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. 

How Do You Spell That?

 This week's writing prompt is "How do you spell that?" The first name I thought of was the "Strandt" name and the case of the disappearing "t".

Carl Strand, my great grandfather, always spelled his last name "Strand". His brother and sister, and his father, spelled the last name with a "t" at the end. Strandt. Why the difference? One story I heard growing up was that Carl dropped the letter "t" during World War I to make it sound less German. There was a lot of anti-German sentiment in the U.S. at the time. From the website, "Reimagining migration".

Throughout the U.S., individuals, groups, and politicians took actions, larger and small, that were aimed at ridding itself of German culture and German influence in the country. Germantown, Nebraska, was renamed Garland after a local soldier who died in the war.  East Germantown, Indiana, was changed to Pershing; Berlin, Iowa, became Lincoln. Berlin, Michigan, became Marne (after the Second Battle of the Marne). In June 1918, a Michigan congressman introduced a bill that would have required such name changes nationwide. Sauerkraut became liberty cabbage, hamburgers became liberty steaks, dachshunds became liberty pups, and German measles even became liberty measles. Some Americans even advocated ridding orchestras of music by Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart.

https://reimaginingmigration.org/the-anti-german-sentiment-of-world-war-i/

Dropping a letter to make your name sound less German would make perfect sense. There was another story too. The other story was that Carl had a feud with his family and to differentiate himself from them, he changed the spelling of his last name. Carl DID have a feud with his family. He sued his parents over ownership of the family farm. His brother and sister sided with his parents. The parents, brother and sister all spelled the last name with a "t". Carl didn't. Could this be the reason why?

To see if I could solve this mystery I went back to the original Strandt immigrant, Carl Friedrich Theodor Strandt. On the passenger lists from Hamburg to New York City, the last name is spelled "Strandt". This is also the spelling on the census records. When son William is born, he spells his last name with the "t". On William's draft card for WWI he spells his last name with a "t." However, on the 1920 census, both William and my great grandfather Carl spell their last name as "Strand." No "t." Carl is living on his own at this time as a hired hand. An entry in the City Directory for Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1926 finds Carl and William both living at the same address, and both men using the traditional "t" at the end. In subsequent years, though, every City Directory entry for Carl spells the last name with no "t". "Strand" is the spelling Carl uses the rest of his life. As for William, on the 1930 census he spells his last name as "Strand." The feud with Carl over ownership of the farm occurred between 1933-1935. On the 1940 census and all other records from then on, William goes back to the spelling with the final "t.". As do the brother and sister. 

So, which explanation is more likely? Since Carl is documented as spelling his last name without the "t" years before the great feud occurred, I feel it is more likely that he changed the spelling to avoid anti-German sentiment. It seems as if William changed the spelling too. William definitely goes back to using the "t" after the feud, so maybe HE changed the spelling to be different from his son, rather than the other way around? 

Interestingly enough, a travel document of Carl Friedrich Theodor Strandt was found that was written in German. The document lists Carl's birthplace and his parents, along with witnesses to his birth. What's interesting, is this document spells the last name as "Strand". No "t". All the family members listed in the document are spelled "Strand." Also, "Strand" is how the name is commonly spelled in Sweden and Norway. The Strand family immigrated from Germany and my great grandfather Carl always thought of himself as German, but in DNA testing I've actually found more Swedish and Norwegian DNA than German. Could it be that the Strand's are actually much more Scandinavian than German and "Strand" is the correct spelling after all, and not the German "Strandt"?

If you have any further insights, comments or questions leave them down below in the comments, or email me. The Strand branch is my favorite branch to research. They're constantly surprising me.   

Joined Together

 This week's theme is "Joined Together." I thought I'd write about how the Fahna family joined together in America from Sweden.

Sven Andersson Fahna and his wife Kajsa Johansdotter had 6 children. There were 4 daughters and 2 sons. The oldest daughter died in 1857. They lived in Kronoberg, a county in the province of Smaland, Sweden. Smaland as a whole was not known for being very prosperous in the 1800's. It was largely wooded and the soil was poor for growing crops. There was a lot of poverty in the area and many people left. The first of Sven and Kajsa's children to leave was their youngest son Anders Lindblad.  Anders had decided to change his last name to "Lindblad." Changing last names was very common in Sweden. "Lind" means "tree" and "blad" means "leaf". So, perhaps he wanted a last name that described where he lived? Either way, Anders and his wife and 3 surviving children set off for America May 14, 1869. Anders was 33, his wife Britta was 32. Sons Sven, 9, George, 7, and Carl, 4 also came along. Upon arriving in America they made their way to La Porte, Indiana. Anders is listed on the 1880 and 1900 census records as a farmer. He and his wife had a daughter after arriving in America. The family did well. So well, it was time to start bringing other family members over.

The next member of the family to travel to America was Sven Fahnstrom. Sven was the oldest son of Jonas Fahnstrom. Like his brother Anders, Jonas had slightly changed his last name from Fahna to Fahnstrom. "Fahna" means "flag" in Swedish. Sven, the elder, had been in the Swedish army and added "Fahna" to his last name when he joined. The men in this family have a habit of changing their last names. Sven Fahnstrom came to America in April 30, 1880. He was 20 years old. He settled in Galva, Illinois. He worked as a blacksmith at a factory.

