Why I created this blog.

From Oct. 2007-Sept. 2008 my husband, Leonard Ingermanson, and I served a full time mission for the LDS church in the Church & Family History Mission in Salt Lake City.  We were assigned to be in the US/Canada zone which meant we worked at the Family History Library. We decided that after we were released, we would stay in Salt Lake the month of Oct. and do personal research.

In Sept. 2008 there were Norwegian research classes being held at the Library, so I decided I better take them and get some expert help before it was too late. The classes taught me a lot and gave me the confidence to branch out and try the websites and other tools that were available.  With Ole Olsen's information written down, I went to the Norwegian archives website and within just a few minutes I had the image of his christening record up on my computer screen.  It had been so much easier than I though it would be. I was hooked. I played around with doing research but did not really get too serious until just a few days before we were to be released. I looked in a book listing all the farm names and found the Petterborg farm. Here is an earlier post about that book and what I found.

The last official day of our mission was 26 Set. 2008. The evening before, we decided to spend at the library doing research. I had a piece of paper with the Petterborg name written on it. I went up to the Scandinavian research desk to ask for some assistance with finding more information on them and their farm. I showed the consultant the paper and explained I needed help. Another consultant, who was standing right there, looked at the paper and said, "That is my family!" I about fell over. The consultant's name was R.S. and I had looked for her at the beginning of our mission but she was not working at the FHL at the time. I had left a message on her home answering machine but somehow we had never connected. She was back for her FIRST day after having hip replacement surgery and it was the last hours of my mission. Coincidence? I think not!! I spent the next couple of hours looking some things up and getting acquainted with R.S. Boy, was I excited to start my Petterborg research. I was flying high!!!

I am not sure where my information came for the Petterborg family that I have in my PAF (Personal Ancestral File) database. My husband was into genealogy, way before I was, and he spent quite a long time looking on the old Ancestral File (AF) and downloading information on my family. I had known the information on AF was not accurate but it still created a foundation on which to start researching. As I looked at what I had, I noticed there was very limited information on Ole and Maria's oldest children, Gine and Ole Johan. That was where I was going to start.

The last day of our mission was reserved for packing and wrapping things up but since we were staying another month, we had the whole day to work on research. I spent the whole day on the International floor next to the Scandinavian help desk and connected to a computer. I was so lucky because R.S. was on duty and I could ask her all kinds of questions. I really got a good start.


During the month, I found so much, that was new to me, and I am still not sure it is all where it needs to be. I hope this blog will be a place where others can find and share information. I was never quite sure where to go to learn about my family. It's probably because I did not realize there would come a time when those who knew would be gone and I would be left having to dig by myself. Oh how I wish I had taken the time to ask questions of those who had the answers--it would have been so much easier and a lot more fun!!!

I started this blog so that there was one place to go to coordinate what little I have to share and to organize the research I have done. I am hoping to find other Petterborgs who will enjoy reading and learning and might even have something to share.

Added information to today's earlier post

I posted photos earlier today and I received an email from L.P. He is the person who furnished the photos. He sent some added information about the family and area.
Here is what he sent--

 We were there in 1988. Nes (which means headland or promontory) is a common name in Norway, there may be a Nes in every county. Our Nes is in Hedmarken as you know. You can see it if you go to Google maps and find Hamar (north of Oslo) and then look to the west. At the tip of the peninsula into lake Mjsoa, you should find it. Petterborg is a place name; the name of a farm. The original settler (no relation) was named Petter and this was his borg (castle). Our name was taken from the site, not any person. The people that lived at the farm when we visited in 88 were named Stollen (the other name of the mailbox). If you look south from Nes, you will see an island, Helgoya, connected by a bridge. Our family lived on a farm at the southern tip of that island prior to moving to Petterborg. 

The name should be pronounced Petter Borg, not Peter Berg the way I grew up.

I have received some aerial photos of the area from R.P. but I was waiting to post them until I have a source. They are a great view of the area. Look for a post in the near future.

