Hans Andersen – 1880
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks word for Week 14 is Water. What that brings to mind for me is my Norwegian Family and the long line of sailors that we have. My Grandfather came to America in 1904. He was a sailor and the son of a sailor, Hans Andersen, who was the son of a sailor, who was the son of a sailor, who was the son of a sailor…..and so it goes.
I have been fortunate enough to locate and become friends with my Step-Great Grandmother Mathilde’s Great Niece, Inger Zeiner. (Yes I know that is a mouth full, think about that for a minute or two.) Inger has helped me with a lot of my Norwegian research. She is active in the Tjome Historical Society now that she has retired and returned to Tjome to live. She has provided me with a sailing history for Hans complied by a friend and local historian, Lars Endresen. It is not known what year Hans retired for sure so this may not be a complete listing but this is what Lars found through his years of local research.
Hans Andersen sailed all over the world and including at least seven trips to America. His early sailing days started in March of 1880 with a trip to America.
Date Embarked Ship Name From To Date Returned Where
03.31.1880 Rebekka Svelvig Amerika 09.23.1880 Drammen
10.13.1880 Vashington Tønsberg Hamburg 11.23.1880 Tønsberg
04.16.1881 Solo Tønsberg Amerika 12.14.1881 Tønsberg
03.30.1882 Salo Tønsberg Amerika 11.24.1882 Shipwrecked
02.06.1883 Thorsbjerg Tønsberg England 01.14.1884 Tønsberg
03.31.1884 Harbels Anker Tønsberg Horjefjord 08.21.1884 Tønsberg
03.25.1885 Nina Tønsberg Amerika 04.??.1887 Liverpool
06.28.1887 Gorilla Fredrikshald England 12.06.1887 Tønsberg
04.13.1888 Norway Sandefjord Amerika
03.04.1889 Norway Sandefjord Amerika
06.08.1889 Lillesand C.J.Værn Orlogs 07.09.1889 C.J.Værn (Navy harbour in Horten)
07.22.1889 Winnipeg Tønsberg London
01.28.1891 Entreforce Tønsberg Cardiff
06.23.1893 Berthe Rød Tønsberg abroad 02.12.1894 Tønsberg
05.04.1894 Lawrense Tønsberg abroad 02.06.1895 Greonck
03.21.1895 Lawrense Tønsberg England 08.20.1895 Tjømø
03.28.1896 Lawrence Tønsberg America 02.18.1897 Tjømø
04.06.1898 Familien Chri(sti)ania abroad 11.03.1898 Chi(sti)ania (Oslo)
04.13.1899 Høvding Moss abroad 12.02.1899 Moss
The Lawrence is the Sir John Lawrence registered out of London but sailed out of Tonsberg.
Ingeborg – 1890
My great grandmother, Ingeborg, died of TB on Sept 18, 1894. My grandfather, Andres, was eight years old. He had two brothers, Jacob Hagbart and Haakon who were six years old and three years old at the time. Notice that on the listing above. Hans had left on the ship the Sir John Lawrence out of Tonsberg on May 04, 1894 and did not return until February 06, 1895. Hans did not know of his wife’s death until he returned in February. Hans’ mother, Olava Jorgensen, the boy’s grandmother, cared for the boys until he returned. Within a year he had married, Mathilde Zeiner. My mother told me that her father spoke fondly of his step-mother but did not call her Mother. She said that he told her, “ She took good care of us but she was just not my mother. “ For young Haakon, the three year old, he never knew his birth Mother, he had no memory of her.
Hans and Mathilde Andersen
It is said that old sailors become fisherman when they retire and according to Inger, Hans did that but he took it one step further. He bought a sailboat and started a small charter company which would give tourists from Olso sailboat tour in the Olso Fjord or a fishing trip. When Hans did not have a scheduled chartered tour, then he fished and sold his catch to local markets.
So for my Norwegian family, they were truly focused on water!
Happy Hunting,
Jan
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Needles in a Haystack 