Looking for Madsen -Oleson family. From Denmark, immigrated to Oconto County Wisconsin

Question

I am loooking for help tracing my gg grandmother, Margaret “Maria” (probably Maren) (Oleson) Madsen, born 1852 in Randers? Denmark, married she married Niels Madsen in 1886. She died in Maple Grove (also known as Claywood) Oconto county Wisconsin in 1899. They immigrated to the US in 1892. I’ve done my mtdna with FamilyTreeDNA but am lost regarding how to use it in my research. I have an extensive tree on FamilySearch and am a public member on WikiTree. Danish records show that Niels and Margaret emigrated on 5/27/1892. At the time of  emigration from Denmark they had three childen. Niels Peter, Marius, and Kirstine (AKA Meta). Please look me up and pass in any suggestions or possible connections. Thank you Art Bahr

Answer 1

Could this be them?

"Denmark Census, 1890," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL62-4MY3 : 17 October 2017), Maren Madsen F Olsen in entry for Niels Madsen, Randers, Danmark; from "1890 Denmark Census," database and images, MyHeritage ( https://www.myheritage.com : 2016), film 00063; citing Rigsarkivet, København, Danmark (National Archives, Copenhagen, Denmark).

The birth date for her doesn't match your 1852 date, but age 34 would have been fairly old to get married and start a family.

If you found the emmigration record, it should tell you what county they came from?  What was it?

Comments

Here is Niels Madsen's baptismal record:

"Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGDJ-GHWB : 11 November 2017), Niels Madsen, ; Birth, 21 Jul 1860, 4, Rigsarkivet, København (The Danish National Archives), Copenhagen.

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1940 census record of Meta Carson:

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7V2-QQC : accessed 26 November 2017), Meta Carson in household of Earl Carson, Gillett Town, Oconto, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 42-9, sheet 6A, line 18, family 101, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4506.

Are you certain that Meta is Kirstine and that she was born in Denmark?  According to this census record, she was born in 1895 in Wisconsin.

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1930 census record of Meta, again, born in WI:

"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9SH-9XN : accessed 26 November 2017), Meta Carson in household of Stephen Carson, Gillett, Oconto, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 9, sheet 4B, line 67, family 72, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2602; FHL microfilm 2,342,336.

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Here's a 1900 census record that I suspect represents the family.  Some of the names and dates are different than what you have.  But Nels Madsen, born in Jul 1860 in Denmark, no longer has a wife, but has a child named Meta.

I'd be really suspicious that the 'Swenson' name you have for Margaret is incorrect as that is not a Danish name.

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMKT-LKK : accessed 26 November 2017), Nels Madsen, Underhill & How towns, Oconto, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 134, sheet 12A, family 183, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,808.

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You are correct, Meta was born in Wisconsin in 1895, my mistake. Based on the their gravestones, Nels Madsen was born July 21, 1860, his first wife, Margaret (my great grandmother) was born in 1952 and died 1899. It may be possible that Margaret's headstone is incorrect??? Meta was my grandmother. She died on my 3rd birthday.

I found found the names of: Nils, Maren, Niels Peter, Marius, and Kirsten (Madsen's) in emigration records at www.udvandrerarkivet.dk. According the that database they emigrated to Oconto, Wisconsin on 4/27/1892, from Randers. Oconto is very small in population so I don't think that two families with the same names would be moving there in the same year. The daughters name of Kirsten doesn't fit though. The daughters name should be Dorthea. Could that just be a Danish thing? She was not even a year old at the time.

The information from the emigration database shows Nels as being from Nyborg, and Maren and the children are from Randers.

And yup, Earl was my grandpa. My favorite person in the world!

"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMKT-LKK : accessed 26 November 2017), Nels Madsen, Underhill & How towns, Oconto, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 134, sheet 12A, family 183, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,808.

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Name:	Madsen, Maren	Position:	Husmoder
Age:	28	Destination:	Oconto, Wisc.
Contract No:	320800	Presentation date:	27-04-1892
Birthplace:	?	Native parish:	?
Last summary:	Randers	Last stop county:	Randers
Last ended:	Randers	Country of destination:	USA
City of destination:	Oconto	State of destination:	Wisconsin
Ship Name:	Indirectly
IDkode:	I9192M2313

Name:	Madsen, Niels Peter	Position:	Child
Age:	04	Destination:	Oconto, Wisc.
Contract No:	320800	Presentation date:	27-04-1892
Birthplace:	?	Native parish:	?
Last summary:	Randers	Last stop county:	Randers
Last ended:	Randers	Country of destination:	USA
City of destination:	Oconto	State of destination:	Wisconsin
Ship Name:	Indirectly
IDkode:	I9192M2314

 

 

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Name:	Madsen, Marius	Position:	Child
Age:	03	Destination:	Oconto, Wisc.
Contract No:	320800	Presentation date:	27-04-1892
Birthplace:	?	Native parish:	?
Last summary:	Randers	Last stop county:	Randers
Last ended:	Randers	Country of destination:	USA
City of destination:	Oconto	State of destination:	Wisconsin
Ship Name:	Indirectly
IDkode:	I9192M2315

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Name:	Madsen, Kirstine	Position:	Child
Age:	00 11/12	Destination:	Oconto, Wisc.
Contract No:	320800	Presentation date:	27-04-1892
Birthplace:	?	Native parish:	?
Last summary:	Randers	Last stop county:	Randers
Last ended:	Randers	Country of destination:	USA
City of destination:	Oconto	State of destination:	Wisconsin
Ship Name:	Indirectly
IDkode:	I9192M2316

It is likely that her headstone date is wrong (wouldn't be the first time).  It appears that her name was Olesen, not Swenson.  I don't know of any correlation between Kirstine and Dorothea; perhaps it was a pet name.  Most Danes couldn't speak or write English when they arrived, so names very frequently got mangled in the U.S., my family name being changed from Larsen to Larson as an example.  Look at how Marius/Marinus was spelled on the census.