Norwegian Ancestors
Everything that is known about the parents of Albert and Arent appears in the next paragraph:
"nothing"
"Nothing" is an overstatement, but not by much, as the rest of the page will confirm.
The Old Glemmen Church in Fredrikstad
The Parents of Albert and Arent
"...his father's name was Andries, and his mother's name may have been Eva since both Albert and his brother Arent gave that name to their eldest daughters." --Peter R. Christoph, "Albert Andriessen Bradt, A Norwegian Settler in Rensselaerswyck," published by The Bradt Family Association, 1987, page 2.
Peter somewhat overstates the case for the name "Andries." The patronymic "Andriessen," meaning "son of Andries," was used by both Albert and Arent, but Andries is the Dutch form of the Norwegian names "Ander" and "Anders." However, the name Andries can't be ruled out entirely because it was also used in Norway on occasion. If absolute certainty is the criterion, the names of Albert's (and Arent's) parents are uncertain, but Ander or the Dutch form of it is almost certainly correct, and Eva is quite likely.
As far as anyone knows, not a single document about this couple has survived the centuries; not a baptismal record, not a marriage record, not a land record, not a burial record, nothing at all. The Bradt Family Society has sponsored research for old family documents from the general area of Fredrikstad and come up empty.
The Grandparents of Albert and Arent
Everything that is known about the grandparents of Albert and Arent appears in the next paragraph:
"nothing"
"Nothing" is no overstatement. There is not a single known record about them, not even so much as a mention of their names. The grandparents of Albert and Arent are almost certain to remain a mystery.
Occasionally a Family Group Sheet or an internet website will appear to have details about the parents and even the grandparents of Albert and Arent, but these are based on mix-ups, misunderstandings, or misattributions. People in all families get their wires crossed when it comes to the distant past, and ours is no exception. There are no authoritative sources to support them.
The best of genealogy deals not just with names, dates, and relationships but also with uncertainties. It's always helpful to future generations of researchers when family trees provide some information about the uncertainties. Otherwise, family history is at risk of evolving into family mythology.
THE OLD GLEMMEN CHURCH IN FREDRIKSTAD
This church may be the place where Albert and Arent were baptized, but it's also quite likely that the family lived in an outlying area served by a different church. At any rate, the records here do not go back far enough to show either of the brothers.
You couldn't ask for a more picturesque photograph than this. According to Ken Bradt, the name "Andreasson" appears on a few of the old gravestones from the 1800s.