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NORWEGIAN EMIGRATION - THE DEBORA EXPEDITION
A Norwegian Colonisation Undertaking

SUMMARY

The Debora Expedition sailed from Bergen in 1879 to establish a Norwegian colony on an Indian Ocean atoll called Aldabra. The organisers endeavoured to find practical and Christian people to create a settlement based on the teachings of the Norwegian preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771 -1824). The expedition was aborted in Madagascar - a few of the participants remained in Madagascar and the rest settled in the British colony of Port Natal (Durban). They were the first group of Norwegian emigrants to settle in Port Natal.

The forty-seven persons who took part in the Debora Expedition were:- Captain Tobiassen and wife, mate Berentsen and wife, mate Oftedal, A Olsen and wife, I Iversen and wife, O Heidalsvig and wife (Høidalsvig), J Finsen and wife, K Bang and wife with three children (Amanda, Severin and Knut), F Larsen and wife with six children (Angel, Emil, Sigvart, the three sons of the late Sivert Andersen Hordnes, and Petra, Ludvig and Karl), H Johnsen and wife with three children (Sina, Josefine and Karl), A Andreassen and wife with three children (I don't remember their names), R Andersen, R Rasmussen, K Jensen, Hesselberg, Grang, O Fosdal, E Eriksen, P Bang, E Ellingsen, widow Egelandsdal and Miss Serene Larsen. Two children were born on the voyage: a son to Mr and Mrs F Larsen and a son to Mr and Mrs Andreassen.

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The Natal Mercury photgraph includes the Debora descendants Mrs Iversen and Mrs Wettergren (Wettergreen).

Mrs Iversen is most likely the widow of I Iversen who took part in the Debora Expedition.

Olaf Wettergren (Wettergreen) became a Christadelphian and it is very likely that he married one of the young ladies who came out on the Debora.

There are two possibilities:

H Johnsen and wife had three children (Sina, Josefine and Karl) with them on the Debora. Mrs Wettergreen could have been one of the children.

There was Andreassen and wife with three children on board the Debora - Mrs Wettergreen could have been one of these children. A family of Andreassens were members of the Christadelphian community in Durban.

Wednesday, 26 December, 2001 - The South African Archive records show that Josefine Johnsen was married to a Wettergreen. 

     
DEPOT     NAB 
SOURCE    MSCE                                                                  
TYPE      LEER                                                                  
VOLUME_NO 00                                                                    
SYSTEM    01                                                                    
REFERENCE 1450/1946                                                             
PART      1                                                                     
DESCRIPTION
          WETTERGREEN, JOSEFINE. (BORN JOHNSEN) S.SP WETTERGREEN, PETER         
          BOYESEN (3849/74) PR.SP WETTERGREEN, OLAF (NO                        
STARTING  19460000                                                              
ENDING    19460000 

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