Sibling Saturday - The siblings of Jens Nelson aka Jöns Nilsson

Jöns Nilsson was the husband of my great grand aunt Anna Nilsdotter Rickard. In US they are known as Jens Nelson and Anna Richardson.

Jens was the fifth and last child of Nils Persson and Sissa Jönsdotter. He was born at Nr. 10 Vanneberga, Skåne in Sweden on September 14 in 1859. The sponsors at his christening were Hanna Jönsdotter, sister of Sissa, Ingar Persdotter at Vanneberga nr 4, Anders Jönsson (married to Hanna, sister of Sissa) and Per Mattisson. In 1887 he left Sweden and went to America. The year after he was followed by his wife Anna Nilsdotter Rickard and thier two sons, Nils Henrik and Carl Emil Jönsson.

Birth of Jöns

Jens had two older brothers that he never met, they died before he was born. The oldest one was Nils who also was the first child of Nils and Sissa. He was born on October 5 in 1849 and died only two days old on October 7, the same day his was christened. The sponsors at the christening were Hanna Jönsdotter , sister of Sissa, in Vanneberga, the midwife Pernilla and Christian Persson, brother to Nils.  The cause of death was noted as fever.

Birth of Nils

In October, the 19th in 1857 Jöns was born, He died on January 13 in 1858, not even three months old. Fever was noted as cause of death here as well. The sponsors at the christening were Bengta Pålsdotter in Lommarp, Pernilla Olsdotter in Kialt, Anders Mattsson in Lommarp and Christian Persson, Vanneberga the brother of Nils.

Birth of Jöns

Jens older sister Elna was born February 5 in 1851. The sponsors at the christening were Karna Jeppsdotter and Per Mattisson at Vanneberga 4, Elna Perdotter in Röe and Anders Vanberg (husband of Hanna Jönsdotter, sister of Sissa) at Vanneberga.

Birth of Elna

At the age on 31, in 1882, she went to America. In 1891, about a year after the father Nils Persson died, she returned to Sweden. She bought a house in Vinslöv, and her mother and her niece Anna moved in with her. Elna died on March 31 in 1922. She never got married and didn't have any children. In her will, written in 1907 it says that her house and all of her belongings will be inherited by her sister and niece without interference from her other relatives living in America.

The house Elna bought after she came back to Sweden from America

The other sister Hanna was born on April 8 in 1853. The sponsors at the christening were Andreas Dahl and his wife Elna at Vanneberga nr 9., Pehr Sonasson at Vanneberga nr 13 and Hanna Jönsdotter (sister of Sissa Jönsdotter). She never got married. She had a daughter out of wedlock, Anna, born in 1876. Hanna spent a lot of time in Denmark. Her mother Anna stayed with grandmother Sissa. When Elna died Hanna inherited her house. Hanna died in 1928.

Birth of Hanna

The daughter of Hanna, Anna, born September 1 in 1876. Sponsors at her christening were Elna Nilsdotter, Håkan Nilsson at Vanneberga 13 and Jöns Nilsson, probably as in Hannas brother Jens Nelson.

Birth of Anna
ArkivDigital: Vinslöv CI:10 (1874-1894) page 26

Sponsors at christening of Anna
ArkivDigital: Vinslöv CI:10 (1874-1894) page 26

Just like her mother, Anna spends a lot of time in Denmark. Later she moved to Denmark and Copenhagen and got married to Jens Peter Petersen.

Marriage Jens Peter Petersen and Anna Nilsson, August 13 in 1908.

They live at different addresses in Copenhagen. They have two children. The son Oscar Christian Petersen born on November 5 in 1911. He was christened on February 4 in 1912 in the Nazaret church in Copenhagen

Birth of Oskar Christian Petersen

The daugher Agnete Elisabeth Petersen born on February 10 in 1913.  She was christened on June 10 same year in the Nazaret church in Copenhagen as well.

Birth of Agnete Elisaberh Petersen

I am able to follow them until the Danish Census of 1921, by then they live at Ryesgade 116b and has been living there for quite some time. In the following census they are not at that address anymore.

Google Maps/Street View: Ryesgade in Copenhagen, number 116 and the Nazaret Church

When Annas mother Hanna dies in 1928, Anna is present at the estate inventory but after that I have not been able to find them.

Folketaelling 1921 (Danish Census 1921). The family of Jens Peter Petersen, Anna, Oskar Christian and Agnete
Elisabeth lives on Ryesgade 116 B in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sentimental Sunday - Visiting the grave of Andrew Richardson

It was a three-hour drive to get to Pine Grove Cemetery in Palaside, Aitkin, Minnesota. Well, first of course, it was a eight hours flight over the Atlantic to New York and then a couple of hours flight from New York to Minneapolis... but then it was only a three-hour drive..

I have finally been able to follow my great grand uncle Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer or Andrew Richardson as he was known as in the US.

Earlier this year I got an invitation to a family reunion that would take place in July this summer in Minnesota. Besides from the reunion there were two things on my must-do list:

1. Visit Ellis Island in New York
2. Find the grave of my great granduncle Andrew Richardson in Paliside.

I know he was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Paliside in Aitkin County according to his death certificate and his obituary.

I wanted to be as prepared as possible, driving to that cemetery and not finding the grave... heh.. I can't even describe how I would have felt... So, I contacted the Aitkin County Historical Society asking if they had a map of the cemetery and perhaps knew where his grave was. I got a map in return, and an exact location, Section 0, Lot -10, Site -1. And the information that there wasn't any headstone. So, I would be looking for a marker, good to know. Going there and looking for a headstone with his name, I would never had found anything.