Modern Day Nes, Norway & the Petterborg Farm

When cousin, R.P., learned about the blog he sent me some beautiful photographs that he had received several years ago from another cousin, L.P. I contacted L.P. and he gave his permission to post the pictures.
In case this is the first post that you have read, I do not give the full names of living individuals. I will be more than happy to share contact information if you contact me personally.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I think these prove it.
This is a view of modern Nes, Norway.

Picture provided by and used with permission from L.P.

Just a little wider view.

Picture provided by and used with permission from L.P.

The Petterborg farm. I am not sure if all of these buildings are part of the farm but I assume since they are so close together that they are. They also look newer than buildings that would have been there in the 1860's when Ole and Marie lived there.

Picture provided by and used with permission from L.P.

Not much different than the bank of mailboxes found in rural America!

Picture provided by and used with permission from L.P.

Oh, to see this in person! Maybe, someday.

Picture provided by and used with permission from L.P.

Anne Mathea

It happened!!! Just what I was hoping would happen. I have connected with cousins and they shared beautiful pictures with me. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping would happen.
One cousin, R. P. sent pictures that were photocopied several years ago and I am trying to track down the originals. I will be excited to share those. D.R. sent pictures of Anne Mathea and gave permission to post them on the blog.
I previously mentioned that I am not going to post the information of living individuals but I will be more than willing to share contact information, if you get in touch with me.
If you see that I misspell a name, use the wrong date or post something that is not correct, please let me know.
I don't have a lot of information on Anne Mathea (I wish I knew what name she went by. Maybe someone can tell me!) but I will share what I have found in my research--from the time she was born until she came to America. I know there is much more about her but I have done absolutely no further research. DR did tell me she has a booklet written about Anne Mathea's life for a family reunion and she will share that with me after her move into a new home. I will post that information in a future blog. There are three more pictures at the end of this post. Be sure to see them.

Picture provided and used by permission of D.R.

Anne Mathea was born 23 Dec.1853 in Holvinsholm, Nes, Hedmark, Norway. She was christened 16 Apr 1854 in Nes, Hedmark, Norway. Here is an image of the record:

 I found the digitized images on The National Archives of Norway website. The source is listed as: Hedmark county, Nes, Parish register (official) nr. 4 (1852-1886), Birth and baptism records 1854, page 17.
The permanent page link will show the entire image.

I also found her LDS Church baptism and confirmation record. She was baptized 19 Aug 1867 and confirmed 20 Aug 1867 in Nes, Hedmark, Norway. Here is an image of the record:

I found this record on a roll of microfilm at the Family History Library. She is listed right below her parents. The source is film #123202 Item 5--Norway-LDS Church Records--Record of Members, 1861-1873 Hadeland. The image is not as clear as I would like it to be. I made them about 3 years ago and did not know how to enhance them. I was too anxious tonight to get them up on the blog to work with them. I may repost better images later.

I next found her emigration record. I found that she emigrated 30 Aug 1879 through Copenhagen, Denmark. It has her listed as Martha Peterborg, age 26 years and sailing on the ship Wyoming. The microfilm at the Family History Library was #0040994--Passageer-liste for udvandrerskibene fra København til Hull, 1872-1894 (Passenger lists of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Scandinavian Mission who emigrated between the years 1872 to 1894), p.267. I think this record was kind of a synopsis of her emigration because the ship, Wyoming, only traveled between Liverpool and New York.

LDS emigrants usually came on ships that were chartered by the Church. The groups were very well organized and under the direction of priesthood leaders. The wiki at familysearch.org gives this information on emigration from Norway:

     In the mid 1860s, large numbers of people began leaving Norway on steamships. Most emigrants sailed to Hull, England; then traveled by train to Liverpool, England. From there they sailed to the United States and Canada. Steamships took only two to three weeks instead of three months, so emigration increased. During this time period 700,000 people left Norway.

