A Missing Link, 52 Ancestors

 

Why does my family have DNA cousins from the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan? These cousins and my family have a cousin in common who is descended from my Swedish 4th-great-grandfather, Peter Persson Fröling. But how do these Michigan cousins relate? 

I gathered those mystery cousins into a list, reviewed and validated their trees and researched two Swedish ancestors that were common in those trees. One of those ancestors was easy to trace back to Sweden, but the other ancestor was a brick wall. Of course, you know what that means -- their brick wall ancestor is the link to my Fröling family! 

This post examines the connection using research and DNA and makes the information available to all the Fröling cousins. You will get to decide whether I've solved the puzzle.

Charles Paulson of Au Train, Michigan

The name of the mystery man in America was Charles John Paulson or Charles Fred Paulson or Charles Frederick Paulson or Charles John Fred Paulson. It was baffling that both names, John and Fred, were found in records. 

The 1900 census of Au Train Township, Alger County, Michigan, showed that Charles Paulson was born in Sweden in April, 1854. His immigration year was listed differently on every census, so it's useful only to identify a general timeframe. The years listed were 1882, 1880 and 1872. He married Elina Christina Magnusson, in the city of Marquette, on October 12, 1885, so any of those immigration dates are reasonable.

Charles initially worked as a miner, but by 1900, he had been naturalized, claimed land, begun farming and had built a log house that today is a museum on the National Register of Historic Places. If you visit the area, you can even rent a guest cottage or stay at a B&B on the land that he owned.

Charles John Paulson died in Au Train Township on June 10, 1925, leaving a widow, three daughters and several grandchildren. The information on his death certificate was provided by his daughter, Anna, and asserts that his birth was on April 24, 1854, in Norkoping, Sweden. Remember April 24, as you will see that day again. With geographical context, that birth would have been in the industrial city of Norrköping, Östergötland County, Sweden. No such birth was recorded in any of the parishes that were part of the city of Norrköping. 

When Swedish immigrants came to America, their birth place often was stated as the nearest city, rather than a church parish, which was used in the church records within Sweden. In Swedish-American churches, those original church parish names might be recorded. However, Charles was not listed in the local Lutheran churches of Michigan. His stated birth place had to be discarded as a church parish and, instead, the area around the city had to be considered. Widening the search area still did not locate a matching birth record.

A New Search

I've probed the mystery of Charles Paulson several times over the past few years. The indexes at ArkivDigital have continued to expand, but he remained a mystery. I tested hypothetical DNA relationships using a tool called "What Are the Odds" or WATO. I felt confident that he was a Fröling descendant, but in what branch?

In 2023, I embarked on a quest to learn which of my Swedish ancestors had siblings with living descendants, especially descendants who emigrated to the United States. Recently, I started researching the descendants of Peter Persson Fröling. His eldest son, Sven Peter Persson, is my ancestor, so I have been researching Sven's siblings. Of the 14 children born to Peter and his four wives, seven lived to adulthood and six had children who lived to adulthood, indicated by the green boxes in the chart below. All six of them have descendants who have DNA tested in the past ten years.

While researching the descendants of those six children, I found a candidate for Charles Paulson. The DNA hypothesis looked reasonable. But did the paper trail support the theory? I've not found any online document that proves the connection. The paper trail is encouraging, but not definitive.

If you are a Fröling descendant or interested in a genealogical mystery or in Swedish research, please keep reading. Otherwise, I won't be offended if you stop right here.

The Children of Peter Persson Fröling

Click on the image below to view a larger version of the family tree showing the children of Peter Persson Fröling. He had two sons and four daughters who have living descendants. This analysis references four branches: Sven Peter Persson, Maria Fröling, Inga Lisa Fröling and Johannes Gustaf  Fröling

Carl Johan Fröjd of Sweden

Notice the youngest daughter in the tree. Inga Lisa Fröling was the youngest child of Peter Persson Fröling and his second wife, Inga Stina Svensdotter. Inga Lisa married the soldier Paul Larsson Fröjd in Yxnerum parish. The parish had sections in two different counties and was less than 25 miles from the cities of Linköping and Norrköping. 

Carl Johan was born in the Kalmar area of Yxnerum parish on 24 April 1852, the third of four children. The name Fröjd was a military name. Using his father's military name, he was Carl Johan Fröjd until he left Sweden and arrived in America. If he had used patronymics, he would have been Carl Johan Paulsson. Charles is a common English version of Carl, while Johan becomes John. So his Swedish name, Carl Johan Fröjd, would become Charles John Fröjd in America. With a surname that would have sounded like a first name to Americans, he could easily have chosen the patronymic and become Charles John Paulson or even Charles John Fred Paulson.

Carl Johan Fröjd did not grow up physically close to his cousins. Peter Persson Fröling and his family lived in a fairly small area, though it seems larger on maps. It is about 35 miles from Peter's birthplace in Hannäs to the cities of Norrköping and Linköping. Björsäter parish was the center of the family and I refer to it as the family parish. Peter moved his family into the parish in 1814, living at Sjöberga until his death in 1842. Some of his children stayed in the parish, while others, like Inga Lisa, moved to nearby parishes. All his children stayed within a 15 mile radius of Sjöberga. However, before automobiles, the six miles from Carl's home to his nearest cousin was not a short distance. 

Open the legend at the top left or click on a marker to explore the family's locations.

For a deeper understanding of Carl's story, some cultural background is needed. That is found on another page, which will open on another tab or window if you click the link.

The Life and Emigration of Carl Johan Fröjd

When Carl was 16, his soldier father died during the famine year of 1868. He had been noted as sick for several years in the military records. The family was able to stay in the soldier's cottage, as his older brother, August Fröjd, age 21, was approved to take over his father's soldier position. August was the third and last soldier from the Fröjerum rote to use the Fröjd military surname. Carl and their two siblings also kept Fröjd as their surname.

Carl left home to find work the following year. He stayed in the parish until 1871, when he was 19. He took a job about 8 miles away, in the family parish of Björsäter. He was a laborer on the lands of Missmyra, near the home of my great-great-grandparents, Anna Charlotta Svensdotter and Adolph Ekström. Anna was Carl's much-older first cousin. For the first time in Carl's life he attended the same church as his cousins and could sit down on his day off to have drinks with relatives, including cousins near his age. 

After one year in Björsäter parish, he returned to his home parish and moved from farm to farm for a few years. On 9 April 1880, Carl was given a moving certificate to leave Yxnerum parish and emigrate to North America. He was 27 years old when he left Sweden.

