Hendricks Family Tree Project
Newsletter: Volume 2, February 2004
Author: Jim Winsness, 323 Broadwater Circle, Anderson, SC 29626
Phone: 864-261-7139 Email: winsness@charter.net
website: http://www.LRWMA.com/hendricks
Where did Jim go?
I have to apologize as I never mailed the November Newsletter and with all the holiday activities, I just didn't have time to get back on the Hendricks project. However, I'm back at it now.
Bad News
The funding for Jens Winsnes' Masters Degree Project was not approved so we will not have the opportunity to have him in Hendricks in 2004. He feels it would have been better received if he had involved a University in the US so maybe we can do that on a future application if he still has time before graduation.
Good News
Well I hope it is good news - this family tree project is too much fun to quit! I've had the opportunity to meet so many people both in Hendricks and through the website that I'm not about to stop. It is great fun matching people to their lineage and finding that my family in the US is not so small as I once thought.
I need your help
I don't want to pressure anyone into digging into their family tree, however, I want to find out as much as I can about anyone's Norwegian lineage that wants to know more. So I need your push if you want me to give it a shot! I've been working with Lorenchia and others and the family file I now have for those tied to Hendricks is over 1,400 people. By those people giving me their family information back to their immigrants, I can normally tie it into the files I have on the Norwegian side. What makes that so wonderful is then we find out how those over here are related back a few generations in Norway. The Lunde / Grande / Winsness connections are a great case in point. Add to that list the Trooien and Digre families and now the Singsaas families!
Singsaas Families - New News!
The morning after receiving the disappointing news from Jens that his project was not approved, I got an email from a Katie Grimland who told me she had found her ancestor's name on my website and was wondering what I was doing. Emails started flying back and forth and before long we had the descendants of Ingebrigt Singsaas, born 1872, tied back into the Hendricks Family Tree.
Catherine Singsaas Grimland is not directly related to me. However, she is the 2nd cousin once removed of Ingebrigt Digre (b 1962) and is the 2nd cousin of Ingebrigt's father Ingmund Digre. Ingebrigt (1962) is the author of the file that I use on Norwegian families in Singsaas. Ingebrigt's wife is Berit Solberg Digre and she is my half 5th cousin once removed so even though there is no direct blood relationship between Catherine and myself defined (yet), we are at least related by marriage.
And Catherine is the 5th cousin of Trygve! I am wondering if they knew each other and will have to find out. But it goes to show you, we are all tied together.
Catherine's immigrant was Ingebrigt Singsaas who married Christine Trooien in South Dakota. Ingebrigt had a brother born 2 years earlier with the same name! It was not uncommon for parents to 're-use' a name if the first named child died, but here is a case where two children had exactly the same name. One stayed in Norway and one came to the US. I just now noticed why Catherine's Ingebrigt was the one to leave!!! Norwegian law gives the farm to the oldest son so his older brither would get the farm and the second Ingebrigt probably figured he had better chances in the US. Well, that's just a thought of mine and we will have to see if anyone knows the real answer.
Who's next?
If you want me to do some digging around to see where you tie into all this, just get to me with some information on your lineage. All I need is your lineage back to the immigrant and I'll take it from there. Once we get things tied together, I'd like to add your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles etc so that the living people can start to see how they are related. Lets go!
I put the family tree on the website in a format that lets you walk up and down the tree and do searches. I do not include birth dates of living people to protect their privacy. I use the program Family Tree Maker which can be purchased on-line at familytreemaker.com for $30 and I'll share my file with anyone who shares their family data with the rest of us. I just want them to send me updates so I can keep the master file up-to-date.
Family Names on the website
I have pages for the following family names on the website and can add photos, stories, census records, or whatever you want to tell about your family.
Bjorgen
Bjornlie
Bogen
Digre
Engelstad
Fjeseth
Friestad
Froiland
Hanson
Kirkvold
Knutson
Kosberg
Kvernmo
Larson
Lokkesmoe
Melby
Nygaard
Oien
Rasmussen
Rogness
Running
Sandro
Singsaas
Trooien
Winsnes(s)
Wold
ONE MORE THING
I had to ask Katie Grimland about her husband's lineage and guess what - he's from Norway also! Now for a real surprise - my wife has a relative in Georgia with a husband with the same last name! So I asked if the GA Grimland's lineage is Norwegian and it is! Now we have to find out if the two Grimland's are related and then Bev's family from GA will actually have at least a marriage connection to Norway! Who knows - WHERE WILL THIS ALL END??
This is a long term project
The more we learn, the more we realize what we do not have. But I'm impatient to learn as much as I can as soon as possible. I plan to go to Singsaas Norway in 2005 on the 100th anniversary of my grandfather's departure. My wife will go with me this time and I'll take all this data with me and I hope to expand the Norwegian side of the database while in Norway. So, if you get your lineage to me before then I can see if I can find out more about your ancestors. My main source of data at this point is connected to the Winsnes and Digre lines but I hope to find other families that are interested in Singsaas in 2005. Your data helps me!
Well, got to go now but I'll get to Hendricks this summer, and to Singsaas next summer as the project continues and grows.
Hilsen,
Jim Winsness