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Category: Point to Paper

Point to Paper – Norways most famous ghost once wrote a letter to a psychic priest

Point to Paper – Norways most famous ghost once wrote a letter to a psychic priest

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In today’s post, I will move into the supernatural. I will both have fun and be serious. Again, some really old Norwegian letters have turned up. They have piqued my curiosity. The letters were once sent and received locally in what is now called the village of Sande and the city of Drammen. I systematically hunt for old letters. I think letters written by people that once lived in the same area as myself are particularly worth examining. The letters…

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Point to Paper – Grandpa Shaved with a Straight Razor and wrote with a pencil made of slate

Point to Paper – Grandpa Shaved with a Straight Razor and wrote with a pencil made of slate

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Grandpa Walther grew up in Eastern Norway. He shaved with a straight razor. For him, being able to sharpen a blade that could cut facial hair was the mark of a man. I often wonder about things that once were common in Norway and suddenly became alien. Many things that were in everyday use for decades, generations and centuries have become obsolete and strange. Many things that were common in my grandpa’s childhood and youth in the 1910s and 1920s are…

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Point to Paper – Armie Hammer’s Great-Grandfather and the Mystery of the Pencils from Oslo

Point to Paper – Armie Hammer’s Great-Grandfather and the Mystery of the Pencils from Oslo

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Did you know that Norway once had five pencil factories? My colleague Anders wrote a very good article about this in January (link to the article). Their history is unknown for most people even in Norway. Did you know that Norway’s pencil history probably started as early as in 1768? That is remarkably early if you also know that the first wooden pencil in the US was made in 1812. On the website Pencils.com it is stated: “Early settlers depended…

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Point to Paper – Grandma’s handwritten cookbook and her famous Norwegian meatballs

Point to Paper – Grandma’s handwritten cookbook and her famous Norwegian meatballs

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Old handwritten cookbooks can be wonderful treasures. Of course they have recipes, but they also carry history. They often give insight in to the family that used them and the era in which they were written. Cookbooks are tools. They are not intended to be decorative items. They tend to be rough around the edges. If they are not, they are either new or were never very interesting in the first place. Cookbooks can be written with a fountain pen, a pencil, a marker or…

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Point to Paper – All he wanted was a good teacher for his sons

Point to Paper – All he wanted was a good teacher for his sons

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Baron Fredrik Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg wrote a letter on Christmas Eve 1840. He was sitting in his office on his estate Brunlaug (or Brunla) just ouside the city of Stavern in Larvik municipality. He was looking for a tutor for his sons. His sons were named Oscar, Hermann and Wolfgang. He aimed high and tried to tempt Mr. Candidate Thue to take the job. Thue had just received the best grade in his civil service examination in philology. He was therefore sought after. In…

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Point to Paper – William wasn’t afraid of a duel, was known for his good taste and was elected to the British House of Commons in 1784

Point to Paper – William wasn’t afraid of a duel, was known for his good taste and was elected to the British House of Commons in 1784

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On the 10th of August 1784, William Weddell signed a contract. The contract was between him and Sheriff William Danby along with a number of other local government officials with prescribed mandates. William Weddell had been elected to represent the citizens of the district of Malton in the British Parliament. This was the document that confirmed the case. He had been elected to the House of Commons for the third time. By producing this document, with all the correct signatures and the Sheriff’s own wax seal in…

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Point to Paper – What happened to Monte Rosa and the Victorian underwear that belongen to my great grandmother?

Point to Paper – What happened to Monte Rosa and the Victorian underwear that belongen to my great grandmother?

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I think many of you will recognize todays story. It is partly fiction and partly true. This is often the case with family history. We remember a little bit here and a little bit there. The stories change and develop as time goes by. The history of my family is similar. I have family both in North America and in Norway. Many of my ancestors left Norway with a dream of a better life in the US. Keeping track of…

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Point to Paper – The worlds first global bank had 31 correspondents in Norway before 1850

Point to Paper – The worlds first global bank had 31 correspondents in Norway before 1850

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Look closely at the first picture in today’s story. The letter is addressed to Fredrik Huth & Co. in London. The envelope is stamped in Christiania. The letter is written the 27th of March 1846. It is from a business partner and friend. It is signed by a famous banker in Norway in the 19th century. His name was Andreas Grüning. I will get back to him shortly. The letter is clear evidence that the worlds first global bank had…

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Point to Paper – The Beautiful Math Book of Miss Allmett of Bolton

Point to Paper – The Beautiful Math Book of Miss Allmett of Bolton

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This post is about a beautiful handwritten maths book. The first time I saw it, it was as if it was calling out to me. I think we were meant to get to know each other better. I can’t say that other maths books have had the same effect on me. You will soon get to know what enchanted me. The post you are about to read is based on the lovely maths book of a young lady. She wrote the book over 180 years ago. I’ve…

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Point to Paper – Is the Norwegian Longnosed Earmouse related to the Vusvole?

Point to Paper – Is the Norwegian Longnosed Earmouse related to the Vusvole?

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Today there will be scrutiny and debate. The big question is whether the longnosed earmouse, first found in the fishing village of Langesund, is a relative of the vusvole, native to an area in Norway called Sunnmøre. The pronunciation of vusvole is a combination of the sounds similar to the words juice (in the first part of the word) and mole (in the second part). The animals were recently put in connection with each other for the first time. For new readers it is strongly recommended to…

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