Coming there on July 17, it was a warm, sunny day. The last couple of miles to get to the cemetery was on a grovel road. The cemetery was quite small but nice. And plenty of mosquitoes. It took a while to find the marker. No headstone of course, but where his headstone should have been there is a tall pine tree.. There were a couple of white tree crosses without any names with Veteran markers close but none of them would be at what I figured would be Section 0, Lot -10 and Site -1. Really, there should have been a Veteranmarker at Andrew as well since he was a Spanish-American war veteran.

Andrew Richardson
aka
Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer
born in Vinslöv, Sweden,
January 26, 1858
died in Palaside, USA
August 1, 1928

With that visit, I now have followed up on all the Rickard-siblings. Karna, my great great-grandmother in Farstorp in Sweden, her siblings Anna, Ellen and Nels in Swanville, Minnesota and finally their brother Andrew in Palaside, Minnesota.

Pine Grove Cemetery, Palisade, Aitkin, Minnesota, USA

Other posts on Andrew Richardson:
http://cousinlinda.blogspot.se/2013/01/children-of-sven-peter-rickard-part-2.html
http://cousinlinda.blogspot.se/2012/04/my-andrew-richardson-in-spanish.html

Tombstone Tuesday - Carl August Nilsson 1837 - 1876 sacrificed his life to save others

This tombestone I found when talking pictures at the old cemetery in Helsingborg to upload on Billiongraves. It says Captain Carl August Nilsson, born September 8 1837, dead April 11 1876, sacrificed his life to save others.

Ofcourse that note on the stone made me wonder what happend. A look in the deathbook of Helsingborg shows that four men died that day by drowning, April 11 in 1876.

It was Carl August Nilsson age 39, Jacob Christian Åström, age 34, Nils Magnus Holmgren, age 23 and Nils Möller, age 43. Next to thier names it says "drunkning af våda" which means drowned by accident.

Helsingborgs stadsförsamling (Maria) FI:7 1875-1887

Helsingborgs stadsförsamling (Maria) FI:7 1875-1887

Here is Carl August Nilsson in the houseexamineroll with his family at the time he died, it is his wife Ingrid Christina Andersson (born May 31 1835, Helsingborg), their son Albert William (born January 20 1864, Helsingborg), daughter Elise Josefina (born April 15 1867) and daughter Olga Emilia (born Septemer 8 (same date as her father) in 1874, Helsingborg).

Helsingborgs stadsförsamling (Maria) AI:65 page  287

In the newspapers there was a small article, apparently there was a storm causing a lot of problem with the ships outside Helsingborg and it mentions Nils Möller and Jacob Christian Åström drowning as well as two other sailors not mentioned by name, but I guess that would have to be Carl August Nilsson and Nils Magnus Holmberg,

Blekingeposten April 17 1876

Children of Sven Peter Rickard, Part 1, daughter Karna

Looking at my familytree the other day I was a bit annoyed missing information about Sven Peter Richards children in his marriage with Kjerstin Nilsdotter. I have put my focus on Nils Svensson Richard (1828 - 1913) my 3rd great grandfather and his children who emigrated to the US.

Now I have spent a couple of days and I think it is time to share some of the results.

Family of Karna

First child, Karna Svensdotter Rickard, born July 14 1825 in Kviinge. She Married Nils Olsson (1821 - 1877) and so far I have found six children.

Hjärsås AI:3 (1876-1885) page 102

Kjersti Nilsdotter, born in Hjärsås, January 19 1855
Bengta Nilsdotter, born in Hjärsås, January 10 1857
Nils Nilsson, born in Hjärsås, June 4 1859
Ola Nilsson, later Ola Nilsson Rosengren, born in Hjärsås, March 26 1864
Anders Nilsson, born in Hjärsås, August 24 1865
Anna Nilsdotter, born in Härsås,  February 1869

Nils Olsson died on April 15 1877 in Hjärsås. He died from smallpox.

Hjärsås FI:1 (1877-1894) page 2

Karna died October 29 in 1887 from TBC.

Hjärsås FI:1 (1877-1894) page 68

31-day genealogy challenge - Day 14

First, I was going to write and post this yesterday but I followed the news from the terrible happenings in Norway. First the bombing and then the shootings.  This is not at all a political blog but it is happenings like this that affects so many people and sure put a deep mark into my timeline.

Day 14.

I had a week of "genealogy light" and now Im back into the heavier stuff (can I write like that?). We went to Ängelholm to visit our favorite second-hand bookshop. It was closed, owner on vacation. So, we turned our heads toward the libary, old newspapers on microfilm is never wrong and they have different papers compared to the library i Helsingborg. Well, only to notice they have paper from 1992 on spot, older you need to order. Ok. Looked into the books. Found a great one. Svensk Bebyggelse, Kristianstad Län from 1945. Seems like back in the 1940s it was quite popular to drive through Sweden, taking a picture of every house and every farm, writing a little text about it (when its built, who is the ower, when is the owner born and who are the owner parents). Ive bought a DVD set with a simular booktitle (Svenska Gods och gårdar) but it has mainly farms and not houses in the cities in it.

Its not like you go out and look for a book like that, its hard to look for something you dont know excist. Browsed through it and I found two interesting entries.

First, one in Vinslöv. This is the house of my greatgrandmothers aunts husband sisters. The aunt and husband emigrated to the US, I found thier decendants awhile ago, we keep in touch and Im trying to find out everything I can on the husbands side of the family. They didnt have a clue he had two sisters who stayed in Sweden (nor that the wife had a sister that stayed as well).

Second. My grandfathers brother. He build the house. The book is from 1945 and he died that same year.

Day 14 completed:
 *Found a book at the libray that contained pictures of my relatives houses