I found Anne Samuelsdatter on a passenger list at Norway Heritage. I am accepting that it is the right one because a) the age and parish is correct, and b) another passenger is from the Bjerke farm, Anne’s birthplace. Note, however, that Anne’s parents are not on the list, nor are any of her siblings. It is not yet clear whether Anne’s parents came to America, but it is known that at least one brother, Ole Samuelsen, must have, as he has descendants here. I am trying to contact the descendants, but so far have not been successful. The three names listed in this excerpt are the only passengers from Øyer (Øie) parish. Please excuse the funky appearance of the pasted-in table.
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42Anne did have a brother named Johan, and I was hoping this might be him, but the brother was born in 1855, so would have been only 12 at the time of this sailing. As for Ole Samuelsen, he was born in 1864, so would have been only 3 years old at this time. Ole must have come to America later; maybe the parents did too. Stay tuned for more discoveries.
Lois Larson Hall
Apr 4, 2009
What drove them–??–a sense of desperation moreso than a sense of adventure I’d guess. I try to picture a young woman of 22, leaving home and family and country, heading into what would be pretty much the unknown. Just guessing but Anne and Lisabeth were probably friends, (maybe) Johan was Lisabeth’s brother, no doubt the three of them all gave moral support to the others.
So many of the immigrants came to the U.S. via Canada. Wouldn’t we love to know the interim story of their life from Oslo to Quebec to Wisconsin. (Another subject for your fiction writing George!)
George
Apr 4, 2009
Desparation and poverty for sure. Many were invited by letters from earlier immigrants, friends or relatives who often sent money for passage. Possibly marriage prospects for a young single woman.
Well, possibly Lisabeth and Johan were brother & sister. But the different surnames don’t point to that. I couldn’t find a farm named Mageli, but did locate a large commercial campground by that name, a few miles north of Tretten (very close to Glomme/Glomstad), about 15-20 miles north of Bjerke farm.
Quebec was the destination of most immigrants in the 1860’s (maybe due to the Civil War, I don’t know). Immigrants then traveled by boat across the Great Lakes to the upper midwest, mainly Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Samuel Jorgenson Immigration « Ole's Blog
May 6, 2011
[…] time ago, I found documentation on the 1867 immigration of Anne Samuelsdatter, who later married Ole Larson and became great-grandmother to a big chunk of the Larson clan. She […]