Author Topic: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm  (Read 716 times)

Offline Catherine Wait

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Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« on: Tuesday 07 August 18 10:42 BST (UK) »
Morning, I wonder if anyone could try and help with a birth of my ggrandmother Wilhemina Orm (seems to refer to herself as Mina / Mena).
 I have recently found her Death Notice which gives her place of birth as Stockholm.  The only records for her are a second marriage in 1917 with a age of 45 (Birth year 1872) and death on 16/2/1936 age 54 (Birth year 1877), I'm inclinced to go with 1872 as this a age she gave at the marriage and not what the informant gave on her death notice.
By 1900 she is in Durban, South Africa - "marries" Ernest Frederick McFedden and has 3 sons. After the death of Frederick she marries John Johnson. Very little is known about her, she was a deck hand on a ship (was that normal?) which was how she came to South Africa and spoke Swedish to a friend Captain Larsen who visited when in harbour, he came from the same town as her.

I have tried FS, but found nothing and I really struggled with ArkivDigital and gave up!!!

Any help, please

Thanks
Catherine
Ridley (Northumberland)
Turnbull (Northumberland))
Hatley (London)
McFadden (Donegal and Tasmania)

Offline jamcat95

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 08 August 18 10:02 BST (UK) »
Hi Catherine
I wonder if her surname was Örn as Orm seems very unlikely as the surname Orm (snake in Swedish) was very rare.
Here is a marriage record for a Edith Isabel Örn in Pietermaritzburg in 1921. Could be related somehow......
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-64KW-VB3?i=893&cc=2063749


Ian


Offline Catherine Wait

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #2 on: Friday 10 August 18 07:29 BST (UK) »
Morning Ian, Thanks for the idea - will definitely search with that in mind, after all the death notice is completed on information given to them, and I have never seen any original paper work with her maiden name written down, so could be a phonical mistake.

Thanks for looking at fs - have never had any indication that she had any family in South Africa, but of course you never know!!!

Thanks for help
Regards

Catherine
Ridley (Northumberland)
Turnbull (Northumberland))
Hatley (London)
McFadden (Donegal and Tasmania)

Offline jamcat95

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #3 on: Friday 10 August 18 10:13 BST (UK) »
Hi Catherine

I have tried here in Sweden to find her to no avail. The surname Örn (Eagle in English) between 1880 - 1890 was recorded around 600 times so there are a few of them.
The surname Orm came up 2 times between 1880 - 1890.

I need a little more to go on unfortunately. I will see if I can find something.

With her being a deck hand seems strange. I have never seen it but there is no reason why a woman couldn't work on a ship at that time.

You probably have these:
Her death notice:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS75-CS4V-7

Her son's probate:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS75-D9S9-Z


Ian





Offline Catherine Wait

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #4 on: Friday 10 August 18 11:47 BST (UK) »
Hi Ian, yes I do have the probates - thank you.  Family Search has done an amazing job lately of digitising records from South Africa.

To be honest I have never tried to do any research on Mina, as I found it too daunting - very little information and then Sewedish records ???!!?? I have never even heard Swedish spoken!

There is no marriage for her and Ernest Frederick McFadden (or McFedden) only on his (Frederick's )death notice does it state a marriage occurred 1900.  He was married in England previously, no divorce record, so I think the "marriage" was either a hoax or just a fabrication.  This all comes out after Frederick dies intestate and Mina can not produce a marriage cert. - neither she nor her 3 sons can inherit.  The estate has no value aside from property in Australia, which cannot be dealt with in South Africa anyway, so she is left destitute. 

All known signatures for Mina are signed "Mina McFedden", so have never seen her maiden name written down by her. 

Oral history:- She came to South Africa as a deck hand (Always felt uneasy about this - Was this normal ? Father involved with the ship???) and was injured badly in a storm and she would climb up the mast.  Only other clue is the Captain Larsen that would visit her when he was in port.  The only other vague stories where that she was a)shipwrecked on the Natal coast and walked to Durban b) sailed to South Africa in a sailing race. 

I know there was a whaling station at Durban that had Larsen's involved with the whale hunting - the whaling station was funded by the Norwegian  government?????.

That is all that is known of Mina's background -  Don't think I will solve her history in any hurry with so little to go on.  Appreciate your involvement and any ideas.

Kind Regards
Catherine
Ridley (Northumberland)
Turnbull (Northumberland))
Hatley (London)
McFadden (Donegal and Tasmania)

Offline HughC

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #5 on: Friday 10 August 18 15:16 BST (UK) »
I too wondered about the name Orm.  Etymologically it's the same as our word worm, but refers to something larger and not so harmless: a serpent.  Possibly in the past also a dragon, as with the German word Lindwurm.

A female deck hand also sounds unlikely.  Wasn't there a superstition that a woman aboard ship brought bad luck?  Perhaps the Swedes were more enlightened.  Will make an interesting story if you do manage to find out -- sorry I can't help there.
Bagwell of Kilmore & Lisronagh, Co. Tipperary;  Beatty from Enniskillen;  Brown from Preston, Lancs.;  Burke of Ballydugan, Co. Galway;  Casement in the IoM and Co. Antrim;  Davison of Knockboy, Broughshane;  Frobisher;  Guillemard;  Harrison in Co. Antrim and Dublin;  Jones around Burton Pedwardine, Lincs.;  Lindesay of Loughry;  Newcomen of Camlagh, Co. Roscommon;  Shield;  Watson from Kidderminster;  Wilkinson from Leeds

Offline Catherine Wait

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #6 on: Friday 10 August 18 16:59 BST (UK) »
Hi Wee Hugh,  from a British perspective, the deck hand story has always left a question mark in my mind, but not having any real knowledge of Sweden or customs etc, I never disputed it.  She is a interesting character.  She took laundry from the ships when they docked to earn a living and had a wringer in the back yard, the boys had been told not to play with it, yet boys will be boys - before releasing the handle and her sons hand, they all got a spanking!!!

I wonder what shipping between Sweden and South Africa would have been? and if there is an equivalent of the Merchant Nay in Sweden??

Regards
Catherine
Ridley (Northumberland)
Turnbull (Northumberland))
Hatley (London)
McFadden (Donegal and Tasmania)

Offline jamcat95

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 11 August 18 08:55 BST (UK) »
I wonder what shipping between Sweden and South Africa would have been? and if there is an equivalent of the Merchant Nay in Sweden??

Here is a database of some Swedish seaman institutes with muster records. I have written in Larsen as captain and Port Natal (Durban) as the port (click on the name and you'll get the record):

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01mht/


Not an awful lot of information but this Larsen could be the same captain. The years may may not be correct but it may help out.


Ian


Offline Catherine Wait

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Re: Swedish birth c1872 Wilhemina Orm
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 11 August 18 11:16 BST (UK) »
Thanks Ian, I will try and trace either of the two captains from South African side as well and see if I can find anything that looks promising.  Really appreciate your help and interest.

Thanks
Catherine
Ridley (Northumberland)
Turnbull (Northumberland))
Hatley (London)
McFadden (Donegal and Tasmania)