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

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

You Wouldn't Believe It!

 This week's prompt is "You wouldn't believe it." I've uncovered a lot of surprising things about my ancestors and relatives over the past few years. One of the facts that I really found surprising was when my mom told me that her father, Raymond Henrickson, had surprised her and her siblings by playing a bit of a tune on a piano one day. No one knew that he could even play the piano!  I dug deeper into it.

Raymond Henrickson was the 9th child born to George and Malvina Henrickson. Ray most likely learned to play the piano from his parents. Both Malvina and George played the organ at the local Lutheran church. Malvina had even helped donate money, and traveled to Detroit, Michigan to bring back the first organ for the church. From Allegan to Detroit and back again with a horse and wagon. Ray wasn't the only child of theirs to play. Oldest daughter Selma also is listed in the church records as church organist for a time. I'm unsure if any other of Ray's siblings knew how to play the piano/organ, but I'm sure there must've been others.

After establishing where Ray and his siblings learned to play the piano, the next question is how did George and Malvina learn to play? Malvina already knew how to play the organ when she met George. Her parents, Carl and Ulrika Anderson, had immigrated from Sweden. Carl was a farmer, as he had been in Sweden. Both came from poor families. Carl had worked at a railroad station and Ulrika had worked for many different families as a maid before they met and married. After marrying, Carl farmed. It seems unlikely either family had a piano. Ulrika's parents were both dead by the time she was 7. Perhaps she learned somewhere along the way from one of the families she worked for? 

George Henrickson immigrated from Sweden as a 17-year-old boy. His family also was poor, but his maternal uncles were a bit better off. One immigrated to America in 1869 and became a successful farmer. Another one worked as a tailor in Sweden, and then in America. George also had a maternal aunt who worked as the local schoolteacher. It seems music and dancing seemed to be fun pastimes in his mother's family. I found this excerpt from a letter written by one of his sister's descendants: 

 Karl and Sven George Henrickson were handsome men, several of the Fahnstrom's and the Johnson's were good looking people, also musical and some loved to dance, guess that's something I inherited. Grandpa George and his sons played accordion by ear, Great Uncle Fred's sons, Wesley (Jack) Elmer (Unk) and Leslie (Pete) were very good and played accordion, guitar and banjo for dances.

At this Mid-summer picnic George was enough of a singer to be part of a quartette, singing, so he must've enjoyed it, and had a good voice!

Our ancestors, especially the ones who lived in Sweden, had hard lives. They weren't easy, filled with hard work. Oftentimes working from sunup to sundown. But, I'm glad that they did make time for fun. That they celebrated and sang and danced, with family and friends. 

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. 

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.

Sara Lena Fahna

 This week I found the Death Inventory list for Sara Lena Fahna. She was the older sister of Ingrid Kristina Fahna, mother of George Henrickson. Using the services again of Annika Hostmad from Find a Swede I was able to get the document translated. Annika also found the listing of Sara's death record and was able to translate that as well. I found them both to be quite interesting and they definitely add to the story of the Henrickson/Fahna family in Sweden. 

Sara Lena was born October 1, 1838. She was the 4th born child to Sven Andersson Fahna and Kajsa Jonasdotter. The records indicate that Kajsa was crippled in one hand. On March 23, 1862 Sara became approved to work as a teacher in Sweden. What did it take to become a teacher in Sweden in the 1800's, this excerpt from an article I found online about the Swedish education act of 1842 tells us.

In addition to having a personality characterized by piety and moral conduct, teachers were required to have a complete mastery of reading and writing skills, and full knowledge of catechism, biblical history, natural history (naturlära), geography, and arithmetic. The teachers were also expected to be familiar with the methods of monitorial education and teaching gymnastics and psalm songs.47 A week at the Stockholm Teachers’ College in 1848 (comprising 38 hours of class) consequently included 14 h of prayer and Bible studies, catechism, and Bible history. Five hours were spent on the Swedish language, four hours on singing instruction, three hours on geography and history, and two hours on arithmetic.48

Basic schools in every parish

And how were teachers paid? Part of their salary contained 8 barrels of grain, half of which would be rye. They also received decent housing, necessary fuel, summer grazing for a cow, and a plot of land upon which to live, if possible. It was common for teachers to have second jobs and sources of income. Basic schools in every parish 

Sara Lena stayed at various farms in her early teaching days, and then was able to settle down into her own cottage later. Records indicate she maintained good discipline in the classroom and did not hesitate to use the ruler on students who disobeyed. 

After Ingrid's children immigrated to America, and her husband Johan passed away, Ingrid moved in with Sara Lena to help take care of her. Sara Lena had dealt with illness most of her life, like her older sister Anna. Sara Lena passed away on August 1, 1912. The death record tells us she was a former Elementary school teacher from Faborg. Cause of death is listed as Rheumatic pain for many years. She had no physician attend her. 

The death inventory record tells us that Sara Lena left the following heirs: Sister Kristina, who lived there; Brother Jonas Fanstrom who lived in Illinois; and her deceased brother Anders Lindblad's 3 children living in Indiana. 

It also tells us that her assets at the time of her death were:

1 Drawer

1 Bed

1 Sofa

Planted Trees

These assets were less than the liability incurred by the estate. The burial cost and the bill for maintenance and care of the cottage were more than the assets. 

There is a note that Ingrid signed off on this as being a true telling of the estate with nothing being hidden or omitted. It was noted "Fana with hand on pen". This was done when someone had trouble writing, they would hold the pen, but someone else would put their hand over and actually move the pen.

The estate of Sara Lena was settled on November 4, 1912. Ingrid sailed to America in December 1912. She must've stayed long enough to get her sister's estate dealt with and then sailed to America to join the rest of her family. With the crippled hand of the mother Kajsa, the life long illness of Anna, the long lasting rheumatic pain of Sara, the fact that Ingrid needed someone to help her move a pen, I'm wondering if there is a connection here? It could be genetic, or perhaps just what happens when people don't have access to healthy foods and medical care? Life was difficult for our Swedish ancestors and healthy food, comfortable living conditions, and plenty of rest and relaxation were not the norm. 

My 3 main sources of information for this came from

Find a Swede

The school act of 1842

Fahnstrom family records

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/

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.