Earning a living: Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna

 This week's prompt is "Earning a living." Thanks to Annika Hostmad of Find a Swede I've been able to add more to the life story of my great, great grandmother Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna. 

Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna was born November 22, 1840 on her father Sven's 30th birthday. Her mother was 39. Ingrid was the youngest of the couple's 5 children. Her father was a Vice Corporal in the Swedish army. He was given a cottage for him and his family to live in. In return, he would fight in the army if called upon. Her mother had limited use of one arm and had recovered from an earlier infection of smallpox. Ingrid and all of her siblings were vaccinated against smallpox. She also learned to read and write. The family lived in Slatthog parish, Kronoberg County, Sweden. Part of Smaland of Sweden.

Sickness seemed to run in Ingrid's family. Her older sisters Anna and Sara are both listed as sickly in the Household records. Their mother is also listed as sickly too. Sara is able to find work as a teacher of young children and she moves out of the cottage. She works as a teacher until her retirement. Rheumatoid arthritis is listed as a contributing factor in her cause of death. So far no work record has been found for Anna. Perhaps she was too sick to work? Her brothers move out, find work and get married. Brother Jonas even joins the army for a bit.

In October 1861 Ingrid moves out of her parish to a nearby parish and works as a maid. Working as a maid on a farm can mean many things. She may have worked inside the house doing cooking, cleaning and laundry. She may also have worked outside tending to vegetable gardens, milking cows, or taking care of livestock. Either way, it was most likely hard work. After one year, she moved back home to her parish in Slatthog. When she moves back to Slatthog it is noted that her reading is justifiable, her reputation is good, and she is free to marry. 

Shortly after moving back to Slatthog parish, Ingrid becomes pregnant. She is not wed. On September 4, 1863, she gives birth to a baby boy. He is named Anders Peter Wilhelm. We have no way of knowing if this child was born out of a loving relationship or if something more sinister happened. The child was baptized 2 days later, and in October Ingrid was counseled and given absolution for having a child out of wedlock. Unfortunately, the child died suddenly on November 12. He was 2 months old. Cause of death was stroke. It may have been a heart defect or SIDS. 

The next records for Ingrid are between 1867 and 1872. She is living with her family during this time. Her father has retired from the army and is ill. Her sister Anna is ill, and her mother is very ill. 

In the fall of 1872 Ingrid moves from Slatthog to Moheda parish to move in with Johan Jonasson, whose wife died earlier that year. Apparently, it was common then for a woman to move in with a single man and then marry later. The house they lived in was a backstuga. That means the house wasn't on land you could farm. The occupants had to support themselves in other ways. Also, on Ingrid's entry the priest noted that Ingrid had had a child out of wedlock. The Scarlet Letter seemed to follow her through her life.

On January 3rd, 1873, the Banns for the marriage of Ingrid and Johan were announced. Banns are an announcement of marriage between 2 individuals. It gives people an opportunity to come forward should they have a legal objection to the marriage. It's supposed to prevent invalid marriages from happening. What makes this case unique is that Ingrid and Johan didn't marry until January 1874. Marriage is usually a couple of weeks after the publishing of the banns. In between, Ingrid gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Amanda Christina, on June 13, 1873.

After finally marrying in January 1874, Ingrid gave birth to another child, son Sven Goran Henrik on January 19, 1875. That November Ingrid lost another child. Daughter Amanda died of illness. She was 2 and a half years old. Ingrid gave birth once more in July 1877 to daughter Amanda Emma Christina. 

The family seemed to live together until August 1892 when son, Sven, left for America. Shortly after this Ingrid and Amanda are living in Slatthog again. Amanda is confirmed in the church while living in Slatthog parish. It took about a year of studying to be confirmed. There are notes in the Household records that Ingrid and Johan are living apart. It is believed that Ingrid moved in with her sister Sara and helped take care of her, but there are no records that confirm this. Sister Anna had passed away in 1878. Her parents passed away in 1881 and 1883. Her brother Jonas had already immigrated to America with his family. 

Daughter Amanda left for America in 1901. Ingrid's husband Jonas passed away in December 1903. Although there is no record of her living with sister, Sara, Ingrid is sailing for America 3 months after Sara's death. Brother Anders and his family had already left for America too. 

Ingrid sailed for America in 1912 and passed away at her daughter Amanda's home in 1922. She had lived a very long, eventful life. 

Parish of Moheda where Ingrid and Johan lived with their family until 1892. Birthplace of Sven Goran Henrik (George Henrickson) and Amanda Emma Christina Fahnstrom.

Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna, mother of

Sven Goran Henrik Johansson (George S. Henrickson), father of 

Selma

Sidney

Eulalia

Grace

Pearl

Ingrid

Carl

Evald

Raymond

Esther

Elvera

Victor

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. 

Outcast: Johan Jonasson

 The prompt for this week is "Outcast." I immediately thought of my great, great grandfather Johan Jonasson. He was the father of George S. Henrickson, my great grandfather who immigrated to America from Sweden. As I looked over my notes on Johan I saw he was an outcast in more than one way.