Next to come was Sven's brother Anders Fahnstrom. He traveled to America on May 25, 1883. He lived in America for a few years and then went back to Sweden where he was married in 1886. His son was born in 1887. Then, in 1888 he and his wife and son came back to America. He worked as a tailor and ran his own shop. 

The next brother to come was Karl Fahnstrom. He traveled to America July 28, 1883. He married a woman in Brooklyn, New York and stayed in New York for the rest of his life. Karl was 19 when he came to America.

After Karl, next younger brother Ben Fahnstrom came to America. He came when he was 18 years old and he traveled March 8, 1888. Ben married and worked as a blacksmith too. He lived in Galva, Illinois. 

Next family member to come to America was Sven Goran Henrik Johansson, also known as George Henrickson. Nephew of Anders Lindblad and cousin to the Fahnstrom brothers. He came to America Nov. 29, 1892. He was only 17 years old. His ticket was paid for so either his uncle or one of his cousins must've paid for his ticket. We know he stayed with relatives in Indiana first before briefly setting out to Nebraska, then to Illinois where he attended college and finally settled down in Michigan. 

With a brother, a nephew, and 4 of their oldest sons already living in America, on May 27, 1893 it was time for Jonas Fahnstrom and his wife Ingrid and their 3 remaining children to travel to America. Jonas was 60, Ingrid was 54, daughter Wilhelmina was 20, son Goran was 11 and youngest son Emil was 9. They settled in Galva, Illinois. 

Next to travel to America was George Henrickson's sister, Amanda Johansson. She came in either 1892 or 1900. In 1892 she was 15 years old so I think that record is false. In 1900 she was 23 years old and that seems more mature to be traveling to America by yourself. Especially as a female. She lived with her uncle Jonas Fahnstrom and married her first cousin Goran. She stayed in Galva, Illinois.

Finally, the last member of the family to come to America was George and Amanda's mother, Ingrid Fahna. Ingrid was sister to both Anders and Jonas. Ingrid had stayed in Sweden and looked after their sister Sarah Lena Fahna. Sarah passed away on August 1, 1912. On Nov. 12, 1912 Ingrid sailed for America to join the rest of her family. Her children and her brothers and their families. 

It took from May 1869 until November 1912 for the entire Fahna family to join together again, but they did it. I can't imagine how happy they must've been to finally all be together again. 

The Marriage of George and Malvina Henrickson

This week's theme is "Landed" so I thought I would write about the marriage of George Henrickson and Malvina Anderson, when they "landed" in their married life together. February 21, 2022 is also the 122nd wedding anniversary of George and Malvina Henrickson. 

George Henrickson met Malvina Anderson when he was a student preacher. He attended, and graduated from Augustina College in Chicago, Illinois in 1897. Sometime after that he met Malvina and became engaged to her. They married in the Sandhem Lutheran Church in Abronia, Allegan, Michigan on February 21, 1900. Here is the church entry recording their marriage. 

It's interesting to note that the church records Malvina'a age as 20, but she was actually 21. George and Malvina's residence is listed as Florence, Wisconsin. Florence, Wisconsin is where first daughter Selma was born. George and Malvina must've returned to Florence after their wedding. Another interesting note is that the church lists this as their "2nd church" wedding. I'm not sure what the meaning of that is. On this same page is the wedding record of Malvina's younger sister Selma. By her and her husband's name is noted that it is their "3rd church" wedding. Was it common then to be married in more than one church? Or more than one location? Mysteries! The notes for George and Malvina go on to say that the Rev. Ryberg was the person who married them, and that they had no attendants.  Selma and her husband, at their 3rd church wedding DO have attendants listed though. 

Next we have the official Michigan marriage license to compare information with.

The official license lists Illinois as George's residence and Watson Township as Malvina's. It also correctly lists Malvina's age as 21. It lists George's father's name as John Henrickson, it's really Johan Johansson. George changed his last name to Henrickson so maybe he wanted his father to have the same last name? It also lists the Rev. Rydberg as a Swedish Lutheran pastor who married the couple. Malvina's parents Charley and Ulrika Anderson are listed as witnesses. 

I've searched newspapers but all I can find about the actual marriage of George and Malvina is this small blurb stating that it happened. 

I DID find a more descriptive article of sister Selma's wedding. It sounds quite fancy. I'm not sure if Malvina didn't have a party or if it just wasn't reported.

And finally, here is a picture of George and Malvina in their wedding clothes. It certainly looks like they were having a fancy ceremony.

In the first 10 years of marriage they lived in 4 different locations and had 7          children. George and Malvina went on to have 12 children, with 11 living to adulthood.

 

Maps

 This week's theme is "Maps." While researching my Michigan ancestors I've found some land ownership maps. What I like about them is not only do I get to see where my ancestors lived, but I get to see their neighbors and other ancestors too. When you see how close families lived to each other you can see why people got married, or you had brothers and sisters from one family marrying brothers and sisters from another family. People tended not to stray too far from home then and married someone who lived close by.

