I started this thread earlier today just as I was walking out the door on my way to work. But I can clearify a little:
My 5 times great grandfather moved to Norway, and because of this, I have managed to establish that he married a jew living in Norway. I would guess they where marranos, but I know for a fact (based on what family members have told me) that there is a maternal line going from Christian to my grandmother who I know was a Jew. But I also know (based on what my grandmother told me) that this line practiced judaism in secret. So I know for a fact that everybody from Christian up to my grandmother was a marrano jew who practiced judaism in secret, and outwardly lived as a Christian.
So I know my fith grandfather was Jewish for sure, and based on what the elderly in my family have told me, his mother in Latvia was Jewish.
As I mentioned I am researching 2 different things, my side of the family on my mothers side and my wifes side of the family on her mothers side.
My wifes grandfather (my mothers in-laws father) was born in Northern parts of Norway. His father came from Gubrandsdalen in the southern parts of Norway, a place called Otta. When my wifes grandfather was a young man up north, he came into contact with a man who said he knew my wifes grandfathers family from Otta. According to this man from Otta, my wifes grandfathers family where all Jews. My wifes grandfather knew nothing about this, he had never heard anything about his father and mother being Jewish. But during the war, he was several times questioned by the nazis because they believed he was jewish by apperances. He always denied it, and they found any proof he was Jewish.
Nobody in my wifes family had looked into this until my wife and I started researching a while ago. We soon discovered how the second great grandmother of my wifes maiden name was Nyhusen. Her parents (the parents of my wifes second great grandmother) both had the name Nyhusen as their family names.
On the mothers side of my wifes second great grandmother we found the names Walberg.
The name Nyhusen is translated as Newhouse or in German Neuehaus. In Norway its an unusual name, and when we googled the name we came across the American family Newhouse. We have never ever seen such a resemblance between that family and my wifes grandfather on my wifes mothers side. The Newhouse family in USA and my wifes family on her mothers side looks like they could be close relatives. Newhouse sr looks like a brother of my wifes grandfather. And Newhouse jr looks like a brother of my wifes two brothers.
Walberg and Newhouse are unusul names in Norway. I know Jews from eastern parts of Europe and Jews from Spain where allowed into the Norwegian Kingdom as early as 1600. And as far we know, the name Newhouse shows up in a list of Jewish surnames along with the name Walberg.
So we dont know, but all of these things put together, the person my wifes grandfather met who said his family were Jews, the unusual names, the family resemblance makes us wonder if there could be any truth in the rumor that was started a long time ago when my wifes grandfather was told by a foreigner from Otta that his family where Jews.
So we are indeed talking about 2 different things. My side of the family and my wifes side of the family.
To recap: I know my fith great grandfather was a Jew, I know the lineage from him to my grandmother were all Jews. (the maternal line) Norway is not very friendly to Jews, so that is perhaps why they chose to remain secret Jews. But it would be interesting to know more about the parents of my firth great grandfather. And based on family history, verbal family history, the mother of my fift great grandfather in Latvia was a Jew. But I am kind of stuck in researching the parents of my 5 times great grandfather, and I dont know for sure he drowned at sea. That is only a rumor in the family.
The other thing I am researching is my wifes maternal line. She and her family only had heard a rumor based on what a stranger had told my wifes grandfather. This stranger claimed to know the parents and family of my wifes grandfather (he came from the same town as the parents of my wifes grandfather) and he said they where all Jews. My wifes grandfather had never heard anything about this, and when he brought it up, he was told by his siblings to never speak about this. And during the war, the nazis questioned him several times because they believed he was Jewish but they could never prove it.
Nobody in her family had researched this until my wife and I decided to do it. And we came across the names Nyhus (Newhouse) and Walberg on my wifes maternal line. We have managed to trace it back to 1743 in Norway. And we know Jews where not allowed in Norway until 1850. But we do know as a fact that Jews first came to Norway as early as 1600, that was Jews from Eastern Europe and Spain. So we dont know, but we are wondering if perhaps her maternal line up until her great grandfather and great grandmother could have been marrano Jews, practicing judaism in secret?
Jonathan, I have tried jewisgen when it comes to my side of the family without success. I have also tried the national archives of Latvia, but I dont speak Russian and I dont understand German they way they wrote it in the church books back then.
So I am kind of stuck, also when it comes to my side of the family.
Any tips or hints would be highly appreciated.
