My mother's maiden name was Johnston and she claimed to have heard some rumour about a family connection with Norway - but knew no more.
When I started researching early this year I quickly ran into trouble with her grandfather (my great), Charles Johnston/Johnson. I found his death in Aberdeen in 1911 at the age of 72 with details of parents John Johnston, a traveller in timber, and Christina Margaret Lawson. I found his marriage to Mary Ann Fraser at Aberdeen in 1862. However his birth around 1838/39 is not recorded.
He was a seaman, so first attempts at census records failed. I got lucky at 1891 and there his place of birth is given as Norway. Was he Norwegian? 1901 gave the birthplace as Norway (BS). I take this to mean British Subject. Am I right? If I am, where do I go from here? What records might there be for British subjects born in Norway - and of course I don't have a town.
The fact that his father John Johnston/Johnson was a traveller in timber makes sense of it but I can find no records at all for John in the Aberdeen area (many hundreds across Scotland). There is a Christina Margaret Lawson born in Dysart 1797 but no marriage or death.
Any Norwegian experts out there?
NORWEGIAN BLUEs
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ninatoo
- Posts: 1231
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I wonder if the name Johnston was originally something like Johansen? Seems more Norwegian to me! 
Perhaps looking for this name with wildcards Joh*s*n may yield results.
Nina
Perhaps looking for this name with wildcards Joh*s*n may yield results.Nina
Researching: Easton ( Renfrewshire, Dunbarton and Glasgow), Corr (Londonderry and Glasgow), Carson (Co. Down, Irvine, Ayrshire and Glasgow), Logan (Londonderry and Glasgow)
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CathieL
- Posts: 167
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Hello,
There is a Norwegian website which is very similar to Talking Scot.
http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/We ... r&spraak=e
I used it a lot when I was researching my children's Norwegian roots. Most of the people speak English and they will try to help you. I thought you might want to give it a try.
Cathie
There is a Norwegian website which is very similar to Talking Scot.
http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/cgi-win/We ... r&spraak=e
I used it a lot when I was researching my children's Norwegian roots. Most of the people speak English and they will try to help you. I thought you might want to give it a try.
Cathie
Researching- Stewart. Connolly,McQuade, Coyle,Kelly, Farrell, McKenna, Ward. Kenny.
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DavidWW
- Posts: 5057
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm
Blues ?!?!
Not at all, - you should only be thankful that you have ancestry in a country which has among the best and furthest back European records that exist !!
My advice would be first to access a copy of Angus Baxter's "In Search of Your European Roots", which has a 10 page section on Norway; and, secondly, to have a richt guid Google, as well as a look at the Norwegian advice on Cyndi's List and similar "portal" sites.
As always in such situations, however, the major problem will be making the link back to Norge, and the town and parish involved .......
>1901 gave the birthplace as Norway (BS)
That does indeed mean "British Subject", i.e. although born in Norway, the faher was British.
Such a birth may or may not have been reported to the British authorities via consular records, which may have been copied the Scottish Registrar General in Edinburgh, but which may be languishing in the English records at Kew.
My inclination in this situation would be to see if it's at all possible to determine the place involved in Norway ................
David
Not at all, - you should only be thankful that you have ancestry in a country which has among the best and furthest back European records that exist !!
My advice would be first to access a copy of Angus Baxter's "In Search of Your European Roots", which has a 10 page section on Norway; and, secondly, to have a richt guid Google, as well as a look at the Norwegian advice on Cyndi's List and similar "portal" sites.
As always in such situations, however, the major problem will be making the link back to Norge, and the town and parish involved .......
>1901 gave the birthplace as Norway (BS)
That does indeed mean "British Subject", i.e. although born in Norway, the faher was British.
Such a birth may or may not have been reported to the British authorities via consular records, which may have been copied the Scottish Registrar General in Edinburgh, but which may be languishing in the English records at Kew.
My inclination in this situation would be to see if it's at all possible to determine the place involved in Norway ................
David