The birth records for Moheda Parish in Kronoberg County, Sweden record Johan being born on October 28, 1827 to Crofter Jonas Johansson and Maja Stina Danielsdotter. He was baptized on November 1, 1827. 

The next record that records his life (1831-1836) shows him living with his parents and siblings at a remote land Nackelyckor, situated on the land of Vegby Forsagard. This land is so remote that when I did a Google search for it it doesn't even come up. So, it's either changed names, or no one lives there anymore. Either way, all the records describe this location as being "remote". So, Johan and his family lived faraway from other people. 

In the Household record for 1837-1843 the family continues to live at the "Remote land Nackelycke cultivated by soldier Warn at soldier croft." The father Jonas is listed as a pauper. Records also state that the father likes to fight, is poor and is called "Styf" Jonas. Styf translates to "Stiff" and can describe his physical appearance, or his personality. 

Johan has grown up living in a remote part of the parish, being an outcast, if you will. Now something will happen to make him another form of outcast.

Johan's father Jonas died on July 29, 1846. The family was already listed as penniless and paupers. Johan's mother was left widowed with 4 children. Johan was old enough to also be listed as penniless on the records. 

On the Household records for 1844-1850 Johan is listed as a farmhand in Nya och Sodra Kvarnen in Moheda Parish. There is a note on the record about his conviction of theft. The notes are hard to read but it looks like he was sentenced in June 1848. His mother was also convicted of the crime of theft in 1851 even though it appears it happened in June 1848. After his sentence, Johan becomes without a steady residence for 1848-1849. He had to move on. 

Notes for his mother Maja tell us that she was convicted of theft and sentenced to 17 days of living on bread and water. She and Johan also had to perform public church duty. They also would have been asked to stand on the "duty stool" during a church sermon where their crimes would have been described. They would have asked for repentance and then been rehabilitated. Johan and his mother's crime happened in 1848 and they were punished for it in 1851. Sweden outlawed public humiliation for crimes on May 4, 1855. Too late for Johan and Maja.

Johan marries and lives with his wife until her death on April 10, 1872. The very next day Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna moves in with Johan as a maid. They have an illegitimate daughter born on June 13, 1873. Johan and Ingrid do not marry until January 10, 1874.

Under reputation Johan continues to be described as a drunk, penniless, and "Styf" like his father before him. Ingrid and Johan have two more children, George and his sister Amanda, who immigrate to America. Ingrid leaves Johan to care for her sister, leaving him alone, again. Johan died in 1903, living by himself, as far as I could tell from the records.

Johan seemed to live most of his life as an outcast, whether it was by living remotely from other people, or by his actions taken and being outcast from society. I don't have any pictures of Johan, but I did find a picture of his younger brother Anders. Anders, by contrast, was never convicted of theft, had illegitimate children or was classified as a drunkard. I found this picture of Anders with 2 of his adult children. Anders is seated in the front, next to his wife.

I found notes on the Fahna family online. They were not very complimentary when they mentioned Johan. Johan seems to have been the Black Sheep of the family. Johan is definitely one of the more colorful ancestors I've come across.

Parents of Johan Jonasson

 Last week I wrote about Johan Jonasson, the father of George Henrickson. This week I'll be writing about Johan's mother and father. Johan is my 2x great grandfather. His parents are my 3x great grandparents. Once again, all the research comes from "Find a Swede" 

Johan's father was Jonas Johansson. His father was Johan Jonasson and his mother was Annika Samuelsdotter. He was born December 6, 1789 in Strabacken, Moheda Parish, Kronoberg County, Sweden. He was baptized 2 days later. Carl Moberg is listed as a witness to his birth.  Jonas's father, Johan, dies before 1794. After Johan's death, his mother marries Carl Moberg.

Jonas's living situation isn't well documented. The family lived in Strabacken until 1803. They show up later in Household records for Tolg Parish, still in Kronoberg County. Later, the family moves from Tolg Parish to Moheda Parish in 1821. Jonas is listed as a farmhand. It is safe to assume that Jonas and his family were very poor and probably subsisted on very little. According to Household records, though, he could read from the Bible, understood what he read, and was vaccinated against smallpox.

Johan's mother was Maja Stina Danielsdotter. She was born December 8, 1793 in Skog, Moheda Parish, Kronoberg County, Sweden. Her father was Soldier Daniel Skog and her mother was Kerstin Nilsdotter. Her mother is listed as being 30 years old. She was baptized December 15. As a small girl her name is written as Maja Stina. When she gets older her name is written as Stina Maja. Maja translates to "Marie" and Stina translates to "Kristina" or "Kerstin". As a soldier, her father would have been given a cottage for him and his family to live in. In return he would have been expected to serve in the Swedish military. 

In all the Household records Maja Stina is listed as being able to read and understand the Bible and being vaccinated against smallpox. Most of the records say she is vaccinated, but one record says she has natural immunity. 

At the age of 27 Maja Stina is found living as a maid at a farm in Moheda Parish. In 1821 she gives birth to an illegitimate child, Daniel, while working as a maid. There is no father listed. Did she know the name of the father, or was she trying to keep it secret? We'll probably never know. 

