The "Høvding" made two voyages to Napier from
Christiania (Oslo). On the first voyage in 1872 were Julius
Ingvoldsen and his sister Thina Julia Ingvoldsen, and in 1873
the remainder of the family came out under the patronymic
name of Syversen. The whole family on arrival in New Zealand
adopted the 'etternavn/surname' of Ingvoldsen, and all the
records we have of them are under that name.
The establishment of the Scandinavian settlements of
Dannevirke and Norsewood were undertaken by the able-bodied
men from the first voyage and helped by others who came on
later ships such as the "Ballarat." The area known as
"Seventy Mile Bush" some 110 Km (70 miles) south of Napier
was earmarked for the Scandinavian settlements, and the first
task for these men was to make the trek from Napier taking
all the supplies they needed with them. The women and
children stayed behind in Napier while the men cleared bush
and established some initial dwellings in Norsewood and
Dannevirke.
The first two members of the Ingvoldsen family to arrive at
Napier were Thina Julia and her younger brother Julius on the
"Høvding" which arrived at Napier on 15 September 1872. At
this stage of my research I am unable to identify what
happened to Julius. The "Høvding" passenger list
accepted by the New Zealand immigration officials, clearly
records his arrival at Napier. No record of his death has been
found in New Zealand, and it may well be that he returned to
Norway shortly after he arrived. Some mention has been made
that he went 'missing', but whether that was at sea or after
he arrived in New Zealand I am not sure. He certainly did not
make the trek to Norsewood, as his name is not amongst the
list of men known to have done so. Thina Julia Ingvoldsdatter
married Carl Lindberg (of Sweden) in Napier in 1875 and
though we have a list of the family members at that wedding,
Julius is not amongst them.
On the second voyage of the "Høvding" which arrived at Napier
on 01 December 1873 were Ingvold Syversen and his wife Berthe
Dyresdatter along with their remaining daughters Caroline,
Marie, Annette and Brunhilde Ingvoldsdatter. On arrival at
Napier, as previously mentioned, they adopted a common family
name of Ingvoldsen. Ingvold was nearly 73 years of age when
he arrived, but it is presumed that he made a living by
engaging in his cabinet making trade. Marie is thought to
have been blind and both she and the eldest daughter Caroline
never married.
Annette and Brunhilde were both married at St.Johns Church in
Napier on 03 February 1877. Annette to William Ford of
Bedfont, Kent, and Brunhilde to Frederick William Thompson
who was born in Malta. From these two marriages, and that of
Thina Julia mentioned earlier, came the descendants of
Ingvold Syversen and Berthe Dyresdatter, many of whom,
disguised under other surnames, are living in New Zealand or
Sweden today.
Frederick William Thompson became the first headmaster at
Matamau School (located half way between Dannevirke and
Norsewood), and though he died at the relatively young age of
56 in 1889, he left four sons for Brunhilde to raise. The
second son was named William Julius and it can probably be
assumed that his second name was in "memory" of Brunhilde's
brother Julius whom I presume had died or gone missing by
1880. The Thompson name is still commonly found in the
southern Hawkes Bay area, and probably many of those people
are descended from Frederick and Brunhilde Thompson. Even
though I have the surname of Carlson, they are also my great
grandparents.
Under the Julius Vogel Immigration Scheme of 1870, the New
Zealand government paid for the passage of selected
immigrants to New Zealand and had them sign Promissory Notes
in acknowledgement of this debt. Many of the immigrants were
so poor, and remained so even in their new land, that most of
the money was never repaid. The country as a whole gained
from the endeavours of these immigrants, but the outstanding
debt of these individuals remains on the records today.
Immigrants Unpaid Promissory Notes. (Appendices to the Journals of The House Of
Representatives 1892 D-3A)
INVOLSEN Julia [sic]
INGOLDEN Julius [sic]
INGVOLDSEN Marie
INGVOLDSEN Annette
INGVOLDSEN Brunhilde
INGVOLDSEN Caroline
The above listed debt by way of Promisory Notes issued
against the children would appear to cover the £45 required
to be paid by their father. However, there is no record of
this debt ever being paid.
Thina Julia and her husband Carl Johan Samuel Lindberg
accompanied by their two young sons left New Zealand in June
1883 (following the death of Thina Julia's father Ingvold in
May 1883) for England and eventually in 1892 to Sweden, where they settled. Carl was a seaman,
and from the date of his marriage to Thina Julia he worked on
vessels operating around the New Zealand coast.
NOTE: This is a work under progress and as more information
comes to light it will be added to this page.