52 Ancestors No.2: Ole and Emma (Hanson) Hegna's Emigration from Norway

This is the second of 52 blog posts for the 52 Ancestors challenge ~ 2015 edition. The original idea for #52Ancestors is to "have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

 Last week's blog post was about my husband's Norwegian (paternal) great grandmother Hannah (Hegna) Foreman (1885-1965). 

This week I will write about what I know so far about the Hegna family's emigration from Norway to the United States. We have three critical sources of information for emigration:

1. the 1900 Spokane Washington census, 
2. the 1870 Strong Prairie, Wisconsin Census and 
3. the 1920 Naturalization papers.

Hannah (Hegna) Foreman was born in Wisconsin on the 19th of July 1885, daughter of Norwegian emigrant Ole. O Hegna (emigrated from Norway between 1861-1862) and Emma C. (Hanson) (emigrated from Norway 1872)

1900 Census

We know when Ole and Emma emigrated because of questions 16, 17 and 18 on the 1900 census for Spokane Washington: 

1900 Spokane Washington census
Enumerated on the 19th of June, 1900

General Population Schedule Questions:

1. Number of dwelling home in order of visitation by enumerator (255)
2. Number of family in order of visitation by enumerator (258)
3. Name (Ola Hegna)
4. Relation to head of the family (Head)
5. Color or Race Enumerators were to mark "W" for White, "B" for Black, "Ch" for Chinese, "Jp" for Japanese, or "In" for American Indian. (W)
6. Sex (M)
7. Date of Birth (Nov. 1854)(Emma Apr 1852)
8. Age (45) (Emma 48)
9. Was the person single, married, widowed, or divorced? (M)
10. How many years has the person been married? (15)
11. For mothers, how many children has the person had? (Emma replied 6)
12. How many of those children are living? (Emma replied 6)
13. What was the person's place of birth? (Norway) (Emma replied Norway)
14. What was the person's father's place of birth? (Norway) (Emma replied Norway)
15. What was the person's mother's place of birth? (Norway) (Emma replied Norway)
16. What year did the person immigrate to the United States? (1861) (Emma replied 1873)
17. How many years has the person been in the United States? (39) (Emma replied 27)
18. Is the person naturalized? (This is either Na or No)
19. Occupation, trade, or profession (House Carpenter)
20. How many months has the person not been employed in the past year? (5)
21. How many months did the person attend school in the past year? 
22. Can the person read? 
23. Can the person write? 
24. Can the person speak English? 
25. Is the person's home owned or rented? (O)
26. If it is owned, is the person's home owned free or mortgaged? (F)
27. Does the person live in a farm or in a house? (H)
28. If a person lived on a farm, the enumerator was to write that farm's identification number on its corresponding agricultural questionnaire in this column 

On the same Census, Mary Hegna follows.Born in 1833 she is a 67 year old widow. She had 12 children of which 7 were living. Mary was born in Norway and her mother and father were as well. She emigrated in 1862 and had lived in the U.S. for 38 years, Her home was owned free.

1870 Census

The 1870 census shows us Ole. O. Hegna at 14 years of age with his family living in the Town of Strong Prairie Wisconsin with his family: Father Ole (born 1830, Norway); mother Maria (born 1831, Norway), sister Ellen (born 1859, Norway), sister Margaret (born 1861 at Sea - Atlantic Ocean), brother Jolef (born 1864 Wisconsin), sister Ingborg (born 1865 Wisconsin), and sister Rebecca (born 1869 Wisconsin). 

1920 Naturalization Papers

Petition for Naturalization Part I

Here we learn the following facts about Ole O. Hegna:

• His residence was 612 Scott St. Spokane, Washington
• Ole O. Hegna is working as a machinist helper
• He was born the 14th November 1854 Norway
• He emigrated to the U.S.A. through Canada around April 1, 1861
• His first port of arrival was Chicago, Illinois on the 4th of July 1861
• His vessel name was not remembered in 1920

Petition for Naturalization Part II

 Here we learn the following facts about Emma (Hanson) Hegna:

• Emma was born the 18th of April 1852 in Kongsberg, Norway
• There are five children:
• Hana born July 19, 1886 at Wisconsin; resides at Ontario Canada.
• Mabel born October 12, 1888  at Wisconsin; resides at Worley, Idaho
• Rena born August 19, 1889 at Wisconsin; resides at alberta, Canada
• Ella born May 1, 1894 at Wisconsin; resides at Wallace, Idaho
• Carl born May 21, 1897 at Wisconsin; resides at Tacoma, Washington

Affidavit (Part I) of Ole O. Hegna

Affidavit (Part II) of Ole O. Hegna

Here we learn the following facts about Ole O. Hegna:

• Ole. O Hegna's father was naturalized before Ole was of age
• Ole. O Hegna's father  held 40 acres of government land
• Ole. O Hegna's father died in 1879
• Ole. O Hegna voted since 1876
• Ole. O Hegna served on a jury
• Ole. O Hegna was a councilman (see 1902 news clipping below )

Hannah (Hegna) Foreman's father
Ole O. Hegna (1855-1935)

Hannah (Hegna) Foreman's father
Emma (Hanson) Hegna

Emma (Hanson) Hegna's obituary

For further research is a document believed to belong to my husbands great great great grandfather who applied for naturalization in 1877

52 Ancestors # 33: Sailor James Annal (1849-1930)

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year's Challenge: "Have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's blog post is about my great great grandfather James Henry Allan Annal. He was born on the 28th of March 1849 in South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland.  Orkney is an archipelago in northern Scotland comprised of approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited.

James Henry Allan Annal (1849-1930)

Map of Orkney showing topography and main transport routes

"In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. The harsh climate of Orkney and the Orcadian reputation for sobriety and their boat handling skills made them ideal candidates for the rigours of the Canadian north." (Thompson (2008) pp. 371-72.)

James Henry Allan Annal was the son of  James Annal and Elizabeth Wylie. He was the father of Elizabeth (Annal) Coughlin and the grandfather of Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan.

James Annal was a sailor all of his life and his obituary revealed that "he had an interesting and varied sailing career, as a boy was on a whaling expedition for three years in the Arctic."

He emigrated to Canada in 1870 (according to the 1901 census). He lived in Bruce county (Walkerton, Bruce south) and was a sailor on the Great lakes for many years.

1881 Canadian Census
(Bruce South, Walkerton)

"He had an interesting and varied sailing career, as a boy was on a whaling expedition for three years in the Arctic, and sailed every windjammer on the Great lakes a hardy and fearless sailor, and very expert in the construction of ship models."

A model ship made by James Annal

James Annal married Mary Hess (1853-1927) of Elora (c 1870) and they had four boys and four girls.

• James Annal (1873-1921)
• John Annal (1875-1960)
• Mary (Annal) (1878-1948)
• Annie (Annal) McIntyre (1880-1909)
• Elizabeth Annal (1884-1953)
• Ethel Annal (1886-?)
• William Annal (1888-1949)
• Wilford Andrew Annal (1896-1897)

Standing (L-R): J.H.A. Annal and Gabriel Hess
Sitting (L-R): John and James Annal, Joe Hess
Bottom: William Annal

Hess and Annal family

1891 census

1891 Canadian Census
(District 47, Bothwell, Wallaceburg Village)

1901 census

1901 Canadian Census
(Wallaceburg, Bothwell, Pg 13)

On closer look at census details, I learned that Elizabeth (Annal) Coughlin was living with daughter Madeline Coughlin with her mother and father (and William Henry Coughlin is not listed?). This explains why I could not find Lizzie and Henry's residence after their marriage in 1899.

1930 Death Certificate

Ontario Death Certificate

Headstone: Riverview Cemetery

"Find A Grave" listing for Annal headstone

LINKS

Orkney Links

• Orkney Genealogy
• South Ronaldsay Net
• Annal Family Gravestones
• GENUKI Orkney
• Orkney Family History Society 

Sailing Links

• 1870 - History of the Great Lakes
• Vessel Types on the Great Lakes
• Sailing Craft on the Great Lakes
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• HBC Sailing "North About"

The Bruce Peninsula

• The Bruce Beckons The Story Of Lake Huron S Great Peninsula
• History of the County of Bruce, Ontario, Canada By Norman Robertson (1906)
• Forgotten Times - Marine History of  Southampton & the Bruce Coast and Forgotten Lives - Early History of a Coastal Village. 

Excerpt from "The Bruce Beckons"

The following information was added September 4, 2014:


The chart below represents James Henry Allen's family. 

James' father James Annal was "by calling" an Orcadian " fisherman, and he had numerous fishing boats". I learned of these facts by reading a detailed account of Jame's sister Jemima Almina (Annal) Sutherland's life (see below). 

James Sr. "death occurred in 1876 when he was but fifty-five years of age, while his wife (Elizabeth Wylie) died in 1892, aged seventy-five years....The children born to this union were: John who died in Edinburgh, Scotland; Jennie who died in the Orkney Islands, unmarried; Jemima who married James Sutherland; Elizabeth deceased, who married James Burgess."

James and Jemima Sutherland of Chatham, Ontario
(Jemima was James Annal's sister)