New Family Discovery

So I have been putting off posting about this because I had a book I am trying to get published, but now that it's been edited and sent on its way, I wanted to write this up for everyone.

When I first got Nana's mom's family tree, it only went as far back as Oline's parents, so I have been spending a great deal of time trying to piece together the generations before them. Census records, birth records, anything that would give me the information I needed. Oline's mother was one of the first I found a record for—a birth record in the place of birth I had recorded for her.

Maren Sofie Olsen was born in 1855 in Slots-Bjergby, Denmark to Ole Larsen and Birthe Marie Schrøder. As I learned about her story, I got bits and pieces as I continued to research her. It seems her father left for America, and never sent for her and her mother. I also learned that her mother had been married before and had two daughters, only marrying again after her first husband died. Which meant that he'd left all four of them behind.

Well, a few weeks ago, I discovered a new record for a child for Ole and Birthe Marie—a son by the name of Lars Christian Olsen. A son who was three years older than Maren Sofie. I researched him more, and discovered another record for him—in America. So apparently Ole hadn't completely left his family behind. Though apparently Lars hadn't come over until after his confirmation. He was fifteen when he came to the US. Eventually, I also found a marriage record for him. And then a census record with his family.

I'm going to digress here a bit to put things in context now. The reason we had the family tree for Oline's side of the family was because my grandmother and her siblings had gone looking for information about their mother's family because of her death when my grandmother was only nine. In learning the information about their family, they discovered that their mother's younger brother was still alive, and went to visit him. Their uncle Hans told them many things about his life and their early lives. One of the things he told them was that he had come and worked for his uncle Oscar on his farm in Minnesota. So I have always had Oscar listed as a brother of Ole in my family tree, with a child also named Oscar, and a daughter named Tina.

When I looked at the census record, I was shocked because I recognized the names there. Lars and his wife, but also Oscar and Tina. Apparently, Hans hadn't fully understood the connections between himself and the people he worked with when he first came to America. So now I have the family properly mapped out.

> Ole and Birthe Marie had two children: Lars Christian and Maren Sofie.
> Lars Christian married Anna Elisabeth Johnsen and they had two children: Oscar Martin and Tena Marie Bergithe.

According to family story, neither had children, so that was the end of that line.

I also learned something else as I did research. Apparently Birthe Marie died in 1858, when Maren Sofie was only three. So this is likely why Ole never sent for them—by the time he was able, Birthe was probably dead, and he probably had no way to find out where the children were. Of course, there is also a story about a vase that was sent to Maren by her father, and that after, she never heard from him again. But whatever happened, Maren made her way in the world, and had a lovely family, and I will never forget what she and her mother went through; that without them, we wouldn't be here at all.

Four Generation Photos

I've done this one before, too, but I love how many photos we have that show four generations of our family.

L-R: Else Hansen (Generation 2); Florence Hansen; Florence & Hans Jorgen's daughter (Generation 4); Hans Jorgen (Generation 3); Ivare (Generation 1).

Back: Bjarne Bordewick (Generation 2), Merle Bordewick (Generation 3), Mary  Bordewick (Generation 2)
Front: Harde Bordewick (Generation 1), mom's eldest brother (Generation 4), Lizzie Park (Generation 1)

L-R: Mary Bordewick (Generation 1), Mom (Generation 3), Me (on her lap) (Generation 4), George Bordewick (Generation 2)

Me (Generation 4), Dad (Generation 3), Holger (Generation 1), Nana (Generation 2)

L-R: Mom (Generation 3), Sis (on mom's lap) (Generation 4), Merle (Generation 2), Eliza (Generation 1), Me (Generation 4)

Sis (Generation 3), Dad (Generation 2), Niece (Generation 4), Nana (Generation 1)

L-R: Me (Generation 3), Mom (Generation 2), Niece (Generation 4), Sis (Generation 3), Merle (Generation 1), Aunt (Generation 2)


Visual Family Tree IV - The Jones & Howells family

Here is the Welsh branch of my family tree.

Daniel & Eliza's 50th with their three daughters, Marjorie, Merle, & Edwina, 1961

 
Nain with her three eldest grandchildren, ca 1943

Merle Jones ca 1939

Merle, Eliza, Marjorie, Edwina, ca 1930s

Eliza Jones ca 1930s

Jones kids, ca 1925
Edwina, Marjorie, Merle
Ivor

Gabriel & Selina's 50th Anniversary, ca 1924

Daniel & Eliza with their eldest two daughters, Marjorie & Edwina, ca  1914

Daniel Jones, date unknown

Eliza Howells, ca 1900?

