In the Beginning

 Happy New Year! 

The first prompt of 2025 is "In the beginning." I decided to do something I've wanted to do for a while, compile a list of all the birthdays, deaths, and anniversaries on a monthly basis. January is the first month so it's a good place to start. 

Let's start off on a happy note with some of the birthdays I've found in January.

My paternal Great aunt Fern Thompson was born on January 1, 1927.

January 3rd has 2 birthdays, Sidney Henrickson in 1902 and my Dad in 1941.

Frank Ashley, a paternal Great Uncle was born on January 4, 1915.

Paternal 3x Great Grandmother Abigail Eldred was born on January 9, 1804.

Paternal Great Grandmother Emilia Dobbratz Ashley was born on January 15, 1888.

Great Grandfather George Henrickson was born January 19, 1875.

2x Great Grandmother Mary Pulispher Strandt was born January 20, 1877.

January 23 was the birthday of paternal 2x Great Grandfather Andrew Thompson in 1859 and paternal Grand uncle Orville Ashley in 1919

Toni Thompson was born January 28,1945.

Next up we celebrate the marriages that occurred in January.

Paternal 2x Great Grandparents Orville Ashley and Kate Eldred were united in marriage on January 1, 1863.

2x Great Grandparents Ingrid Fahna and Johan Jonasson were also united in marriage in January, on the 10th, in 1874.

Our In Memoriam segment is sadly, the largest. 

January 1 was the day Grand Aunt Esther M. Henrickson and Grand Uncle Lynn Bellinger passed away. In 1995 and 1981.

3x Great Grandfather Madison Truman passed away on January 2, 1884.

3x Great Grandfather Sven Fahna passed away on January 3, 1881 and Victor Henrickson passed away on the same date in 1923.

Howard C. Strand passed away on January 8, 2017.

Paternal 3x Great Grandfather Riley Thompson passed away on January 9, 1908.

Grand Aunt Helen Bellinger passed away on January 10, 1980.

3x Great Grandfather Carl F. T. Strand passed away on January 18, 1914.

Paternal 2x Great Grandmother Mary Bellegraph Conors passed away on January 21, 1941.

Grandfather Lawrence F. Thompson, Sr, passed away on January 19, 2006.

3x Great Grandmother Loretta Foster Bellinger passed away on January 30, 1912.

This list is by no means inclusive. If you know of any other birthdays, anniversaries or deaths in January, please list them below in the comments or email me. 

Colonel Howard C. Strand. Passed away on January 8, 2017.

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. 

"Dig a Little Deeper" Martha Patty Mabbs

 The prompt for this week is "dig a little deeper." I've been researching the Mabbs line lately and, digging deeper into the research, I discovered a new document that opened up a whole new branch and brought the Family Tree back another generation!

Going back on the maternal side of the family, Viola Strand's mother was Mildred Bellingar. Her mother was Elnora Truman. Elnora's mother was Harriet Mabbs. Her mother was Martha Patty Warner. That was where the maternal line stopped. I knew that Martha Warner had married William Mabbs from England in 1851, and I knew that she had been born in 1828 in New York. Aside from that I didn't know any more about her. I didn't know her parents' names, her siblings, how many siblings, or even if she'd been married before. She was a complete mystery. Then, last week, Ancestry gave me a new clue about her. It suggested I look at the Will of a William E Warner of Ransom, Michigan. Martha had lived in Ransom Michigan for most of her life. I started reading the Will and in it he says how he wants his belongings and money distributed to his wife and children. Among the children listed is a daughter named Martha Mabbs! While Warner is a pretty common name, Mabbs is not. The odds of having two women both named Martha Mabbs living in Ransom, Michigan in 1864 is pretty high, so I'm fairly confident that this Willam E. Warner is the father of our Martha Mabbs. In the Will William names his wife, Susannah, and his surviving children, William L., Orville, Martha, John W., Mary Jane Saxton. He also leaves to daughter Martha a silver watch that had belonged to her deceased brother Samuel. 

After finding out the names of Martha's parents I was able to put them into the family tree. I then received new hints about them. I found their marriage license from New York. Susannah's maiden name was Fitzgerald. I was then able to discover the names of her parents, Edward Fitzgerald (1765-1816) and Anne Wallace (1768-1851). Edward Fitzgerald was born in Northern Ireland and came to America. Anne Wallace was born in New York. A lot of research has been done on the Fitzgerald line. I will have to read over that at some point. Not much is known so far about Anne Wallace.

Getting back to William E. Warner. I haven't found information on his parents yet. He was born in Connecticut in 1792 and passed away in Michigan in 1864. He was a minister and a farmer. He came to Michigan in approximately 1835, making him one of the first settlers in the area. When he died, he left the bulk of his estate and land to his son, Orville. Martha, William L., John and Mary Jane were given money. Martha received $20. She was already married to William Mabbs by that point.

Traveling back in time with the Pulsipher Family

 The prompt for this week is "travel". I've written before how our ancestors traveled to Michigan, or traveled the country. So today we're going to travel back in time with one branch of the family.

Carl Strand's maternal grandfather was Albert E. Pulsipher. Albert was born in Ohio in 1849 and some time before the age of 10 he had moved to Watson Township, Michigan with his family. He married Eva Brownell and they had 7 children, including Carl's mother, Mary. Albert was a farmer and passed away in 1927. I'm not sure what kind of relationship Carl had with Albert, if any. 

