Influencer: Carl "Charlie" Freidrich Strandt

 This week's prompt is "Influencer." I wasn't sure how to interpret it until I learned that Carl Strand's Uncle Charlie Strandt used to visit the Strand farm in Allegan and bring Hershey chocolate bars with him to hand out to Carl and Mildred's children. It was a tasty treat and one that was well received. Carl Strand is also known for handing out Hershey chocolate bars to grandchildren. Could Carl have been influenced by his Uncle Charlie? Let's find out.

Carl "Charlie" Freidrich Strandt was born in January 1860/1 in Teschendorf parish of Mecklenburg, Prussia, in present day Germany. His parents were Carl Friedrich Theodor Strandt and Dorothea Auguste Sophie Schroeder. Dorothea was the first wife of Carl Friedrich Theodor. Unfortunately for both Carls, Dorothea died soon after. Records don't indicate when exactly she died, so no way to know if her death was connected to giving birth or if it was unrelated. Some records indicate the birth of Carl was in 1860, others 1861. Same with Dorothea's death. It was either 1860 or 1861. Either way Carl Friedrich Theodor remarried on December 6, 1861 to Wilhelmina Gley. 

Carl and Wilhelmina had 2 daughters, Carolina and Wilhelmina before immigrating to America with their children in October 1871. They were headed to Chicago to meet other Strandt relatives. This is from notes in the Strand family Bible. Charlie was around 10 years old. In 1876 Charlie's Half-brother, William Frederick Strandt was born in Chicago. The only Strandt child born in America.

The 1880 Federal census finds Charlie living with a family as a farm laborer in Naperville, Illinois. On January 7, 1888, at the age of 27, he married fellow German immigrant Margarethe Schirmer. The 1900 Federal census finds them renting a house on 8441 Sangamon St in Chicago, Illinois. This address is where they will spend the next several years. They have a son and daughter. Margaretha notes on the census she has given birth to 4 children, with only 2 surviving. Charlie is a shipping clerk at a wagon works factory.

In 1910 Charlie has the same job, same address. He now owns though, instead of renting. He also notes he is a naturalized citizen. An addition has been made to the family. Son George Strandt was born in 1901. 

1920 brings much of the same. Charlie owns his home, free and clear. Same job. On August 27, 1929 Margarethe passes away. In 1930 Charlie and son Arthur still live at the same address. They have a radio to listen to.

1940 finds Charlie living with his daughter, Freda and her family in Elmhurst, Illinois. The census notes he has an education through the 8th grade, which was quite common for the time. 

Charlie dies on August 4, 1945. He was 84 years old. 

I know from newspaper articles found, and family stories, that Charlie and Margarethe would travel and visit friends and relatives. There are several stories of the "Chicago relatives" coming to visit the Strand farm in Allegan. With son, George, being born in 1901, the same year as Carl, they must've found a lot to talk about.  

Charlie is remembered as being tall by those who knew him, and his grandson remembered him as also being a kind man. Carl Strand didn't seem to take too kindly to too many people but the fact that he allowed his uncle Charlie, and cousin George, to visit shows that Carl must've thought highly of them. Or at least, thought they might think the way he thought. Perhaps Carl saw Uncle Charlie passing out the Hershey bars and decided to take up the same habit. Either way, I think it's neat that both men had the same habit of passing out chocolate bars. 

Here is a picture of Uncle Charlie and his family. Charlie is standing up in the back, with the hat on. His wife Margarethe is standing next to him. Son Arthur is seated directly in front of Charlie, and sister Freda is next to Charlie, looking like Princess Leia. :) The other people are assumed to be other Strandt relatives. (the picture is colorized from Ancestry's service)

How Uncle Charlie fits in:

Carl Friedrich Theodor Strand (1834-1914)

His sons Carl F. Strandt "Uncle Charlie", and William Frederick Strand. Charlie and William were half-brothers. Same father, different mothers.

Charlie's son, George, was a 1st cousin to Carl Strand, son of William. 

It's also interesting to note that with Charlie Strandt I sometimes found the last name spelled Strand, with no "t". It seems that in Scandinavia the name is spelled with no final "t.". In Germany it was spelled with a final "t". The spelling of the name depended on the census taker or person taking the information down it seems. 

Witness to History: John William Brownell

 This week's prompt is "Witness to History." History can be on an international or national level. It can also be on a local level. I've chosen to focus on a more local level. 

The boundaries of Allegan County, Michigan were laid out in 1831. It officially became organized in 1835. Sometime between 1837 and 1840 John William Brownell traveled to Allegan from Monroe County, New York. John was followed to Allegan by his parents, Ephram and Sarah Brownell, and three of his siblings. John had married Lavinia Sadler in New York before moving to Michigan. John was 27 and Lavinia was 16. They were definitely living in Allegan in February 1840 as their eldest son Charles Richard was born on February 25, 1840 in Allegan.