The Moving Out List of 1880 for Yxnerum Parish.
The 5th person to leave during the year was the laborer Karl Johan Fröjd from page 216
of the clerical survey. The date was 9 April, and he was a single man, living at Majängen,
who was moving to North America.

Two of his cousins received similar moving certificates in Björsäter parish that same week:

• Per Gust Fröling, laborer, born in 1857, was living at Brånstorpet on the lands of Målstena and received his certificate on 8 April 1880. Per was a son of Johannes Gustaf Fröling, the youngest of the Fröling siblings. 
• Eric August Pettersson, born in Björsäter in 1836, with his wife and four children, received his certificate on 7 April. He was a farmer at Rosendal, which had previously been the home of his parents, Maria Fröling and Peter Ericsson. 

Eric's sister, Johanna Pehrsdotter, had emigrated 13 years earlier with her husband, Carl Thoren. They had settled in Negaunee, Michigan, in the U.P., and no doubt had written of their good fortune in America. The mines of the U.P. were hiring and may have even paid passage for the men. Eric Pettersson was probably the instigator and leader of this group of emigrant relatives. His home was about three miles from the workplace of Per Gustaf Fröling and about seven miles from that of Carl Johan Fröjd. The men could travel together, join extended family and find mining jobs in Negaunee. Eric, being the eldest, could look out for the younger men.

The police list in Göteborg (Gothenburg) included Eric and his family members, along with his two cousins, leaving on 16 April 1880. The group sailed on the ship Orlando to Hull, on the east coast of England, with a final destination of Negaunee, Michigan. 

Göteborg police list showing the eight family members. All were listed as from Björsäter, Östergötland,
 except C.J. Fröjd, who was listed as a 27-year-old from Yxnerum, Kalmar.

Arriving in Hull the following day, the group traveled across England to Liverpool on the west coast. They boarded the Cunard Line mail steamer S.S. Scythia, setting sail on 24 April, Carl's 28th birthday. The immigrants arrived in New York City on May 5th. Their travel method to Michigan is unknown, but may have been by train or on a ship that traveled the Great Lakes.

Settling in Negaunee

The group arrived in Michigan in time to be captured in the 1880 census, which was to be taken as of June 1st. On June 29th, the miner [Eric] August Peterson and his family were enumerated in the City of Negaunee, Third Ward. Shortly after that date, a fifth child joined the family. On June 5th, the tailor Charles Thoren with wife Johanna [Pehrsdotter] and their four children were enumerated in the First Ward. And on June 19th, a boarding house was enumerated in the Second Ward with a number of young miners. Included in the list were two Swedes: Peter Freule, age 23, and Charles Free, age 26.

How would you pronounce Fröjd and Fröling as a speaker of Swedish? If you have a translator that will pronounce the Swedish words for you, give it a try. I used Google Translate to hear the names. It is certainly possible that new immigrants could have pronounced their names in such a way that the census taker or the Irish landlord heard Free and Freule.

This 1880 census is the dividing line between Carl Johan Fröjd and Charles John Paulson, in terms of online records.

Evaluating the Evidence

No direct evidence was found online that links Charles Paulson to the Fröling cousins. However, considering he did not grow up close to the others, it is possible that it felt normal to him to be loosely connected after he moved 40 miles east to his homestead. At that time, before automobiles, 40 miles was a significant distance.

I've reconciled the name and explained the fuzzy birth location. The emigration date as shown on the census is ignored, as the wildly inconsistent dates cannot be reconciled. 

The birthday of April 24 is a match; however, there is a two-year discrepancy in his birth year. It's not common for ages of Swedish emigrants to be listed incorrectly in census records. It does happen though. Emigrating with family and settling nearby provides a "FAN" club of family, associates and neighbors. However, lack of online records limits the ability to research the FAN club of Charles Paulson. 

It is certainly possible that some evidence exists offline. The following online evidence was searched without results:

Probate

Though Carl Johan Fröjd's father died while he was a child, his mother and unmarried sister died after he emigrated. His mother's probate was not found, probably because she was elderly and living with her son. Sister Carolina Sofia's probate listed only her two brothers who lived in Sweden. It may be that the law did not require siblings outside Sweden to be listed. It is also possible that a choice was made to exclude Carl, they may have lost touch with him, or he may have been dead and not our candidate. While his absence from his sister's probate is disappointing, it may also signify nothing.

Swedish-American Church Records 

Some Swedish immigrants joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ministers kept many records in the same way they had kept the records in Sweden. Charles Paulson was listed only in his marriage record, death record and in the christening record for one child. No helpful birth or name details were included.

Newspapers

One of the ways to identify family connections is through local newspapers. Articles for obituaries, funerals and weddings are often rich in family context. Unfortunately for this research, the surviving old newspapers of Alger County are not available online. Another man of the same name lived in Marquette County and appeared in those newspapers, while I was not able to find Charles Paulson of Alger County mentioned in a useful way. The newspaper site is searchable, but OCR is not perfect. It is certainly possible that I missed something.

Naturalization

Each male immigrant needed to declare his intention if he desired to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. The biographical content of the "Declaration of Intent" differs over time, but can be a valuable source. Finding the document can be difficult, as the process could be done in different courts. Some documents are online and others are not. The documents for Charles Paulson have not been found online.

One Positive Sign

Reviewing trees at Ancestry for both these men revealed that American researchers and Swedish researchers are all stymied. American researchers cannot go back and Swedish researchers cannot go forward. One American researcher has a theory that the father of Charles Paulson was Carl Fröjd. The researcher has associated the two names. Unfortunately the tree has no sources, no stories and no comments. However, there must have been some document that they found. I reached out to some researchers and received no response.

DNA Evidence

The puzzle started as a DNA matching question, and DNA can be used to analyze the possibility that C.J. Fröjd is the same man as Charles Paulson. The tool What Are the Odds (WATO) calculates the odds of relationships, based on the strength of DNA matches. It works best with matches above 40 cM, but can be used with lower values. The analysis is only as good as the tree and does not support endogamy, double-cousin relationships or 3/4 siblings.

First, how does DNA suggest this relationship? Most people take DNA tests at Ancestry and other companies because they are curious about their ethnic background. However, the power for genealogical connection does not rely on ethnicity. How do I know that the Fröling family is the most likely place in my tree where this connection exists?

When I find a possible Swedish connection, the first question is if both my father and his half-brother match the other person. If there is a similar match, the connection is probably Swedish, as the brothers share only their Swedish father's DNA. 

