Genealogy Jottings

A lot of Norwegian jokes feature Ole and Lena, the stereotypical Norwegian immigrants. My family actually had siblings with these names, my great-grandfather Ole Bentsen and his sister Lina Bentsen Johannesen Torbergsen. Ole came to America in 1904, their parents came over in 1905, and Lina followed in 1909. The other child in the family, a sister named Riborg, had died at age 16 in Norway. Ole and his folks settled in northeastern Montana while Lina went to Seattle. I never met any of these people myself, but I wonder if they appreciated Ole and Lena jokes.

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