When John came to Allegan he settled on one hundred forty acres of land. The land was covered in woods and John worked hard to clear it. Not only did he clear the land on his own farm, but he also worked to clear a road from his farm to the tiny village of Allegan. It took 17 days to clear the road. At that time there was only one other farm between his and the village. Allegan consisted of 10-12 shanties at that time. John was also willing to help build other roads, buildings, schools, etc. The 1850 Federal census lists John's real estate value at $1200. Occupation was farmer.

In 1860 his real estate was valued at $2500 and his personal estate was $500. In 1870 his real estate value had increased to $8000 and personal estate increased to $1200. The family also had 3 non-family members living with them, a laborer, a domestic servant, and a carpenter. That was the last year the census listed the value of real estate. John did have 3 servants listed under his name on the 1880 census. One was a farm laborer, and 2 were domestic servants. 

John was involved in Allegan affairs. He served as Path Master for 30 years. A path master is someone who is in charge of the roads. He also served as a school director and Moderator. He was also one of the stockholders of the Allegan Co-operative store. He was described as a Christian gentleman, but he wasn't affiliated with any particular church or religion. His parents belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church.  John was also said to be a strong supporter of the Republican party. 

John passed away on April 29, 1904 at the age of 92. Cause of death was listed as old age, with heart disease which had been present for several years being contributory. Carl Strand would have been 3 years old at the time. 

John Brownell was able to witness Allegan town, and County, go from being a heavily wooded area with few settlers to the thriving town of 3,000 inhabitants it was in 1904. Multiple schools, churches, businesses, newspapers and recreational activities. 

How John William Brownell fits into the family:

Ephram Brownell 1783-1864

his son, John William Brownell 1812-1904

his daughter, Eva Brownell Pulsipher 1856-1939

her daughter, Mary "Matie"  Pulsipher Strandt 1877-1961

her son, Carl Strand 1901-1996

sources used include Federal census records obtained on Ancestry.com and 

Portrait and biographical record of Kalamazoo, Allegan, and Van Buren Counties, Michigan : containing biographical sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies of all the Governors of the State, and of the Presidents of the United States. Published in Chicago by Chapman Bros. 1892.

Origins: Smaland and Skaraborg, Sweden

 This week's prompt is "Origins." The origins for the George and Malvina Henrickson clan are in two areas of Sweden, Smaland and Vastra Gotaland.

Smaland is a province made up of 3 counties: Kronoberg, Kalmar, and Jonkoping. George Henrickson's paternal and maternal lines both go back in Kronoberg County until at least the late 1700's. Carl Anderson, father of Malvina Anderson Henrickson, has paternal lines that go back through Jonkoping, and his mother's family stretch back through Kronoberg. Malvina's mother, Ulrika Johansdotter Anderson, has family from Vastra Gotaland, in western Sweden. She is the only one who does not have roots in Smaland.

Smaland is in southeastern Sweden. The name literally means, "small lands." It is an area filled with forests, many lakes, bogs, and stretches to the east coast of Sweden where it borders the Baltic Sea. While some of the land is used for agriculture, it can be very rocky and the soil isn't the best. The weather averages around 72'F in the summer for a high, and around 32'F in the winter. 

The "small lands" names comes from the Middle Ages when each small province could declare itself neutral in Sweden's many wars. When the land south of Smaland was controlled by Denmark, and they would have conflicts and wars with Sweden, the provinces in Smaland could and would declare themselves neutral. They were so far from Stockholm that there wasn't much the King could do. This lasted until 1350 when a national law code was introduced and the small provinces and towns lost their autonomy. The area was also the scene of several peasant rebellions. 

In the 1800's Smaland was affected by famine, and had high levels of poverty. The many social and economic problems led many residents to emigrate to America. Residents read about America, the land of opportunity and left Sweden for a better life, including ours.

Today Smaland is known as the birthplace of the founder of IKEA. The birthplace of Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern day taxonomy, and Astrid Lindgren, author of the Pippi Longstocking books. Smaland is also known for glass blowing and for the original red and white peppermint stick.

Vastra Gotaland was formed in 1998 when three counties were combined into one. They were Alvsborg, Goteborg och Bohus, and Skaraborg. Ulrika Johansdotter's family goes back to the early 1800's in Skaraborg County.

Skaraborg sits between lakes Vanern and Vattern. It has densely wooded forests and plains and a table rock landscape. I couldn't find much other information on Skaraborg. 

The first map below shows were Skaraborg is located within Vastra Gotaland. The second map shows the area of Smaland. Underneath that is a link to a short 2 minute video that showcases the sights and sounds of Smaland. 

Visit Smaland