Meet our Relatives - Christopherson Branch

Kjartan 'Lorne' Christopherson born 29 Dec 1916 [3], died 06 Sep 1982 [3], was the son of Kjartan Christopherson.

Kjartan was known as Lorne. Lorne's father had no middle name according to Lorne's brother, Henry 'Hank'. Update: Oct 2012, according to Dot, it was Thorstein. Re-verify. Hank being the elder in the family, we will go with "no middle name". Lorne was sponsored by the Stoneson brothers, Ellis, who brought Lorne down to San Francisco, and attended school. This lead him to becoming an architect in Los Angeles.

Lorne could speak multiple languages, obviously English, Spanish according to Mike Christopherson,
German, and Icelandic, according to Bruce Costello and Gary Christopherson.

Added by skitang6 on 12 Nov 2007
Information from "Come into our Heritage RM of Argyle 1882-1982"
Lorne, a winner of singing trophies at an early age in Boys and Girls Club fairs, chose not to take up singing professionally. Lorne is in the construction business and presently living in Los Angeles.

SPONSORSHIP BY ELLIS STONESON
Hank Christopherson told Roy a couple of times during approved Voice Recordings, the story of how Ellis Stoneson sponsored Lorne, then the whole family came to San Francisco. It was a very difficult time for Lornes family to have him depart them from near Belmont, Manitoba, yet Hank was very grateful for "the opportunities the move afforded them".

I believe this was in San Francisco
Volunteer for Number 1 in Draft (November 21, 1940) BANC PIC 1959.010--NEG, Part 2, Box 66, [57009.06]
Physical Description: 2 negatives
Scope and Content Note Christopherson volunteered to take over the number 1 spot in his draft district. He is placed on the list ahead of the men holding number 158. Kjartan Loren Christopherson and Dr. Arthur White.
Still trying to find/get copy of this photo.
Found an Upload document (unformatted)
" Volunteer for Number 1 in Draft
BANC PIC 1959.010--NEG, Part 2, Box 66, [57009.06] (November 21, 1940) 2 negatives Christopherson volunteered to take over the number 1 spot in his draft district. He is placed on the list ahead of the men holding number 158. Kjartan Loren Christopherson and Dr. Arthur White."
<SObject ID="c033508" TYPE="item">
<Title>Volunteer for Number 1 in Draft</Title>
<LocalUnitID>BANC PIC 1959.010--NEG, Part 2, Box 66, [57009.06]</LocalUnitID>
<Unitdate.Date BeginDate="1940-11-21">(November 21, 1940)</Unitdate.Date>
<phyExtent>2 negatives</phyExtent>
<conScopeContent>&lt;p&gt;Christopherson volunteered to take over the number 1 spot in his draft district. He is placed on the list ahead of the men holding number 158. Kjartan Loren Christopherson and Dr. Arthur White.&lt;/p&gt;</conScopeContent> source formated code

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
about Kjartan L Christopherson
Name:Kjartan L Christopherson
Birth Year:1916
Race:White, not yet a citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country:British North America or Canada or Labrador or Newfoundland
State:California
County or City:San Francisco

Enlistment Date:27 Aug 1941 (Pearl Harbor was attacked December seventh, 1941)
Enlistment State:California
Enlistment City:Camp Roberts
Branch:Infantry
Branch Code:Infantry
Grade:Private
Grade Code:Private
Term of Enlistment:One year enlistment
Component:Regular Army (including Officers, Nurses, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men)
Source:Selective Service within 3 months of Discharge 11 punch

Education:2 years of college
Civil Occupation:Addressing-Embossing Machine Operator or Clerk, General
Marital Status:Single, without dependents
Height:67
Weight:140
Also see 'NARA - AAD - Display Full Records - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca_ 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records)' on local ext HDD

From: Archives <archives@genrecords.org> Subject: Ca-San Francisco Co. Military (Army Enlistees N) Date: 8 Feb 2006 22:45:32 -0000 San Francisco County CA Archives Military Records.....Army Enlistees Names Ching - Clancy WWII - Enlistment

DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR OF
SER. NO. NAME PLACE OF ENLISTMENT DAY MONTH YEAR NATIVITY BIRTH GRADE BRANCH COMPONENT OF THE ARMY:

1. SER. NO.39129856
NAME: CHRISTOPHER ON HENRY E
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT: SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA
DAY MONTH YEAR: 2 4 43
NATIVITY BIRTH:CANADA
GRADE: 24
BRANCH: Private
COMPONENT OF THE ARMY: No branch assignment Selectees (Enlisted Men)

