Hei Linda!
Thank you for your response and possible clues to the Johnson family connection. Little is known about my great-grandfather John Carl Johnson except he was a sailor (mariner) and worked as a steward. I have his marriage certificate, which I can send to you if you want to contact me privately. My E-mail address is:
[email protected].
John Carl Johnson married Elizabeth Ann Williams on 13 March, 1882 in the village of Weston-in-Gordano, Somerset, England. Unfortunately his age isn't shown on the marriage certificate, but his profession is "Steward on Merchant Ship". John's father's name is shown, but the first name is indistinct and could be something like Aanon, Arne or Arno. His profession is a farmer.
The only other clue I have found is the record of a John Carl Johnson, mariner, appearing in the 1881 British census that lists him and another Norwegian sailor (Evan Olsen) boarding at a house in the community of Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. The town is inland from several Yorkshire harbours. However, looking at some of the ships’ crew lists, many crewmembers came from inland towns (including Great Driffield) and not necessarily uniquely from the ports and harbours. This implies that lodgings for mariners were not unknown in inland towns. As yet I haven’t come across anything specific for John Carl Johnson in the few crew lists I’ve reviewed (a couple of near-misses, though, as there were many seamen born in Arendal listed). If this is the correct John Carl Johnson, he would have been born in 1859.
My father, Peter John Page, John Carl's grandson, still lives in England and is 84 years old. I emigrated to Canada in 1973.
Takk så meget!
Vi höres! Mvh!
Barry
