Re: railroad
ANDERSON, SIMONSDATTER, NILSEN, SEVLAND, JORGENSEN, SIMENSEN
Posted By: Ronnie (email) In Response To: Re: railroad (Sarah Thorson Little)
Date: 3/18/2012 at 23:10:28
Dear Sarah;
Thank you for your note about Benton County railroads.I have been doing more research and have discovered a few things about Selma Regina, my grandmother, but nothing at all about Jorgen Andersen, railroad worker.I don't know if I will ever find the answer, but I am going to request a birth certificate from Iowa State for Selma, so maybe that will have some more information.
Oddly, there are three Selma Reginas listed in Norway, Iowa. One was born 7 Oct 1883 to Samuel B. Nelsen and Helene Simonsen (Karen Marie's sister!), another Selma Regina Nilsen, born to Samuel and Anmna Helene Nilsen (the same sister) on May 23, 1887, and our Selma (at least I think so!) born June 17, 1887 to Maria Simensen and "George". All in Norway, Benton, Iowa, and all christened in Benton Lutheran Church! So, what do you think?
I have a tree at Family Tree and Ancestry.com.
I found a record of Marie Sevelund, spinster who arrived in New York in 1883. Also one that says Karen Marie Simonsen 1888, which is more possible. But not if her daughter was born here in 1887. I think that was Karen Marie, my great grandmother. But, how did she get to Benton county? Her sister, Anna Helene Osthus and brother in law, Samuel B.Nilsen lived there and I can find records of children born to them, but no census. After the death of Anna Helena (1888?) Samuel remarried a Swedish girl, Johanne Louise Pedersdatter Hellberg and they had a couple of children and moved back to Karmoy, probably in the 1890s.Why would a family move from Iowa back to Norway, one of the poorest countries in Europe?
Then Samuel died in 1943. Maybe WWII related? I would like to know more about that, too.
Any new ideas?
Ronnie
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