By Margaret H. Strand

When I was responsible for the genealogy group in Moss Ættehistorielag, a local family history society in Norway, just over 20 years ago, I received a query from an Englishman about a Ludvig Meyer who was reported to have been from Moss. I’d intended to publish his query in our journal, but the surname rang a bell, and I remembered helping an Australian lady with a Meyer from Moss the previous year. So I looked into parish records and censuses to see what I could discover about this man’s great-grandfather. It turned out Ludvig was a cousin of the Johan Meyer who had emigrated to Australia.

This Englishman’s curiosity had been triggered by a set of spoons which had been passed down in the family from his Norwegian forebear. There were some letters and a date engraved on them.

I found Ludvig’s birth in the parish register. He was born in Moss on 5 Sep 1857, and christened in the local parish church five weeks later. His father was Jørgen (the Norwegian version of George) Christensen, and as use of patronymics was usual in Norway at that time, Ludvig Jørgensen was the name by which the boy was known at first. I found his parents and grandparents, as well as seven siblings, among whom was his older brother, Olof, who also went to sea, then settled in England. Ludvig’s paternal grandmother was called Karen Anne Meyer. Her surname originated with her German father, Joseph Gothard Meyer, a tailor who had immigrated to Norway and married a Norwegian woman. Several of Karen’s grandchildren later adopted her surname.

Olof and Ludvig went to sea in their teens. Ludvig married in 1884, in his hometown, and his marriage record shows that he had already spent some time in Grimsby, on the east coast of England. His wife, Ottilie, gave birth to a son just over a year later. However, tragedy soon struck. Little Otto Ludvig, as the infant had been christened, died less than seven months old of cholera. Two months later, Ottilie died of an aggressive form of tuberculosis. Grief-stricken, Ludvig moved permanently to England.

In 1888, he married Isabella Thompson, daughter of a shipbuilder by the name of Henry Thompson, in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Ludvig’s occupation was then recorded as being a ship rigger. The 1911 census adds that he worked in the fishing industry. The couple were blessed with twelve children. One daughter, Kathleen, inherited some spoons with the inscription: “L.M. & O.M. 27.1.1884.” It turned out that this was the date of Ludvig’s first marriage, so we assume that they were a wedding present.

Ludvig’s first marriage, from the Digital Archives of Norway (Moss parish record II 1, 1878-1886, page 282, 1884 number 3): Ludvig Jørgensen and Otilie Marie Emilie Olsen, married 27 Jan 1884 in Moss.

When Ludvig died in 1929, several Boston newspapers published obituaries. The Boston Guardian of 11^th May 1929 tells us:  The death has taken place at Boston of one of the oldest employees who have in the past been connected with the Port and Dock. The deceased is Ludvig Meyer, a native of Norway, who fifty years ago, was steward on board the brig, Starbeam, of Boston, commanded by Capt. John Mountain. After one of his trips aboard the Starbeam, Meyer decided to stay ashore and entered the service of the Boston Fishing Company, with whom he remained for a considerable number of years, being principally employed in splicing wire ropes for the steam trawlers, at which he was an expert.

Deceased was 71 years of age, and his death took place at his residence 17, Gladys-villas, Edwin-street, Boston. He leaves a widow, Isabella Meyer, daughter of Mr. Henry Thompson, shipbuilder, and a grown-up family. His home was at Moss, a village on the west coast of Norway. It is interesting to learn that he had an old friend in Captain Hagstrom, of Oslo, also a native of Moss, who when in Boston was in the habit of visiting Mr. Meyer. Their homes at Moss were close together. Captain Hagstrom was in Boston on Friday last, and intended visiting the deceased, but was unable to get that day, and when he went there on Saturday morning he found, to his regret, that his old friend had been dead a few hours.

The funeral of the deceased, at Boston Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon, was attended by Captain Hagstrom, and the flag was flown at half-mast at the Norwegian Vice-Consulate, South Street, Boston.

The funeral service had been held in the local Baptist church.

(It should be noted that Moss is not on the west coast of Norway, but on the east side of the Oslo fjord.)

Findagrave.com has his gravestone, the above obituary and a photo of Ludvig.

Read more about other emigrants in the new book Exploring Norwegian Genealogy.