Fjærli Farm
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PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER (1845-1930) and MARTIN ANDERSEN (1844-1891)
PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER (1845-1930) and MARTIN ANDERSEN (1844-1891)
my 2x great-grandparents
my 2x great-grandparents
HOW THEY FIT IN THE FAMILY TREE:
HOW THEY FIT IN THE FAMILY TREE:
Elen and Johannes' daughter, PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER, and her husband, MARTIN ANDERSEN
Elen and Johannes' daughter, PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER, and her husband, MARTIN ANDERSEN
Pernille and Martin's daughter, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, and her husband, Hans Hertvik Tostrup Olsen Bendiksen
Pernille and Martin's daughter, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, and her husband, Hans Hertvik Tostrup Olsen Bendiksen
PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER, my 2x great-grandmother, was born on December 21, 1845 at Storli farm on Nevelsfjorden, a few miles outside the bustling trading post of Kjerringøy, Norway. She was the second child of her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, but the first child of her father, Johannes Zakarias Pedersen. Johannes was Elen’s second husband, her first husband having died at a young age from drowning while fishing. Pernille had an older half-brother named Michael Johan Michaelsen (son of her mother’s first husband), three younger sisters named Anne, Johanna, and Ingebor, and a younger half-sister named Jentine Pedersdatter who was the only child of her mother’s third husband.
PERNILLE MARIE JOHANNESDATTER, my 2x great-grandmother, was born on December 21, 1845 at Storli farm on Nevelsfjorden, a few miles outside the bustling trading post of Kjerringøy, Norway. She was the second child of her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, but the first child of her father, Johannes Zakarias Pedersen. Johannes was Elen’s second husband, her first husband having died at a young age from drowning while fishing. Pernille had an older half-brother named Michael Johan Michaelsen (son of her mother’s first husband), three younger sisters named Anne, Johanna, and Ingebor, and a younger half-sister named Jentine Pedersdatter who was the only child of her mother’s third husband.
MARTIN ANDERSEN, my 2x great-grandfather, was born August 15, 1844 in Tuv, Bodø, Norway, near the mouth of the Skjerstad Fjord just south of the city of Bodø. He was the youngest of three children born to Anders Olsen and Massi Jochumsdatter. Martin had an older sister named Jonette and an older brother named Peder. Unlike Pernille's parents, Martin's parents lived relatively long lives and were married only once and for over forty years.
MARTIN ANDERSEN, my 2x great-grandfather, was born August 15, 1844 in Tuv, Bodø, Norway, near the mouth of the Skjerstad Fjord just south of the city of Bodø. He was the youngest of three children born to Anders Olsen and Massi Jochumsdatter. Martin had an older sister named Jonette and an older brother named Peder. Unlike Pernille's parents, Martin's parents lived relatively long lives and were married only once and for over forty years.
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Record for birth at and baptism of Pernille Marie, born December 21, 1845 and baptized April 12, 1846. The name of the farm--in this case, Storlie--is a key element in making sure I have the correct person when I do research, especially if an ancestor has a fairly common name.
The 1844 baptism of Martin/Martinus Andersen in Bodø Parish.
As teenagers, Martin was confirmed in the church in Bodø in 1860 and Pernille was confirmed in the church in Rørstad in 1861. During the next ten years or so, I assume Martin found his way northwest from Tuv to the Kjerringøy area where he must have met Pernille. Kjerringøy was a very busy trading port during that decade, so it would make sense for a young man to go there to make money.
As teenagers, Martin was confirmed in the church in Bodø in 1860 and Pernille was confirmed in the church in Rørstad in 1861. During the next ten years or so, I assume Martin found his way northwest from Tuv to the Kjerringøy area where he must have met Pernille. Kjerringøy was a very busy trading port during that decade, so it would make sense for a young man to go there to make money.
In August of 1872, Martin and Pernille got married when he was 27 years old and she was 26 and they settled at Fjærli farm, not too far from where Pernille was raised. Their first child, a son named Johan Marelius, was born seven months after their wedding. They apparently had gotten to know each other quite well before saying their vows. Their second child was also a boy: Ingvald Benoni was born on April 26 of 1875, was baptized in May, and passed away on June 6. He had such a short life.
In August of 1872, Martin and Pernille got married when he was 27 years old and she was 26 and they settled at Fjærli farm, not too far from where Pernille was raised. Their first child, a son named Johan Marelius, was born seven months after their wedding. They apparently had gotten to know each other quite well before saying their vows. Their second child was also a boy: Ingvald Benoni was born on April 26 of 1875, was baptized in May, and passed away on June 6. He had such a short life.
