So, now I come to the Bjërkmann branch of the family tree. For many years, not much had been known about Andreas Bjërkmann and Gustava Norgren. It has only been in the past few years - and mostly this past year - that the discoveries in research have surfaced and this is mainly thanks to my cousin, Rønnaug, in Norway. She's the original Genealogy "Nancy Drew".
I started out with mostly photographs and names from Grandpa Bjorkman's family line. The pictures of his parents, and a few siblings and their families. Before I made contact with Rønnaug through her brother, Arve (who contacted me after seeing the memorial I posted on findagrave of my grandfather, Hilmar), I had the family pretty much put together with names, dathes and places. It was Rønnaug who put a more personal twist on the family line and filled in some blank spaces, too.
I had known for a few years that Andreas and Gustava were both born in Sweden. In my research one day, I had come across their transcribed marriage record on familysearch. The names were Andreas Olsen and Gustava Olsdӓtter. Also, through the various records online at Norway's Archive website, I managed to find that Andreas was born in Rölanda, and Gustava was born in Dals Ed in Ålvsborg. Gustava's family was fairly easy to find in the Household Examination records on Genline, but Andreas was a bit more difficult as there were several possibilities. I had to trace back to records for his parents to be absolutely sure of the research.
Andreas' parents were Ole/Olle/Olof Jacobsson and Catarina/Cathrina Svensdötter. His siblings were: Maja, Jacob, Stina and Casja. Andreas was the youngest and his mother died the following year of his birth, during the birth of yet another child. Ole married twice after his first wife died. The second marriage produced no children before his wife's death. The third marriage produced two half-siblings for Andreas - Carolina and Carl.
Olof was born in Ödskölt to Jacob Nilsson and Borta Larsdötter. His siblings were: Nils, Catherine, Johan, Anna, Kjerstin and Karin. Olof was the youngest. He also had a half-sister from his father's second marriage - Maria.
Catarina was also born in Ödskölt to Sven Vallbom and Elin Nilsdötter. I have yet to find any siblings for her or her maternal and paternal grandparents.
Andreas and his brother, Jacob, both moved to Norway - Jacob in 1856 and Andreas in 1861. As of this writing, they were the only known family members who moved to Norway.
Jacob emigrated with his wife, Anna Marta, and three children. Four more children would be born to them after their migration. Jacob also had another child from a second marriage after the death of his first wife.
Andreas emigrated a bachelor. He married Gustava in 1864 after the birth of their son, Karl, in 1863. Eight more children would arrive after their marriage - Olga, Ivan, Bredine Olivia, Hjalmar, Bredine Ottila, Leonora (Nora), Peder and Hilmar. Hilmar and Nora would migrate to the U.S.
On my next post, I will review Gustava's family line.
