OLE DIDRIKSEN &

ALICE ANN SMITH

Ole DIDRIKSEN and Alice Ann SMITH are my 2^nd Great Grandparents.

Their daughter, Mary Isobel DIDRIKSEN, is my Great Grandmother.

Ole & Alice Didriksen	Map of Norway	Flag of Norway

Special attention should be paid to Norwegian names. In Norway, the use of fixed family names was not made compulsory by law until 1925. In the old days, Norwegians were identified by their Christian name and their father's name plus the appropriate suffix (sen for a male, datter for a female). For example, Ole Didriksen meant that this man was the son of Didrik. And Sigrid Didriksdatter was the daughter of Didrik. In addition, a third name was often used. This was usually a farm name. This "surname" did not necessarily identify a family or a relationship; it signified a place of residence. Women usually didn't change their name, even when married. In Norway, especially in the rural districts, there have long been very strict rules about naming descendants. Some of these rules persist even today. It was customary, for example, for the eldest son to be named after his paternal grandfather and the second son after his maternal grandfather. In a similar fashion, the eldest and second daughters were named after the respective grandmothers. After the grandparents' names had been used, the great-grandparents' names were the next to be given, although without strict rules as to the order. Special circumstances might interfere with these rules. For example, the name of a deceased spouse was to be used first; and the name of the father or mother was given if the child was baptized after a parent's death. The -sen ending of a surname is usually Norwegian or Danish, the -son surname ending is usually, Swedish.

Ole DIDRIKSEN

Alice Ann SMITH

Ole DIDRISKEN was born in 1850 in Christiansund (Kristiansund) or Christiansand (Kristiansand).
The passenger list of the "Gulf Of Venice" has his town as Christiansand, but his NSW Death Certificate states his birthplace as Christiansund, Norway.

Kristiansund is a seaport on the west coast of Norway just north of Bergen. Kristiansand is a seaport south of Olso in southern Norway.

Both Ole and Alice arrived in Australia on the 3^rd February 1885 aboard the ship "Gulf of Venice" which left from Plymouth, England. It is not known when Ole left Norway to go to England before coming to Australia. Ole was a crew member aboard the ship "Gulf Of Venice" and Alice was a paying passenger and listed as a "domestic".
A passenger list can be found: http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/1885/012gul.htm

Ole DIDRIKSEN married Alice Ann SMITH on 20^th March 1886 at Bethal House, George Street, Sydney.
(NSW Marriage Reg. 614/1886)

Ole DIDRIKSEN was naturalized on 18^th April 1900. His occupation was noted as a "Shipwright".

(Naturalization Certificate No. 403)

Ole & Alice lived at 13 Victoria Street, North Sydney (now in McMahons Point) at the time of Ole's naturalization and also when he died in 1918.

Alice Ann SMITH was born at Mhow, India about 1865. Mhow stands for Military Headquarters Of War. It's a small town located at about 25 kilometres from Indore, India. It is one of India's most prestigious military training establishments. It lies on the southern Malwa Plateau, the watershed of the Chambal and Narmada river basins. The city was founded in 1818. Mhow used to be the headquarters of the 5th Division of the Southern Army (a Division comprising only British units) during the British Raj. Today this small town is associated with the Indian Army and with Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution.
Alice's father, John SMITH, was in the British army and came from Scotland. Alice's mother was Margaret COUTTS. John & Margaret were married on 22^nd Jun 1859 at Old Machar, Aberdeen, Scotland. John SMITH's occupation is noted on Alice's death certificate as being a "Pipe Major". The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band or pipes and drums. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major has derived originally from British Army traditions. As in the case of Drum Major, the Pipe Major role is a prestigious position in any Scottish regiment.

Alice Ann SMITH came out to Australia in 1885 aboard the ship "Gulf of Venice" as a paying passenger. The ship had left London via Portsmouth to Sydney, Australia.

Therefore, Alice must have gone back to the UK before coming to Australia to live.

Alice had a sister, Mary Jane, who also came to Australia and married William Henry BOTHWELL.

Ole DIDRIKSEN died 19^th February 1918 at the Royal North Shore hospital, age 67 years. (NSW Death Reg. 1918/003166)

Ole is buried at the Gore Hill cemetery (Presbyterian Section B Lot 72).

Alice Ann DIDRISKEN (nee SMITH) died on 25^th August 1950 at Lane Cove House, Private Hospital, Lane Cove, aged 85 years. She is buried at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens, Sydney NSW. (NSW Death Reg. 1950/018372)

Ole & Alice DIDRIKSEN had 9 children:

- Mary Isabel (born 11^th Dec 1888 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 8^th Sep 1986 at Terry Hills, Sydney NSW, married Cecil Aubrey FAWCETT on 1^st Jan 1910 at St Peters Church, North Sydney NSW.)

- Violet May (born 1887 Sydney, died 2^nd Sep 1972 Chatswood, Sydney NSW. She never married.)

- Alice Maude (born 1891 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 29^th Apr 1954 Chatswood NSW. Alice married a Mr MURRAY)

- Lillian Lenore (born 1893 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 1967 at St Leonards, Sydney NSW. She married Peter Guido VANZINO in 1919 at St Leonards, Sydney NSW)

- Margaret H (born 1896 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 1922 St Leonards, Sydney NSW. Never married)

- Ethel S (born 1898 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 1990 at Chatswood, Sydney NSW, married William PARKER in 1927 in North Sydney NSW)

- Sydney C (born 1901 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died Feb 1992, married Violet DAWSON in 1926 at Chatswood, Sydney NSW);

- Ernest Ole (born 1904 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 11^th Nov 1999 Ourimbah NSW, married Sadie Jean SMEDLEY in 1928 at Redfern, Sydney NSW);

- Edith K (born 1898 St Leonards, Sydney NSW, died 1898 St Leonards, Sydney NSW)

Alice Maude	Didriksen Family	Ethel
Lillian	Margaret	Mary Isobel

Contributors to the information on Ole DIDRIKSEN & his descendents:

Lesa Harris	Carolyne Hawkes
Fawcett family members	Ruth Didriksen
http://mariners.records.nsw.gov.au/1885/012gul.htm

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Webpage established: 30^th October 2005
Last Updated: 23^rd February 2011