Sweden and Swedish Ancestry

This group is for anyone interested in Swedish ancestry, or resources.
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  • Cheri Sletten

    Thank you Janet!

    I recognize most of the names on this list, and upon further checking I am sure I will know who most, if not all, of them are.

     

    Cheri

  • Janet Johnson

    Cheri, if there are any other places that you can think of in Pope county where people may have gone I can do a search by location.  Let me know it only takes a few minutes to check.  You are very welcome.

     

     

  • Cheri Sletten

    Janet,

    Many of the early settlers went first to Ishpeming, MI and worked in the mines for a few years. I would really appreciate a look up for that as that would show my great-grandparents. Johan or Jan Jansson in 1868 and Anna Carlson or Carlsdotter in 1869.

     

    Thank you,

    Cheri

  • Janet Johnson

    By chance have you got Johan/Jan Jansson's birthdate and Anna Carlsdotter's birthdate? and is 1868 and 1869 the arrival date or their birth year?

     

  • Frederick george henchell

    The recent messages about finding ancestors on "Emihamm" was very interesting to me.  I hadn't heard about that site.  I took a look, but I don't know how to use it.  My problem is that I am trying to learn more about my great grand mother.  Her name was Mary Peterson.  All I know is that she was born somewhere in Sweden about June 1850.  I then know that she was married and gave birth to my grandfather in 1878 in San Francisco, CA.  So sometime in the 28 year period between 1850 and 1878 she got to the US.  She died young at the age of 33, I suspect maybe from childbirth/ pregnancy complications.  The only clue from a SF newspaper death notice was "notify New York newspapers".  So she might have had family there and maybe that's where she arrived?  With a name like Mary Peterson, I might as well be looking for "Mary Smith".  That and the lack of records caused by the SF earthquake and fire make this a tough hunt.  Any ideas on how to attack the immigration question would be appreciated.
  • Cheri Sletten

    Janet,

    Johan (Jan) was born 2 Sep 1839 and emigrated in 1868.

    Anna was born 20 Mar 1849 and emigrated in 1869.

    They are both in the 1870 census in Ishpeming. Johan took the name John J. Berg, which the census taker wrote as Berry in 1870.

     

    Cheri

  • Janet Johnson

    Frederick,

     

    Emmihamm is a database not a website, I search for your Mary Peterson, but so far no luck.  Sorry

  • Janet Johnson

    Cheri

    these might be your people.These records are from Emibas.  From here you can get into the parish rolls and look at the Swedish church census.  The page of the parish register is part of the reference.

     

    Karlsdotter, Anna Katrina
    Inhysedotter (ogift kvinna)

    f. 20/3 1849 i Ljusnarsberg, Örebro län (Västmanland)

    Utvandrad 30/4 1870
    från Högfors Hytta, Ljusnarsberg, Örebro län (Västmanland)
    till Nordamerika

    Källa: Husförhörslängd, s. 592

    Emibas emigrationsakt: Ljusnarsberg T 1870 015

     

    Jansson, Johan
    Gruvarbetare (ogift man)

    f. 2/9 1839 i Ljusnarsberg, Örebro län (Västmanland)

    Utvandrad 9/5 1868
    från Fäbobacken, Ljusnarsberg, Örebro län (Västmanland)
    till Nordamerika

    Källa: Husförhörslängd, s. 538

    Emibas emigrationsakt: Ljusnarsberg T 1868 063

     

     

  • Colleen Bukach

    I am hoping someone will be able to give me some advice on how to search for my great grandfather's family in Sweden.

     

    John Alfred Peters (Sea Captain on son's marriage registration) (may have been born on Shetland Islands but no evidence of this yet.)

    married Anna ______ (BC death registration on Family Search)

    I suspect they married in Sweden.

     

    Son: George Alfred Peter b 14 Mar 1883 in Sweden (death registration, his Canadian military record states Gottenburg, Sweden)

    Mother (alive and well in 1917), 1 brother and either 4 sisters or sisters, father died at sea (military record)

    Edward Peters - bother on military record - residing at Water St., Vancouver, B.C. when enlisted in 1915

     

    I am hoping to find the marriage of John and Anna or the birth of George Alfred Peter or Edward in Sweden to hopefully get more information on the family.

     

    The family story says that George was so upset when his father John died at sea that he left school and jumped on a ship. He contracted malaria in China before the war so I suspect he was a seaman for a while.  Anna's family is believed to have owned ships transporting goods between China, North American and Europe.

     

    Any thoughts would be great appreciated.

    Many thanks

    Best wishes

    Colleen

  • Lynne Benson Polansky

    Looking for relatives of Andrew Bengtson (may have been Henning Bengtson) from Bunkeflo, Malmohus Sweden. He had a brother in Illinois, he settled in Connecticut/immigrated 1882.
  • Janet Johnson

    Could either of these be your Anders Bengtsson

     

    Bengtsson, Anders
    Skräddare (ogift man)

    f. 27/12 1855 i Södervidinge, Malmöhus län (Skåne)

    Utvandrad 24/3 1882

     

    Bengtsson, Anders
    Järnvägsarbetare (ogift man)

    f. 1855

    Utvandrad 9/5 1882
    från Östra Förstaden 38, Malmö Karoli, Malmöhus län (Skåne)
    till Amerika

    Källa: Husförhörslängd, s. 147

    Emibas emigrationsakt: Malmö Karoli M 1882 291


    från Södervidinge 1, Södervidinge, Malmöhus län (Skåne)
    till Köbenhavn amt, Danmark

    Källa: Husförhörslängd, s. 16

    Emibas emigrationsakt: Södervidinge M 1882 001

  • Lynne Benson Polansky

    Thanks Janet. I forgot to put his birthday-February 12, 1864 and I'm pretty sure he's from Bunkeflo although no one in the family knows for sure.
  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    I have finally been able to scan into my computer a few documents from my Father, Per Hilding Persson, who was born in Filipstad, Varmlands, Sweden, in 1902, died 1977 in Indiana, USA.  The documents include a single letter from my Grandfather Erik Johan Persson to my Father, dated May 1930, just two months before Grandfather died.  Two more letters are from my Father's brother Carl (who remained in Filipstad) dated 1939 and 1952, respectively.  My Dad also wrote some notes in a small notebook sometime back in the 1930's, which he kept & I've been able to input to my computer.  All these things are in Swedish, which, unfortunately, I've never learn to read, speak or write.  There are also a couple legal documents, probably related to my Grandfather's estate, which are also in Swedish.  I really need to locate someone who could translate these things for me, but I am not able to pay them.  Unfortunately, I lost my job and am not currently working outside the home as I take care of my 70-yr-old diabetic companion.  I would appreciate any input where/how I might be able to get these documents translated.  Thank you.
  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Thank you, Jean.  I'll give Google translate a try. 
  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Using Google Translate (or any online translation help) is tedious, time-consuming, and inexact.  But every little bit helps, I guess. 

    Still would like to find someone who could help translate these documents. 

  • Cheryl Palmer

    Thank you Jean! I didn't know about the Swedish keyboard! Shows you how observant I am!  I use Goolge translate all the time! Very helpful!

  • Annelie Jonsson

    This week 29th Aug - 5th Sept it's free to search in Ancestry's immigrant- & emigrant records.

    http://www.ancestry.com/immigration?o_iid=43348&o_lid=43348&...

    /Annelie

  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Below is just one page from a document my Father drafted in his handwriting.  I won't put every page up here, obviously it takes up a lot of space.  But perhaps there is someone who can help me transcribe this? 

  • Elisabet Lindberg

    Hello Sue! The translation is (roughly):

    I got your letter (through our sister) the 21st of nov 1938. where I read that the property in Österås is apparently for sale,
    probably through our brother Adolf. There for we wonder, why our brother Carl couldn't buy(?) the apartment in Österås, for which we gave our consent last summer and warrant from all of us here in this country.
    All of us over here are eager to see an investigation of the matter, since we found our brother Carls's offer satisfying.

    It was always Father's wish that one of his children would take over after him, his wish was that I would take over one of the properties, when I was home in the summer of 1929.

  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Oh Wow! Elisabet, this sends chills through me to read my Father's words this way.  Thank you! 

    p.s. ~ There are several more small little handwritten pages like this.  Dare I upload them here???

  • Karin Naylor

    This is wonderful, Elisabet, that you can do this for Sue.

  • Slægtens Historie

  • Lynn Anderson

    Nordic Genealogical Society of Southern California meets at the West LA Family History Library on March 10 at 2 pm. We help each other with research and learn about useful genealogy methods and things.  Greater Los Angeles area.  See our web site at       nordicgenealogy.org

  • Elisabet Lindberg

    Hello again Sue. I don't know if you already have this information, but Karl Gustaf Persson b 1899 26/11 died 1/2 1976 in Filipstad according to Swedens' death book. His wife Rut (b. Bjurbäck) b 1899 d 1969 and their daughter Ruth b. 1926 11/11 d. 1951 22/11. I will keep my eye open for more info on your ancestors. /Elisabet

  • Elisabet Lindberg

    Oh and by the way, the little girl on the picture may very well be little Ruth.