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1872 Marriage of Pernille and Martin
Baptismal record of Pernille and Martin's first child, Johan Marselius, born in February of 1872 at Fjærli.
Record showing that "Barn" (child) Ingvald Benoni died on the 6th of June in 1875 at Fjærli and was buried on the 3rd of October. In the "Alder" (age) column, it says he was 1 month old. Not sure why there would have been 4 months between his death and burial, especially in the summer months.
In the December 1875 Norwegian Census, it shows Martin as the "leilending" (leaseholder) farmer at Fjærli nedre (lower Fjærli) and also a fisherman, his wife, Pernille, and their son, Johan. Note that the record lists Johan as having the surname of "Andersen"--the same as his father's--rather than "Martinsen" (son of Martin) as would be typically done at that time. In contrast, earlier in the same year, their infant son who had died was listed as "Ingvald Benoni Martinsen" in the church book. (See description at top of homepage for more about the history of naming practices in Norway.)
In the December 1875 Norwegian Census, it shows Martin as the "leilending" (leaseholder) farmer at Fjærli nedre (lower Fjærli) and also a fisherman, his wife, Pernille, and their son, Johan. Note that the record lists Johan as having the surname of "Andersen"--the same as his father's--rather than "Martinsen" (son of Martin) as would be typically done at that time. In contrast, earlier in the same year, their infant son who had died was listed as "Ingvald Benoni Martinsen" in the church book. (See description at top of homepage for more about the history of naming practices in Norway.)
My great-grandmother, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, was the next addition to the family. She was born March 16, 1877 and was baptized on May 27. She must have been a strong and healthy newborn for them to have waited 2-1/2 months before getting her baptized. That was a risky move in those days. Pernille and Martin had two more children over the next few years: a son Alfred Hagerup born in 1879 and a daughter Petrine Oline born in 1884.
My great-grandmother, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, was the next addition to the family. She was born March 16, 1877 and was baptized on May 27. She must have been a strong and healthy newborn for them to have waited 2-1/2 months before getting her baptized. That was a risky move in those days. Pernille and Martin had two more children over the next few years: a son Alfred Hagerup born in 1879 and a daughter Petrine Oline born in 1884.
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1875 Census at Fjærli nedre (lower Fjærli) which shows Martin Andersen, Pernille Johannesdatter, and their son, Johan Marselius. It is interesting to note that Johan's surname is written as "Andersen", like his father's, which was just beginning to happen in Norway. It would have been a more modern choice to list him that way instead of as "Martinsen" (son of Martin) in the traditional naming method. In the 1891 Census, Johan is called Johan Martinsen, not Andersen. Very confusing to follow the names in late 1800s and early 1900s until a single method of naming was determined by law in 1923.
Digitized 1877 Baptismal record for my great-grandmother, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter. Among the "fadder"/witnesses was her grandmother, Elen Bondesdatter.
The next record of the family is in the January, 1891 Census, which shows the whole family of six living together, plus Pernille's niece, Johanna Johansdatter, also living with them. Johanna's mother (Pernille's sister), Anne Malene, had died in 1889. Johanna's father was still alive for another four years, but he apparently was not able to raise his young daughter alone. It was lucky for little Johanna that her Aunt Pernille stepped up and brought her to live with them.
The next record of the family is in the January, 1891 Census, which shows the whole family of six living together, plus Pernille's niece, Johanna Johansdatter, also living with them. Johanna's mother (Pernille's sister), Anne Malene, had died in 1889. Johanna's father was still alive for another four years, but he apparently was not able to raise his young daughter alone. It was lucky for little Johanna that her Aunt Pernille stepped up and brought her to live with them.
Just twelve months later, life had changed dramatically for the entire family with the sudden death of Martin on December 31, 1891, at the age of 47. Pernille was left with their four children to support: Johan (18), Anna Johanna (my great-grandmother, 14), Alfred (12), and Petrine (7), plus her niece, Johanna (7). I imagine it must have been very difficult for Pernille to afford to raise her children after the death of her husband. Her son, Johan, was old enough to work, but was probably not able to provide enough income for his mother and all his siblings. Pernille could have chosen to remarry to have financial security for herself and her children like her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, had done twice after the deaths of husbands, but Pernille chose a different route: the route across the Atlantic.
Just twelve months later, life had changed dramatically for the entire family with the sudden death of Martin on December 31, 1891, at the age of 47. Pernille was left with their four children to support: Johan (18), Anna Johanna (my great-grandmother, 14), Alfred (12), and Petrine (7), plus her niece, Johanna (7). I imagine it must have been very difficult for Pernille to afford to raise her children after the death of her husband. Her son, Johan, was old enough to work, but was probably not able to provide enough income for his mother and all his siblings. Pernille could have chosen to remarry to have financial security for herself and her children like her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, had done twice after the deaths of husbands, but Pernille chose a different route: the route across the Atlantic.
