Prussia, Germany Catharina Paulina Kurowska was born around 1841 in the village of Kampangen, near the town of Marienwerder in West Prussia. She spoke German, and identified as German, although she probably had Polish and other Eastern European ancestry as well. At that time, the Kingdom of Prussia was part of the German Confederation. I currently don’t have any information on her parents...
Erik the Red’s Brattahild Kin VK184
It’s a thrill when a DNA discovery matches a family story. A few years ago, I was swapping memories with my cousin, Donna, when she mentioned that her dad told her that we were descended from Eric the Red. It was one of the stories his grandfather, Carl Andersen, told him when he was a boy. Several years ago I had my DNA analyzed by 23andMe. In 2024 they introduced “Historical Matches,” a premium...
Asa Haraldsdottir of Agder
Asa Haraldsdottir of Agder was a legendary Norwegian queen of the petty kingdom of Agder. Asa was the daughter of King Harald Granraude of Agder. She was born in the 8th century and died around 834 CE. She is reputed to be the woman buried in the famous Oseberg ship. The ship was discovered in a burial mound near Tonsberg, Norway, in August 1903. It was excavated in 1904-1905. According to the...
Lussi Long-Night (“Langnatt”)
The folklore surrounding December 13th has held a special place in Norway since the Viking Age. It was thought to be the longest night of the year and the beginning of the Yule season. It was a dangerous night, since it was ruled by a female spirit, a vette or vaettir, called Lussi (“Light”). She was the mother or leader of the vettir (spirits) and other Huldrefolk (supernatural beings), and kin...
Richard Nason: Wives and Children
SARAH BAKER NASON was Richard Nason’s first wife. Sarah was born in England in 1614, 1617 or 1620. She may have been born in London, or in the port city of Dover, in Kent in southwest England. I believe Richard Nason met and married her in Dover, New Hampshire around 1635. Her father was Lt. John Baker, a freelance preacher, trader, and wealthy landowner. He was given to wild passions...
Richard Nason (1606-1696) – Stratford-Upon-Avon to Pipe Stave Landing
Richard Nason was born or baptized on August 3, 1606 at Stratford-Upon-Avon. I saw his baptismal font when I visited Holy Trinity Church in September 2018. The same font baptized William Shakespeare, a neighbor. His father was Johanius (or John) Nason (1585-1624). His mother was Elizabeth Rogers (1583-1653). They married on October 28, 1600 in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Richard Nason was the third of...
Frank Pavlosk
Frank Pavlosk, my great grandfather, was born on October 1, 1871. He immigrated from Marienwerder, West Prussia, in 1887 or thereabouts when he was in his late teens. Marienwerder is now the northern Polish city of Kwidzyn, located about 60 miles from the Baltic Sea. He left with his brothers and sisters, and they never went back. Their mother and father remained in Prussia. The family were...
The Family Farm Hurv to the Andersen Family in Froland, Norway
The Hurv farm was in Froland, a municipality about 10 miles north of Grimstad. It borders Grimstad and Arendal in Aust Agder county. In 1968, family members still lived on the farm. It is spelled Fróðaland (“Froo’s (farm) land”) in Old Norse. Grimstad is a coastal town in southern Norway. According to Odd Ronning Andersen, a cousin I corresponded with in 1968/1969, Norwegians used their farm...
Ed Murphy: Gay Blackmailer and Activist
Ed Murphy is not a relation, but he’s an interesting story in my life. Ed was an integral figure in the “Chickens and the Bulls” homosexual blackmail scandal in the mid-1960s. He was probably involved in a series of blackmail schemes run by the Mob out of the Stonewall Inn in New York as well. He stole, and threatened and blackmailed most of his life. He got away with it...
Mary Paloske
Mary Paloske died or was interred on April 9, 1947. She was 43 (or 49) years old. Easter that year was celebrated on April 6. It was her last holiday. I believe that she died from a stroke, and that her death was unexpected. Her father, Frank Paloske (or Pavlosk) deeply grieved her passing, and spent extravagantly on her funeral. Mary Paloske was born on November 27, 1904. (The 1910 U.S...