Sympathy Saturday - Dead on the ground

Dead on the ground is noted as cause of death of 73-year old Stina Svensdotter in Djursdala, Sweden. It seems like she disappeared on October 10 and on Christmas Eve her body was found. The body is mutilated and torn by predators writes the priest in the death-and funeral book.

The priest in Djurdala has written pretty detailed, much more than I am used to find in those areas I usually research.

She was born in the parish of Horn and the house Erstorp. Father was Sven Persson and mother Annika Svensdotter. Married 1770 to farmhand Johan Danielsson.

The funeral is on New Years Eve in 1809.

Her husband dies in 1813 of "vattusot", an old Swedish word meaning oedema.

Friday's Faces From the Past - DIY Bracelet

I made a bracelet for my mother for her birthday a couple of weeks ago. I printed out photos of my second great grandmothers, Marie Tedder and Karna Nilsdotter Rickard, my great grandmothers Julia Verno and Hanna Persson and my grandmother Ludmila Seck. I glued them onto small photo framependants I found at my local craft store and then attached them to a leather bracelet.

It took some hours to make it, first to get the right proportion of the pictures, I did have to print them out a couple of times before I got them right. Then deciding the design of the bracelet and getting the pendants to stay in place. But I think it turned out quite nice in the end. And now I want a bracelet like that of my own.

*UPDATE*

Christmas lights - 4 December 2014 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

Christmas lights - yes. Well. candles.

About every other year I and some friends makes our own candles. It takes hours, we do it in a garage and it is usually pretty cold. But the result is good and it is nice to bring homemade candles as a gift at times.

Every Adventsunday before Christmas I light a candle in a special candleholder with four candles. This special holder I made in school when I was about 13.

Another special candleholder that always has been on my parents table during Christmas Eve and now is on my table used to be my greatgrandpartents, Nils Anton Berlin and Hanna Persson. It holds seven candles and when they all are lit it is definitely Christmas.

During December 2014 I will blog inspired by the blog prompts of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories at Genabloggers.com.

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

I have also joined #blogg24, a blogchallenge to post a blogpost everyday started by Fredrik Pallin from December 1st until December 24.

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.

Friends or relatives - Friday's Faces from the Past

Every now and then I look trough my collection of scanned old photographies. Most of them belonged to my great grandfather Nils Anton Berlin and great grandmother Hanna Persson in Farstorp so probably they are a mix of their relatives and friends on their both family lines. And no, no notes of names anywhere, I mean, they were fully aware of who all these people were.

When looking I usually notice some new detail. I try to figure out by the clue of how many people there are on the picture, male/females, children and age what family it might be.

So, there are a some people that appears in more than one photo and today I am looking at two specific photos. One is of five men in uniform. One of them,  I think is a brother of my great grandmother.

Then there is this other man who appears on other pictures as well in uniform. Now I am thinking that he might be the same man that also appears on other photos that are more like family group photos.

Man in the middle might be my great-grandmothers brother. The man to the left, who is he?

The man in the back to the right, who is he?

So, is it possible that those two men are one and the same? 5-10 years of time difference between the photos perhaps. The lips, nose and ears looks pretty much the same I think.

Same man?

Now, if it happens to be the same man, then who is he? A relative or a good friend someone got to know when being in the military? A neighbor? 

And the children on the second picture, are they siblings?  I haven't found any relative that had seven children, five girls and two boys. Or, they could be cousins or even not related at all.

Anyhow, there are plenty of people in the pictures, meaning there would probably be more copies of those pictures. Perhaps even with names on it. 

Lots of questions still waiting for answers, they joy of genealogy - endless problem solving.

Have a nice Friday!

Fearless Females - Anna Olsdotter - my third great grandmother

I am joining in on the Fearless Females blogging prompts started by Lisa Alzo starting to day, March 1. Todays prompt  "Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check." 

One of my female ancestors that I would like to know more about is my third great grandmother Anna Olsdotter. She was born in Fjälkestad, Sweden in 1830.

When Anna was 25 she had her daughter Margareta (my second great grandmother). Margareta was born out of wedlock and the father was not listed. A couple of months before the birth of Margareta Anna moved from the farm she was working as a maid to another parish, Annerstad. Margareta was born on August 7 in 1855.

From the birth book - birth of Margareta
ArkivDigital: Annerstad CI:3 (1815-1860) page 113 

When Margareta was about four years old she came to a couple, Anders Persson and Karna Ek, as a foster child and that is where she grew up. Anders and Karna didn't have any other children.

Who was the father of Margareta, why did Anna leave her with Anders and Karna and what happened with Anna?

Well, I guess I might never know who the father of Margareta was, but I have a suspect. The husband at the farm where Anna was working as a maid about the time when she got pregnant. Why do I think he might be the one?

When Anna and Margareta moves away from Annerstad, Margareta is listed with the surname Vollmarsdotter. The name of the man at the farm was Vollemar and that is not a very common name, not like Nils or Anders. Second: Margareta ended up living with Anders and Karna, guess what, Anders was the brother of Vollemar. Vollemar and his family later emigrated to the US in 1867.

What happened to Anna after she left Margareta with Anders and Karna? I am not sure, I have been trying to follow her to see if she had any more children or if she got married, but no luck yet. I don't know much about Anna but it can't have been easy for her having Margareta out of wedlock and then leave her with Anders and Karna.

Wedding Wednesday - Unknown couple

This couple is in a photo album that has belonged to either my great grand parents Nils Anton Berlin and Hanna Persson in Farstorp or perhaps thier son-in-law. The photo is taken at Atelier Söderholm in Kristianstad so the couple probably lived somewhere in the Skåne area.

Unknown couple

Friday's Faces from the Past - Great grandparents Berlin

My great grandparents, Nils Anton Berlin and Hanna Persson.

Nils Anton Berlin and Hanna Persson.
Photographer Herman Piil, Hässleholm

Nils Anton Berlin: Born December 6, 1888, Farstorp
Parents: Jöns Torkelsson Berlin and Else Månsdotter

Hanna Persson: Born September 12, 1881, Farstorp.
Parents: Born out of wedlock. Mother: Karna Nilsdotter Rickard, father Unknown.

Married: February 17, 1912

Nils and Hanna.

Hanna died February 24, 1958 and Nils May 12, 1976.