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January, 1891 Census showing Martin and Pernille and their children: Johan, Anna (my great-grandmother), Alfred, and Petrine. Also living with them was Johanna Johansdatter, Pernille's niece (sosterdatter). Johanna's mother, Anne Malene--who was the elder sister of Pernille--had died in 1889.
Death and burial record of Martin. He died December 31, 1891 and was buried January 7, 1892. He was described as a "Bygselmann", which means he was not just a farmer, but he was also the leaseholder on the land that he farmed.
In 1893, Pernille and Martin's eldest child, Johan, emigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 20. When he registered to leave Norway, he claimed his destination was Tacoma, Washington. That is not where he ultimately settled, but it appears that he went there first. One of the very few family members who had emigrated before him was his great uncle, Conrad Andersen, who had settled in Tacoma. Perhaps that was where Johan was headed; I do not know for certain. He changed his name from the Norwegian name of Johan Martinsen to the more American-sounding name of John Martinson. John Martinson/Johan Martinsen was living in Bottineau County of North Dakota by 1897 and apparently had been making money because he paid for the passage of his widowed mother his two youngest siblings, Alfred and Petrine, to immigrate to the United States and join him in July of 1897.
In 1893, Pernille and Martin's eldest child, Johan, emigrated from Norway to the United States at the age of 20. When he registered to leave Norway, he claimed his destination was Tacoma, Washington. That is not where he ultimately settled, but it appears that he went there first. One of the very few family members who had emigrated before him was his great uncle, Conrad Andersen, who had settled in Tacoma. Perhaps that was where Johan was headed; I do not know for certain. He changed his name from the Norwegian name of Johan Martinsen to the more American-sounding name of John Martinson. John Martinson/Johan Martinsen was living in Bottineau County of North Dakota by 1897 and apparently had been making money because he paid for the passage of his widowed mother his two youngest siblings, Alfred and Petrine, to immigrate to the United States and join him in July of 1897.
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In 1893, Johan Martinsen was emigrant #4474 out of Trondheim, Norway. He was 20 years old and the destination he claimed was Tacoma, Washington.
Pernille was a 50-year-old widow when she set sail from Trondheim with her teenaged children in 1897, heading for Bottineau, North Dakota to join up with her eldest son, John. There was little to keep Pernille in Norway by that time. Her husband had died in 1891, her eldest son had immigrated to America in 1893, and her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, had died in 1895. The closest person she was leaving behind was her oldest surviving daughter, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, my great-grandmother. Anna Johanna stayed in Norway when her mother and siblings all left. They sailed for America in July of 1897 and Anna Johanna got married in October of 1897. Sadly, Johanna married without her mother or her siblings in attendance. However, since Anna Johanna was four months pregnant at the time of her wedding (her first child came along five months later), her future was already determined by July when her family members left Norway.
Pernille was a 50-year-old widow when she set sail from Trondheim with her teenaged children in 1897, heading for Bottineau, North Dakota to join up with her eldest son, John. There was little to keep Pernille in Norway by that time. Her husband had died in 1891, her eldest son had immigrated to America in 1893, and her mother, Elen Olina Bondesdatter, had died in 1895. The closest person she was leaving behind was her oldest surviving daughter, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, my great-grandmother. Anna Johanna stayed in Norway when her mother and siblings all left. They sailed for America in July of 1897 and Anna Johanna got married in October of 1897. Sadly, Johanna married without her mother or her siblings in attendance. However, since Anna Johanna was four months pregnant at the time of her wedding (her first child came along five months later), her future was already determined by July when her family members left Norway.
Pernille and her children, Alfred and Petrine, arrived in Quebec on July 25, 1897 and then traveled south by train into St. Albans, Vermont. From there, they would have continued by train into North Dakota. In 1897, the train did not go as far north as Bottineau and the closest they could have traveled by train was about 150 or so miles south of their ultimate destination, so I have no idea how they managed that last leg of the trip. It was undoubtedly a very long and very arduous journey from northern Norway to Bottineau. I have to wonder if Pernille was beginning to question her decision to move to America about the time she got off that last train.
Pernille and her children, Alfred and Petrine, arrived in Quebec on July 25, 1897 and then traveled south by train into St. Albans, Vermont. From there, they would have continued by train into North Dakota. In 1897, the train did not go as far north as Bottineau and the closest they could have traveled by train was about 150 or so miles south of their ultimate destination, so I have no idea how they managed that last leg of the trip. It was undoubtedly a very long and very arduous journey from northern Norway to Bottineau. I have to wonder if Pernille was beginning to question her decision to move to America about the time she got off that last train.
