"Unni"
Somewhere near Olso, Norway.
Photograph taken sometime after 1930.
Unni's place in the family tree remains a mystery.
Back of photograph
"Hello Heine...
Do you know again little Unni, taken this summer...She never forget you and very often speak about, she can't understand yet that your father is my uncle, and why you are so far away.
Yours
Emma (?) "
Unni and Harold Klemmetsen
Somewhere near Oslo, Norway.
Taken after 1930.
Back of photograph
"Father and little Unni giving him caffe in the garden."
My grandfather Harold Hansen (his nickname was Heine) took a trip in 1930 to visit with his father's family on their farm near Oslo, Norway. These photographs were sent to Harold from his first cousin Emma after his 1930 visit. Grandpa's father, John Hansen, was Emma's uncle; Emma's mother was Hulda Klemmetsen, John's sister.
John Hartwig Hansen, grandpa's father, had lived with his sister Hulda and her husband Harald Klemmetsen in Oslo, Norway before coming to America in the 1890's. John Hansen kept in touch with his family as evidenced by trips back to Norway, many (unidentified) photographs, several remaining letters, and the heritage he proudly passed on to his sons.
A Christmas card sent to Grandpa, signed by Emma Klemmetsen, date unknown (but before 1939). I am not sure if Emma was ever married.
Inside of card with Emma's signature.
envelope
Sadly, over time, later generations have lost contact with this branch of the family. WWII caused a rift between members of the Norway family, with some members participating in the underground fighting against the German occupation and others siding with the Germans. We believe some relatives ended up in the Chicago area after that. The last contact between the Norway family and our Hansen family was sometime in the 50's when "Mia" came to the states to visit with Robley (Uncle Bob) Hansen and his family. Was this Emma? And who did Unni belong too?
Uncle Bob with "Mia" on the front porch of the Arlington Avenue home in Reno, Nevada. Circa 1950's.
Photograph from the Bob Hansen Family Album
Piecing together this branch of the family has been a real challenge! Generational links have mostly faded away and valuable information has been lost to time. I do have many pictures, some with identification, but most with nothing written on the back. Just little pieces to a very large Norwegian puzzle.
These are pictures that either have identification written on them or that I have identified from other known photographs. I pieced together the family tree for Harald and Hulda Klemmetsen several years ago using Ancestry.com, original family documents and letters that Grandpa wrote while on his trip in 1930. Here is what I know....
Hulda and Harald Klemmetsen
Photograph taken around 1900 (possibly 1905) in Norway.
Ingeberg Studio, Christiana (Oslo)
Cabinet Card.
Harald Peter Klemmetsen (b. 1862 Norway) m. 1885
Hulda Elvine Kristine Gunderson/Hansen (b. 1857 Christiana, Norway)
(Children all born in Christiana, Norway)
1. Hartvig Harald Aleksander Klemmetsen b. 1885
2. Elvira Matea Sophie Klemmetsenb. 1887 d. 1894
3. Marie Kristiane Harolda Klemmetsen b. 1892
4. Kristian Valdemer Klemmetsen b. 1892 (Christian the farmer in Ski)
5. Emma Hansine Klemmetsen b. 1894
6. Hans Petter Klemmetsen b. 1896
7. Rolf Henry Klemmetsen b. 1898. (Ralph the ship captain)
This photograph was taken at the same studio as the above photograph. John Hartwig Hansen posing with his cousin Emma; he was wearing his Spanish American War Naval uniform with a medal of some kind. He must have visited Norway right around the turn of the century, possibly in 1905 after his marriage to Vere Burrows.
Cabinet Card.
This embossed photograph was taken at the same studio as the above two pictures.
Candid photograph of John Hansen with Harald Klemmetsen, taken at the same time as the above picture.
Date on back is "4.7.1905" and may possibly date all of these photographs to 1905. Marie Klemmetsen's name is also on the back. This was taken at the Ingeberg studio, but has a different look to it. The chair is the same as in the portrait of Hulda and Harald.
Cabinet Card.
Emma and Marie Klemmetsen
Photographs taken at the Ingeberg Studio at the same time as the above pictures. Emma would have been 11 years old and Maria would have been 13 years old in 1905.
Cartes de Visite
Identified as "Rolf Henry March 30, 1900" on back. Taken at the Ingeberg Studio. Cabinet Card.
Rolf Klemmetsen
Ingeberg Studio
If this picture was taken in 1905 Rolf would have been 7-8 years old.
Carte de Visite.
Photograph taken in Christiana (Oslo) Norway, around 1910-11 at the Kongsrud Studio, Christiana, Norway.
Carte de Visite.
Emma Klemmetsen 1913, Oslo, Norway
Back of photograph
Translation from Norwegian to English:
"Dear Uncle! Here you see me in front of the house-I hope you recognize it. As you can see, I'm all grown up now, and I'm already 19 years old. We are so thrilled and overjoyed that you're coming to Norway. Oh, we're going to have so much fun! Just imagine how fun it will be to teach Aunt Vere and our little cousins to speak Norwegian. Welcome!
Warm regards, Emma."
If Emma was 19 years old, she wrote this to John Hansen in 1913. He was already married with three little boys at home, so the context would make sense with the date. It sounds like John was planning to make another trip right before WWI with his family. I don't think they made that trip, possibly due to the war.
Hulda Klemmetsen, Harold Hansen and Emma Klemmetsen, 1930. Harold Hansen made a trip to Norway in 1930 to visit his father's relatives.
Harold Hansen with (possibly) Rolf or Christian Klemmetsen in 1930.
I have many more pictures, some I can identify from the above pictures, some I cannot. It is obvious that this branch of the Norway family missed John Hansen, enjoyed his visits, and got to know John's sons later on. It is sad that our later generations have lost this connection. It is a branch of our family tree I would love to know more about.
I do have DNA matches to quite a few people with Norwegian ethnicity; as yet I haven't been able to make any connections between our trees, as most trees from matches are not built out or are nonexistent. This has been very frustrating and very challenging to say the least. Hopefully, over time, I will find a cousin that has a piece of the puzzle I can use!
Unni's relationship to our family still remains a mystery.
Relationship Reference:
Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen-John Hartwig Hansen
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