Hans Henrik Olsen, b. 1872 Moss, Norway
My great-grandfather, Hans Henrik Olsen, came to the US either via Nova Scotia or directly into a US port (probably Boston) c. 1882 (or so the story goes). I've been told that he either sneaked aboard a ship or came over on a whaler. He married Mary Harriet Ann Gates, settled in Marshfield, MA c. 1898 & later Stoughton, MA c. 1910 and they had 16 children. He changed his name to Harry Olsen as early as 1898.
I'm trying to research his Norwegian roots. In an 1875 census, his father is listed as Ole Henrik Larsen (b. 1817 in Rygge), his mother Johanne Johannsdatter (b. 1843 in Moss), and two siblings, Gustav (b. 1870) & Karen Johanne (b. 1866). I've been told that Karen had bright red hair.
Gustav apparently married a woman named Hulda (b. 1862 in Valer) and had a son, Georg Henry (b. 1893) - from the 1900 Norwegian census.
If any of these people have turned up in your family tree, I'll jump for joy!