Pernille eventually decided her move to America was permanent because, after she had been in the U.S. for seven years, she became a naturalized citizen on January 12, 1904 at the age of 58.
Pernille eventually decided her move to America was permanent because, after she had been in the U.S. for seven years, she became a naturalized citizen on January 12, 1904 at the age of 58.
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Only Alfred and Pernille are listed in the book for emigrants from Norway in 1897; youngest daughter, Petrine, is not included there. I assume it is because she was a minor child, traveling with her mother, that it was unnecessary to list her separately.
On the ship's manifest, 18-yr-old Alfred, his mother Pernille, and his little sister, 13-year-old Petrine, are all listed. Their ship landed in Quebec, Canada, but their final destination is listed as Bottineau, North Dakota, where Pernille's eldest son, John, had settled. It says that Pernille "hopes to get work" when she gets to North Dakota. For a 50-year-old immigrant who did not speak English, job hunting was probably very challenging.
Interesting note: Norway listed Pernille with her patronymic name of Johannesen (would have been truly correct as Johannesdatter), but the ship's manifest lists her as Pernille Martinsen, giving her the same "last name" as her children. She adopted that as her surname when she came to America, but began to spell it as "Martinson" like her son John had done.
The ship photo is a postcard of the Carthaginian, the ship on which Pernille and her two children crossed the Atlantic. The map shows the routes of the Central Vermont Railroad that connected the U.S. to Canada. The hand-written document shows Pernille Martinsen, accompanied by Alfred (18) and Petrine (13), crossing the border by train from Quebec into St. Albans, Vermont in 1897.
Her final destination was Bottineau, North Dakota, to join her eldest son, John Martinson. Bottineau was about 150 miles north of the closest train station in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Pernille and her children who immigrated to America with her eventually changed the spelling of their last name from "Martinsen" to "Martinson" as John had done. The other piece of information on this document is the name of the ship on which they traveled: the Carthaginian.
The record of Pernille Martinson (born Pernille Marie Johannesdatter) becoming a U.S. citizen on January 12, 1904 at the age of 58.
Of her three children who immigrated to America, it was Alfred who married first. He married a Norwegian immigrant in 1905 in Landa, North Dakota. Landa is a tiny town in Bottineau County that was founded in 1903 when the Great Northern Railway from Seattle was extended to that area. Petrine got married a year later in 1906, also marrying a Norwegian immigrant in Landa. The eldest sibling, John, was the last to marry in 1907. Following the pattern set by his younger siblings, he also married a Norwegian immigrant in Landa. It appears that the North Dakota town of Landa was an enclave for Norwegian immigrants in the early 20th Century, similar to South Bend, Washington or Poulsbo, Washington.
Of her three children who immigrated to America, it was Alfred who married first. He married a Norwegian immigrant in 1905 in Landa, North Dakota. Landa is a tiny town in Bottineau County that was founded in 1903 when the Great Northern Railway from Seattle was extended to that area. Petrine got married a year later in 1906, also marrying a Norwegian immigrant in Landa. The eldest sibling, John, was the last to marry in 1907. Following the pattern set by his younger siblings, he also married a Norwegian immigrant in Landa. It appears that the North Dakota town of Landa was an enclave for Norwegian immigrants in the early 20th Century, similar to South Bend, Washington or Poulsbo, Washington.
In 1910, Pernille's daughter, Anna Johanna (my great-grandmother), is listed in the Norway Census with her husband and five children. Over in the US in the same year, Pernille is listed as a 65-year-old widow living with her son, Alfred, and his wife and children in the city of Eidsvold in Bottineau County, North Dakota. She had a growing number of grandchildren by then, both in America and back in Norway, five of which were in Norway from her daughter, Anna, and six of which were in the United States from her three children who had immigrated: Alfred, three children, Petrine, two children, and John, one child.
In 1910, Pernille's daughter, Anna Johanna (my great-grandmother), is listed in the Norway Census with her husband and five children. Over in the US in the same year, Pernille is listed as a 65-year-old widow living with her son, Alfred, and his wife and children in the city of Eidsvold in Bottineau County, North Dakota. She had a growing number of grandchildren by then, both in America and back in Norway, five of which were in Norway from her daughter, Anna, and six of which were in the United States from her three children who had immigrated: Alfred, three children, Petrine, two children, and John, one child.
