Harold G Jorgensen

[aidansrest]

Hi,

I am looking for any information on a man called Harold George Jorgensen, probably of Scandinavian origin.

He was born around 1892 and was living in Seaham, County Durham, by 1920 as he married Blanche Cowell (nee Drennan) there during the December quarter of 1920.
He died, still living in the north east of England in 1951 - aged 59 years.

I suspect that I will probably have to buy his marriage certificate to Blanche to find out more about him, but can anybody help with where he might have come from, or how he got to England and Seaham.
Thanks

Sue

[jorose]

A large number of Scandinavian immigrants were mariners of one sort or another.  Maybe that's how he met Blanche, and then he decided to stay in the UK (because she wasn't keen on heading back with him, or just because work opportunities were better).

If he continued working as a merchant seaman after arrival in the UK there may be records you can find there.

[jorose]

I've found someone who looks as if he may be a possibility.
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/search/

Harold George Jorgensen from Norway signed up in Western Australia to join the Australian army. Although he was not a British subject, he was admitted (not sure the rules here).

In July 1917 when he signed up, he was "26 years 5 months" His next of kin was mother Martine Jorgensen in Frederikstad (spelt various ways throughout the records).
In August 1919 he was discharged in London, aged "29 years 7 months"
He intended to reside at Veums gate, Frederikstad.

The timing is about right for him to work his way up from London to a more northernly port, intending to work his passage back to Norway, and then run into Blanche, eyes meet across a crowded room, etc.

I think we would need the father's name from the marriage certificate to cross-check with Norwegian records to confirm if this man is your Harold.

[kaysii]

You will really need to get the marriage certificate and hopefully get his nationality, probably Danish or Norwegian. I looked up (with spelling variations) Harald Jorgensen in the 1900 Norwegian census as the middle name is not always recorded. There were 19 of whom two had middle names included, (they were not Georg). You would need to check parish birth registers of the others to see whether they had a middle name Georg. Another reason for getting the marriage certificate is to find out his father's name to find out if Harald was using a patronymic as a surname or taking his father's patronymic/surname.

I did look up a Harald Jørgensen born in Sems to a father who was a fisherman and was away in England, but he has no middle name on his birth record.

Here is the Harald Georg mentioned by Jorose in 1910
http://digitalarkivet.arkivverket.no/ft/person/pf01036357005639

Here he is in 1900
http://gda.arkivverket.no/cgi-win/WebCens.exe?slag=visbase&sidenr=96&filnamn=f00134&gardpostnr=736&personpostnr=4918&merk=4918#ovre.

kaysii