This Swedish Ancestor Stayed Home

The prompt for this week is "This Ancestor Stayed Home." I thought I'd write about an ancestor that stayed in the old country and didn't immigrate to America.

We all know Sven Goran Henrik Johansson, aka George S. Henrickson, came to America. His sister, mother, and all of his uncles and their families on his mother's side also came to America. All of his immediate family on his mother's side either came to America, or had already passed on. But what about his father's side?

George's father was Johan Jonasson. At some point in time, Johan and Ingrid, George's mother, stopped living together. Johan stayed in Sweden and passed away in 1903 at the age of 76. Cause of death was listed as heart disease. Johan had a half brother and 3 sisters. He also had a younger brother, Anders. 

Johan's sisters all left home and worked as maids at various farms. Oldest sister Lena died at the age of 91. I haven't found a marriage record for her. She stayed in Sweden and apparently had no children. Sara, like Lena, seemed to spend her life working as a maid on various farms around southern Sweden. No marriage or birth records of children have been found for her. She died at the age of 95. Youngest sister, Stina, worked briefly as a maid before marrying and having at least 2 children. She died at the age of 69 and also lived in Sweden her whole life.

Johan's youngest brother was Anders.  Anders was only 9 when his father, Jonas, passed away. I haven't found many records of how young Anders supports himself. First real record I have of him is June 22, 1867, when he married Ingrid Palmquist. After marrying, Anders works as a shoemaker.

Anders and Ingrid have 12 children altogether. Of the 12, at least 8 children survive to adulthood. I haven't found a death record for one of his daughters yet. Of the 8 that survived, 6 came to America. These children would all be 1st cousins of George Henrickson. They settled mostly in North Dakota. One went to Wisconsin, and one went to California. Only 2 of Anders' children stayed in Sweden. 

Anders's youngest son, Axel, came to America and lived in Montana, Minnesota, and Washington before becoming an American citizen and enlisting in the U.S. Army to fight in World War I. He lost his life on October 31, 1918. He's buried in Flanders Field in West Flanders, Belgium. I'm not sure if George knew his cousin was fighting or not but I'm sure he would have been proud of him.

Anders himself stayed in Sweden his entire life. Anders passed away on June 20, 1920, at the age of 82. He still lived in Moheda, Sweden. Same parish as he was born in. 

So, do we still have relatives in Sweden today? Yes! Not only do we have relatives from Anders, but we also have relatives related to Carl and Ulrika Anderson in Sweden. I uploaded my DNA to MyHeritage, another ancestry site that matches your DNA with people all over the world. Unlike Ancestry, MyHeritage is based more in Europe. I have matched with people living in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Belgium, England and literally all over the world. Most are 3rd and 4th cousins, meaning we have the same 3x or 4x great grandparents. It's still pretty cool though. 

A colorized picture of Anders Jonasson. Anders and wife Ingrid sitting in the front. Son Carl, standing on the left. Daughter Elvira, and her husband Magne on  the Right. Dated 1911. Carl was visiting Sweden from America. Elvira lived in Sweden. 

Swedish and German naming patterns

 One of the biggest problems I run into while researching ancestors is finding two or more people in the same family with the same name. It's not uncommon to have a mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law all with the same name. Or, to have a father, grandfather, son and uncle all be named Charles. Why? Let me attempt to explain.

There used to be traditional naming patterns that parents would use with their children. Different cultures and groups of people developed their own patterns over time. Now, not everyone held steadfast to these naming rules. Exceptions were made all the time. Knowing the naming pattern of a certain group of people can help in research though. Knowing that in Sweden a person's last name would be the father's first name can help you find the father of Lars Eriksson. His father must be named Erik. Ingrid Johannsdotter would be the daughter of Johan. 

According to "The Family Tree German Genealogy Guide" by James M. Beidler, Family Tree Books, the naming pattern for many German speaking areas went like this:

Sons: First born, for father's father.

Second born, for mother's father.

Third born, father of the child

Fourth born and on, for uncles of the child.

Daughters were also named the same way.

First born, for father's mother.

Second born, for mother's mother.

Third born, mother of child

Fourth born and on, for aunts of the child.

If a child died, the next born child of that sex might be named after the dead child. Children might also be named after one of their baptismal sponsors. These would often be close family members, or close friends. 

"The Family Tree Scandinavian Genealogy Guide by David A. Fryxell, Family Tree Books, tells us the naming pattern of Sweden. 

Sons:

First son, for the father's father

Second son, for the mother's father

Third son, after the father

Fourth son, after the father's eldest brother

Daughters:

First born, after the mother's mother

Second born, after the father's mother

Third born, after the mother

Fourth, after the mother's eldest sister

As in Germany, it was not uncommon to use a deceased's child's name on the next child born of the same sex. In Sweden, it was also common to name a child of the same sex after a deceased spouse. So, if Lars and Ingrid were married and Lars passed away suddenly, when Ingrid remarried she might name the next boy born, Lars, after her deceased first husband.

How did families keep everyone straight? People would often go by a nickname, or their middle name. In Germany, the first part of the name would often by dropped. Therefore, Wilhelmina would go by "Amena" or maybe "Minnie." 

While  I think it's interesting that William and Mary Strandt named their eldest daughter and son after their parents, when eldest son Carl had his first born son, he chose to name him after his brother and grandfather, Howard Charles. Charles being the English version of Carl. Later, son Milton also received the middle name of Karl. "William" was never used.

In the Henrickson household, George and Malvina named their eldest daughter, Selma, after Malvina's sister. It wasn't until 6th born daughter, Ingrid Ulrika, was a child named after her grandmothers. Second born son, Carl, was named after his maternal grandfather. No son was ever given the name, Johan, or John, the name of George's father. 

As we move into the 20th century, and people came to America, these naming patters definitely changed. New names entered the scene. People began to name their children after friends, actors and actresses, even presidents. Some people even made up names. The more unique the name, the easier it is to research the person. 

I hope this helps on why you'll sometimes see the same names over and over again in the same family. 

Copy of Immanuel Lutheran church register with names of George and Malvina's children. 

Note how many are new names. Not names already in the family. 

Eva Wilhelmina Strandt

 After last week's blog about William F. Strandt, I received a request wanting to know more about William's oldest daughter, Eva. This week's blog is what I've been able to piece together about Eva Wilhelmina Strandt. She also sorta fits the prompt for this week which is "War and Peace." 

Eva Wilhelmina Strandt was born April 20, 1899 in Allegan, Michigan to Mary and William Strandt. She lived with her parents on a farm belonging to her grandparents, Carl FT and Wilhelmina "Amena" Strandt in Allegan. Eva was soon joined by siblings Carl, Ruth and Howard. The family also moved from Michigan to Illinois and back to Michigan again. At the age of 18 Eva followed in her mother's footsteps and became a teacher in a rural school. She lived at home and taught school for many years. 

On January 11, 1923 she married Reed Hayes, an auto mechanic. They lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1929, or earlier, a daughter was born to them, Ruth Marilyn Hayes. Ruth was born after the death of Eva's sister, Ruth. My guess is that she named her daughter after her beloved sister. Ruth's early death seemed to bring great sadness to the Strandt family.

On January 20, 1934 Eva was granted a divorce from Reed Hayes. In the petition Eva cites extreme and repeated cruelty, and non support for reason for divorce. Reed didn't contest it. In talking to Eva's granddaughter, she relayed a story her grandmother told her about her first husband. Eva said that he had asked her to move to Florida with him so he could find work there. Eva refused, on the grounds that she wanted to stay and help her mother stay safe. Whatever the real reason was, after the divorce Reed did move to Florida where he remarried and had another child. Eva stayed in Kalamazoo with daughter Ruth.

The 1940 Federal Census finds Eva and Ruth living in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Eva supports herself and Ruth by teaching. Her income was $926, with no other source of income. 

On August 14, 1943 Eva married for a second time. She married Robert G. Kiser, who was originally from South Dakota. He worked in a local paper mill. Eva still worked as a teacher. In February 1948, daughter Ruth marries Jack Jones and moves out. A year later in 1949 her daughter Marilyn Eva is born. Eva is now a grandmother.

Eva and Robert live in Kalamazoo. Eva's daughter has moved to Orlando, Florida after the death of her husband in 1952. On one of her trips back home to visit family in December, daughter Ruth goes for a ride in a car with her cousin Charles Strandt, son of Howard. With them is Ruth's daughter Marilyn. While driving, a postal truck hits the car they are riding in. All 3 occupants are injured. Ruth dies later at the hospital, Charles survives, but with crippling injuries for life. Marilyn is severely injured but survives. Eva takes Marilyn in and helps raise her.

Marilyn remembers Eva as a kind woman. Eva never spoke to Marilyn about the conflict with her brother Carl. One day Eva drove Marilyn past the farm and told her her oldest brother Carl, his wife, and four children lived there, but no more was said about Carl. Eva also didn't mention any of the Strandt relatives in Chicago either. Eva and Howard did talk and associate, but I think there may have been a falling out with Howard after the tragic car accident. Marilyn does remember visiting William and Mary when they were older, and when they went to live in a nursing home before their deaths.

At some point after the deaths of William and Mary, Eva and Robert moved to Tampa, Florida. There they remained until their deaths. Robert passing away in 1967, and Eva passing away in 1980, at the age of 81.

Eva loved to teach and taught many children over the years. She also spent 5 years teaching children with Special Needs. She spoke both High and Low German, and drove a Model T in her younger days. Like her brother Howard, she supported the Republican party. 

Eva had a lot of trials and tribulations in her life, but she seemed to deal with everything with grace and dignity. Always trying to help others. Her granddaughter Marilyn had very fond memories of her. 

Mary, baby Eva, William Strandt.

Eva and 2 boys on horse. Perhaps Carl and Howard?

Ruth Marilyn Hayes, Eva's daughter

From the Tampa Tribune 1980