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The Mystery of an Antique Immigrant Trunk from Nordmøre

I recently helped a high school classmate with her Norwegian ancestry.  We both graduated from Stillwater High School in Minnesota and, although I didn't know it at the time, she has a Norwegian first name: Maret.  I always liked the name,…

Projects & Plans for 2020

All plans must adjust to reality.  My 2019 plans were somewhat waylaid by my Mother's cancer diagnosis in February and the long road to her final adieu in October.  I think I made seven trips back to Minnesota, but all were tremendously rewarding. …

Norwegian Death Song Circa 1880

In going through my Mother's file boxes and papers, my brother came across a carton of stuff left by her uncle Jack Bonn (1896-1985).  Jack was an interesting character whom I will write more about in the future.  Growing up, I always heard…

R.I.P. Beverly Bonn Jonnes (1932-2019)

My Mother passed away peacefully yesterday after an 8-month battle with bile duct cancer.  She was 87.  She remained alert and witty until the last few hours. Her cancer is a rare one, but then, she was a rare woman. She was born Beverly…

Berthe Mikkelsdatter Vikheim Emigrated from Norway in 1866

  We've talked a lot about Bertha Bonn, my great-grandmother, who immigrated to America in 1883 at the age of 17 and became a milliner in Montevideo, Minnesota.  (See blog posts here and here.)  In the family chart shown above, she…

Longevity of Hafslo Ancestors

I mentioned in a previous blog post that Dorthe Eriksdatter Aaberge (1838-1938) is the oldest confirmed ancestor in our family tree.  Now I know why. Her father lived to be at least 89 years old and her grandfather lived to be 95! Ole…
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New Photographs of Bonn Great-Grandparents

This is a newly-obtained photograph of my great-grandfather, Bernt Olsen Bonn (1856-1937).  I got it last month from cousins in Sogndal, Norway.  I had never seen it before.  It seems to show Bernt in his late 30s or early 40s. Because…
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Ancestral Farms in Eidsvoll, Norway

During last month's first-ever trip to Norway, one of my main goals was to drive around the village of Bøn in Eidsvoll Municipality to find ancestral farms. In particular, I wanted to see if I could pin down the precise location of a farm…
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David Reich Produces a Classic

I'm a little behind the curve on this because Prof. Reich's new book came out months ago, but I did want to draw attention to it.  Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past is simply the best summation…
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Ancestry Discovery: Photographs of Sogndal Ancestors

To me, discovering photos or images of an ancestor is as important as determining their vital statistics.  It puts a face to a name and reveals character and personality.  Even cooler, sometimes you can see a physical resemblance to yourself…