While Albert was born in Ohio, that's not where his family was originally from. Getting into the "Way Back Machine" we're going to travel back with the Pulsipher family to Vermont.

Albert's father was a man named Horace Pulsipher. Horace was born in 1824 in Stowe, Vermont. His father was a man named Ebenezer Pulsipher, who was born in Rockingham, Vermont in 1787. His father was also named Ebenezer and was born in 1759 in Massachusetts to David Pulsipher and Elizabeth Stowell. 

Some time after 1759 David moved his family from Massachusetts to Vermont. David was one of the founding members of Rockingham and helped to organize the first church of Rockingham, donating land for the church and cemetery. David was active in local affairs. When the revolution for American independence started David and his son John went off to fight. The story that is recorded, that was told by the family and handed down, is that David went off to fight and was involved in the Battle of Bunker Hill. David would have been 66 years old at the time of the battle. It's not known whether he was killed fighting or died of disease. He just marched off one day and never returned. 

Two of David's sons, John and Ebenezer, also fought in the revolution. John fought in the Battle of Ticonderoga and Ebenezer marched to Manchester where two different battles took place. One of which involved Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. 

All of the information above I found in a book I found online.

Source: History of the Town of Rockingham, Vermonth, 1753-1907 (1907) MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd. https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-61145/history-of-the-town-of-rockingham-vermonth-1753-1907-1907  Record: https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-61145-654/history-of-the-town-of-rockingham-vermonth Unknown  Citation: History of the Town of Rockingham, Vermonth, 1753-1907 (1907) Place: Rockingham, Vermont Page: 654

The book was found online on the MyHeritage website.

Surprise! You're Swedish!

 One of the biggest surprises I found after taking an Ancestry DNA test was how high the estimate of Swedish/Danish DNA was. I knew my maternal grandfather was full Swedish, but that would have given my mother around 50%, and I should have received about 25%, more or less. Instead, my Swedish/Danish estimate was close to 50%, and my mother and some of her siblings were at 50% or more. How was this possible? Did I have more Swedish ancestors I didn't know about? The answer was to look back into the history of the Baltic Sea area.

I knew for a fact that some of my ancestors had lived in southern Sweden. I also discovered that other ancestors had lived in northern Germany, and northwestern present day Poland. In fact, I traced many of my ancestors back to areas that bordered right along the Baltic Sea. It was time to look at the history of this area, and specifically Sweden.

Today, Sweden stays neutral and doesn't get involved in wars among countries. In the past, it was much different. The Viking Age of Sweden was from 800-1050 AD. The Vikings sailed around the Baltic Sea, up rivers, and pretty much all over Europe. Some stayed in these new found lands, while others brought slaves and wives back to Sweden. During the 14th century trade among towns and villages on the Baltic Coast began to grow. The Hanseatic League was formed. Many towns were part of this trade and business alliance. North German towns would trade with Scandinavian towns. Migration occurred and people scattered. When I was in Bergin, Norway last summer our tour guide told us about how the locals didn't appreciate the German merchants coming and taking Norwegian girls back to Germany as their brides.  

Sweden also had a foreign policy of which the aim was to dominate the Baltic Sea area. There were repeated wars with Denmark. Eventually Sweden controlled the area from Sweden east to Finland, along the Baltic coast and down to northern Germany. All land area bordering the Baltic Sea was under Swedish control. This was in the 1600's. Sweden was unable to keep control of such a large empire, though, and eventually lost control of this land. This was the Great Northern War of 1700-1721. Sweden fought against Denmark, Poland, and Russia. During the Napoleonic wars Sweden lost Finland to Russia. Norway was forced into a union with Sweden in 1814. Norway gained their independence from Sweden in 1905.

So, when you take all this into account and see how much land Sweden used to control in the Baltic Sea area, and see where our ancestors lived, then it's not surprising that so much Swedish/Danish DNA shows up. 

This is just a very small, brief, Cliff Notes version of Swedish history. One day I'll do a more in depth blog of Sweden's military past, and the Hanseatic League. Information for this came from Sweden's history 

Skaverud: birthplace of Ulrika Johansdotter Anderson

 This week Annika Hostmad, Swedish genealogist with "Find a Swede," sent me pictures she took when she traveled through Skaverud, the birthplace of Ulrika Johansdotter Anderson. She didn't know where the exact cottage that Ulrika had lived in was, but she was pretty sure that most of the buildings shown were there at the time Ulrika would have lived. She sent me several pictures of the small community. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much it reminded me of Michigan. The best part was seeing the cows in the pasture. :) Grandpa Henrickson would be so happy.

As a refresher, Skaverud is the homestead where Ulrika and her family lived. It's comprised of several small homes and farms. It's part of the Molltorp Parish. Molltorp is home to around 1,070 people according to the most recent census in Sweden. Molltorp is in the province of Vastergotland. Vastergotland means "the western part of the land of the Geats." The Geats were a northern Germanic tribe of people. They united with the Swedes to form the Sweden we know today. I'll write more about that later. I found it really interesting.

And without further ado, here are some of the pictures.

This is where Ulrika, and her father Johannes Pehrsson, were both born. Her father died here in 1842. After her father died, Ulrika and her mother and siblings moved to Skackan, still in Molltorp Parish. 

Sven Andersson Fahna - So Many Descendants

 This week's prompt is "So many descendants." I chose to write about the descendants of Sven Andersson Fahna and his wife Kajsa Catharina Jonasdotter. They are my 3x great grandparents. 

