APG-L Archives

Archiver > APG > 2008-07 > 1216946958


From: "Richard A. Pence" <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Naming children
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:49:18 -0400
References: <4888B24A.9030205@2c-nrc.com>


"Cat Nielsen" <> wrote:

> The discussion on Norwegian naming patterns gave me a good chuckle.

I did'nt exactly chuckle, but I did do some more checking.

My Norwegian grandmother's mother, Anna, was born in Norway and was the
daughter of Soren Bottolsoon Lunde and Andrine Olsdatter Sviggum. Anna came
to the United States as the stepdaughter of Peder Jensen Urnesss and was
called Anna Urness on the ship's manifest.

She married my great grandfather (given name Albert, more below) as Anna
Lunde in Minnesota. She had some children by Albert who were named Thompson
and others were named Iverson and it is this latter name by which all were
eventually known. At her death in 1942 her obituary said she was the
daughter of Peter Peterson! (Indeed, she had stepbrothers who were known
both as Urness and Peterson or Peerson.)

Meanwhile, the name of the man she married was given as Albert E. Thompson
on their marriage record. On the birth certificate of their first child he
was Inbrigt Iverson; at the birth of another he was Ember Throndson. He was
called Albert A. Iverson at his death. It turns out he was the son of Iver
Trondson Yndesdal and Anna Trondsdotter Lommeim (as researched by the
historian of the Norwegian county where they were born). In Minnesota Iver
was known as Iver Thompson. The family story is that Albert felt there were
too many Thompsons in the area - amd there were- so he decided to be Albert
Iverson somewhere along the way.

My grandmother's birth record finally turned up. She was known to me only as
Lena Iverson. Her birth record says she was "'Olianna, daughter of Ember and
Anna Throndson." In 1895 she is "Oleanna" in the state census. Earlier this
month came a document from a new found cousin in which her grandfather - my
grandmother's brother - known all his life as Palmer Ivrson - officially
changes his name in the 1950s from the Thompson on his birth record to
Iverson. That apparently to clear up problems with the ownership of some
lots.

>From all of this, the only conclusion I can reach on Norwegian names is that
"all bets are off" on names once they reach Minnesota!

> I am off to Norway, Denmark and Sweden next week for some R&R.....

May Odin, the God of Wisdom, smile upon your venture. And have a great time.

Richard Pence
Fairfax, Virginia

This thread: