Loss

 This week I thought I'd combine Women's History with the 52Ancestors prompt of "Loss." This is the story of Ingrid Svensdotter, mother of George Henrickson, my great, great grandmother.

Ingrid Christina Henrickson Fahna Svensdotter was born November 22, 1840 in Slatthogg, Kronobers, Sweden. Her parents were Sven Andersson Skold Fahna and Kajsa Johansdotter. She had 2 sisters and 2 brothers. Her father served in the Swedish army and was given a cottage/croft to live in. This is copied from Family Search and explains what a "croft" was.  The new system divided the parishes into “rotar” and each “rote” (several small farms) was to recruit a voluntary soldier to the infantry and also to provide a croft with a small piece of land and whatever else the soldier and his family needed to subsist. The soldier would live on his land, take part in military training, and serve in active duty during times of war. According to information I found on another website from Fahna relatives, Sven was a very intelligent man and an excellent writer. The other men would come to him for advice and have him write letters for them. He was well thought of in the community.

Ingrid worked as a housekeeper for a local bachelor when she got older. His name was Johan Karl Jonasson. He was known to the local authorities for taking his neighbors' property and causing disturbances. Nevertheless, in January 1874, Ingrid married Johan. She was 33 years old. In January of 1875 a son was born, Sven Goran Henrik Johansson, later known as George S. Henrickson. That November Ingrid's first born daughter, Amanda, died. She was 2 years old, which means she would have had to have been born in 1873, before Ingrid and Johan were married. I'm not sure if the dates for Amanda's birth and the marriage are entirely accurate. Or if Johan is indeed the father of Amanda. That time period is still grey.

In July 1877 Ingrid and Johan have a daughter, named Amanda, to honor the daughter who had died earlier.

In 1878, Ingrid's older sister Anna dies. Her father passes away in 1881 and her mother in 1883. Her son Sven leaves for America in 1892, and her daughter leaves in 1900. By this time Ingrid is living with her sister Sarah, who is blind. Ingrid's 2 brothers also use this time to move their families to America. 

In 1903 Johan passes away. In 1907 her brother Anders, who had moved to America passes away. Finally, in August 1912 Ingrid's sister Sarah passes away. On November 21, 1912 Ingrid leaves Moheda to begin her travel to America. She departs Gotenberg on December 11, 1912 to sail to Grimsby, England to continue on to New York and to then join her daughter Amanda and her family in Illinois. She is 72 years old and makes the journey by herself. Her brother Jonas passes away in 1914. Ingrid is the last survivor of her brothers and sisters. 

She lives with Amanda's family until she passes away at the age of 81 in 1922. Newspapers list her age as 85 but according to church records she was only 81. 

Ingrid had a hard life, and suffered a lot of loss. But she was a survivor. She took care of an ailing sister and then joined her children in America when she was able to. To travel alone, across the ocean, at age 72 took a lot of strength. And she was definitely traveling in steerage, not first class. I like to think that life was easier for her once she got to America.