The money that never came
           



Elise Toft from Berge has contributed this story:


The letters that disappeared

My great-great-grandmother Gesine Andrea (born in 1869) married Johan Teodor Tobiassen (born in 1873) in 1894. They had four children: two boys, Trygve and Jøval, and two girls, Jessy and Berta. Jessy was my great-grandmother.

It all began when Johan Teodor decided to go to America. The idea was that by going there he would be able to provide for his family – as many did at that time. But it didn’t turn out as expected. My great-great-grandfather intended to work in America and send money home to his wife and four children. This is what he did, but Gesine didn’t get the money and letters from her husband, and consequently they eventually lost contact.
 
Gesine

     It was not until some years later that they found out what had actually happened. A 
     woman at the post office had discovered that those letters contained money and had  
     simply taken the money, read the letters and thrown them away. In this way she destroyed
     the lives of many families before she was found out. It was a terrible tragedy.
 

Trygve og Jøval

But the story had not ended. After a while the two boys, Trygve and Jøval, also left for America. The only thing we know is that Jøval got married and that in 1940 his child was about 15. This was the last letter the family at home in Norway received.

Then came the war that lasted five years, and after that there was no contact. They organized searches and were given help from the Salvation Army, but no trace of Trygve and Jøval was found.

 






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 Johan Teodor  

 
Gesine and three of the children

 
 The last letter that came from Jøval