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Finding Ella Hannon nee Hanson, Jorgenson, and others

My grandmother came from Norway. She said she was 14 at the time and came through Ellis Island in 1900. Unfortunately I'm not at all sure what her name was. She said she had come to America to live with an aunt in Minnisota; but I've never found any census information for her there.

From what I've found she was married to a man named Eli Jorgenson. They had at least two children. One was my 1/2 aunt Mabel, born in Glasgow, Montana in 1917. On her birth record it says my grandmother's name was Ella Hanson. Six months later Ella was married to my grandfather, Seth Hannon, in Great Falls, Montana. The record shows her name to be Ella Jorgenson. They moved to Seth's home in Cle Elum, Washington.

When her children were old enough to ask questions about Ella's family, she gave her maiden name as Berg, then Barnard, and others. When asked about the different names by her grandchildren, she told them that the "past was best left in the past."

Also I haven't been able to locate any information on Eli Jorgenson or other children. Not so much as a census blip.

Does anyone have any tips for this "brick wall"?

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Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 2, 2009 at 5:29am

Hi Gene,

Thank you for the tip.

Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 2, 2009 at 4:30pm

Hi Gene,

I have Seth Hannon and Ella's census records starting from 1920, they were married in 1918.

Unfortunately, other then Ella's child by Eli, my Mom's 1/2 sister Mabel is the only one I have a record for. On Mabel's birth record it give Eli's birth place as Maryland. Their home was in Poplar, Montana but Mabel was born in Glasgow, Montana. I will post the copy of it in my photo album.

I have searched for records of Eli and/or Ella Jorgenson (spelling in all variations) in:

Census 1880 - 1930

Montana~

Valley County, Montana, Roosevelt County, Montana, Great Falls, MT

Minnesota~

Polk County, Minn., Pennington County, Minn., Norman County, Minn., Marshall County, Minn., Clay County, Minn.

Maryland (Where Eli was suppose to have been born according to Mabel’s birth record)

Howard County, MD

North Dakota ~

Grand Forks County, No. Dakota.

Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 3, 2009 at 11:21am

Hi Gene,

I have Seth's registration for WWI. But I was too focused on looking for an "Eli" that I didn't look at alternate names. This is really interesting. I'm assuming that Eli and Seth were friends; the picture I posted of the man I think is Eli was originally taken from a picture with my grandfather Seth. Also my Aunt Mabel and her son Dan look too much like Eli to be a coinsidence.

Interestingly, I've never been able to find a marriage or divorce record. But if Eli went to Idaho, he may have filed there, I'll have to look for records here in WA and in Idaho.

Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 3, 2009 at 11:52am

I have to admire you; you've really been working hard on this. But so much of it makes sense; especially given the fact that my grandmother was so secretive.

Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 3, 2009 at 11:35am

OMG! This is so interesting. You're right things do seem to fit. LOL, if Ella M. Andersen is my grandmother and came over on the Christiana; then my cousin Christine was named after a ship not Ella's mother. Chris will have great fun with that one.

Permalink Reply by Margi Underwood on August 3, 2009 at 11:50am

Hi again,

I tried locating the ship manifest for the Christiana. I couldn't find Ella M. Anderson on the passenger list; nor a manifest for 6 Apr 1905, only 21 Apr 1905. Would you be able to upload that doc? Thank you!

Finding Ella Hannon nee Hanson, Jorgenson, and others

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