On a damp, rainy day as summer came to a close, I decided to pick up where I had left off with the research of my family history. I checked the sources I had used before, but didn't really find anything new... I had basically gone as far as I knew how to.
I ended up at the website of the Genealogy Society of Norway. I was hoping for a breakthrough to help me go further. I decided to enter the DISchat where I hoped to make contact with someone who could point me in the right direction. Once I established that I didn't speak or write Norwegian, I connected with some very helpful folks who suggested I try my luck on the Slektsforum (The Genealogical Forum). I posted what I knew about the family that remained in Norway when my great-grandfather came to America. I knew some names and knew they lived in Trondheim, Norway.
Within an hour, I recieved a reply that offered some new information. I knew that my great-great grandparents (Adolf and Anna) had eight children listed on the 1900 Norwegian Census records: Christiane, Oscar, Gudrun, Karl, Gustav, Aasta, Arnulf, and Trygve. With the first reply to my post I learned of two more children; Johannes, born in 1878, and Johan Martin, born in 1872. I was interested to learn that Johan was born prior to Adolf and Anna's marriage. His mother was Mathilde Gunnelie Bye, and she and Adolf were not married. Johan died of pneumonia as an infant in 1873.
Several other replies followed offering more information. Then, I received a reply from Petter Stene, a Norwegian gentleman who has been active in researching his family's genealogy for several years. He offered some information that was exciting and a little shocking at the same time. It seems that Petter's great-grandmother had a son named Henry Alfred Eide with Karl Otto Monrad (my great grandfather). They were not married. Henry was born in 1907, the same year Carl came to America. His baptism records indicate his father "living in America".
Petter has since provided more information and we have exchanged numerous e-mails and spoken on the phone. I guess you could say we are "distant half-cousins", and it is very exciting to make contact with new relatives!
Petter did some more research and has contacted another relative- a grandson of one of my great-grandfather's brothers. I've not made contact with this new relative yet, but I am looking forward to doing so...
More to follow for sure.
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There are signs pointing towards a well established and documented fact that the Monrad family has a long and distinguished history in Norway and Denmark. 500 years...
Currently trying to make sense of all the overwhelming information, and get the source citations to confirm things. There are even some more at the National Archives in Norway that I will check out tomorrow. Will keep you posted. :)
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