A Norwegian emigrant and his sweetheart | Norway AD 1895

Neither the great Atlantic Ocean, nor time or social conventions, could crush a love meant to be.

In 1868, a 22-year-old poor young man from a small cotter’s holding (husmannsplass) under a farm in Romerike, Norway, emigrated to America.

The main reason for the boy leaving, was that he was in a loving relationship with the farmer’s daughter – a girl of the same age as him. Sadly, the girl’s father would not give his blessing to this socially unacceptable liaison.

Seemingly, no one had heard much from the boy until he unexpectedly returned to Norway for a brief visit in 1895 – 27 years later.

The boy had done well for himself in America – and was now a prosperous property owner. Upon his return to Norway, he was still unmarried – and his beloved equally so.

The two lovers rekindled their relationship and got married. Soon thereafter, they travelled across the Atlantic Ocean – to live together as man and wife in their now second homeland.

Source: Moss Avis 1895.07.13 page 3. Nasjonalbiblioteket. nb.no 2022.07.25. | MNR.00026

By LA Dahlmann | My Norwegian heritage

Read more: Community and culture | Emigration | Shorts

Category: Norwegian history

Norwegian history timeline | From the ice ages until today

In what we today call Norway, human history began some 12,000 years ago, after the ice ages. In this post, we list the main historical eras between then and now.

When the old Norway changed | The old Norwegian farm

Between 1850 and 1950, Norwegian society transformed. The age-old fishing, hunting, and farming society gradually turned into a modern, industrialised country.

The old Norwegian farm | A result of landscape and climate

The Norwegian geography and climate have significant variations. The old Norwegian farm was always a result of its location, and the local availability of resources.

Norwegian history timeline | The ice ages

In Scandinavia, there have been as many as 30 ice ages over the last 2.5 million years. The latest period stretched between 115,000 and 10,000 BC.

The Sami | The Sami flag days calendar

The Sami calendar consists of 12 flag days, the most prominent of them being the Sami National Day on 6 February.

The Sapmi and Sami flag | A symbol of unity

The Sami flag is the official flag of Sapmi. Sapmi is the name of the historical Sami territories, stretching across today’s Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

The royal palace in Oslo | Built by a French general

As far as palaces go, the official royal residence in Oslo is a modestly sized building. Did you know that it was built by a French general?

Queen Maud of Norway | The secret of the queen’s coffin

In 1938, Norway’s Queen Maud died unexpectedly during a visit to the UK. But what happened to her unentombed coffin when the Nazis attacked Norway in 1940?

Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja | Forces of nature

After a troubled ten-year courtship, the then Crown Prince Harald of Norway finally got his father’s blessing to marry Ms Sonja Haraldsen in 1968.

Queen Maud of Norway | A young lady on the Isle of Wight

On 26 August 1909, a Norwegian newspaper retold a charming story from Cassell’s Saturday Journal, concerning a certain young lady on the Isle of Wight.

Remembering schoolteacher Eilert Wulff | Norway AD 1904

After a brief illness, schoolteacher Eilert Wulff of Hammerfest died on 22 October 1904. He was survived by his wife Dorothea Sæther, 28, and son Aksel, 2.

Fridtjof Nansen and his Arctic mission impossible

In 1893, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his crew set out on a three-year expedition; aboard a ship locked in by the slow-moving Arctic Ocean ice.

James Arness | Western hero and Norwegian Viking

Are you hailing from Sykkylven in Møre og Romsdal, Norway? Well, then you might be related to the great film and television icon that was James Arness.

The muskox | A newcomer in the Norwegian landscape

The Norwegians rarely allow alien species into their fauna, with one notable exception, the muskox – first welcomed back to Norway from Greenland in 1924.

Norway has the second longest coastline in the world

With its 102,937 km, Norway’s mainland coastline, including its many fjords and islands, is the second longest in the world, next only to Canada.

Muskox | Norwegian man killed in 1964 muskox attack

On 22 July 1964, a stray muskox bull killed 73-year-old Ole P. Stølen from Oppdal, Trøndelag, Norway. Local authorities shot the animal to prevent further attacks.

Norwegian words | Uekte – ekte | Illegitimate – legitimate

Uekte and ekte are Norwegian adjectives, which in one context mean illegitimate and legitimate – as in a child born out of or in wedlock.

Norwegian to English dictionary | The best for genealogists?

If you are of Norwegian descent, and are studying old Norwegian documents, then Einar Haugen’s Norwegian-English dictionary may be a tool that can assist you.

Norway | What does the name of the country really mean?

A loved child goes by many names, says a Norwegian expression. This certainly applies to the country Norway. But what does the name really mean?

Go to our homepage

External link: How to trace your ancestors in Norway