2. 39138192 CHRISTOPHERSON ALVIN H SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA 5 8 43 CANADA 9 Private No branch assignment Selectees (Enlisted Men)
3. 39000082 CHRISTOPHERSON KJARTAN L CP [Camp] ROBERTS CALIFORNIA 27 8 41 CANADA 16 Private Infantry Regular Army (including Officers, Nurses, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men)
4. 39118523 CHRISTOPHERSON S T SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA 30 12 42 CANADA 22 Private Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Selectees (Enlisted Men)
5. 39087923 CHRISTOPHERSON T E PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY CALIFORNIA 30 1 42 CANADA 18 Private Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Selectees (Enlisted Men)

In this photo, on Lorne's sleev is an "Overseas Service Bar is an accoutrement on United States Army dress uniforms that indicates a soldier has served six months of service in a combat zone...., During World War II, the chevron was redesignated as the Overseas Bar and the patch adopted its current design of a horizontal bar." (WIKI) Lorne has 7 Bars on his left sleeve = 42 months?
Ref.: IMG_SCAN_3693__Lorne_Leonar (TIFF & JPEG)

The National Archives Catalog
1945: OSS [Office of Strategic Services]

Have record 'Overseas Pensions' for Lorne.

According to Lorne's daughter, Lorne was involved in the Tahoe Keys.
When Lorne took over Tahoe Keys, he fired many...then Dillingham corp messed him over. He had to sell the plane. So Lorne has a Pilots License to fly!
Leaving Redwood City... Somehow Dad found job as head of Tahoe Keys through company called Dillingham. He assessed, ..., reorganized & got a 15 million dollar loan from Bulova. He dealt with planning commission, Sierra Club...there was resistance to creating luxury homes with private inlets from the lake. I did a job there for some months in press department under a Texan fellow Bill Matson. I saved my money & then went to SF State & paid rent for basement apartment at Grandpa K's. Dad had a plane & I flew back to Tahoe w him, maybe twice. Mom never flew with Dad. [Private] The corporation once Dad had cleared up their mess with local concerns & raised money......cut him from the job, Dad got rid of the plane. Folks moved to humble apartment Redwood City. After that, Dad was hustling whatever work, I auditioned for Civic Light Opera, got full scholarship & came to Hollywood.
Indira

Video Produced By the Dillingham Corporation Advertising The Tahoe Keys in South Lake Tahoe, California.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNHo13Au9_Q

On Abella's parents side
Snorri Jónsson, kaupmaður á Eskifirði, f. 2. júlí 1885, d. 8. janúar 1959,
og Stefanía Stefánsdóttir húsmóðir, f. 14. september 1981 [should be 1881?], d. 4. febrúar 1981
Children:
Haukur átti 6 systkini, þau Margréti, f. 22. mars 1914,
Hrafnhildi (Abellu), f. 1. apríl 1915, [POSSIBLY ABELLA]
Haukur Snorrason fæddist 14. júlí 1917 á Eskifirði [ see the following (link bottom of page)]
Stefán, f. 6. september 1923 og Bergljótu, f. 28. september 1925, en þau eru nú látin, og Jónínu Sesselju (Diddu), f. 26. júní 1921
og Snorra, f. 10. september 1928. [4]
Roy has a greeting card Image #3508, from Abella Christmas 1944 of a building, probably in Iceland. She writes in English, probably to Lorne? Has a frozen lake with person standing in the middle, a bench and lots of snow.

"...she recalls fondly the nursery rhymes that she and her Icelandic- born mother, Hrafnhildur Snorradóttir [Abella], learned and sang together. Hrafn- hildur is the daughter of Snorri Jónsson and Stefania Stefánsdóttir, Reykjavík. Stefanianne's father, Lorne Christopherson, was born in Manitoba, the son of Kjartan Christopherson and his wife Gudrun, nee Stoneson. "He has such a clear and beautiful way of speaking and loves music," says his daughter. "Both of' my parents influenced me greatly".
Source

Lorne and Abella are Mike Christopherson's Godparents, son of Alvin.
According to Hank Christopherson. Lorne was the first to enlist in San Francisco. Lorne went to Camp Roberts, then due to heritage, was sent to Iceland where he met his bride to be, Abella. See Sig's 100th Infantry Route slideshow on Main Photo page.

Articles in Icelandic
Guðrún Hrafnhildur
http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=118840&pageId=1562918&lang=en&q=Kjartan%20Christopherson

From: Roy Christopherson
Date: October 22, 2006 1:15:27 AM PDT
To: Siblings
This would most likely be Uncle Lorne. Kjartan kept coming up in my searches and I thought it was grandad. This explains it. KJARTAN LORNE CHRISTOPHERSON - son of Kjartan and Gudrun Christopherson of the Grund district near Baldur, MB, enlisted in the United States Army and served overseas in England, France and Belgium.