Sven and Kajsa were married June 28, 1829. Sven was 18 years old and Kajsa was 27. Sven had been in the Swedish Army. Kajsa was the daughter of a blacksmith and was slightly crippled in one hand. 6 children were born to them over the years. They had 4 girls and 2 boys. Of the 4 girls, the only one who had children was daughter, Ingrid. Ingrid married and had 3 children. One child died at the age of 2. The other children, a boy and a girl, immigrated to America where they married and had children of their own. Son Sven Goran changed his name to George Henrickson and had a total of 12 children. Daughter Amanda married and had a total of 6 children.

Sven and Kajsa's 2 sons, Jonas and Anders, both married and had children. Eldest son Jonas married and had 9 children of his own. All children immigrated to America. 6 of Jonas's children had children of their own. His son Gustaf, known as Fred, had 12 children of his own. Fred's  brothers and sisters had between 1 and 5 children each. Younger son Anders had 5 children of his own. Of his 5 children, they either immigrated to America, died in Sweden, or were born in America. I can only find records of children for Anders' oldest son, and his youngest daughter. His oldest son Sven Johan had 10 children of his own. Youngest daughter Stina had 2 children. 

Sven and Kajsa had 6 children.

They had 17 grandchildren born. 

They had 59 great grandchildren born.

They had 80 great, great grandchildren born.

All of Sven and Kajsa's descendants live today in America. Is this a complete list of all descendants? No. These are only the ones I've been able to find and document. I also didn't venture into counting 3x great grandchildren, my generation, as I didn't think I'd be able to count that high. :) 

Picture of Anders Lindblad, son of Sven and Kajsa, with 3 of his children.

Ingrid Fahna, daughter of Sven and Kajsa. Mother of George Henrickson and daughter Amanda Fahnstrom.

Jonas Fahnstrom, son of Sven and Kajsa, with his wife and 3 youngest children.

Fred Fahnstrom. Son of Jonas Fahnstrom

George Henrickson and wife with 11 surviving children. Son of Ingrid Fahna.

The children and granchildren of Sven and Kajsa originally settled in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. From there they have spread out across America and probably the world.  

Are you a descendant of Sven and Kajsa Fahna? Comment and let me know down below. I think it's incredible that so many people can trace their lineage back to these 2 people in a small village in Sweden.

Translation: Strandt Travel Documents

 Another prompt was "Translation." Having many ancestors who migrated from "the Old Country" I've found documents that needed translating. Google translate helps some. Having a wordlist also helps. The best thing I've found is to find someone who speaks and has knowledge of the language needing translating. Languages are living, breathing things. Just as English from 2023 is not like English from 1723, German and Swedish from today is not like German and Swedish from the 1800's and before.

One particular document that needed translating was this piece of paper that Fred Strand found in the old Bible kept by Carl and Mildred Strand. 

I recognized it immediately as having to do with Carl Friedrich Theodore Strand, grandfather to Carl Strand. Carl Friedrich is the first Strand, in our family, to come to America. The letter is written in old German handwriting and I had no way of translating it. I sent a copy of it to Heidi Strandt Andrews. Heidi is descended from Carl Friedrich Strandt, Carl FT's oldest son, and half brother to William Strandt. Heidi posted the letter on a genealogy Facebook group she belongs to and someone on there was able to translate it. It roughly translates to:

Carl Friedrich Theodore Strand

legitimate son of the former Hunter (southern German term for farmer-archaic) of Gros Schonfeld Christian Friedrich Strand and his wife Anna Dorothee born Winter, is of Gr. Schonfeld on March 27, 1834 - on March seven and twentieth of the year a thousand eight hundred and four and thirty-born and on was baptized April 6 of the same year. Baptismal witnesses were: Carl Schulz, Kathner zu Gr.Nice-field; Fritz Krempin, farmhand at Dianehof; Dorothee Strand, father's sister. The literal agreement of the previous standing information with the local baptismal register officially certified and certified bigt Rodlin May 14th, 1871.

This letter is important for 3 reasons.

Our guess is that this was some kind of certified birth certificate that Carl FT could use for travel papers. It was a document proving his identity. It's dated May 14, 1871 and the Strandt family left Hamburg on October 27, 1871. I believe this shows that Carl was preparing then to move to America. 

Another interesting note about this paper is the spelling of the name "Strandt". Strand is spelled without the letter "t" on the end. This is how Carl Strand (1901-1996) started spelling it sometime in his teenage years/ early 20's. On the passenger lists coming to America Carl FT's last name is spelled "Strandt" with the "t". The "t" always seems to be appearing and disappearing. Even in Germany. 

The final reason this letter is important is because it tells us the identity of Carl FT's father and mother. When Carl died, William filled out the death certificate. For father he listed "John Strandt" and for mother he listed "not known". He also listed Carl's birthday as March 25, 1834. He was off by 2 days. Not only does this letter give us the correct name of Carl's father, it also provides us with his mother's name and her maiden name. We also have a place of birth of Carl too. A place to start researching in Germany. 

If anyone has any extra insight or knowledge of this letter or what it might have been or means please let me know. Big Thank You to Heidi Strandt Andrews for getting this translated.

Here is the death certificate of Carl FT Strandt, for comparison's sake. Since William was born in America and was the youngest he must not have known much about his family's life in Germany.