The next step is to look at the matches that are shared with the other person. Let's call that person Target X. There will be people who share DNA with Target X and my father and/or his two brothers. All the people will not be the same, but having three testers increases the chance of useful connections. 

If there are common matches to known cousins, a branch is identified to explore. In this case, all three testers and Target X share a match to a descendant of Peter Persson Fröling who is descended from a different wife, so a half-cousin. That eliminates Peter's wives as possible sources of the shared DNA. This analysis can then be focused on Peter and his siblings.

Checking the Known Cousin Match

The WATO tool was first used to check the relationship of our known Fröling cousin. This connection had been made before the WATO tool was available, so it's useful to validate if the match is possible. The ancestry of the known cousin was placed into the tree, as was my family's ancestry. For each tester in my family who has a DNA match to the known cousin, that cM match value was put into the tree. The yellow lines in the tree indicate half-sibling relationships. Johannes G Fröling was a half sibling to Sven Peter Persson, and of course my half-uncle is also shown with a yellow line as a half-sibling. 

Relationships were added parallel to the documented known cousin line, as hypotheses to be checked. The question being asked is whether the known cousin belongs at the documented place in their tree or whether the relationship could be one generation earlier or one generation later. 

My own match and my sibling's match were ignored by the tool because our father has a match. The numbers are included as an example of how DNA is randomly inherited and disappears over time. I received the entire DNA clump from my father, while my sibling received only about half.

A What Are the Odds diagram showing DNA match probabilities
for three matches to their known half-fourth cousin (click to enlarge).

The WATO analysis evaluates the hypothetical relationships and calculates the probabilities. It confirms the documented relationship is a good hypothesis, as is one generation later. One generation earlier is statistically possible, but less likely. 

The tool presents the analysis within the tree, as well as in a more detailed list of probabilities. The analysis shows that my half-uncle has the highest match to his cousin. There is a probability of 19% that my half-uncle is a half 3C1R to the known cousin, and a probability of 49% of a half 4C or a half 4C1R. The paper trail shows that the relationship is actually half fourth-cousin (half 4C). In this situation my half-uncle has the identical relationship as my father to the half-cousin. 

The WATO detailed matrix of the probabilities for each hypothesis.

Evaluating the Match for Target X

One of the descendants (Target X) of Charles Paulson has very useful match strengths to my testers. Others have weaker matches. Building a new WATO chart with Target X, eight hypotheses were inserted, since there is no firm evidence of the relationship.

A What Are the Odds diagram showing DNA match probabilities
for three matches to a possible fourth cousin (click to enlarge).

This analysis uses a beta version of the tool. The original tool rated all possibilities as equal, while the new version evaluates dates, as well as match strengths. One of the relationships is not possible, based on dates. 

The WATO detailed matrix of the probabilities for each hypothesis.

The anticipated fourth-cousin (4C) relationship is a strong possibility, as is a half 3C1R. The others are less probable.

As a researcher, I really want to find some hard evidence. I do like the probability that they are the same man, but am still undecided. You will have to decide for yourself.

To Do List

I hope one of the descendants of Charles Paulson will be able to finish the research on-site in Michigan. My list would be:

• Find his naturalization documents, probably in the Marquette court records.
• Find his obituary in both English and Swedish-language newspapers of the Munising area.
• Look for articles or notices about the weddings of his daughters, as they may refer to extended family.
• Send for the file where he fulfilled the steps to claim his homestead. That requires both time and money and would not be my first choice.

Sources

• Swedish church records, including birth, death, marriage, moving and clerical survey: 
• Björsäter, Yxnerum, Gärdserum, Ringarum, Sankt Laurentii, Östra Ryd, Hannäs, Vist, Landeryd, Svinstad, Grebo, Värna 
• Probate records: 
• Tjust häradsrätt
• Söderköpings rådhusrätt och magistrat 
• Hammarkinds, Stegeborgs och Skärkinds domsaga
• Military records: 
• Generalmönsterrullor - Kalmar regemente
• Central Soldier Register 
• Göteborg Police emigration records
• UK Newspapers:
• Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, 20 April 1880, FindMyPast.com
• The Liverpool Telegraph, 24 April 1880, FindMyPast.com
• The Journal of Commerce, 26 April 1880, FindMyPast.com
• Ship list for SS Scythia, Ancestry.com
• US Census records for Michigan, Ancestry.com
• Michigan Marriage and Death Records, Ancestry.com
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, Ancestry.com
• US Newspapers:
• Battle Creek Enquirer, 28 November 1971, Newspapers.com
• Lansing State Journal, 15 July 1984,  Newspapers.com
• GLO BLM Land Records 
• Website: Paulson House at AuTrain Lake
• Upper Peninsula Digital Network newspapers
• What Are The Odds at DNAPainter.com
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps
• Google Maps
• Google Translate
• Ancestry DNA
• Ancestry Family Trees
 

The Minister's Dilemma, 52 Ancestors

 

What do you do when your underage son gets a young woman pregnant?

The Vika parish minister, Magnus Aspelind, faced that dilemma in the fall of 1770. Magnus was responsible not only for the religious life of the parish, but also for parishioner morality, care of the poor and documentation of the parishioners through vital records. He was one of the most powerful men in the parish, but needed to be careful with his choices. He could publicly embarrass such a couple, but that would bring shame to his son and himself. If he did not treat them as any other couple, but the truth came out, he and his family would face another kind of shame, possibly from his superiors.

Carl Aspelind was only 17 years old, four years away from his majority at age 21. Magnus expected him to complete his university studies before getting married, so would certainly not have approved a marriage. Catharina Engelbrechtsdotter was completely unacceptable, as she was about 23 years old and of a lower social class. Magnus could send Carl away to school, but what could he do about Catharina? He needed to make the problem disappear.

Magnus seems to have been a minister who did not follow all the rules. Record-keeping under his authority had gaps and omissions. He did care deeply about his children, expressing his grief in the death book when his middle son died young, as he referenced two passages from the book of Job. He would have cared as deeply about his youngest son and would have agonized over his immoral behavior and how to handle it.

A single record appears to be falsified, leading to my speculation about Magnus' solution. I believe that Magnus offered Catharina a deal. He would give her a moving certificate with a good character reference and would also give her a bit of money. She would agree to leave the parish and make no effort to contact Carl or his family. She would have known that there was no future with Carl, so such an agreement would have been acceptable to her. She would join family members about 40 miles to the southwest, in the parish of Grangärde. Magnus gave her the moving certificate, but in the moving-out list she was shown as moving to the north, to nearby Falun. If Carl had looked in the book, he would have searched for Catharina in the wrong direction.

