> > In the 1865 census, my Great-Grandmother Hanne Elisabeth Hansdatter and her > > > sister Marie Hansdatter appear with an asterick * following their names. I > > can find no key for this. It means that in the original document the surname Hansdatter is omitted. In the digital list it is added, probably to make searching easier. Hansdatter is here a patronymic surname, meaning "daughter of Hans". > > In the 1875 census I cannot find my Great-Grandmother with the family, but > > the notation under Family Status states that sister Marie (b. 1863) is > > Forsorges af Faderen. Can someone help me? There are great discrepancies between the 1865 and 1875 censuses for all members of that family. (But I think it is the same family, though). 1865: Hanne Elisabeth, b. 1862, Marie, b. 1864. 1875: Marie Elisabet, b. 1863. My guess is that Marie, b. 1862, is dead, and that the Hanne Elisabeth is the girl in the 1875 census. > > The father in both censuses is Hans Hansen, and the mother Inger Lovise. I > > just cannot figure out what that * means. > > They are in Flekkefjord in both censuses. I wonder if Inger is their mother > > or a step-mother? The 1865 census says "Deres datter" which means their daughter. Inger is then her mother. There is no indication of her being a stepmother. > Carol, > I also had the same problem with my family. What I found out is that the * > means that the last name was added after the translation was done for that > census. Also, my great great great grandmother was Karen Stine Leistad* f > Steen, meaning that she was (divorced) or annuled. Meaning that she was > married twice and first husband was still living. > Kim There is no information in the census of a divorce. The original census document has listed her as Karen Stine f. Steen. I would assume that means Karen Stine (two first names) born with surname Steen. (f. = født = born). Then in the digital list her husband's surname is added. She is Karen Stine Listad (born Steen).