 

Carl Johan Anderson

 Carl Johan Anderson was born and christened on November 18, 1840 in Slatto Nybygge, Hjalmseryd Parish, Jonkoping County, Sweden. His mother was Maria Andersdotter. Carl is listed as her illegitimate child. Carl lives with Maria and her parents at the parents' home. His grandfather worked as a day laborer. Carl's grandparents were listed as penniless. Carl's mother, Maria, worked as a maid.

In 1844 Maria had another child, a daughter named Christina. She was also listed as illegitimate. However, this time Maria was churched as the wife of Anders Svensson. When someone was "Churched" it means they were being welcomed back into the church after an absence. Different religions had their own version of "churching." In Sweden it was mainly seen as a way to welcome someone back who had been out of the church. When women gave birth it was the custom that the woman giving birth would stay at home and do no work. Just work on recovering from childbirth and regain her strength. Other women would come to help her by doing her chores, cooking, cleaning, looking after the house, etc. After 6 weeks she would be churched and welcomed back to society. Maria was churched as the wife of Anders Svensson. However, Maria and Anders were not married. They didn't even live in the same household it appears. While Anders was seen as the father of Christina, and also Carl, he was not married to Maria when she gave birth to either child.  In fact, Anders and Maria would not formally get married until May 2, 1863. So, Anders Svensson is the assumed father of both children, since he and Maria were not married at the birth of either child. Since the Swedish Church churched Maria, welcomed her back, as the wife of Anders, that means that in the eyes of the church they saw Maria and Anders as a married couple, even though they were not legally wed. Living together without being married was not looked kindly on and would have been discouraged. Even so, the church still seemed to approve of Maria and Carl's unusual for the time relationship.  Carl's last name is Anderson. That could be because Anders Svensson WAS his father, or because Anders was his step-father. It could also reference the fact that his maternal grandfather's name was Anders. 

In 1844 Maria and her children moved to Soldier Croft Number 50 at Stora Hokhemmet, Hjalmseryd Parish, still in Jonkoping County. Anders was a practicing farmer.  Carl was confirmed in the church in 1856. In 1858 there is a note about Carl working at a railroad station but it's not clear what he did. He may have moved around between Rotebro, Sollentuna between 1859 and 1861. Maria and Anders legally marry in 1863. In 1866 Carl moves to Stockholm. In December 1866 he married Ulrika Johansdotter. 

After marriage, Carl and Ulrika are found back in Stora Hokhemmet, Hjalmseryd Parish, Jonkoping County. Carl is able to buy a small piece of property. Carl and Ulrika move back to where Carl grew up.

On May 2, 1870 Carl and Ulrika register to move to America. He is listed as a lodging pauper and Ulrika is his wife. On May 13, 1870 they sail on the ship "Orlando" to Hull, England where they continued on to America. I know they briefly settled first in Indiana before coming to Michigan where they eventually settled and raised their children. 

Annika Hostmad, a genealogist from "Find a Swede" who I hired to research Carl said she had never seen a case like this before. Where an unmarried couple was apparently viewed and treated by the church as a married couple.  Why did Maria and Anders wait so long to marry? Until 1885 a woman had to have permission from her father, a brother, a widowed mother, or her employer to marry. Was there someone who would not give Maria permission to marry Anders? Did her parents want Maria to stay at home and take care of them? Or perhaps she had an employer who didn't want her to leave? The Swedish church normally didn't look kindly on couple having children out of wedlock. Why did they treat Maria and welcome her back as if she and Anders were a married couple?  

As an orphan, Ulrika and her siblings were helped a great deal by the church. It also appears that the church helped Carl's mother and father too. Maybe that explains why they were so generous to the Swedish Lutheran church they helped start in Michigan. Now that they were both in a position of having much more did they want to payback for the kindness shown to them earlier? One thing is certain, both came from very humble roots. America offered them the opportunity they didn't have in Sweden. 

I definitely think that looking more into the lives of Maria and Anders is warranted. Hopefully 2023 will provide some answers. :)

Post any questions, comments, observations in the comments or email me.

The first picture is of the railroad station where Carl and Ulrika met while working.

The second picture is of the church in Hjalmseryd Parish. This is the church Carl would have attended until 1853, when a new church was built. 

Research help provided by Annika Hostmad from "Find a Swede"

https://findaswede.com/

Ulrika Johansdotter

 Ulrika Johansdotter was born on March 24, 1840 in Skaverud, Molltrop Parish, Skaraborg County, Sweden. Her parents were Johannes Pehrsson and Britta Carlsdotter. Her father was 36 years old and her mother was 43. Johannes's occupation was farmer/peasant. She had older brothers and sisters. Their names were Britta Stina, born in 1826; Pehr Johan, born in 1830; Anders, born in 1832; and Greta Lisa, born in 1836.

In 1842 Johannes is listed as a lodging pauper and dies. He is 38 years old. His wife Britta Carlsdotter is blind. The family moves from Skaverud to Skackan. The family continues to be listed as lodging paupers. With no father to bring in income, and Britta being blind it is likely that the family is relying on the church for assistance. All of the children are listed as being able to read and understand from a book, and Luther's Catechism. All the children are also listed as being vaccinated against smallpox, including Ulrika. 

In 1847 Britta Carlsdotter dies. She is listed as a Widow Pauper, aged 51 years. Ulrika is only 7 years old. Earlier that year older sister Greta Lisa moves out. The other older sister, Britta Stina has moved back in. She has had a child out of wedlock. Ulrika is lucky that she is able to live with her siblings. The alternative would have been to go to foster care. Foster care involved hard work and often starvation. Support for orphans lasted until the age of 15 so that is probably when Ulrika moved out. 

The next Household record Ulrika is found in is 1857-1858. Ulrika is now working as a maid at Grytasen in Kyrkoroten. She moved in from Galteback and in 1858 moves to Rabacken. Her brothers Per and Anders moved away in 1851 and 1850. Older sister Britta had another out of wedlock child in 1855. In 1860 Ulrika moves to Orberga Parish in Ostergotland County. She works on a small farm. On the moving out record her reputation is listed as "Good" and she is 'free for marriage."

In 1860 Ulrika moves to Saby in Orberga Parish, Ostergotland County. She is still working as a maid and her reputation is "well justified-honest" and she is still "free for marriage" The size of the farm she is working on now is larger. She's also in a more wealthier county. In 1861 she moves to Nassia Parish. Her reputation is again "well justifiable-poor-honest"  It is also noted that she attended examinations and attended Lord's Holy Communion in 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, and 1859.

In 1862 Ulrika moves to the medieval town Vadstena in November 1862. Still working as a maid. I've found out that it was not unusual for single people to move so often. Following better job prospects. Also, Ulrika is steadily making her way to bigger and better areas. Leaving her smaller, poorer parish and moving into bigger and wealthier towns. On May 12, 1864 Ulrika moves to Stockholm County, Sweden. 

In Stockholm Ulrika meets, and marries Carl Johan Andersson on December 3, 1866. She is 26 years old. They marry in Sollentuna Parish, Stockholm County. Sollentuna is north of the city of Stockholm. Ulrika also goes by Johansson now, instead of Johanssdotter. It was not unusual for a woman to change from "dotter" to "son". It was the first marriage for Ulrika and Carl. Ulrika's brother Pehr Johan Johansson was listed as Ulrika's guardian and he gave his permission for her to marry. In 1885 unmarried women were emancipated at the age of 21. Prior to that any unmarried woman, no matter the age, had to have permission of a guardian to marry. It could be a father, brother, or widowed mother. For some reason Ulrika's birthday is now listed as March 14, 1840. Carl is listed as a farmhand, and Ulrika is listed as a maid. Ulrika and Carl live at the railway station in Rotebro Jarnvagssatation, Ed Parish, Stockholm County. They are also listed as moving out of the parish on the same day of their wedding, with Stockholm being their destination. 

On December 15, 1866 Carl and Ulrika move to Hjalmseryd Parish, Jonkoping County. They live in Stora Hokhemmet until 1870. Carl is listed as a farmer and owns 2 farms. They live here until they leave to move to America on May 2, 1870. 105 people are listed as moving out of Hjalmseryd Parish in 1870. There was a famine that year so the famine may have been very hard there. Carl is also listed as a lodging pauper in the moving out record. 

Carl and Ulrika leave Gothenburg, Sweden on May 13, 1870 and travel to Hull, England. From there they travel to America where they make their way to Allegan, Michigan. Ulrika is listed with the last name "Anderson" on the passenger list. 

Ulrika was able to make a good life with Carl in Michigan. They were able to buy land, farm, start a church, and raise a family, with many, many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ulrika started out with a hard life, losing both her parents by the time she was 7. She was fortunate her siblings took care of her, and she was able to get help from the church. She also worked hard by working as a maid and moving upward to wealthier areas until she met Carl and they were able to save and move to America. More importantly though, in all the church notes and records Ulrika is always listed as being a "good" and "honest" person. She is an inspiration. 

All the research for this blog is courtesy of www.Findaswede.com Researched by Annika Hostmad

Ulrika and Carl and children: Frank, Malvina, Selma

John Knach Conors

 For Father's Day weekend I decided to write about my 2x great grandfather on my Dad's side of the family. His side has been a bit harder to research. I haven't found as many records, and, the history is a bit more convoluted, as you'll see here.

John Knach was born March 28, 1863 is what is present day Poland. His sister Catherine was born the next year in Posen, Germany. Today, it's Poznan, Poland. Either way, the area that John and his family lived in is land which was fought over and went back and forth between Poland and Prussia/Germany. IT's no wonder that the father, Martin, decided to bring his family to America. 

Sometime in 1872 John, his father, 2 sisters, and brother came to Nobel County, Indiana. I haven't found them on a passenger list, but they all list Germany/Poland as their birth place. In 1873 John's sister Frances is born in Indiana. I haven't been able to figure out who John's mother was. On some of his records he lists an Emma Grice as his mother. But on other documents a Mary Ann is listed as his mother. I do know that his father was married twice. I found a note that said his father had a Polish wife and an American wife. That when the American wife died the Polish wife came over. I just haven't figured out which was which. 

On the 1880 census John lives in Green, Nobel County, Indiana with his father Martin, mother(step?) mother Mary Ann and siblings on a farm. John's father is listed as being born in Poland, as is John. 

In February of 1888 he marries Mary Viola Bellegraph. Mary is also from eastern Prussia. On October 8, 1889 Mary and John become parents to Anna Beulah Conor. Anna is my great grandmother who goes on to marry Frank Thompson. John and Mary are living in Grand Island, Nebraska. At some point they decided to leave Indiana and head to Nebraska. Also, John has changed his last name from Knach to Conor. I haven't been able to figure out why he did this, or when. Also, Conor is spelled different ways over the years. From Conor to Coners to O'Connor. One of the reasons I've run across is that when the family moved to Nebraska there was a large Irish Catholic population there and to fit in, John changed his last name. The Knach and Bellegraph families were both Catholic so this could be a possibility but no one really knows for sure. 