List of people leaving Vika parish in 1770, including Cath. Engelbrecht to Fahl from Kyrkiobyn

Other people could also have falsified the records. Carl might have had access to the records, though his motive would have been to hide her from his father. He could have written a duplicate moving certificate. Catharina could have simply taken advantage of a moving certificate that left out the destination parish. Perhaps she had intended a double move, but discovered she could go directly to Grangärde.

When she arrived in Grangärde parish in late September, a notation was placed in the household survey that she had arrived from Vika (Wika). 

Household survey showing Cathrin. Engelbreckdotter arriving from Vika in September, 1770.
Also lists her illegitimate daughter Anna Lisa and the people with whom they are living.

Baby Anna Lisa was born on 29 April 1771, and Catharina identified the child's father as Carl Asplind [sic] of Vika parish. Not all illegitimate (oäkta) children had their father named in the birth record, but Catharina provided that name and was able to enjoy the satisfaction of retribution. Was she attempting to make trouble for the Aspelind family?

Birth number 79 in 1771 in the parish. Birth on 29 [April 1771] and christening on 1 [May].
Illegitimate (oäkta) daughter Anna Lisa born to mother Cathrina Engelbertsdotter of Räfvåla,
with child's father named as Carl Asplind [sic] in Vika parish.

The two parishes were in the same diocese, so the ministers must have known each other and even met periodically. The Grangärde minister would have had the dilemma of whether to mention this assertion to his peer. Perhaps he recognized the connection and perhaps he didn't. Aspelind was not a common surname, but it wasn't entirely unique. Magnus Aspelind died at the end of 1772, so there were less than two years for the ministers to discuss the allegation. The birth record was never altered. 

Anna Lisa

Anna Lisa has been positively identified in only four records so far. She and Catharina were recorded twice in the household surveys of Grangärde parish. By 1775, they had moved over 100 miles from Grangärde, in Kopparberg (Dalarna) County, to Stockholm County, where Catharina married the sailor (båtsman) Johan Duhan on 9 January 1775, in Vårdinge parish. Anna Lisa is listed as an illegitimate daughter on the only page where the family appears together.

Family of Johan Duhan and Catharina Engelbrechtsdotter,
including illegitimate daughter Anna Lisa and children Catharina, Anders and Maria.
Household survey book includes random information from 1760 to 1786.
The family is living at the Nyble Båtsmanstorp (sailor croft for Nyble rote).

The fate of Anna Lisa is unknown, as the records of Vårdinge parish have many gaps. She may have taken the surname of Carlsdotter, may have chosen from another family name or may have invented a surname. She also might have died young. Her stepfather died when she was 17, so she had probably already left home, thus has not been found living with her widowed mother. With her common name and without knowing her chosen surname, she has not been simple to trace. 

Catharina Engelbrechtsdotter Duhan

Catharina bore five more children, at least three of whom died young. Her son Anders, born in 1784, was my 4th-great-grandfather. Her last child was a son born shortly after her husband's death. He was christened Carl and, sadly, died young. Did she name the baby after a lost love?

Catharina has also been difficult to trace. Finding one falsified record makes me question every fact that was ever recorded about her, especially with conflicting documents about her birth place and birth year. None of the evidence has led to a birth record. 

About the time her husband died, Catharina took his military surname of Duhan. Catharina Duhan died in the poorhouse (fattigstugan) in Vårdinge parish, Stockholm County, on 18 September 1823.

Part of household survey of the fattigstugan (poorhouse) for 1821-1825.
Enk. (widow) Catharina Duhan is crossed out. 
On the facing page (not shown) is recorded 23 död (1823 dead).

Cornetten Carl [Charles] Aspelind

When Magnus Aspelind referenced the life of Job, little did he know that his own family would suffer more tribulations. Son Lars had died in 1768, Carl fathered a child in 1770, Magnus died in 1772, daughter Hedvig in 1775 and widow Ebba in 1777. Daughter Maria died at age 39, in 1788, leaving only two children of the eight that she had borne. Oldest son Daniel died in 1800, having stepchildren, but no children of his own. Carl also died without legitimate surviving children.

Carl Aspelind was born to Magnus Aspelind and Ebba Catharina Nybom in Irsta parish, Västmanland County, on 13 September 1753. He was listed in his father's 1772 probate as a student. In 1774 he joined the military as a cavalry soldier, serving as one of a dozen such men provided from the parish of Irsta. He held the rank of Corporal by 1777, when he was promoted to kvartermästare (Quartermaster) in the Livregementet till häst (horse), Södermanlands kompani. He had to move from Västmanland County to Stigtomta parish in Södermanland County to accept that promotion to the officer rank of Cornet, equivalent to Ensign or 2nd Lieutenant.

In 1781, at the age of 27, Carl married his brother's stepdaughter. His oldest brother, Daniel Aspelind, was a half-brother, 13 years older than Carl. Daniel had married the widowed Hedvig Körsner, who was 10 years older than himself and had grown children when they married in 1776. Her 26-year-old daughter, Justina Helena Naucler, married Carl Aspelind in the parish of Bjursås. While this marriage was not illegal or genetically risky, it seems strange or even disgusting to us in 2023. Marriage in Sweden, especially for the upper classes, was usually a matter of practicality, rather than romance. Preservation of assets may have been a factor.

After his marriage, Carl appeared in two military muster rolls, which were made only periodically. In 1791, there was a simple notation for him: sjuk or sick. The next roll stated that he had been discharged (avsked) shortly after the muster roll of 1791, when he was about 38 years old. His illness must have been serious to have forced him out of the military, though he lived another 15 years. 

He and his wife left Stigtomta parish and their whereabouts were unknown until 1800, when the indexes begin for the household surveys. At that time, Carl, who also used the name Charles, and his wife Justina were living in Kila parish in southern Södermanland County, with no indication of their previous home. They had no children or other family members in their household. 

Cornetten Carl Aspelind died in the city of Norrköping, Östergötland County, on 21 December 1806. He was 53 years old and the death record from Sankt Olai says only that he died of an unnamed illness. His probate, which was filed under the name of Charles in both Norrköping and Falu, showed that he had no children. It is possible that he and his wife had children who did not survive. It is also possible that Anna Lisa was Carl's only child.

Death of Carl Aspelind, Cornet, of an unnamed illness, at age 53 years and 3 months.
He died on the 21st and was buried on the 28th [December 1806].

Orientation

The story of Carl, Catharina and Anna Lisa started in the blue area, north of the usual areas for my family, but ended in the purple area. The larger Aspelind family was based in the blue area. Catharina Engelbrechtsdotter Duhan is marked in my grandfather's tree with the star.