  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Dear Elisabet ~ You are so kind!  Thank you for this new information on Karl, Rut, and daughter Ruth.  If the little girl is, in fact, little Ruth (seems reasonable), she was a beautiful child.  It is tragic she had such a short life (died at age 25).  Do the death records specify her cause of death? 

    I hope you will excuse my delay in thanking you for your help. My computer has been out of commission since the beginning of March & only recently got it fixed. Finally back online today & saw your comments here.  By the way, on Thursday, 3/22, I receved a snail mail letter from a woman who lives near Stockholm who does genealogy and says we are related!  Her great-grandfather was my grandfather's brother!  What a wonderful surprise it was to get her letter!  

  • Lori Butler

    It's been quite some time since I have visited the site.  Due to health reasons.  I am scrolling through the posts reading.  However, thought I would post that I am researching Hedquist / Headquist / Hedqvist / Hedkvist . My grandfather came from Sweden in the early 1900's, from a fairly large family.  If anyone else is seeing any link to those names I would love to talk with you.  From what I am told the name was uncommon and that even today, it still is.

  • Lynn Anderson

    Hi Lori   -   See the post in the Discussion for "H-Swedish Patronymic or Common Name" (above)  

     

  • Joan ( Murphy) (Balue) Fullmore

    HI i'm a new member also new to doing this on computer! My Grand dad was Franklin J. Carlton of Gottenburg Sweden. 03 May 1896 Parents, Gustav and Margaret. Imm. 1882 or 1890. Lived in Massachusetts,

  • Sue Pearson Greichunos

    Welcome, Joan Fullmore.  What's your main question?

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    I am looking for information on my great-grandparents, who are from Kalmar. His name was Gustav Adolf Holquist (Hultqvist) (b. 1863), and emigrated to the USA in the 1880s. He also had a brother, Frank F. Nelson, so his original last name may have been Nelson; there also may have been another brother, Charles. My great-grandfather settled in Omaha, NE, while Frank and Charles lived in Bay City, MI. My great-grandmother's name was Karin Persson. Is there a way for me to access any parish records from Högsby to look them up? Frank had listed his father's name as Holgrest Nelson.

  • Lynn Anderson

    Kristen, Swedish vital records were kept by each parish of the Swedish (state) church. Almost all of these "church books" have been filmed/scanned and images of the pages are available via the internet. Most of the access services are by subscription (in other words, not free). FamilySearch, SVAR, Ancestry/GenLine and ArkivDigital. FamilySearch is free but does not yet seem to be comprehensive. Most larger FamilySearch Family History Centers will have a library subscription which you can use in the center only. Their contract currently is with ArkivDigital. Wonderful images: direct digital color scans!  

       No indexed searches by name available yet, but they are coming...

  • Lynn Anderson

    Kristin, I moved some additional comments about your post to the H-name Discussion Forum (see the area just above the gray line "comment Wall" above. While the wall is not very busy, the H-name forum may be the first place someone may search for Holquist/Hultquist in the future (say a year or two). 

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    Thank you, Lynn! Should I also post to the N-name Discussion Forum, or is Nelson too common a name?

  • Lynn Anderson

    I would not yet. Maybe, if you later show that Nelson was really their name.

     

    I was helping a searcher with a Danish letter written about 1906 from a father to a 5-year-old child after a divorce and emigration to USA. The writer had a more unusual Danish surname, so on a remote chance, I did a Google search. The first hit was from a 2009 Danish genealogy forum posting with someone looking for the writer!  This does not happen every day but it made a connection between two (related) researchers an ocean apart.

     

    In Sweden for your family, I would expect to see Nilsson. The father's first name would likely then be Nils.   Also, I may have opportunity to look at ArkivDigital tomorrow to see what I can see.  Do you have a Family History Center near you?

     

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    I don't know if there is a Family History Center near me. Not that I know of. I will google it and find out.

    On his marriage record, Frank Nelson listed his father as Holgret Nelson, and his mother as Matilda Swanson. Does that make any sense?

  • Lynn Anderson

    To find a family history center location, visit familysearch.org. On the home page, there are tabs across the top. Click on FamilySearch Centers and enter some geographic data like a zipcode (assuming you are in the USA). The system will then search for 3 or 4 nearest you.

    You should check the center hours and maybe call. Small centers tend to have limited staff and hence limited hours. These centers are operated by the Mormon/Latter-day Saint church and are open to anyone for no charge. The number of computers might be just a few.  Our center here in Los Angeles is large with 75 computers, a good sized library, etc. 

