This year I have a new favorite photo.
This photo is from a distant cousin of my husband’s family in Norway. She reached out to me on Ancestry and was able to solve a huge mystery about his 2X great grandfather Neils Osborne.
I am not sure who the people in the photo are but I can see a resemblance to my husband and his brothers. The picture was taken in Brooklyn, NY.
I can’t wait to discover who is all in the photo and it will be a great mystery to solve.
I am still playing catch-up and I am determined to finish all 52 weeks of this project. Though I am thinking for next year I want to do some ancestor profiles here on the blog. I have found this to be a rewarding experience.
This prompt was very hard for me. Poor Man. Most of the people in the tree were simple farmers in upstate NY or immigrants to the United states from places like Ireland, Germany or Italy. They came here for the promise of a better life.
If I was going to pick one person out of the whole tree who I think was Poor. I might choose my husbands 2X great-grandparents Neils Osborne and his wife Bergetti Netlander Osborne.
I have vital statistics for them but no real stories to share. One thing that leads me to believe they were poor as on the census records they are listed as living in a tenement. Bergetti and Neils never lived in a house and Neils worked as a grocery clerk and then as a longshoreman. They had one son who lived to adulthood though the census records show that she had 2 children and only 1 lived to adulthood. To me their existence just has such a tragic cast to it.
I have been mulling the topic of this post for a few days. Trying to figure out where to go with it and trying to figure out if there was a big A-Ha moment in my research and I really couldn’t come up with anything.
Looking back I would have to say the biggest surprises would have to be in my husband’s family. Researching his family has been fun and interesting as everything I learn is new to me.
The first surprise, I would have to say is when we did his DNA test in early 2018. 
I was surprised by the amount of Norwegian ancestry he had, though he wasn’t as his grandmother had always told him he had it but he hadn’t paid attention. The 16% is in line with having 2 Great Great grandparents who were born there. I am still trying to learn more about Neils Osborne and Bergetti Netland Osborne and their life before the United States.
The other surprise on his DNA is the European Jewish. I am thinking that has to do with his maternal Great Grandmother’s line Marguerite Brucks Bass, as her parents were from Germany.
As I said previously his entire tree is a surprise to me. 
As you can see there is a lot of Irish in there. I will admit as there is so much Irish it is super slow going for me. I am honestly thinking the next time there is an institute or conference I need to get my feet wet with Irish Genealogy.
I did find his Butler and Hurley lines came from Canada and spent several years their before coming to the United States. I haven’t found them entering Canada from Ireland as of yet but I am sure I will.
I am excited to see what the next surprise I can find on his tree. It is an ongoing process and I am sure I will fill in more and more blanks as we go.
Well, let’s hope I complete more of 2019 than I did for 2018. So the goal is more than 13. Wish me luck.
Here we go Week 1 – the prompt FIRST…For this I decided to concentrate on my husband’s family and his Norwegian Great-Great Grandfather Neils Osborne. I always thought the Osborne was Irish but guess not.
Neils Osborne was borne in December 1855 in Norway. We have no parental information and have not been able to find a passenger record for him yet. Sadly his death certificate lists no parents either.
Neils first appears in New York in the NYS Census for 1892 in Brooklyn and is a laborer along with his wife Bergetti and son John.
We can trace Neils through Censuses, City Directories and sadly his death certificate. He lived on Furman Street in Brooklyn almost all of his time in the United States and held the occupations of laborer, Grocer, Day Laborer, Longshoreman. He never became a citizen, though in the 1900 Census he is listed as PA meaning a petition was filed though I have not found it.
We have a range of immigration dates from 1880 – 1886 according to census records. We also have a range of marriage dates of 1870-1880.
We last find Neils in the 1930 Census living with his son John, on Wyckoff Street in Brooklyn. He is listed as Elmer and let me say that led me on a wild goose chase. Sadly Bergetti is not listed.
He and his wife only had one child who survived to adulthood John Osborne. Neils and Bergetti died within 6 months of each other in 1930 and are buried in Canarsie Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Before finding Neils, my husband had heard rumors of Norwegian ancestry and Neils and Bergetti are them. We are beginning to do research on where the Osborne name came from along with hopefully finding the parents of Neils at some juncture.
So far the 30 x 30 challenge has been great for my research. It is forcing me to be deliberate in my research and not fall down many rabbit holes.
Progress report – Day 2 I focused on Neil Osborne, Bergetti’s husband and made a similar timeline for him but it did not reveal any additional clues, so I began a timeline for their only living child John and it is in progress as I wanted to also use the records I have in my library (marriage certificate and death certificates). I am also trying to watch a webinar on Norwegian research, as I am not sure where to go next on this line.
Saturday( Day 3) I took a slightly different approach and decided to focus on one of my own lines by cleaning up some of those annoying green leaves on my ancestry tree. I clicked one that I don’t generally click “Story”.
What an absolute treat I found…
It was a full sheet (I have to print things out). I work much better with actual paper and it was a bit of genealogy gold. It actually referenced books I could find on Internet Archive “The History of Warner, NH” for one and read. Mr. Joseph Sawyer was a selectman in 1776 which I believe makes him eligible to be a patriot for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Hello, new patriot (he isn’t listed in the Ancestor Database).
It also referenced Judith’s parents, Richard and Hannah Bartlett Kelly. Which lead me to my Day 4’s research another book on Internet Archive 
Which lists, the genealogy in great detail and it also references Judith’s Fathers papers which I am now on the hunt for as I like to have the actual references. Also it provides the direct proof I need to link to a proven female patriot, Hannah Kelly.
So now I just need to figure out how to print the pages I need from Internet Archive for reference.
So I must say I am enjoying this 30 x 30 challenge and it seems to be exactly what I needed to focus and my Mom will be happy as these will be patriots through my grandmother’s line.
Yesterday was day 1 of my 30 x 30 challenge and let’s just say it raised more questions.
I decided to start with my husband’s 2X Great-Grandmother, Bergetti Netland Osborne. Gerard’s Norwegian Great-Great Grandparents call me and when they are speaking you need to listen to those voices. You need to tell the story.
I went with the paper trail, I did have, from the first record, I found the 1892 NYS Census, (if only the 1890 US Census was available).
As you can see there is some conflicting information, from her age to the year, the immigration year. I did stumble upon some more records I will need to look at but have also learned I need to find some webinars on Norwegian Ancestry and naming patterns. I also need to go to Brooklyn and check out the will file I found mentioned on Ancestry. I also am curious as to what religion the Osborne’s were as they are buried in Canarsie Cemetery and their son is at Holy Cross Cemetery.
So questions raised, what year did Bergetti actually come to America in. Her son, John Osborne was born in 1884. Are Jens Olsen Netland and Birthe Oldsdatter really her parents? So thankful that her husband was the informant on her death certificate.
One thing that I found that corresponds with Gerard’s DNA results is the mention of Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway, that is one of the regions mentioned on his test.
Overall it was a productive day, 30 minutes is no time and I am off to create a timeline for Neils or Nels or Neil Osborne to see if it reveals anything different.
The timeline was indeed beneficial and there is something about putting it down with pen and paper that helps me.
If you have any tips on researching Norwegian Ancestors, I would love to hear them as this is new territory for me.
Decoding the Family Tree 