Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A Family History Mystery

I haven't posted for quite awhile and won't have anymore posts for several more weeks. Here is a little genealogy recreation, though.

Ove Oveson was married to Mary Kjirstine Christensen. Mary emigrated to the United States with her father and mother and sister and adopted brother. I assumed that this was the entire family unit. Her father and sister died on the plains.

A few days ago I was looking at some Danish Mormon emigration records and found that the family consisted of:

(Family.Person - Name - Age - Place of Origin - Relationship)
10.1 Jens Christensen 47 Graverhus Mand
2 Karen Marie Christensen 49 Bremsholt Wife
3 Maren Cathrine Christensen 20 Bremsholt Dau
4 Christine Christensen 18 Ulslev Dau
5 Marinus Christensen 2 Wraa Son (would mean Vrå)
6 Christiane Christensen 67 Flade Moder
7 Ane Lovise Christensen 24 Punkrog Pige (Girl)
(Oversigt Over Emigranterne Som Afreiste Fra Vensyssel 7 May 1866 Peder 534)

Christiane (6) was Jen's mother. The church records say that she died 5 Nov 1865 in Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah, (half-way between Ogden and Logan) but if she emigrated in 1866, how could she have died the previous year?

Also, I cannot find any locations named "Graverhus" or "Bremsholt" or "Punkrog" or anything similar in Denmark.

As I look through the church genealogy records for this extended family, quite a number of related families joined the church and moved to Utah. Maybe my dad already has all of this information... I need to get a Macintosh genealogy program so I can look at his files and figure out what needs to be done on this family.

Photo credit: A little lake near the town Slagelse, Denmark. http://flickr.com/photos/euromagic/2565256471/