheim, Norway

Location(s): Bardowick, Germany; Veilholmen, Norway, Trondheim, Norway

Relation to me:Hans Henrich Bordevick was my mother's father's father's mother's father's father. Which makes him 7^th generation before me. He is also 8^th generation on the other side of this same family.

Alias(es): Hans Henrich Bordewich, Hans Henrich Bordevig

Parents: unknown

Spouse(s): Anna Magdalena Johnsdatter Tiller

Children: 3 – Ole Hansen, Johan Petter, Hans Oliver

Other Family: none known

Details: Hans is one of the few of my brick walls that has been almost researched to death. Not by me, but by the Bordewich/ Bordewick family in general. We know he was born in or near an old town that had been decimated during the hundred years war, and that is where our ancestral name of Bordevig/ Bordevick/ Bordewich/ Bordewick comes from. There is some speculation that he changed his name at some point before leaving Germany or after arriving in Norway, as we have found records with similar information, but the name itself does not match. As of yet, this has not been proven, however.

What we do know is that Hans Henrich arrived in Norway in the late 1700s and one of our first records of him is his papers for Norwegian citizenship so that he could become a ship's captain. We also have documentation on a few ships, and of his marriage to a lovely Norwegian girl by the name of Anna, with whom he had three boys. The eldest died in infancy, and Hans died himself when the youngest boy was only about six in a shipwreck of the coast of Norway. He and his crew made land, but froze to death before help could reach them. His eldest remaining son took care of the family as well as he could after his passing, though we have little record of that time until Johan's own marriage.

Anna lived for many years past her husband's early death, dying in 1846, some thirty years later.

Proof:

1)      As I said above, the family has researched Hans Henrich heavily in an attempt to get past the block in the tree he represents. So I was given quite a bit of information on Johan over the years from my grandfather's notes, as well as the other Genealogists in my extended family, the primary version of which was various forms of the family tree.

2)      The second bit of proof I have on Hans Henrich is the notes from Johan Petter, who recorded quite a bit about his family over the years, though mostly about his children.

3)      The first time I was able to find information on my family online was a tree about the Hagerup family, which was related to Johan's daughter-in-law, who married my great-great-great grandfather.

4)      After that, I began to find records at Family Search. The most important of these is the marriage record for Hans Henrich and Anna Magdalena Tiller.

5)      The Baptismal record for Johan Petter also has Hans Henrich listed, though Johan is listed as Johan Petter Hans Henrichsen Bordevick.

6)      Then there is Johan's marriage record to his first wife, and the marriage record of Hans Oliver to Edwardine Tiller (an adopted daughter into his mother's brother's family, the story goes).

Needed:

In this case, as you can see, I have quite a bit. The main thing we're looking for is proof of Hans Henrich's life in Germany, and where he was born. We'd love to know who his parents were. As I said, we have a guess on this, but no way to prove it at this time, so we are currently unable to get further in this family.

As always, if my family or anyone out there has any more information on this family, I'd love to talk to you about them. I'd love to learn more on any of them, if at all possible.

Matrilinial Monday – Harde Bordewick

Name: Leonharde Marie Bordewich

Called by Grandkids: Grandmother Bordewick, I believe.

Birth: 1861, Lyngvaer, Norway

Death: 1944, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Spouse: Henrik Bergithon Bordewick

Marriage: 1887

Children: Bjarne, Harald, Hans Henrik

Parents: Johan Petter Bordewich and Pauline Henrikke Roness

Siblings: Full: Ida Amalie, Anna Magdalena, Petter Roness; half: Johan Petter, Antonette Henrikke, Anna Magdalena, Hans Henrik, Elsie Sofie, Hans Jorgen, Johan Henrik, Wilhelm, Jørgen Christian, Lars Nikolai, Leonharde Marine, Petra Johanne

About: Leonharde was the second child born to Johan Petter Bordewich and his second wife, but she already had ten living siblings. She was the first of her parents' children to be born after their marriage, as her father's older children had attempted to keep him from marrying her mother, but in the end, Johan prevailed and he and Henrikke were married. The couple had a total of four children together before his death in 1879. Leonharde was named for her father's first wife, who had died childbirth with their final child, a daughter who had died soon after, and had been buried with her mother. As a result, Leonharde shared the name with many in her extended family. She even had a niece who was a few years older and named for the same woman.

Leonharde grew up in a large family, living in one of the most well-to-do households in town, and likely never wanted for anything. Many of her older siblings had already left home by the time she was born, so I am not certain how well she knew them, but I do know that in a small town as she was from, there were few opportunities to meet people who were not somehow related to her, and in the end she married a relation, her half-brother's son, Henrik Bergthon Bordewich, who was actually a year younger than her. It's quite likely the two grew up together, though it's just as likely that they only saw each other on important family occasions, as his father had had a break with his father over his choice of marrying Henrikke, which meant that Hans Henrik would not be able to take over the running of the family business.

They stayed in the Lofoten Islands where she was born through the birth of their three sons, but soon after, fishing became difficult, and Henrik and his brother Eivind decided to try to set up a business between them, and so the family moved to Antwerp to try to set up a home base there. Unfortunately, this was shortly after the Boer war, and though they were Norwegian, their name sounded English enough to the Belgians that they, who had sided with the Boers, hated them on sight, and so after less than a year, the family moved again, this time to a town in North Eastern England called Hull, where Harde's brother had settled. The family stayed there for several years. My great-grandfather, their eldest son, was just taking his examinations to get into Cambridge when the family decided to relocate again, and eventually settled in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Luckily he chose to move with them, as it was there he met and eventually married the woman who would become his wife.

Though Harde had only sons, when the family left Lofoten, they took a few girls with them to help around the house. At least one of the girls was family as well, her elder sister's older daughter, Margit Olsen. The girls remained with the family through their moves. Harde and Henrik lived in Vancouver until their deaths, his in 1930, and hers in 1944, shortly after meeting her first great-grandchild. 

Harde (front l) with son Bjarne and his wife May, their son's wife Merle, May's mother Lizzie, and Harde's first great-grandchild, ca 1942