The Norwegian Munson and Lee Families:
History and Genealogy

Links to documents that are posted here are in red-orange, the other listed ones will be done eventually.
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This site has a list of individuals with full genealogical information in combined MASTER DATABASE for the families MUNSON, LEE, LARKIN, FESSENDEN, and THANNHAUSER. I have also contributed this data to the world family tree at Ancestry.com (of which I am an affiliate) as database 2043614. They have a free program for displaying and working with genealogical data. You can or from the database on Ancestry.com

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Lee Family 1894
Sections on this page (click to go to them) are:
  • Personal Stories - Written and taped recollections and letters
  • Lineage - Lists some information about the original emigrants in each family line with links to charts of their ancestors and descendants
  • Photo Album - Photos of ancestors and their descendants
  • Documents - Scanned in copies of public documents such as newspaper articles, Norwegian farm book records, and original music
  • Websites of Munson family members:
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Munsons 1914  
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Personal Stories and Recollections

  • MUNSON (MÖNSEN): about our ancestors "Bestafa" - Lauritz Christian Andresen (Mönsen) 1840-1922 and "Bestamor" - Josephine Halling 1844-1914
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  • LEE (HALVORSEN): about "Dada" and "Mormor" - Henry H. Lee and Maren Wold Lee
    • Alex Munson's memories of his maternal grandfather "Dada" and his parents
    • Stories about Maren Wold from a letter to Maren (Lee?) by Marian Munson Pasquet (1910-1997)
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AnnaLeeMunsonandchildren.jpg

Lineage - online ancestry charts

List of individuals in Munson, Lee, Larkin, and Thannhauser ancestry database
(Larkin and Munson research done by Richard (Dick) Fessenden Larkin, Lee research by Lee Munson, and Thannhauser research by Kitty Munson Cooper )
The Norwegian Munson Family (originally Mönsen)
Lauritz Christian Andresen (Mönsen) , known as Louis C. Munson in this country, a ship's carpenter, emigrated from Christiansand, Norway in 1883 and brought his wife, Josephine Pedersdatter (Halling), and 9 children over in 1884. This genealogical data is from the research of Richard (Dick) Fessenden Larkin.
The Norwegian Lee Family (originally Halvorsen)
Henry Lee, born Henrick Hans Halvorsen in Etne, Norway, (near Bergen and Stavanger) was the 9th of nine children. He went to sea for a number of years and left ship in 1869 in Millerstown, New Brunswick, Canada. Three years later he went to New York City where he met and married Maren Wold (pronounced Vold) from Drammen, Norway, and made his fortune in harbor businesses.
The research that traced Henry Lee back to the early kings of Norway was done by his great grandson Lee Munson, son of Alex Munson. Henry Lee is descended from Charlemagne , King Harald Haarfarge (fairhair) who united Norway into one country and Saint Olaf , the King of Norway who converted his country to Christianity, as well as many other royal families of early Europe including king Harald of England who lost in 1066 and Ethelred the unready and even some Byzantium emperors.

Recently I have been adding our ancestors to the wonderful genealogy website at http:///geni.com and have hooked the Munsons into ancestors that reach back to Charlemagne also. Here are some of those ANCESTRIES AT GENI:

Harald I Halvdansson «Fairhair» Hårfagre is the 25th great grandfather of Lawrence Shipley Munson >> Anna Josephine Lee, his mother >> Henry H. (Henrick Hans Halvorsen) Lee, her father >> Marta Aamundsdotter, his mother >> Aamund Bjornsen, her father >> Mette Oldsdatter, his mother >> Ole Fatland, her father >> Anna Catharina Rieber*, his mother >> Katrina Helvik Lauritsdtr. Riber, her mother >> Lauritz Johannesson Galtung, her father >> Johannes Lauritzson - Er ryddet, men vær varsom!, his father >> Laurits Johannessen,Valen,Galte, his father >> Gyrild Torgilsdatter Aga, his mother >> Torgils Vikingson Aga, her father >> Viking Aga, his father >> Finn Torgeirson Aske, his father >> Torstein Mita, his father >> Ågota Finnsdatter Mel, his mother >> Finn Gauteson Mel Hatteberg (alias Hr.Finn), her father >> Gaute Meel, på Mel, his father >> Jon Gauteson Ænes, his father >> Gaut Ornes, his father >> Orm Opplandsjarl, his father >> Ragnhild Lade, wife of Eiliv, his mother >> Haakon Sigurdson Ladejarl, King of Norway, her father >> Bergljot Toresdottir, av Møre, his mother >> Ålov Haraldsdotter «Aarbod» Årbot, her mother >> Harald I Halvdansson «Fairhair» Hårfagre, her father


Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire is the 31st great grandfather of Lawrence Shipley Munson >> Anna Josephine Lee, his mother >> Henry H. (Henrick Hans Halvorsen) Lee, her father >> Marta Aamundsdotter, his mother >> Aamund Bjornsen, her father >> Mette Oldsdatter, his mother >> Ole Fatland, her father >> Anna Catharina Rieber*, his mother >> Katrina Helvik Lauritsdtr. Riber, her mother >> Elisabeth Ottesdatter Orning, her mother >> Otte Thomassen Orning, her father >> Thomas Orning, his father >> Svend Madsen Orning, til Eget, his father >> Anna Fraa Vustgaard, his mother >> Ide Mortensdatter til Hjermeslevgård, her mother >> Mette Rotfeld, her mother >> Erik Rotfeld, til Bratskov og Holmegård, her father >> Margrethe Henriksdatter von Eberstein, his mother >> Henrik Albertsen von Eberstein, her father >> Albert von Everstein, his father >> Albrecht von Everstein, IV, his father >> Ludwig von Everstein, I, his father >> Albrecht III, Graf von Everstein, his father >> Riquilda de Polonia, Reina consorte de León y Castilla, his mother >> Agnes of Babenberg, her mother >> Leopold III der Heilige, Markgraf in Ostarrich, her father >> Leopold II der Schöne von Österreich, Markgraf von Österreich, his father >> Ernst von Osterreich Margraf, his father >> Adalbert von Österreich, Margraf, his father >> Luitpold I, Markgraf von Österreich, his father >> Judith di Friuli, Herzogin von Bayern, his mother >> Gisèle of the West Franks, Marquise consort de Frioul, her mother >> Louis I, 'The Pious', Carolingian son Of Charlemagne & Hildegard, her father >> Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire


Attila the Hun "Scourge of God", 59th King of the Huns is the 41st great grandfather of Lawrence Shipley Munson >> Anna Josephine Lee his mother >> Henry H. (Henrick Hans Halvorsen) Lee her father >> Marta Aamundsdotter his mother >> Aamund Bjornsen her father >> Metta Olsdotter his mother >> Ole Fatland her father >> Anna Catharina Rieber* his mother >> Katrina Helvik Lauritsdtr. Riber her mother >> Elisabeth Ottesdatter Orning her mother >> Otte Thomassen Orning her father >> Thomas Orning his father >> Maren Munk his mother >> Gjertrud Rotfeld her mother >> Christense Lunge, til Bratskovs her mother >> Oluf Lunge, til Odden her father >> Oluf Lunge, til Odden og Knivholt his father >> Elsif Pedersdatter Grubbe his mother >> Peder Grubbe, til Ordrup her father >> Elsif Olufsdatter Saltensee, af Tystofte his mother >> Christine Skjalmsdatter her mother >> Skjalm Bælg Banus Hvide her father >> Toke Hvide his father >> Skjalm Hvide, of Sjælland his father >> Toke "Palnatoke" Palnesen his father >> Gunhild Haraldsdatter his mother >> Harald I Bluetooth, King of Denmark her father >> Thyra Danebod Haroldsdatter, Queen Danebod his mother >> Harald Klak II Halvdansson, King of Denmark her father >> Halfdan Haraldsson his father >> Irminhild von Sachsen und Engern, Dronning af Danmark his mother >> Kunhilde von Ingern her mother >> Gerswinde von Alemannien her mother >> Hnabi - Nebi, Duke of Alemannia her father >> Hersuinda of Bavaria, daughter of Theodo II/V of Bavaria his mother >> Theodo II, Herzog von Bayern (602-670) her father >> Garibald II, Duke of the Bavarians his father >> Tassilo I, Duke of the Bavarians his father >> Waldrada (~530-~572) of the Lombards, Concubine 3 his mother >> Austrigusa of the Gepidae her mother >> Elemund, King of the Gepids her father >> Escam of the Huns, Queen of the Gepidae his mother >> Elak, 60th King of the Huns her father >> Attila the Hun "Scourge of God", 59th King of the Huns

And on the Munson side another line that goes to Charlemagne: coming soon

Wander around those ancestries and find many of the early kings and queens of northern Europe. Join geni.com and if you are part of my family I will link you in so you can see how you are related to everyone.
Of course it is mathematically possible to show that everyone of North European descent is descended from Charlemagne. Here are a few links to sites that discuss this:
http://itotd.com/articles/226/most-recent-common-ancestors/
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/03/get-along-kid-charlemagne.html
http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/GenealComp1.html
http://members.aol.com/acadac/gnlgy/cousin.html
http://olivetreegenealogy.com/misc/ancestors.shtml

Photo Album - Click here for the new Gallery of ancestors

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Larry and Kitty Munson
with the Leakes, 1954

Documents

Translations of Norwegian Farm Book entries for the Etne farms where (Henry Lee) Hans Halvorson's ancestors lived (our ancestors' names are bolded)
Translations of extracts from Norwegian Farm and History Book entries for the Wold family
Newspaper Articles
LJ Munson's musical compositions
Great grandmother Josephine Halling Munson's lullaby
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