     After the mid-1860s, most Norwegian emigrants left through the ports of Kristiania (Oslo), Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger.

When I knew the date she left Oslo, Norway for Hull, England, I then had an idea when to look on the New York Passenger Lists for her arrival in America. I found her arriving in New York 16 Sept 1879. Here is an image of the record:

 

She is listed as Martha Peterberg, age 26 and a spinster. She is passenger #107 in steerage. I don't recognize any names of other travelers. At least she had other family members waiting for her in America although I am not sure if she went to Utah or Idaho.

I next have her listed in the 1880 U.S. census, living with her father and sister in Oneida County, Idaho. She is listed as Matilda, her sister as Beatrice and her father as Ole Peterson. Even with the inconsistencies, I think this is the correct family.  The girls' ages are correct and the most convincing evidence is that they are living two houses from her brother, Emil and his family. They are on p. 18B, dwelling #162, family #164, and on lines 39-41.

I don't have much information about her after 1880. I hope that by posting this information I might connect with others who have things to share. I have that she married Jacob Jensen and William Charles Millard. I don't have accurate information to post, so I hope I can do that in the future.

Here are the 3 extra pictures of her. I am not proficient in using an image editing program. That is next on my "to do" list! These untouched photos will have to do for now. The information about the photo is listed underneath each picture.

Picture provided and used by permission of D.R.

The children have numbers on them and the information is written on the back.

Left to right, back row: Ada M., Anne Mathea, Oliver E., William Charles, Pearl

Three children in front: Lilia, Ethel, William H.

The baby, Lilia, was born in Aug of 1882 which means this picture was taken the later part of 1882.

Picture provided and used by permission of D.R.

Left to right, back row: Ada, William H., Ethel, Oliver, Lilia

Front row: Anne Mathea, Levean, Pearl holding her daughter, Hazel, Carl, William Charles

I found that Hazel was born in 1906, so again I am supposing this picture was taken in 1906.

Picture provided and used by permission of D.R.

This is a picture of Anne Mathea and the three grandchildren she raised. Her daughter, Ada, passed away in 1918 and Ada's husband, Joseph Bradford Kendall, Jr., died the next year in 1919. 

Theone is the son, Lula is the oldest daughter and Bertha, the youngest.

I have enjoyed learning about Anne Mathea and I look forward to learning more about her as I continue with my research and connecting with more cousins.

I Want to Know More Than Just the Facts

When I started doing genealogy, I didn't realize just how much these "people" would mean to me. They became more than just a name on a family group sheet or pedigree chart. There had to be more to them than just a birth date, marriage date and death date. I really wanted to know their stories, learn how they lived and see what they looked like.
Even as a little girl, I loved to have my mom tell me stories about when she was a little girl but I never thought to ask my Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles about their lives. By the time I realized the importance of the stories, it was too late to ask those who could tell me. They had either died or were lost in the darkness of dementia. Just like most of us, I had thought they would always be around. It didn't dawn on me, until I was almost 50, and becoming the oldest generation, that I didn't know a lot about my ancestors.
As I became more interested in genealogy, I met wonderful friends who had beautiful pictures and stories of their ancestors. They had more than just the facts and it made me also want to know more than just the facts about my family. That is why this blog has become--I want to connect with others who are related and share what I know with them and learn what they know and want to share with me and others.
I know that this life is just part of a long journey and that we knew each other before we were born. Life goes on, even after death, and I am grateful that I will one day again see my family. I will be able to really "get the facts" and learn about their lives.
I once read a beautiful poem that showed that there is indeed more to a person's life than just the dates on their tombstone. The dash between the birth date and death date represents much more than the space it takes up. It encompasses all of life's experiences—good and bad, happy and sad. It is important what we do between our birth and death. The 36-line poem touches on other subjects but it really got me thinking about what that dash represents in my ancestor's lives.

          The Dash by Linda Ellis
Here is a link to the author's website. A short video illustrates the poem. I hope you enjoy it!