 Hannah & Benjamin Jones and their two daughters, May & Sophia, ca 1915

Howells family ca 1885
Back - Selina, Selina, Gabriel
Front - Eliza, Gwen, Hugh

Hugh & Ellen Roberts with Eliza Howells, ca 1886

And that's the lot! If you have any photos you think should be added, feel free to send them my way, or post them below. :)

Visual Family Tree III - The Bordewicks, Parks, and ancestors

Here's the Norwegian-Irish parts of my family tree.

George and Merle, late 1980s

 The remaining Park siblings at their nephew's wedding, 1967
Margie, George, Rhoda, & Mary

Mom's elder brother and sister with Bjarne, Mary, & George ca 1948

George and Merle's wedding 1939, with Harde (left) and Lizzie (right)

 George and Henry (aka Harry) Bordewick, ca 1930s

 Bjarne & Mary ca 1930s

Robert Park ca 1920s

Park siblings, ca 1921-22
George, Rhoda, Mary, Elizabeth (their mother), ?, Margie
Young George at front holding mom's hand

 Bjarne & Mary with Baby George ca 1918

 Mary, Margie, Elizabeth, Bessie, ca 1917

 Robert and Elizbeth & friend 1917 at their daughter's wedding

 Hans, Margie, Mary, & Bjarne on Mary & Bjarne's wedding day, 1917

Young Mary Park ca 1910s

The Bordewick Brothers & Cousin ca 1897:
Margit Olsen, Bjarne, Hans, & Harald

Harde Bordewich ca 1900

Henrick Bergithon Bordewick ca 1890s


Johan Petter Bordewich ca mid 1800s

The things missing here make me a little sad, but I'm still pleased we get as far back as we do, thanks to the Bordewick family photos. If you have any photos you think should be added, feel free to send them my way, or post them below. :)

Visual Family Tree II - Hansens and ancestors

Here's the second half of my family tree, the Danish branches.

Maggie and Marilyn with their Uncle Hans ca 1987

Hansens during wartime (or just postwar): Hansine, Karen, Maggie, Hans Jorgen, Florence, and Marilyn

Hansen kids with aunt Helga and her daughter Else, ca 1929

 The Hansen kids ca 1927-28: Marilyn, Maggie, & Torben

 Holger & Oline's wedding portrait

 Oline Hansen with her siblings ca early 1900s: 
Back - Oline, Herman, Maren
Front - Ole, Johanne, Hans

Holger Hansen and most of his siblings ca early 1900s:
Back - Aage, Hans Jorgen, Holger
Front - Hansine, Alfred, Adolph, Ida
(Missing - Hans Knudsen)

Jens & Else Hansen ca 1900s

 Rasmus & Maren Sofie Hansen with Hans ca 1890

Jorgen & Ivare Larsen  ca 1900s

Ivare and her sister Katrine (I believe), ca 1900s

 Hans Knudsen & Christine Jensdatter, ca 1860s

Several of these are my best guess, as I don't have any actual dates for them, just the dates I already have for the people in the photos. 

I really am glad we have as many as we do, though, thanks to our Danish family who have found or given us several of these. If you have any photos you think should be added, feel free to send them my way, or post them below. :)

Visual Family Tree I – The Hillingers and ancestors

I did this way back when I first started posting to this blog, but the pictures no longer exist where I linked to them, so time to try again.

My sister and I ca 1981 or so in Ashland, Oregon.

 The Hillinger Family at Christmas ca 1971 or so

The Hillingers skiing ca 1960 (my dad is taking the photo)

Dora and Alex with their first grandchild, ca 1948

 The Hillinger family ca 1933:
Back row - Sam, Dora, Ben, Alex, Minna
Front Row - Helena, Selma, Peppi

Feige Golda Kresch (nee Reich) ca 1929

 The Kresch sisters in 1919, Dora & Minna

Alex Seneft ca 1916-1918

 Leon (aka Lewis) Seneft, unknown period

And that is as far as I am able to go back on this side, tree or photo. If you have any photos you think should be added, feel free to send them my way, or post them below. :)

About this blog

This blog is maintained by two sisters who have had a life long interest in geneology.
Mika writes here mostly about our family (Hansen, Hillinger, Bordewick, Park, etc), and her search for more information.
Shannon mostly uses this space as a place to make the many stories written about and by her husband's family (Holly, Walker, Walpole, etc) available to the rest of the family, present and future.

Our blog is named Oh Spusch! mostly because Shannon is bad at naming things. The first post I put up includes a story about the time Walker's great grandfather took his whole family out to see a play and the littlest kept saying "Oh! Spusch!" No one ever figured out what she meant by that.