Christensen family in Manawatu, NZ

Russell's visit to Scandinavia in winter 2000/1

Page One

(Also see Page Two)

Russell Burr (normally of Palmerston North) at Tom Halvorsen's home, Arnes, Norway, 22/12/2000 (Photo by Tom). Arnes is near where Anders and Marie lived before they migrated. Tom's relatives, Carl Andreas & Annie Andersen, also migrated to NZ with the same group, aboard the Celaeno. Russell says in the accompanying email: "It's a little bit cold here with little sun, it doesn't get very high above the horizon. There is "hore" frost covering the trees and grass, quiet pretty. I guess it's warm down under, but you can have it I prefer the cold."

Then in response to my reply from Palmerston North, NZ, a few minutes later: "Why were you up so late????????????, it was 12:15 am NZ time (i.e. 24/12/2000 in  NZ) when we sent the email. It was taken about 10 minutes before I/we sent the email. We have just returned from visiting the lake and cabin site where Anders and Maria lived, it is very pretty up there this time of the year. The lake is frozen and makes a "haunting" kind of sound when the ice cracks. The sun sets around 3:00 in the afternoon and rises sometime after 9:20 in the morning, so it is not a very long day."

Walking on the lake below Vennevold lille, the place where Anders & Marie lived before migrating to NZ in 1870, during the visit mentioned above.

Russell visiting Byn, near Brunskog, Varmland, Sweden, on 27 December 2000. This is where Marie was from. We now have to wait for him to return to NZ in order to learn about this rest of this day-trip from Norway. 

The next day (28/12/2000), Russell and Tom visited Oslo and theoretically this is the christening font  - at Gamle Aker Church - where Anders was christened as a baby.

This is Carol Slattum and family of Oslo (through a veil of snow?), who so greatly assisted us to discover the complicated origins of Anders Christian Christensen, during December 2000, and then showed Russell the relevant sights during his (and Tom's) visit to Oslo on 28/12/2000. It is very fair to say we probably would never have sorted Anders out without her 'on the spot' help.

Last updated: 31/12/2000