To Do List

• Using Family Search indexes, research births of children named Catharina, born to an Engelbrecht or variation.
• Research Anna Lisa Carlsdotter born in 1770 in Vårdinge, with the possibility that she is the right woman, with errors having been made in the church records. No such birth was recorded in Vårdinge.

Research Note

The question of the identity of the father of Anna Lisa was not solved with the church records that are the foundation of Swedish genealogical research. There were two things that made this research possible: Catharina's uncommon surname and the class status of the Aspelind family. For ordinary peasants or farmers, this search would likely have been fruitless.

This puzzle required tax and probate records to establish location and relationships. Military records were critical, as were indexes at both ArkivDigital and Family Search. It was the 1770 tax record that piqued my curiosity. Without these tax records, Carl Aspelind would not have been identifiable with the indexes that exist in 2023.

Scrolling through the Vika tax list for any household with the name Asplind, I  found a single entry with the title and name Kyrkoh. Aspelind. The title Kyrkoherden means the parish minister, or the church shepherd, when translated by breaking up the word. That position signified that there was a story to be found. 

Fragment of the mantals tax list for 1770 in Vika parish.
Underlined is the name Kyrkoh. Aspelind, with quite a few family members in the count.

Sources

• Mantals tax records for the parishes of Vika and Stigtomta 
• Probate records:
• Kopparbergs och Säters län (utom Säters socken) och Österdalarne 
• Falu rådhusrätt och magistrat 
• Norrköpings rådhusrätt och magistrat 
• Military records:
• Generalmönsterrullor - Livregementsbrigadens kyrassiärer (1795)
• Generalmönsterrullor - Livregementet till häst (1770-1791)
• Meritförteckningar 27 (1784)
  
• Church records:
• Kopparberg (Dalarna) parishes: Vika, Grangärde, Norrbärke, Gustafs, Säter, Bjursås, Falu Kristine, Stora Kopparberg (Falu)
• Västmanland parish: Irsta
• Stockholm County parish: Vårdinge
• Södermanland parishes: Vagnhärad, Kila, Stigtomta
  
• Östergötland parish: Norrköpings Sankt Olai
• Gotland parish: Visby stadsförsamling
• Lieutenant Colonel Claes Grill, Statistiskt sammandrag af svenska indelningsverket (Statistical Summary of the Swedish Allotment System)
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps

On Her Own, 52 Ancestors

What might have happened to an orphan in Sweden in 1860? Each child would have had a different experience. Just as today, there were guardians, foster parents and extended families. The child also could have been sent to the poorhouse or placed as a servant into a household. The child's assets might have been preserved or they might have been stolen. The child would have had no options, but had to endure whatever was decided by their guardian, family or the parish minister. 

The orphan Hulda Charlotta Olaidotter is a dead-end branch in my Swedish family tree. I learned her story while on the journey this year to identify the branches of my tree that may have living descendants. Her sad story puzzles me. Why did her extended family let her go into the foster care system? Was her inheritance actually stolen? It's impossible to know the financial, physical and emotional resources of her family. The life of peasant farmers was certainly difficult, but it seems heartless to consign a little child to strangers.

Hulda was the child of a crofter and his wife, both of whom also were children of crofters. Her father, Olaus, had also been orphaned young.

My fourth-great-grandmother, Inga Stina Svensdotter, had only one sibling, Peter Svensson. The two of them grew up on a farm on the lands of Sörby, in Landeryd parish, near the city of Linköping. Peter, who was born on 17 January 1786, married at the young age of 22, in 1808. He became a farmer and lived out his life at Sörby. He and his wife had six children, with four of them dying before they turned four years old. When his wife died in 1829, Peter was left with two little boys: Olaus was nine and Carl was five. Carl was apparently not well and was recorded as sick in the church records, dying at age ten. And then there was one.

Olaus Pettersson, born on 30 March 1820, was 16 years old when his father died. He had first left the parish to work for others when he was eleven, so he was prepared to be independent. He moved between farms for a few years, including spending time with his maternal uncle and cousins. He had some level of connection and support from that extended family. In 1842, he moved from the parish of Landeryd into a rural area near the city of  Norrköping, in the parish of Sankt Johannes. As he moved from farm to farm and page to page in the parish registers, his birthdate became garbled. The month 3 was changed to 5 and then back to 3. Eventually his birth year of 1820 was written as 1810, making him a challenge to trace.

Norrköping was an industrial city, drawing workers from the surrounding countryside. Olaus continued working as a farm laborer and, three years after moving to Sankt Johannes, he signed a contract to become a torpare, a crofter. He married Johanna Nilsdotter on 26 October 1845, and the couple had two children before Johanna died far too soon. Karl Olof Alfrid Olaisson died soon after turning one year old in 1848. Daughter Hulda Charlotta Olaidotter was born on 22 July 1849, five months before her mother died of a fever. 

The first question arises from Johanna's estate inventory. Hulda needed a male advocate, or guardian, to protect her share of the estate. Why was Johanna's eldest surviving brother not named as that guardian? Tradition was that a male relative of Johanna should fill that guardian role. Since brother Carl had moved about 10 miles away, it is possible that Olaus thought it was better to choose the farm foreman, as he was local and more mature. That choice had consequences.

Left with a young daughter, Olaus needed to remarry, rather than merely hire a housekeeper. He took his time and married Sara Larsdotter on 31 October 1852, in her home parish of Västra Eneby. Daughter Clara Fredrika Petersson was born six months later, the only child of the marriage.

Click to enlarge

Olaus Pettersson died on 16 March 1856, of dropsy, just before his 36th birthday. Sara found herself widowed at age 34, with a 3-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old stepdaughter. In the estate inventory, Sara chose a different guardian for herself and her daughter. Hulda's guardian was listed and the debts of the estate included an amount due as her portion of her mother's estate. 

 

Sara had to move out of the croft, along with the girls, and find lodging and employment. Hulda's guardian was aging, so with the croft being available, he was moved to that croft and a new farm foreman was appointed. The guardian died less than a year after Olaus; however, his estate did not make any mention of responsibility to Hulda. At that point, she was 8 years old and without her advocate. It was unlikely that she had collected her heritage, as it was mostly comprised of the ordinary objects needed for living. 

Hulda's grandmother and her eldest uncle, Carl, also died that year, so two people who would have had an interest in her well-being were also gone. Left living, by the end of 1857, were two unmarried aunts, 22-year-old uncle Johan, her uncle Carl's wife and two young cousins. 

