The Swensen family, Gunder, Anna and three children emigrated on the ship "Victor Emanuel" from Bergen Norway, to Quebec Canada, arriving May 1, 1866. From there they traveled to the U.S.A, eventually settling in Nettlecreek, Illinois After coming to the United States the children of Gunder Swensen and Anna Wold Iversdatter were renamed in accordance with the English naming customs. From there on the family used Swensen as their surname. (Swensen was sometimes spelled Svensen as well as Swanson.) The old Norse naming custom was to give a son a first name with his surname being formed by adding "sen" to his father's first name. If it was a daughter, her surname was formed by adding "datter" to her father's first name, i.e. Sven A. Gundersen became Sven A. Svensen and Gunvor Gundersdatter became Gunvor Svensen etc. This can be confusing to those unaccustomed to Norse names as the surname is not passed on .
1. Olav Paa 1563- Unknown
...+Olavswife
......2. Aslac Olavsen 1577-1645
.........+Aslacswife
............3. Lars Aslacsen 1601-1675
...............+Larswife
..................4. Marita Larsdatter 1620
.....................+Bjorn Ingvaldsen 1605-1689
........................5. N.N. Bjornsdatter
...........................+Jacob Olsen 1656
..............................6. Ole Jacobsen 1700-1761
.................................+Liva Tjerandsdatter 1700
....................................7 Sacharias Olsen 1736
.......................................+Malene Iversdatter
..........................................8. Iver Sachariasen 1772
.............................................+Siri Steensdatter1772
................................................9. Iver Torresdal Iversen 1806
...................................................+Ingeborg Jacobsdatter 1813
......................................................10. Anna Iversdatter Wold 1839-1883
.........................................................+Gunder Swensen 1831
............................................................11. Julia Guro Swensen 1873-1949
...............................................................+Benjamin Petersen 1871
..................................................................12. Goldie Petersen 1903-1962
.....................................................................+Theodore Kowarsch 1902-1934
........................................................................13. Dorothy Kowarsch 1928
...........................................................................+George Schupp 1926