     

    And while you are on the home page, you should also take a look at the first tab "Learn." It will bring up another menu. The left-most item links to the family history research wiki. This is a very useful tool for looking up all sorts of stuff. Since you are doing Swedish research, type in SWEDEN. Reading this main page should be your beginning reading assignment. You will see lots of other interesting an useful links from here. Think of the posibilities...  and, this wiki is available 24/7.  Try typing in Högsby parish and see...

  • Larry Bowles

    Kristen:  I went through Högsby Parish Records for 1863 and 1864 and checked for births of your ancestor under both the Hultquist name and the Nelsson name and there were no matches.  Could he have been born elsewhere or a different year?  All of Högsby's Parish Records are available at Ancestry.com and I read through them all.  Parents from Sweden and have no trouble reading old Swedish but no luck with your family.....sorry,.

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    Larry, thank you so much for looking. I had been told that they were from Kalmar, and found a very old photo of the Högsby church with other photos that they had, so I thought that meant they were from there. It is possible that they are under another name, but right now, I am stymied. I suppose Nelson could have been Nilsson? I will look for more records around here. I have not been able to find any immigration records from them, either, so I don't have that. In his Bible that he received for confirmation, it says, "Klockaregård". Does that mean anything? Again, thanks!

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    I should correct that. It reads, "Gustaf Adolf Hultqvist: Myresjö Klockaregård, född den 8 Mars 1863.

    På Confirmationsdagen: Myresjö d. 13 April 1879."

    So, I guess that means that the name was Hultqvist in Sweden, and that his brother Frank changed his name to Nelson, unless Frank is a half brother. Is Myresjö near Högsby? Could their father's name be Nils Hultqvist?

    I guess it also means that I should have gone back and checked the Bible first.

  • Lynn Anderson

    There is a Myresjö parish in Jönköping county and the wiki lists a "Klockaregården Rusthåll".

    The farm name means bell ringer farm... The Klockare provided assistance to the parish priest... and perhaps even rings the bell 

  • Lynn Anderson

    I should have mentioned Jönköping is the next county over.

  • Larry Bowles

    Kristen:  Okay, here goes:  Nils August Hultquist, born May 14, 1832 in Myresjö parish, his wife Mathilda Johanna Petersdötter born February 14, 1826.  Didn't find the marriage date last night but they had the following children:  Annetta Gustafva Hultquist born January 13, 1853, Sven Johan Hultquist born Dec. 26, 1854, Mathilda Adolphina born February 23, 1856, Carl August born July 2, 1859, Frank Fredrik born January 6, 1861, Gustaf Adolph born March 8, 1863 and Amanda Mathilda born January 7, 1865.  All children born in Myresjö parish.  The actual birth of Gustaf Adolph reads that the farmer Nils August Hultquist and the mother Mathilda Johanna Petersdötter had a male child born on March 8, 1863 and christened in church on March 12, 1863.  Witnesses were:  Anders Carlsson and his wife Sara Louisa Johannesdötter...all of Torp in Myresjö parish.  "Klockaregården Rusthåll".is the farm they are on when Gustaf Adolph is confirmed but it is still within the same parish.    Could have found more I guess but it was pretty late here when I began the research.

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    Larry, thank you so much! It is just wonderful to have this information,to be able to put together that part of my family. Any idea what the name, "Hultquist" means?

  • Kristen Holquist Waite

    Next question: Is there any possibility that Karin Persson (maybe Persdotter?)(my great-grandmother) was the one from Högsby? At this point, all I know of her origin is her birth date (June 10, 1866). She and my great-grandfather married in Omaha, NE, so I don't know whether or not they were acquainted in Sweden.

  • Larry Bowles

    Hultquist is from two words. A "hult" is a grove as in a grove of trees. Quist comes from an archaic Swedish Kvist which is a twig or branch. So, I guess you could say it means a grove of twigs or branches.

  • Lynn Anderson

    Searching Högsby parish births I did not see any Karin in May June or July 1866. Just in case, I also checked October 6 page and no Karin.

  • Lynn Anderson

    Kristen, For your records Högsby parish births searched for the birthdate you posted would have been on p245 on ArkivDigital.  Högsby CI:6 (1861-1883) Image 128/page 245. Very readable record book.

  • Lynn Anderson

    Myresjö (Jönköping county) is a good 60 km from Högsby as the crow flys. Myresjö lies south west of Vetlanda maybe 10km and about 100km inland (west) from Oskarshamn on the Baltic coast near the island of Öland.   My trusty KAK Atlas. In the 1860s this was a major distance with no railroads... there must be another story here.