On December 18, 1822, in Moheda Parish Jonas Johansson and Maja Stina Danielsdotter were married. Jonas was 33 and Maja was 30. There are notes that Maja's brother and mother gave their written consent for the marriage to take place. Maja moved in with Jonas as a maid before the wedding. This was apparently common in Sweden then. Jonas and Maja both worked on the same farm. He worked as a farm laborer, and she worked as a maid. 

After getting married children are born to them. I haven't figured it all out, but it looks like twin girls are born, with only one surviving. Johan is born in 1827. There are daughters born too. In 1837 the nickname "Styf" is applied to Jonas. This could refer to his physical or personal characteristics. There are also notes that there are fights in the household from the same time. Later, his son Johan is given the same nickname. My guess is it's a personality trait. Stubbornness seems to run in this family. ;)

On July 29, 1846 Jonas dies of a cold. No other mention is made of cause of death.  He is listed as penniless. He's buried a couple of days later on August 2. He was 57 years old. 

The next entry we find for Maja Stina is in June 1, 1851 when she and son Johan are convicted of theft. They are sentenced to 12/17? days of bread and water, and then made to do public church duty.  She was 57 years old at the time.

For now, that is where the record ends on Maja Stina. Comparing the two sides of George Henrickson's family, his mother's side seemed to be a little bit more well to do than his father's side. The uncles on his mother's side were either soldiers or tailors. His aunt was a schoolteacher. His father's side were farm laborers, working small farms on bigger farms. Coming to America gave George chances he never would have had in Sweden. It is interesting, though, how this line of the family has all lived on farms, whether in Sweden or in Michigan. Farming is in the Henrickson/Johansson blood. 

Johan Jonasson

George S. Henrickson's parents were Johan Jonasson and Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna. Ingrid's family has been pretty well researched. I knew absolutely nothing at all about Johan though. What little I knew was from what Ingrid's  family had written about him, which wasn't much. His name was also very common in Sweden so researching him in the records made it tough. I never could be certain if I had the right Johan. Also, I don't read old Swedish. That was a huge handicap right there.  Last December I hired a professional genealogist in Sweden to research Johan and his parents.  I contacted Annika Hostmad of https://findaswede.com/ to help. She researched Johan and both his parents and sent me the results last week. It's been fascinating reading. I'm still going through all the records, but here is what I have found so far. 

Johan Jonasson was born October 28, 1827 in Nackelyckor at Vegby Forsagard, Moheda Parish in Kronoberg County, Smaland province, Sweden. His father is listed as the Crofter Jonas Johansson and his mother is Maja Stina Danielsdotter. He was baptized November 1, 1827. His father is listed as a Crofter. This means his father rented a small farm with land and a house on it. To pay his rent, he would work so many days a year on the bigger estate. Instead of paying with money, he paid with labor. His mother worked as a maid on a farm before marrying his father. 

On July 29, 1846 the father Jonas died of a cold. This most likely left his family without a source of income. In 1847 we find Johan, the son, working as a farmhand in Ny och Sodra Kvarnen in Moheda. Sometime between 1848 to 1849 both Johan and his mother Maja are convicted of theft and sentenced to 12 or 17 days of bread and water. They both have public church duty. This means they had to publicly confess their sins before they could be forgiven. The records don't say what the theft was, but because the family and the area was so poor, my guess is it was probably food. Johan is without steady residency from about 1849 to 1855.

In May 1855 Johan marries Cajsa Johansdotter. Still in Moheda parish. It was the first marriage for both of them. Johan was 29 and Cajsa was 41. As far as I know, they had no children. They lived in a cottage without land from 1855 to 1872. During this time Johan acquired the nickname Styva Johan. "Styva" translates to "Stiff". It could describe either a physical or a personal characteristic. Physically it could  refer to stiff joints or a strong physique. Personality could refer to being good/capable, difficult, proud, arrogant, etc.  His father Jonas also had the same nickname. In the records for the late 1860's Johan is described as a drunkard. 

On April 10, 1872 his wife Cajsa dies. According to the household records, Ingrid Christina Svensdotter Fahna moved in the very next day.  She moved from Slatthog parish. Moheda is approximately 2.5 miles southeast from Slatthog parish. They're neighbors. Johan and Ingrid's first child, a daughter, is born June 13, 1873. Johan and Ingrid are married January 10, 1874. Two more children are born to Johan and Ingrid. George and Amanda, who both immigrated to America. The first daughter, also named Amanda, died in 1875. After both children left for America, Ingrid leaves Johan and cares for an older sister. Johan dies in 1903 at the age of 76 from heart disease. 

I'm still going through all the records Annika sent me. In Sweden, instead of an annual census, the Church kept Household Records for every parish. They would record who lived in the parish and various information. The priests would also make notes about people. Johan's family seems to have been penniless and very destitute at times. Life was hard. They were, however, vaccinated against small pox, and could read passages from the Bible. They also attended Communion. 

Next week I'll write up Johan's parents, Jonas and Maja Stina. 

Here is a picture of the Bell Tower outside the Moheda Church. It was built in 1665, I believe.