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Pernille's 1st child to marry was the daughter she left behind in Norway: my great-grandmother, Anna Johanna Martinsdatter, who married Hans Hertvik Tostrum Olesen Bendiksen in 1897, just three months after her mother and younger siblings followed her big brother to America.
In the 1910 Census in Norway, Anna Johanna had been married for almost 13 years and was living with her husband and their five children: Einar, 12, Kjerskov (my grandfather), 10, Magda, 7, Oddbjorg, 5, and Erling, an infant.
The second of Pernille's children to marry was Alfred, who married in the United States in 1905. In 1910, Alfred Martinson was 31 years old and working as a farmer. He had a wife, Anna, and three children: Melvin, 3, Alvhild, 2, and Emilie, 6 months. His mother, Pernille (misspelled as Pernila), was 65 years old. Alfred was the first of the immigrant siblings to get married.
The 3rd child to marry was Petrine Martinson in 1906. In the 1910 US Census, she is listed with her husband, Sven Torgerson, and their two sons, Gilbert, 3, and Percy, 1.
John Martinson, the eldest child and the first to emigrate from Norway, was the last of Pernille's children to marry. He married in 1907. In the 1910 Census, he is listed in a household with his wife, Astrid, their 1-year-old son, Milton, Astrid's brother, Peder Werness, and Peder's wife, Jennie.
By 1920, Pernille was living with eldest son, John, his wife, and their five children in Landa, ND. Pernille lived another 10 years, dying in January of 1930 at the age of 84. At the time of her death, her four children had given her twenty-six grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Seven of her grandchildren had been born in Norway, so she was not around to meet them or see them grow up, but one of the seven immigrated to America while she was still alive--my grandfather, Kjerskov Zahl "Ben" Bendiksen. When my Grandpa Ben arrived in the United States in 1921 at the age of 21, his first stop was in North Dakota to meet and get to know his aunts, uncles, cousins, and his elderly grandmother, Pernille.
By 1920, Pernille was living with eldest son, John, his wife, and their five children in Landa, ND. Pernille lived another 10 years, dying in January of 1930 at the age of 84. At the time of her death, her four children had given her twenty-six grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Seven of her grandchildren had been born in Norway, so she was not around to meet them or see them grow up, but one of the seven immigrated to America while she was still alive--my grandfather, Kjerskov Zahl "Ben" Bendiksen. When my Grandpa Ben arrived in the United States in 1921 at the age of 21, his first stop was in North Dakota to meet and get to know his aunts, uncles, cousins, and his elderly grandmother, Pernille.
My Grandpa Ben settled in South Bend, Washington, and began saving to bring his widowed mother, Anna Johanna, and three of his siblings to America. Unfortunately, his mother (Pernille's daughter) did not arrive until July of 1930, six months after the death of Pernille. As far as I know, Pernille and her daughter, Anna Johanna, never saw one another again after Pernille left Norway in 1897 with her two teenagers to settle in North Dakota. It must have been so sad for Anna Johanna to finally make it to America, only to be too late to see her mother whom she had last seen thirty-three years earlier.
My Grandpa Ben settled in South Bend, Washington, and began saving to bring his widowed mother, Anna Johanna, and three of his siblings to America. Unfortunately, his mother (Pernille's daughter) did not arrive until July of 1930, six months after the death of Pernille. As far as I know, Pernille and her daughter, Anna Johanna, never saw one another again after Pernille left Norway in 1897 with her two teenagers to settle in North Dakota. It must have been so sad for Anna Johanna to finally make it to America, only to be too late to see her mother whom she had last seen thirty-three years earlier.
When I started my research on Pernille, I found myself judging her harshly for having left her 20-year-old daughter, Anna Johanna, behind in Norway, knowing she would likely never see her again. That is unfair to Pernille. Her decision to go to America as a widow with two teenaged children cannot have been an easy one, nor could the journey itself have been easy. What she did took courage and strength and I commend her for it.
When I started my research on Pernille, I found myself judging her harshly for having left her 20-year-old daughter, Anna Johanna, behind in Norway, knowing she would likely never see her again. That is unfair to Pernille. Her decision to go to America as a widow with two teenaged children cannot have been an easy one, nor could the journey itself have been easy. What she did took courage and strength and I commend her for it.
Grandpa Ben meeting his Martinson cousins in North Dakota in 1921. Ben is 3rd from the right.
Ben and his cousins in 1921: Ben is on the far right.
Ben (top left) goofing around with his Martinson cousins in 1921. He met all of them for the first time when he arrived in America, including his grandmother Pernille. Unfortunately, I have no photos of Pernille as either a young woman or an old one.
Ben (left) and one of his Martinson cousins in 1921 in North Dakota.
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