Surname Saturday: Boe

My mother's maiden name, Boe, comes from the name of the farm that my ancestors lived on in Bø, Telemark, Norway.

One very frustrating thing about searching for the surname Boe is that when I search the Internet, I get many results that are about the Board of Education!

My ancestors who used Boe as a surname are:

My mother

Grandfather: John Boe
born 28 April 1908, St. Louis, Missouri
married Margaret Ann Schneider 25 September 1939, Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana
died 24 November 1977, New York, New York

Great-grandfather: John Boe
born 15 March 1876, Swift Co. Missouri
married Signe Olson 21 March 1897, Swift Co., Minnesota
married Kathleen Graham (my great-grandmother)
married Anna Mae Gamble 22 August 1934, St. Joseph Co., Indiana
died 27 June 1940, Norwalk, Los Angeles Co., California

2nd-great-grandfather: Jorgen Jorgensen Boe
born 18 November 1850, Bø, Telemark, Norway
married Aaste Halvorsdatter Otterholt 17 December 1873, Rock Dell, Olmstead Co., Minnesota
died 17 December 1900, West Bank, Swift Co., Minnesota

3rd-great-grandfather: Jorgen Pedersen Boe
born 13 February 1820, Bø, Telemark, Norway
married Ingeborg Torsdatter Vatner 13 June 1848, Bø, Telemark, Norway
died 30 July 1902, Swenoda, Swift Co., Minnesota

Earlier ancestors used Bø as a farm name, but it was not a true surname. Names stayed with the farms, not the families. If a family moved to another farm, they would be known by that farm name.