This first map is the U.S. Indexed County Land Ownership Map of 1873. I specifically downloaded it because it shows where my 3x great grandfather Riley Thompson owned land in Allegan, Michigan in 1873. 

Riley's land is on the very bottom, right hand side. He owns 18 acres near the Ashley's. He also owns another 20 acres near John Ashley. Riley's land is very near O. Ashley, my 2x great grandfather. Orville Ashley is the grandfather of Lois Ashley, my paternal grandmother. Also, in the middle of the map, on the left side, you can find D. Bellinger's 40 acres of land. D. Bellinger stands for David Bellinger, my 3x great grandfather on my maternal side. He is Mildred Bellinger Strand's grandfather. So, in this one map I can see land owned by two 3x great grandfathers, and 1 2x great grandfather. There are also various other relations shown here too. Aunts and Uncles. In-laws. 

This is another map I found. Also from 1873. It shows the land that Riley Thompson owned in Heath, Michigan. 

On this map you can find Riley's land on the bottom left hand side. He owns 80 acres of land. His is third from the left, on the bottom. Under the Kalamazoo river. Other ancestors with land living nearby are J. Sadler, and C.R. Brownell. The Sadlers and Brownells were united in marriage in 1839 when John William Brownell married Lavinia Sadler in Ogden, New York. When they moved to Michigan, many of their family members came with them. C.R.Brownell most likely refers to their son Charles R. Brownell. He was into logging and owned a lot of land in Michigan. He is also the uncle who bought the Strandt family home for Mary and William to live in. John and Lavinia are my 4x great grandparents. They are Carl Strand's great grandparents. 

Maps are a great tool to use in researching. Hopefully I'll be able to find more as time goes on.

Branching Out

 This week's theme is "Branching Out." I thought I would write about an interesting branch of the Pulsipher family. In the 1850's 3 of Ebenezer Pulsipher's 6 sons moved from Geauga County, Ohio to Allegan County, Michigan. One of them was Horace Pulsipher, great grandfather to Carl Strand. 2 brothers remained in Ohio, and 1 brother moved to California. I'm going to write about the brother who moved to California.

Orrin Pulsipher was the older brother to Horace Pulsipher. Orrin was born in 1817 in most likely Stowe, Vermont. Sometime in the 1830's Ebenezer moved his family from Vermont to Ohio, settling just outside Cleveland. In the 1850's Ebenezer's sons started to make their own way in the world. While 3 of the brothers decided to go to Michigan, Orrin decided to go to California. The 1850 census finds Orrin and his wife Sarah living in Ohio. Their daughter, Rebecca, birth is recorded on September 27, 1856 California. I haven't been able to find a document of Rebecca's birth, but all her records list that day, and place as time of her birth. From various newspaper articles I've found Orrin living in Sacramento, California from 1859 to 1863. His job is always listed as Carpenter. I've found him listed as a plaintiff and defendant in lien cases against property, sheriff sales of property, letters left behind at the post office needing to be picked up, and in 1862 he was a juror in a case involving a charge of arson. In 1863 he is listed in the city directory of San Francisco. He is still working as a carpenter. In 1866 he appears on the list of voters in San Francisco. His address is 122 Fourth Street, in the Tenth Ward of the city. 

However, on the 1870 census Orrin is listed as being denied the right to vote, on grounds other than rebellion or other crime. 

I have been researching this and I can't find WHY he was denied voting rights, especially since he was on the voter rolls in 1866. I'm thinking it may have something to do with California law and maybe one of the property lien cases he seemed to be involved with. It is a mystery.

In 1869 an ad appears in the San Francisco Examiner asking contractors and builders to come to a meeting to devise ways to thwart LUMBER THIEVES that are infesting the city. Orrin is specifically named. 

The next time we see Orrin in the newspaper, unfortunately, is for a "probably fatal" accident he took. 

Orrin's death was very tragic, but as I continued researching his family, I learned it wasn't the only tragic death. 

Orrin's daughter Rebecca married a man named John Hucks. John had been born in England and came to California with his family as a child. John started a photography studio and was very successful. In the 1880 census they lived at 904 Market Street in San Francisco. They had 2 children and seemed to have a happy life. Rebecca was involved with the Rebekah Lodge. Unfortunately, Rebecca had her own tragic death, as reported in the newspaper. From December 28, 1892.

Rebecca was only 36 years old. You would think this would be the end of tragic deaths for this family, but, no. There is one more tragedy to come.

On October 30, 1915, apparently despondent over his declining health, John decided to end things by taking his own life. His son found him dead in the studio the next morning.

Going further with this family, I found the obituary for the son George A. in the paper. He died suddenly at the age of 52 in 1928. Sarah Pulsipher, the wife of Orrin, lived to the ripe old age of 80 years and 11 months.  She passed away in 1901.

I thought this branch was especially interesting because most of my ancestors stayed in Michigan. This is one of the few branches to go somewhere else, and to California in the 1850's no less! It must've been exciting to be in California then, and to be in San Francisco at the start and to help with the building of the city.