She continued living with her half-sister and stepmother until sometime in 1858, when she was thrust into foster care. Why was Hulda separated from them? Apparently Sara either could not or would not support her step-daughter any longer. Had Sara decided to keep everything for herself and her daughter, rather than share with Hulda? Did Sara even reach out to Hulda's family before abandoning her? Unfortunately it is unlikely that any of her mother's family could have taken her in at that time, but her father's cousins certainly could have. Sadly, from the age of 9, Hulda was on her own.

Hulda spent the next three years in the household of an older couple who were crofters. She was listed as girl (flicka) or foster girl in the household surveys, while a young boy was listed as their foster son. That nuance between foster girl and foster son leads me to think that she was treated more as a servant than a cherished child.

In 1861, Hulda's uncle Johan had a job at the "gasworks" and married a young woman who had a child. Why did Johan leave Hulda in foster care after he married? Was it because a 12-year-old was at an age when some did leave home to become workers? 

That year, at age 12, Hulda moved a few miles away to a farm in the neighboring parish of Styrstad. She was listed as a piga (miss or maidservant) and was the youngest in a list of workers on the page. The next year she moved along with the farmer and his wife to a different farm, where she was listed as foster girl, but still among the list of workers. She did receive religious instruction and was confirmed and took her first communion in 1864, when she was 15.

Hulda Charlotta Olaidotter turned 16 years old in the summer of 1865, and left foster care behind after the harvest. She left the farm and moved into the city of Norrköping, to the parish of Sankt Olai. She lived in an area that supported textile mills and probably took a job in such a mill, but that is not clear from the household survey. Hulda died at the Lazarettet, a clinic or hospital, at the age of 17, on 1 September 1866, from what I believe to say benröta i knä ledan, or bone rotting of the knee joint. This would imply that she had a damaged knee, possibly a break, that had become infected. There was no indication of injury or disease in the church records, so it was likely that she was hurt in the city or on the job.

Her stepmother, Sara, filed a probate in 1867, lying about Hulda's last living place and listing Hulda's assets and heirs. Of course, the number one heir was Sara's daughter, Hulda's half-sister. The other heirs were her aunts, uncle and cousins. Hulda didn't own many possessions, but did have some "cash money" that the family must have wanted. Among her possessions, Hulda owned a "religious book", which I hope means that she found some comfort in her faith.

Hulda's half-sister lived to the age of 44 and never married or had children. Thus, my fourth-great-grandmother, Inga Stina Svensdotter, was the only member of her family to have living descendants today. Her only sibling, Peter Svensson, had one living son, Olaus Pettersson, who had three children, none of whom had children.

Orientation

The family lived in the orange area on the map and Inga Stina Svendsotter is at the location in the tree where the star appears.

Sources

• Landeryd Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Landeryd Clerical Survey records
• Norrköpings Sankt Johannes Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Norrköpings Sankt Johannes Clerical Survey records
• Norrköpings Sankt Olai Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Norrköpings Sankt Olai Clerical Survey records
• Styrstad Clerical Survey records
• Styrstad Moving Out records
• Church records for: Västra Eneby, Gistad, Tåby, Tjärstad, Söderköping Sankt Laurentii  
• Lösings District Court Probate Records
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps

Crossing the Line, 52 Ancestors

 

"Inga Stina Svensdotter, will you marry me and move to Pig Town parish?"

"Peter Persson! Are you really asking me to cross that line? All my life my family and friends have joked about Pig Town. If I move, they will tease me unmercifully! Maybe you could move here to Landeryd."

"I'm afraid that I can't move my farm -- it would be far easier to change the parish boundary! At least we won't live right in Pig Town."

While we can't know how the proposal actually took place, we do know the parish name of Svinstad was a source of embarrassment. Residents of surrounding parishes, such as Landeryd, must have teased the inhabitants. One hundred years later, the residents of the town and the parish were able to get the name changed to Bankekind, the name of the district in which the parish was located.

Inga Stina did have to consider serious aspects of the proposal. Peter was twelve years older then her 26 years and he had two little girls from his first marriage. The Napoleonic Wars were raging and reducing the available pool of young men in Inga's age group. If she didn't marry Peter, she might never marry. If she did marry Peter, she could possibly suffer a long and poverty-stricken widowhood. She did make the choice to marry Peter and to move just across the parish line to the lands of Fröslunda (now Frösslunda), in Svinstad parish.

She was born in Landeryd parish on 21 July 1780, and was christened as Ingri Stina. Most records were written as Inga, so that is what I call her. Her parents, Sven Svensson and Stina Carlsdotter, lived and farmed on the lands of Sörby, which shared an eastern edge with the west side of Fröslunda. On this lovely map from 1700, the lands of Sörby are drawn out, showing forest, stony ground, watercourses, roads, fields and houses. The lands of Fröslunda are shown to adjoin Sörby where the last red mark, number 1, is written in front of the list of names and properties.

Sörby Ägor, Landeryd Parish, Östergötland, 1700

There is no record that Inga Stina ever left home before her marriage. While there is a gap in the detailed survey records, it appears from the tax records that Inga Stina and her only sibling, Peter Svensson, did not leave home at age 15 to find work, as so many of their peers did. From their mother's 1810 probate file, it appears the family was living comfortably, though they were tenant farming.

Peter Persson and Inga Stina Svensdotter, my fourth-great-grandparents, married in her home parish of Landeryd on 5 February 1807. Inga Stina became the stepmother of Anna Stina Persdotter, age 9, and Cajsa Lena Persdotter, age 5. 

Over the next 15 years, a set of twins and six other children were born to the couple. The eldest, Sven Peter Persson, was my 3rd-great-grandfather. Four of the eight children died as infants: Anders, Carl Gustav and the twins, Nils and Johannes. The surviving children were Maria, Ulrica and Inga Lisa, in addition to Sven Peter.

The year of 1814 brought big changes to the family. The twins were born in April, with their father's occupation listed as former farmer. The family soon moved about six miles east, crossing another parish boundary to leave Svinstad behind. They moved to Sjöberga, in the parish of Björsäter, where the twins died before turning one year old. 

Peter Persson took on a new occupation and eventually chose a new surname. He became a tegelslagare, a bricklayer. Peter chose the new surname of Fröling between 1819 and 1822. Sven Peter Persson and his older half-sisters did not adopt the new name, while the younger children chose Fröling for their surname.

After nearly 15 years of marriage and eight children, Inga Stina Svensdotter succumbed to bröstsjuka, or pneumonia, on 2 February 1822, at 41 years old. Her probate record named her brother, Peter Svensson of Sörby, as the guardian of her childrens' interests. His story will be touched on in a future post. 