In 1892 a son is born to John and Mary in Michigan. In 1895 a daughter is born to them in Grand Island, Nebraska. The family has moved back again. 1902 finds the family back in Michigan again. My dad says he always heard that the reason the family came back to Michigan was because the barn burned down in a fire. I'm not sure if this is the first or second time they came back to Michigan. On the 1900 census John's profession is listed as Laborer, and his father's birth place is listed as Ireland! John was really trying to fit in, I guess.

The 1910 census finds John and Mary living in Hopkins, Michigan on a farm that is mortgaged. 8 of their 10 children are living with them. The 2 oldest daughters have moved out. On this census John lists Indiana as his father's birth place. 

On December 24, 1917, Mary files for divorce from John. She says there are 12 children in the family. Extreme Cruelty is the reason given. On June 12, 1918 the divorce was granted. John contested it. 

*interesting to note that my 2x great grandparents on my maternal side were also divorced in 1918/1919. Both times the wife filed and cited "cruelty" as the reason. Both cases were contested, but granted ultimately. 

On the 1920 census John is living on a farm he owns, but is mortgaged with 3 of his 4 youngest sons in Hopkins. He lists his, and both his parents' birth places as USA. 

I haven't been able to find John yet, in the 1930 census. He passes away September 7, 1938 in Michigan at the age of 75. Cause of death is listed as Uremia. Hyper trophy of the prostate with a urinary tract infection. 

I haven't been able to find any pictures of either John or Mary. So far. He definitely led an interesting life, completely reinventing himself and his family history on every census it seems. The ever changing information made it quite hard to tract him down. I spent hours looking for an Irish connection, and trying to find his birth certificate in Indiana at first. It wasn't until I found him connected to people with the last name of Knach/Knack/Knauch that I finally figured out his story. And I've still yet to figure out who is mother truly is, Emma or Mary Ann? His descendants seemed to have kept that alive as many of his sons spell the last name of Conor different ways. From Conor to Coner to Coners to even O'Connor. 

Life is never dull in the Conor household. 

Thompson beginnings

Riley Thompson is my 3x great grandfather. He was born July 3, 1828 in Onondaga County, New York.  I have no further information on him in New York. The first record I have of him in Michigan is the 1850 census. He is listed as living with James and Anna Allen. Also living with him is his brother Leonard Thompson, who is around 32 years of age. No relationship is given to James and Anna Allen. I don't know if Anna is their mother and James is a stepfather? Or, if James and Anna are simply a couple who employ Riley and Leonard. James and Anna are both listed as 59 years of age so definitely old enough to be parents. They could also be other relatives too. An aunt and uncle? Cousins? Who knows? Riley is listed as a laborer with $300 worth of real estate. On a side note, he lives 2 houses down from my 4x great grandfather, Oliver Bellingar and his son, David, my 3x great grandfather on my maternal side. :)

Sometime between 1850 and 1855 Riley marries Hannah Kent, also of Allegan. Their first son, Henry, is born in August of 1855. Their second son, Andrew, is born January 25, 1859. Andrew is my 2x great grandfather. 

On the 1860 census Riley is now listed as a farmer with real estate worth $2000, and personal worth of $100. He's involved in civic affairs as I find him listed variously as chief constable, or deputy constable in Allegan village during the 1860's. He registered for the Civil War draft, but I don't find any record of him serving. 

In 1866 his brother Leonard dies. I've found very little on Leonard. I know he married, but I can't find any record of him having children. Leonard seems to be a mystery.

The 1870 census finds Riley even more prosperous. He's now listed as a real estate agent with a real estate worth of $3000 and a personal worth of $3000. In 1873 his wife Hannah passes away.

in 1876 I found a newspaper article that mentions him and another man being jailed for a couple of hours because they decided to cheer for Samuel Tilden, who was running for President, at a parade that was meant to garner support for Rutherford B. Hayes. 

The 1880 census finds Riley as a laborer, living with this 2 sons. His father and mother are both listed as being born in Vermont, and he says he was born in NY. Being born in NY is always consistent with him.

The 1900 census is interesting. Riley is now married to a woman named Mary. They were married in 1884. Occupation is Day Laborer. He lists his mother and father as being born in NY now.  He can read and write, lives in a House, and owns it. He lives in Allegan.

His second wife Mary dies in 1906. Riley dies in 1908. I found an obituary for him. It states that he was once a wealthy and prosperous man, but the evils of drink got to him and ruined him. He lived with his son Andrew and his family at the time of his death. Cause of death was listed as Uremia, which happens when the kidneys can't filter anymore. He was 80 years old. On his death certificate, which was filled out by Andrew, it lists him as the father of 4 children, of whom 2 were still alive. His father's name is listed as Allen Thompson and mother's name was first listed as unknown, but then written as Mary. 

Our Connection to Ireland

  For St. Patrick's Day I decided to write about one of our lesser known connections to the Emerald Isle. While most of our heritage is Swedish, German and English, we do have a bit of Irish in us. Our Irish heritage goes all the way back to my 4th great grandmother, Lavina Sadler. Lavina was born June 22, 1823 in New York to Mary McElroy and John Sadler. John Sadler was born in Northern Ireland and came to America sometime before 1820. Although John was born in Northern Ireland, he did not consider himself Irish. His family had originally come to Northern Ireland from Scotland. He and many other Scot-Irish considered themselves to still be Scottish. It was only when they came to America that they were referred to as Irish, which they took great offense to.  John is listed as a shoemaker in the 1850 census. He is living in Allegan, Michigan. In the 1860 census he's listed as a farmer.  

