George Daniel Hemmingsen was the son of our paternal greats: Uncle Ed and Aunt Anna. Ed was six years junior to his brother, Matt, our granddad: eight, to their sister, Etta. The elder Hemmingsen siblings left Norway in the 1880s for Wisconsin and migrated to the northwest in the early 1900s. Etta, as Mrs. William … Continue reading George Daniel Hemmingsen 1907-1967: Cousin, Tugboats and Such
Tag: Hemmingsen
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: So was Agnes Alexander at the wedding?
The wedding was that of Matt Hemmingsen to the best girl in the world; Margaret Alexander.1 It had taken place in the beautiful Comox Valley on 2 June 1910. It was that same quiet affair which had earlier prompted the question “was Ed Hemmingsen at the wedding?”2 We thought not, but being able to actually qualify … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: So was Agnes Alexander at the wedding?
Janet Gray Dickson, born McArthur (1894-1960) – A Qualicum Cabin On Sand Dollars.
Nana was past middle age in our recall; matronly, with soft-spoken Scottish presentation. She was no softie. We grandbrats often judged her a nudge, yet sought her respect. This ordinary dear left quite the bold imprint upon us. She would have been that plain lass with pleasantly rounded features, a nice little nose, and a … Continue reading Janet Gray Dickson, born McArthur (1894-1960) – A Qualicum Cabin On Sand Dollars.
The Adoption Witness: Rare Postcard to Skog-Vefsn; Revealing What?
This is sixth in a series on Edward Hemmingsen and his wife Anna Tobiassen, or Thompson. See Notes and Source, for details. Sisters! Here is an undated photo-postcard of Johanna Karoline Tobiassen in Minneapolis, with two unnamed Swedish companions. She sent it inside an envelope to some Skog-Vefsn folk such that it is unaddressed and … Continue reading The Adoption Witness: Rare Postcard to Skog-Vefsn; Revealing What?
The Adoption Witness: Those Peripatetic Skog-Vefsn Folk At Lake Cowichan
Our story has been about Anna, wife of great uncle Ed Hemmingsen and their adopted daughter, Betty, aka Baroness of Skog-Vefsn, who was also Anna’s great niece. They were Norwegians living at Lake Cowichan, B.C. mid-1920. Descendant Skog-folk from Vefsn sought an even broader emigrant accounting to include Anna’s brothers, Edvin and Theodur, plus Betty’s … Continue reading The Adoption Witness: Those Peripatetic Skog-Vefsn Folk At Lake Cowichan
The Adoption Witness: Tales From Skog-Vefsn Before Lake Cowichan
Our last post on the Baroness of Skog-Vefsn got the attention of descendant folk in Norway. She was the daughter of great uncle Ed Hemmingsen, and his wife, Anna, who lived at Lake Cowichan, B.C. Circumstances led us to opine that she, Dorothea Elizabeth (Betty) was both adopted by, and great-niece, to Anna. Could that … Continue reading The Adoption Witness: Tales From Skog-Vefsn Before Lake Cowichan
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: His Innovations in West Coast Logging 1907-1911
Photo © Sean Hemmingsen 2020 Our Tsolum River post featured Matt Hemmingsen using hands-on expertize that he had gained during river drives in Wisconsin, to correct an epic logjam in British Columbia. That was 1907. Our last post enlarged a segment of photo left, to describe a "log trough" system he developed around 1910. It greatly … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: His Innovations in West Coast Logging 1907-1911
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Oil Painting on Maple Burl; Logging 1912, Cowichan Lake
Look closely at the tall spar, center left, to see its fine network of wires. We shall enlarge a portion of the picture to explain the logging operation that is underway - Cowichan Lake. Oil on Maple Burl ca 1912, artist unknown. Photo © Sean Hemmingsen 2020 Matt Hemmingsen's memoirs left off in 1910, with … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Oil Painting on Maple Burl; Logging 1912, Cowichan Lake
The Adoption Witness On Ancestry: The Baroness of Skog-Vefsn Emigrates to Lake Cowichan
Here is a copy of an original letter from the Baron of Manby/Baron of Skog-Vefsn; Dr. Lloyd J. Bailey, B.A., M.A., M.Ed. Ph.D. to our father, John O. Hemmingsen, dated 11 Feb 2000.1 Now, even original materials must be offered with caution; some may contain a little farce. That is, while it is far from … Continue reading The Adoption Witness On Ancestry: The Baroness of Skog-Vefsn Emigrates to Lake Cowichan
Hemmingson: One Entrepreneur and One Radical Socialist
Once in the new land of opportunity, many ancestral parents could barely afford their family an elementary level education, yet saw a child attain distinction. Greatgrandfather, Ole Hemmingson (1851-1903), headed such a family.1, 2 He produced two such children. Same father, different mothers. Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) was told “your mother has died, so you must … Continue reading Hemmingson: One Entrepreneur and One Radical Socialist