Her son, Sven Peter Persson, was introduced in the post Tempered. Sven and his three sisters, Maria, Ulrica and Inga Lisa, all had descendants who emigrated from Sweden to America, as did their younger half-brother and oldest half-sister.

The unlucky Peter Persson Fröling was widowed for a second time and again needed a wife to care for his small children and his home. His story was told in the post Happy Dance, Swedish Style.

Orientation

The family lived in the orange area on the map and Inga Stina Svendsotter is at the location in the tree where the star appears.

Sources

• Landeryd Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Landeryd Clerical Survey records
• Landeryd Mantals Tax Records
• Svinstad Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Svinstad Clerical Survey records
• Svinstad Moving Out records
• Björsäter Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Björsäter Clerical Survey records
• Bankekinds District Court Probate Records
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps
• Wikipedia page for Bankekind, formerly Svinstad 

One Short Month, 52 Ancestors

If you were to search for information on infant and maternal mortality in past centuries, would you be surprised by the statistics? During a recent search, I learned that survival was rare for infants born to a mother who died in childbirth. Such was the fate of Lisa Ericsdotter and her twins. 

Lisa was born to torpare (crofter) Eric Ericsson and Stina Månsdotter in Grebo parish on 25 November 1765. She was the youngest of the siblings who survived to adulthood. Her oldest brother and older sister focused on the family and the croft, while Lisa and the younger brother left to find jobs. Lisa did help out her oldest brother, Olof, when he established his own household and again when his first wife died, moving in and out of his home several times over a period of about 15 years.

With the death of her father in 1796, and with her brother settled into a second marriage, Lisa was free to work or marry as she chose. Her sister, Catherina "Caisa" Ericsdotter, had married a mason (murare) and moved to his home near the town of Åtvidaberg. Likely through that family connection, Lisa met another bricklayer .

On 12 October 1800, Daniel Grönlund of Åtvid parish married Lisa Ericsdotter in her home parish of Grebo. Lisa joined Daniel and the couple lived near or with her sister's family, appearing on the same page of the husförhörslängd, household survey, for 1801.

Seven and a half months after her marriage, on May 24, Lisa gave birth to twins, who were christened the same day. Such a quick christening may indicate the twins were not expected to survive, probably being born prematurely. 

Twins Carl and Lena Caisa were born and christened on 24 May 1801
to Murar. Dan. Grönlund and wife Lisa Ericsdotter (age 36) of Kopparverket
Åtvid CI:5 Page 53

Lisa Ericsdotter died three days later, on 27 May 1801, with the cause listed as barnsbörd, childbirth. 

Lisa's sister probably did all she could for the babies, but it was not enough, as both died within one month of their mother. Helena Catharina (Lena Caisa) Grönlund died on 20 June, and Carl Grönlund died five days later, on 25 June 1801.

Orientation

The family lived in the orange area on the map and Lisa was in the generation where the star appears.

Sources

• Grebo Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Grebo Clerical Survey records
• Grebo Mantals Tax Lists 
• Åtvid Church Records for births, deaths and marriages
• Åtvid Clerical Survey records
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps

Whereabouts Unknown, 52 Ancestors

Can you imagine losing track of an adult child who has moved away from home? It must have been a source of worry and frustration for my 3rd-great-grandfather. The story has not been passed down in my family, so I can only read the records and wonder.

Carl Leopold Fors lived a short life before he disappeared. He was born on 15 November 1851, in the parish of Vårdinge, near Gnesta, about 30 miles southwest of the city of Stockholm. His father, Anders Forss, was a crofter (torpare) and tailor (skräddare). His mother, Catharina Andersdotter, had a military heritage as the granddaughter of a Navy sailor and a Cavalry soldier. 

Carl was the sixth of eight children, three of whom died within a seven week period when he was only six years old. Older brother Johan Julius was 12 years old when he drowned in December, 1857. The church books don't show the cause of the two younger boys' deaths, but it may have been an illness, as they died four days apart. Gustaf Adolf was not yet four and Otto Wilhelm was eight months old when they died in January, 1858. Carl was the youngest of the five remaining children: three boys and two girls. Having lost the three brothers closest in age to him, was Carl perhaps scarred for life?

It was a challenging time for the family, with Carl's paternal grandfather dying in August, 1857, in a nearby parish. Anders Forss packed up his family in March, 1860, and moved the 8 miles back to the family farm in Björnlunda parish to live near and care for his aging mother. There Anders built a new house named Andersberg, which I've written about previously.

Over the next few years, all his older siblings left home, with Carl moving out in the fall of 1868, at about age 17. He left the parish shortly after his mother's death in January, 1869, moving in March to the nearby parish of Frustuna and then to Maria Magdalena parish, in the city of Stockholm, in November, 1870. 

The records show that Carl lived in Stockholm for the next four years. He was listed as a single laborer in all entries that I have found. The last entry that I located is the husförhörslängd, household survey, written in Storkyrkoförsamlingen parish (Sankt Nicolai), at the end of 1874.

When Carl's father, Anders Forss, died in 1888, his heirs were listed in the preamble to the estate inventory, as was usual. The entry for Carl (Karl) was brief:

Sonen Karl Leopold Forss hvilkens vistelseort är obekant under de senaste 12 åren, antagligen är han till sjöss utrikes eller döde.

My translation guesses where commas should be:

Son Karl Leopold Forss, whose whereabouts are unknown for the past 12 years, presumably at sea, abroad or dead.

It seems to me that Carl had died, as he disappeared without communication with the family and without a departure recorded in the church books. If he had emigrated, his family should have known his whereabouts, just as they knew his sister's location in Wisconsin. He might have been imprisoned in a foreign country, but could a common laborer afford travel outside Sweden in 1874? If he had died in a parish where he was known, the death would have been recorded and the family notified. If he died while traveling, his death could have been recorded as an unknown person. Could he have died in a boating accident while fishing or sailing on a ferry? Could he have committed suicide or suffered violence, with his body ending up in one of Stockholm's many waterways?  

The four brothers and sisters of Carl Leopold Fors lived into the 1900s, dying between 1916 and 1930. Did they ever learn their brother's fate? Was there closure?

 

Orientation

The family lived in parishes in the area marked in purple. The Forss/Fors siblings are marked in my grandfather's tree with the star.

To Do List

• Continue watching for records about Carl Leopold Fors.