Mary McElroy, John's wife, is listed as being born in Dublin, Ireland. I haven't been able to go any further back than that. Mary came to New York sometime before 1820, when she met and married John. All of Mary and John's children are born in New York before they move to Michigan, sometime between 1840 and 1850.

Lavina marries John William Brownell in November 1839.  She is 16 years old and John is 27. They live in Ogden, Monroe County, New York. Their first son is born in February of 1840 in Allegan, Michigan. So, apparently they traveled from New York to Michigan in the winter. And while Lavina was pregnant. I need to research this some more. Especially their marriage date. 5 more children are born, including their youngest child Eva Brownell, my great, great, great grandmother. Mother to Mary Pulsipher, and grandmother to Carl Strandt. 

Lavina dies on September 10, 1873 of "brain congestion." She was 50 years old. I've looked up "brain congestion" and it means swelling of the brain. In Lavina's case it could mean she had some kind of stroke. It could also mean that she suffered some type of trauma or injury to her head. Without more information it's impossible to say. 

Here is a picture of Lavina. 

Here is the relationship:

John Sadler and Mary McElroy marry

(daughter) Lavina Sadler marries John Brownell

(their daughter) Eva Brownell marries Albert Pulsipher

(their daughter) Mary Pulsipher marries William Strandt

(their son) Carl Strand marries Mildred Bellinger

(their daughter) Viola Strand marries Ray Henrickson

Andersson Beginnings

 The last family I'm going to write about on my maternal side will be the Andersson line. Malvina Christina Anderson was born October 10, 1879 in Watson Township, Allegan, Michigan. Her parents were Carl and Hulda Anderson. Malvina was the 2nd of their 3 surviving children. The 4th child carried by Hulda, and the first daughter to survive infancy. 

Carl Johan Andersson was born November 18, 1840 in  Stora Hökhemmet, Hjälmseryd Förs, Sweden. It is located in southern Sweden. It's in the same county that Ingrid Bergman was born and raised in. I connected with another Swedish cousin and he said there was a family rumor that we were related to Ingrid Bergman, so who knows? :) I can trace Carl's family back to a Sven Andersson, born in 1775/6 in the same area of Sweden. I have no more information on Carl until December 3rd, 1866 when he marries Hulda Ulrika Johannesdotter. Hulda was born March 24, 1840 in Skäverud, Molltörp Förs, Sweden. This is still located in southern Sweden, but at the northern end. In other words, closer to Stockholm and central Sweden than to Denmark and the Baltic Sea. I can go back to the 1760's/1770's with Hulda's maternal and paternal grandparents. One is a Farmer Petter Andersson and another is Soldier Carl Vettergren. When Hulda was 2 years old her father died. When she was seven years old her mother died. A sister died the following year. I don't know where Hulda was sent to live or who looked after her. The next information I have on either Carl or Hulda is their marriage, December 6, 1866 in Sollentuna, a town just north of Stockholm. It was created in 1863 and came into being with the development of the railway from Uppsala and Stockholm. This goes along with research I found that hinted that Carl worked for the railway company in Sweden. 

After marrying, Carl and Hulda had their first child, a daughter, born on May 30, 1867. The baby was stillborn though. She's simply listed as Baby girl Andersson in the church records. Carl's' mother, Maria, had just passed away on May 18, 1867. By 1870 they are back in Jonkoping, Sweden. Church records record them leaving Jonkoping on May 2, 1870 to travel to America. On May 13, 1870 they board the ship "Orlando" to travel from Gothenburg to Hull, England. Carl is listed as a soldier.

From Hull, they would travel by train to Liverpool, where they would board a boat to America. The train journey would be included in the cost of their ticket to America. The ship "Orlando" carried 800-900 passengers and the journey took 2 days to sail from Gothenburg to Hull. The train ride from Hull to Liverpool took about 5 hours. There was no restroom and no water for third class passengers.

The next record I have of Carl and Hulda is the birth of their son, Frank Oscar Anderson in Watson, Allegan, Michigan in September 1873. A daughter, Malvina Olivia Anderson is born April 17, 1878. She dies July 2, 1879. She is the first child buried in the Lutheran cemetery. That October, Malvina Christina is born and is named after her deceased sister, as was the custom in Sweden. Another daughter, Selma, is born March 10, 1883.

Carl, who went by Charles in America and Hulda were very active in the local Allegan community. They helped organize and raise money for the Lutheran church. Carl donated land for the cemetery. Carl also wrote back to Sweden and encouraged other Swedes to come to Michigan to live. 

Carl and Hulda left Sweden for a better way of life, and they definitely found it.

 Hulda died in 1918 of chronic endocarditis. Inflammation of the heart valves. Today it's treated with antibiotics. She was 78. 

Carl died in 1915. Death certificate says he had been working part of the day. A doctor was called but he was dead when doctor arrived. He had been treated for heart disease previously. Death listed as natural causes. He was 74.

Truman and Mabbs families

 I've written about Mildred Strand's father's family, the Bellingers. This week I'm writing about her mother's family, the Trumans and the Mabbs. 

Mildred Viola Bellinger Strand's parents were Charles Bellinger and Elnora Truman. Elnora Truman was the daughter of Madison Truman and Harriet Mabbs. Both Madison and Harriet were born in Michigan. In 1869 they were married and lived in Hillsdale, Michigan. 4 children were born to them. However, in the 1880 census we find the family living in Totten, Lonoke, Arkansas. Their last son, Judson, was born there. They didn't stay in Arkansas long. Madison's death is reported on January 2, 1884 in Hillsdale, Michigan. The family moved from Michigan to Arkansas, and then back again. After Madison's death, Harriet marries again to Albert Bush and has 5 more children. All in all she gives birth to 10 children. She was 19 at the birth of her first child and 45 at the birth of her last child. She must have been a remarkable woman.

I've traced the Trumans back to a Josiah Truman who was born in Massachusetts in 1778. The Trumans may originally be from Cornwall, England but I haven't gotten that far back yet.

Harriet's family, the Mabbs, are a bit more interesting.

Harriet was born in Michigan in 1850 to William Mabbs and Martha Patty Warner. William was born in 1824 in Oxfordshire, England. William was one of eight children, all but the youngest born in England. His parents were William Hawys Mabbs and Hannah Hill Stace. William Hawys was the only son of John Mabbs and Sophia Andrews. John was a Methodist preacher. The Mabbs family had been Methodists for at least a couple of generations in England. Our William Hawys Mabbs took a different direction with his life, though. His older sisters worked as governesses, and teachers. William, started a soap factory in London. He manufactured soap and was very successful. For unknown reasons, in 1833, at the age of 42 he and his family sailed to America. He settled in New York City where he invested in another business. Things were going fine and another daughter was born. However, the bank he had his money saved in failed and he lost all his savings. He decided to move to Michigan and try his hand at farming and the manufacture of brick. 

William, the son, was a farmer and at the end of his life was a minister. He died at the age of 60 in 1884 of tuberculosis.  His older brother John worked in Chicago as an engineer. Another brother, Austin, went to Deadwood, South Dakota and owned and operated gold mines. Yet another brother, Robert, was quite prosperous. He was a very successful farmer in Allegan, and during the Civil War he enlisted as a private in 1862 and was discharged as a 2nd lieutenant in 1865.

The Mabbs family has been especially fun to trace, as I've found lots of information on them. They've been very successful. It's also fun to think of ancestors living in both New York City and London.

Mildred Strand, with parents Elnora and Charles Bellinger.

Pulsipher Beginnings

This week we're going back on the Pulsipher family tree. "Pulsipher" was the maiden name of Carl Strand's mother, Mary Elizabeth Pulsipher. The Pulsiphers go back to the late 1600's in America. The first Pulsipher that I can find is Benedictus Pulsipher. Born about 1635 in Nottinghamshire, England. He came to the British colonies around 1660. Most of the information I've found on him is a little sketchy. It relies on the research of others I've found online so it may not be entirely accurate. He was married in England and had 2 or 3 children with his first wife. She passed away and in America he married a Susanna Waters. They lived in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts. Susanna and Benedictus were both Puritans. Susanna was once fined by the local parish/church for wearing too fine of clothes, adornments. The church elders thought she was vain. :) She was in her late teens/early 20s at the time. She married Benedictus and gave birth to 11 children. Benedictus was wealthy for the time and owned land around Massachusetts. He owned land on Plum Island, Castle Neck, and Hogg Island. He died in 1695, or 1710.

His son, David was born in 1685, Ipswich, Massachusetts. He married a woman also named Susanna. He was a sailor and his wife was licensed to sell strong drink. His date of death is given as June 17, 1775. The story goes that he went out to fight in the Battle of Bunker Hill. He went out with his son, also named David, and was not seen again. The family assumed he was killed in the fighting. David, the son, was also killed at Bunker Hill. If this is true, than my 7th and 8th great grandfathers were killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

David, the son, was born in Boston in 1708 and married Elizabeth Stowell. They had a son named Ebenezer. Born in 1759. Around 1780 he moved to Vermont where he married Unity "Vully" Reed. Unity "may" be descended from Mayflower Pilgrims. If we have Mayflower heritage, it is through her.

Ebenezer also had a son named Ebenezer. Born in 1787 in Rockingham, Vermont. He married Charlotte Haydon and had many children in Vermont. In the 1840 census, though, he is living in Bainbridge, Ohio. He passes away in 1853. 

One of Ebenezer's sons was named Horace, and was born in Stowe, Vermont in 1824. He moved with his father to Ohio. In 1844 he married Maryetta Downey Stone. Sometime between 1853 and 1859 they move from Ohio to Allegan County, Michigan. Coming with them is their son Albert. Born in 1849.

Albert Eugene Pulsipher was born July 22, 1849 in Ohio. Before the age of 10 he moved to Allegan with his family. In 1874 he marries Eva Brownell. The Brownell family has a history in America as long as, if not longer, than the Pulisphers. 

On January 20, 1877 their second daughter, Mary Elizabeth is born. She marries William Strandt when she is 21 years old. The rest is history.

There is MUCH more to be written about the Pulsipher family. The Pulsiphers that stayed in Ohio were supporters of the abolitionist movement before the Civil War. One of Horace's cousins who fought in the Civil War was under the command of one of John Brown's sons. 

Here are some pictures of Albert and Eva and family and their house, provided to me by a Pulsipher cousin. Our grandmother Mary is on the top, 2nd from the left. Albert and Eva sitting in the middle.

This is a picture of where Albert and Eva lived.

The paper trail back to Ebenezer Pulsipher in Ohio is good. From there back is where it gets a bit sketchy.