The Roness Family
I have very little information on this branch of my Norwegian
family. My connection to this line comes from my grandfather's
great-grandmother, Henrikke Roness. Henrikke was the second wife of Johan
Petter Bordewich, and had four children with him, three after their marriage,
and one before. I know little about her life, or how she ended up with Johan,
as she is the age of one of his children, not to mention the above mentioned
child out of wedlock.
Her firstborn was Johan's second child out of wedlock. He
lost his wife when he was in his forties, already had ten living children,
several of which were approaching adulthood. When he became involved with one
of the family's help and got her pregnant, he considered marrying her, but his
children insisted he send both the woman and her child away. Johan did, though
he provided for his child throughout her childhood. He later became involved
with Henrikke, and in 1858, she gave birth to their first child. Again, Johan's
children blocked his attempt to marry, but this time he refused to send
Henrikke and her child away. The couple married two years later, despite his
children's' objections, and my great-great grandmother Leonharde Marine was
born two years later. She was named for Johan's first wife.
The family has many fascinating stories about Johan, but I
find myself wondering about this woman, who was not only willing to have a
child out of wedlock in a family where many of the members obviously did not appreciate
her presence, but ended up marrying a man twenty years her senior and proceeded
to have three more children with him. Granted, such disparate ages weren't
entirely uncommon in the "old world," but by this time they were
becoming less and less common, but I still think it makes her an interesting person
to look at.
Unfortunately, I don't know anything for certain about her family,
aside from one record and what I have found online in others' trees, which unfortunately
tells me little. I only have one generation before hers in my tree, though I
think I have found trees that go much further back. For now, I have ended with
what little I have found in the records, (her wedding record, birth record, and
her parents' wedding record) but I always keep looking when I am working on
this branch of the tree.
My Roness line for those interested:
* Henrik Hansen, born 1793, married Susanne Pedersdatter in
1819 in Norway. I only have Henrikke listed for them, though I am uncertain
where the Roness comes in. One of my Scandinavian friends mentioned that the
spelling is unusual, and I did at one point find another spelling, Ronæs, which
he said sounds much more plausible. I do not know when Henrik died.
* Henrikke was born Pauline Henrikke Roness in 1828 in Trondheim,
Norway. She married Johan Bordewich 1860 in Nordland, Norway. They had four
children together: Ida Amalie, Leonhard Marine, Anna Magdalena, and Petter
Roness. She outlived Johan and died in 1892 in Nordland, Norway.
+ Ida was born 1858 in Nordland,
Norway. She married Peder Martin Olsen 1881 in Nordland. They had six children:
Johan Peter, Johan Henry Sofus, Margit Elise Roness, Astrid Susanne Groth,
Halfrid, and Hans Henrik Bordewich. I have two more generations after her
children, but no information beyond that. She died in 1930.
+ Leonharde was born 1861 in
Nordland, Norway. She married her cousin Henrik Bergithon Bordewich (later
Bordewick) in 1887. They had three sons: Bjarne, Harald, and Hans Henrik. For
more about their family, consult the Bordewick surname post. Leonharde died in
1944, shortly after meeting her first great-grandchild.
+ Anna was born 1862. She married
Aksel Magnus Kjelsberg (later Kelsberg) in 1890. They had five children:
Astrid, Gudrun, Peter Bordewick, Sverre Hegge (called Al), and Harald
Bordewich. I have two more generations after her children, but no information
beyond that. She died in 1949.
+ Peter was born 1867. He married
Margaret Taylor Priebke in 1891 in Scotland. They had seven children: Frederick
Johan, Anne Cormack, Peter Magnus Roness, Eric, Cedric Theodore, John Stuart,
and one boy that didn't last past infancy. I have information on two
generations after his children, but no information beyond that. He died in 1956
in London, England.
+ Leonharde and Anna both ended up
in Canada, and Peter lived in the UK for his entire adult life. Only Ida
remained in Norway with her family.
What I don't know:
* I would like to know where the Roness comes from, and to
firm up the information about Henrikke's parents.
* I'd also love to learn if she had any siblings.
* I'd also love any information about Henrikke and Johan's
children aside from Leonharde's family. I've made some contact with the Kelsburgs,
but I don't know much about the other two branches. We've lost touch, given the
fact that they are in Europe, and we in America. So any contact with anyone
from those branches would be great.
More on this line: