Bernt Bonn’s 1875 Sea Voyage to America

I discovered that great-grandfather Bernt Olsen Bonn (1856-1937) came to America on a different ship than the one I thought he had.

A few years ago, I reported that Norwegian great-grandfather Bernt Olsen Bønsmoen emigrated on the S/S Trondhjem on 3 June 1875.  Bernt was known as Bernt Olsen Bønsmoen in Norway, but adopted the surname Bonn upon immigration.  His parents were Ole Larsen Bønsmoen (1820-1902) and Dorthe Olsdatter Dalum (1819-1893).  His adult siblings included Olava, Laura, Christian, Maren, and Ole.

The 1875 departure date roughly matches family lore.  My mother and Aunt Susie drafted a genealogy in 2001 which stated that Bernt immigrated to America “in the 1870s” and moved to Montevideo, Minnesota in 1879 after giving up his homestead in Madison Township, Lac Qui Parle, Minnesota.^[1]Susan K. Quella & Beverly Bonn Jonnes, “Aaberge Family Tree, 1713-2001: For the Descendants of Peter/Petter Peterson Aaberge (Attachment 3),” unpublished manuscript, 2001; loose-leaf copy … Continue reading

I have wondered why Bernt left Norway so much earlier than other members of his family, especially since he was the oldest son.  Immigration chronology for the Ole Larsen Bønsmoen family:

• 1875 son Bernt Olsen, age 18
• 1880 son Christian Olsen, age 21
• 1882 son Ole Olsen, age 18
• 1883 parents Ole Larsen & Dorthea Olsdatter, ages 62 and 63
• 1886 daughter Laura Olsdatter, age 33

I thought to look for a photograph of the S/S Trondhjem.  I went to Norway Heritage — the premier Internet site for research on emigrant ships from Norway.  No photograph was found.  However, I noticed for the first time that the ship was categorized as a “coastal steamer.”^[2]Børge Solem, “Coastal steamers, departures from Christiania in 1875,” undated webpage, Norway Heritage (https://www.norwayheritage.com/p_route.asp?ro=C40 : accessed 9 October 2024).  It never crossed the ocean!

What happened is that Bernt indeed embarked on the Trondhjem on 2 June 1875, which departed Christiania (Oslo) on 3 June.  But the Trondhjem only sailed to Bergen, Norway  and Bernt transferred there to a sea-going vessel.  The next day, 4 June 1875, he left for New York City on the S/S Hakon Adelsten.^[3]“New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957;” digital image (Ancestry.com : accessed 8 October 2024), manifest, S.S. Hakon … Continue reading

Let’s go step by step through the journey.  At the beginning, Bernt likely took the train from Eidsvoll to Christiania on 1 June 1875, a trip of about 2.5 hours.^[4]Emigration law at the time required emigrants to arrive in their port city one day prior to departure.  Possibly one or more family members accompanied him for a pier-side farewell.  On 2 June 1875, Bernt boarded the S.S. Trondhjem.^[5]Oslo politidistriktnr, SAO/A-10085: Emigrant protocols, no. 5, 1871-1876, p. 426, passenger 557, Bernt Olsen, 2 June 1875; digital image (Digitalarkivet.no : accessed 20 November 2018).  His embarkation record states the following:

Bernt Olsen 20, single passenger, from Eidsvoll, baggage valued at 42.70 speciadaler, bound for Sparta, Wisconsin.

Note the family listed just above Bernt Olsen: Peder Pettersen Aas, 55, crofter (husmann), wife Sophie Johnsdatter 56 and children Olava, Carl, and Christian.  They too were from Eidsvoll and their destination was Sparta, Wisconsin.  Other than Bernt and this family, only one other passenger on this manifest was from Eidsvoll. This suggests a relationship between Bernt Olsen and Peder Pettersen.

The Trondhjem departed Christiania on 3 June.  Once in Bergen, Bernt transferred to the Hakon Adelsten and departed for America the next day, 4 June 1875.

The S/S Hakon Adelsten was 250 ft. long and 32.2 ft. wide.^[6]Børge Solem, “S/S Hakon Adelsten: The Norwegian American Steamship Company,” undated webpage, Norway Heritage (https://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=haaad : accessed 9 October … Continue reading  It carried 246 passengers on this voyage.^[7]“New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957;” digital image (Ancestry.com : accessed 11 October 2024), manifest, S.S. Hakon … Continue reading  It was owned by Norwegian American Steamship Company, a company notable for being Norwegian-owned, a rarity in an age when British lines dominated.  The company was established to take advantage of the historic shift in transatlantic travel from sail to steam.  Between 1869 and 1874, steam-powered vessels completely overtook sailing vessels.  Although passage on steamships cost about three times more than sailing ships, the improvement in crossing times was worth it.  The average sailing ship took 53 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean.^[8]Børge Solem and Trond Austheim, “The Voyage: Statistics concerning the transatlantic crossing,” 16 April 2004, Norway Heritage … Continue reading  When weather was bad, it sometimes took over 100 days.  As Børge Solem points out,

A fifty day journey below the deck of a sailing ship was no pleasure trip.^[9]Børge Solem, “The Transatlantic Crossing: Chapter 8, .. by steamship,” undated webpage, Norway Heritage (https://www.norwayheritage.com/by_steamship.htm : accessed 11 October 2024).

Steamships, on the other hand, averaged less than 20 days and were smoother because of the increased speed.  There was a period of some years when vessels combined steam with sails.  The S/S Hakon Adelsten is an example.  Primary propulsion was powered nonetheless by its steam engine.

Because of a decline in emigrants in 1874 and 1875, the Norwegian American Steamship Company closed after only five years of service.  In fact, the voyage that Bernt took in June 1875 trip was the last crossing made by the company.  The image below shows the Hakon Adelsten fully loaded in Bergen harbor in April 1873.

Bernt’s voyage across the Atlantic Ocean lasted 20 days.  24 June 1875 was the first day he set foot in America.

When the S.S. Hakon Adelsten landed in New York City on 24 June 1875, Bernt is listed as follows:

Berent Olsen, 19, farmer, steerage passenger.

Once again, Bernt is listed immediately below the Peder Pettersen family.

Two passenger lists on two ships and the parties are listed next to each other in both cases, and on one of those passenger lists, they share the same origin and same destination.  Although we may never know for sure, I suspect Bernt accompanied this family to Sparta, Monroe, Wisconsin.

Peder & Sofia Pettersen settled on a farm in Portland Township, about 15 miles south of Sparta and just west of Cashton, near the border to Vernon County.  They were joining their eldest son, Anton Peterson, who immigrated to America four years earlier.^[10]1900 U.S. census, Monroe County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Portland Township, ED 104, p. 10, dwelling 188, Anton P. Benrud (Ancestry.com : accessed 15 October 2024); citing NARA microfilm … Continue reading  In the 1880 U.S. census, the family was enumerated at Anton’s farm with Peterson as their surname.^[11]1880 U.S. census, Monroe County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Portland Township, ED 38, p. 195B, dwelling 160, Anton Peterson family; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 13 … Continue reading  By 1900, however, they changed their surname to Benrud, sometimes spelled Benerud.

Peder Benrud died age 94 in 1914 and was buried in Moen Cemetery in Cashton, Wisconsin.^[12]Findagrave.com, Find A Grave, database : 12 October 2024), memorial ID 99530902 for Peder Benrud 1820-1914, Moen Cemetery, Cashton, Vernon, Wisconsin.

Benerud is a Norwegian farm name.  Prior to emigration, Peder Pettersen was a crofter (husmann) who rented a small parcel of the Aas Vestre farm in Eidsvoll Municipality called Benerud.^[13]Aas Vestre was property number (lopenummer 396-b in 1865, now farm number 158.   Note that Peder’s embarkation record in 1875 listed his name as Peder Pettersen Aas.  Peder could just as well have told the port officer in Christiania that his name was Peder Pettersen Benerud.

Bernt’s father, Ole Larsen Bønsmoen, was born the same year as Peder Pettersen – 1820 – possibly they were friends or Lutheran confirmation classmates.  The two families were residing about 5 miles apart so they were not near-neighbors, but they attended the same church and must have known each other even if there was no intimate connection.

I tried to find evidence of Bernt Olsen or Bernt Bonn residing in Monroe or Vernon County, Wisconsin in the late 1870s, but came up empty, not surprisingly.  The only newspaper which is available online for that period is the Vernon County Censor, published in Viroqua, Wisconsin.  However, I could not find any mention of Bernt Olsen or Bernt Bonn in the years 1875 – 1879.

The descendants of Peder & Sofia Benrud maintain an excellent family history website: Benrudfamily.org.  Amazingly, the family possesses a letter written by Olava, the teenage daughter, to an aunt and uncle in Norway on 10 August 1875, describing the journey to America.^[14]“Benrud Farm and Church Tour 2020,” pdf, p. 3, undated webpage, Benrudfamily (https://benrudfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BENRUD-FARM-AND-CHURCH-TOUR-2020.pdf : accessed 14 … Continue reading  The letter makes no mention of great-grandfather Bernt Olsen, unfortunately.

I even contacted the historian and webmaster for the Benrud family site and discussed our possible connection.  Many of their family have had their DNA tested, but none shows up as a match to me.  That probably rules out a genetic connection.

In summary, great-grandfather Bernt Bonn appears to have accompanied the Benrud family to Sparta, Wisconsin.  He may have even lodged with them at their farm in Portland and worked as a laborer for one or two years, or found other work in the area.  Wherever he was in late 1875 and throughout 1876, he subsequently migrated to Madison, Minnesota, after submitting a homestead application.  Madison Township in Lac Qui Parle County was first settled in 1877, so Bernt likely moved that year.^[15]“Lac Qui Parle County, Geographic Names,” undated webpage, GenealogyTrails (https://genealogytrails.com/minn/lacquiparle/history_names.html : accessed 13 October 2024).