Sources

• Church records for parishes: Vårdinge, Björnlunda, Frustuna, Trosa Landsförsamling, Maria Magdalena, Storkyrkoförsamlingen (Sankt Nicolai)
• Daga District Court Probate Records
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps
• Church Records: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Trade Lake Swedish Mission Church and Zion Lutheran Church, Trade Lake, Wisconsin

Tempered, 52 Ancestors

Imagine for a moment that you are a young teen of 14. You are the sole support and caregiver for your widowed mother, who is wasting away from tuberculosis. You are living with and working for an unrelated family to earn your keep. You had planned to leave home and find a job when you turned 15, like your older siblings, but your mother's needs are more important. Are you overwhelmed? 

The last three posts explored the question of whether the three surviving siblings of my 3rd-great-grandmother, Anna Catharina Nilsdotter, have living descendants. The results of the research were disappointing and inconclusive.

• Her eldest half-brother, Jonas Nilsson Ek, lived in poverty with his wife. They had one unmarried daughter and no known grandchildren. 
• Brother Anders Nilsson and wife were crofters who buried all five children while they were very young. 
• Poverty-stricken sister Maja Brita Nilsdotter Sandborg had two children before she was widowed too young. Her children died as young adults and no spouses or grandchildren have been identified.

In contrast to her siblings, Anna Catharina lived a life that seems stable, yet she first had to live through a challenging time as a young teen, being tested and tempered.

The Anna Catharina Nilsdotter Family

Anna Catharina (Cajsa) Nilsdotter was the youngest of seven siblings. She was born in Törnevalla parish to Torpare (crofter) Nils Nilsson and Brita Johansdotter on 4 February 1803. The christening record named her as Anna Cajsa, though later records named her Anna Catharina.

Her sister, Maja Brita, was five years older and would have been asked to watch Anna Cajsa and help care for her. Knowing little girls, Maja Brita would have been like a second mother to the baby. The sisters stayed physically close to each other throughout their lives, while their older brothers moved away in different directions. 

Their father died a month before Anna Cajsa turned 11. Maja Brita returned for about a year to help stabilize the family, but financially she couldn't stay for long. Anna Cajsa was left to labor for their host family and also care for her ailing mother. She must have been exhausted, frustrated, sad, angry and apprehensive. I hope she had moments of happiness along the way. Her mother died of lungsot, or tuberculosis, four years after her father. Six weeks after her mother's death, Anna Cajsa turned 15. She had no safety net and no known extended family. Her brothers were farm laborers and her sister was a maidservant. They could do nothing for her.

She soon left the parish to find a job, as she was entirely responsible for herself. She initially moved north and east to the parish of Kimstad, which was the opposite direction from Maja Brita, but within a year she had joined her sister in Värna parish. Like so many other errors in the family's records, her birth date was eventually recorded incorrectly, with the error happening during her move from Värna parish to Björsäter parish in 1821. The moving certificate must have been either written or interpreted incorrectly. Her birthdate was recorded in Björsäter parish as 11 February, instead of the previously recorded date of 4 February.

Anna Cajsa worked as a maidservant within the parish of Björsäter, as did her sister, for about seven years. Meanwhile, the young Sven Peter Persson was growing up on neighboring farms. He was five years younger and may have been interested in the "older woman". On 29 October 1828, the 25-year-old maidservant Anna Catharina Nilsdotter married the 20-year-old farm laborer Sven Peter Persson. His age in the marriage record was listed as 22, though the surveys showed his 1808 birthdate. The couple had a baby on the way, so Sven's age being under 21 was a problem. He also was on the path to signing a contract as a torpare (crofter), but could not do so until age 21. The minister and families must have decided to take the expedient path to get the couple married before the baby arrived.

Sven Peter Persson and Anna Cajsa Nilsdotter had two children: Anna Charlotta Svensdotter, my ancestor, on 18 January 1829, and Anders Petter Svensson on 8 October 1833. The family settled into the torp Skälstorp on the lands of Backvalsinge, where they lived for 23 years. Skälstorp is not labeled on any map that I have found, but is on contemporary maps with the name of Hägn. 

This lovely survey, which started in 1841, reveals some interesting trivia. The routine information includes the names, birth dates, birth parishes and marriage year. The previous parish and arrival date should be routine, but is not always present or shown as nicely. The children were vaccinated against koppor, smallpox, while their parents were not. Young Anders Peter appears to have been the star of the family at reading and religious knowledge, at least for his age. The adults took communion once in 1841, the second time it was offered. The list of communion dates in the front of the book shows that they took communion on Palm Sunday, 4 April 1841, along with another 165 parishioners. 

In 1852, the family moved a few miles north to the torp of Björksäter on the lands of Klacksäter. Seven years later, Sven Peter Persson died of gout at the age of 51, on 25 October 1859. Their son, Anders Petter Svensson, took over as the torpare and Anna Cajsa moved away. Perhaps she did not feel able to keep house for her son or did not want to do so. Perhaps she didn't want to be in the way as he looked for a bride. Or she may have preferred the more comfortable life available with her tradesman son-in-law.

Anna Cajsa lived the remainder of her life with her daughter and son-in-law at Christinaholm on the lands of Missmyra. Her daughter, Anna Charlotta Svensdotter, had married Adolph Ekström, a skräddare or tailor. Anna Cajsa was able to enjoy her daughter and two of her grandchildren. Her son married at the end of 1861 and, just a few weeks later, Anna Cajsa Nilsdotter died of gout on 12 February 1862. 

The Descendants

While her three siblings had no known grandchildren, Anna Cajsa's two children had large families of seven and eight children. Thirteen of those children lived to adulthood.

My descendancy research for Anders Petter Svensson and wife Anna Sophia Carlsdotter is incomplete, but living descendants have been discovered half-a-world apart, in Hawaii as well as Sweden. 

The descendants of Anna Charlotta Svensdotter and Adolph Ekström live in many places spread throughout the mainland of the USA. Some were born, lived and/or died in Canada, Mexico, China and Central America. I've written before about the decimation of the children of  Adolph Ekström. Only the fourth child, my great-grandfather, has living descendants in 2023.

Orientation

The family lived in parishes in the area marked in orange. Anna Catharina (Cajsa) Nilsdotter is marked in my grandfather's tree with the star.

To Do List

• Continue descendancy research for Anders Petter Svensson.

Sources

• Church records for parishes: Björsäter, Törnevalla, Örtomta, Värna, Kimstad, Svinstad
• Tax records for Törnevalla parish
• Lantmateriet.se Historical Maps
• Sources as listed in three prior posts
• Records for descendancy research are not listed