The Great Voyage to America (1892)

By Roald Petter Åarbekk

In the church book of Hol / Tjeldsund in Lødingen, Norway you can read that a family group of 10 persons issued a certificate for moving to North Dakota in the United States on May 20, 1892.

The people are:
1. Petter Jentoft Larsen - born 1865
2. Emerentse Olsdtr - born 1871 (his wife)
    3. Olga - born 1891 (their daughter)
4. Lars Olsen - born1863 (Emerense's brother)
5. Karoline Gregussen - born 1863 (his wife)
    6. Olaf - born 1884 (their son)
    7. Kristian - born 1885 (their son)
    8. Daniel - born 1889 (their son)
    9. Lind - born 1890 (their son)
10. Joakim Olsen - born 1873 (Emerense's brother)

Dominion S/S Domino

Petter, Emerentse, and Olga used the surname Harvig and traveled from Tjeldsund to Quebec.

Petter's and Emerense's tickets were paid in America. Olga's ticket was purchased in Trondheim.

Emerentse had 2 brothers and one sister in North Dakota who came there 5 years earlier. (These emigrated in 1887: Mikal Peder Olsen (Dragland), Daniel Olsen (Olson), and Nikoline Olsen.)

Almost a year after Petter's voyage — on May 11, 1893, their son Lars was born in Goose River, Hatton, North Dakota. Made in America you can say...

Petter and Emerense obviously did not feel comfortable in North Dakota and moved home to Norway again (It's unknown exactly when, but on January 8, 1895, their next child Anna was born in Hårvik, Lødingen.)

Lars and Karoline Olsen with 4 children used the surname Dragland. They traveled from Lødingen to Northwood, North Dakota. They paid for their tickets in Trondheim.

Little brother Joakim with the surname Olsen paid for his ticket in Trondheim. Once in the United States he took the name John Dragland and died unmarried in 1927 in Seattle, WA.

The group of 10 people became 11 before they arrived! Karoline gave birth to a child in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The child therefore received the name Emil Atlanteen Dragland.

Later, at least 6 children were born in North Dakota.

Lars Olsen's sons, Olaf, Kristian (Chris), Daniel, and Lind were born in Norway. Chris and Ansoph had 13 children in North Dakota.

Petter died on August 26, 1950. Emerentse died on January 23, 1956. Most descendants of Petter and Emerentse are located in Norway, Sweden and America.

The trip itinerary was like this:

      • From Trondheim 26.5.1892 with S/S «DOMINO»
      • Trondheim – Kristiansund – Ålesund – Hull, England
      • Train from Hull to Liverpool, England
      • From Liverpool 10.6.1892 SS «DOMINON»
      • Arrival Quebec 21.6.1892 - Montreal
      • Montreal - North-Dakota via Train/ ship?

Roald Petter Årbekk | tlf.92098002 roaldaa@gmail.com | 3 Oct 2023

Photo credit: http://www.norwayheritage.com/gallery/gallery.asp

Records: http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_route.asp?ro=T28