Tombstone Tuesday - Sailor Edvard Meijer, drowned in the Atlantic Ocean

A while I go I was at the old cemetery in Helsingborg (Sweden) uploading photos to Billiongraves.com. Walking around I often wonder about the people and about thier lives. Many of them passed away more that 100 years ago. Today I picked sailor Edvard Meijers' tombstone. Edvard August Ferdinand Meijer was born in Helsingborg (Sweden) July 30 in 1857. His father was brewer F A Meijer and his mother Carolina Marie Rolfes.

Sjömannen Edvard Meijer * 30/7 1857 + på Atlanten 29/7 1881

The tombstone says Sailor Edvard Meijer, born July 30 1857. Dead on the Atlantic Ocean July 27 1881. He died (drowed) one day before his 24th birthday. I tried to  find out more by searching some old newspaper to see if I could find out what happened but no luck this time.

Below is from the birth book. Edvards father, died in 1860. In 1861 Carolina remarried with a man called Johan Fredrik Granlund. He died only four years later, in 1865.

From the birth book.  Helsingborgs stadsförsamling (Maria) CI:9 page 527
(AID: v107209.b266.s527, NAD: SE/LLA/13171)

Edvard had a couple of siblings (those are the ones I have found):

• Agda Mathilda A, born October 19, 1851 in Halmstad
• Christina Constantina H, born August 26, 1855 in Halmstad
• Sigfrid Stefan Frithiof, born May 30, 1860, in Helsingborg,died in Christmas Eve (Dec 24), 1861
• Carl Johan Fredrik, born December 12, 1861 in Helsingborg

Looking through the deathbook I didnt find any record of him in July. Instead he is one of the last posts in 1881.

From the death book. Helsingborgs stadsförsamling (Maria) FI:7 1875-1887
(AID: v107238.b207, NAD: SE/LLA/13171)

Edvard and his family is not related to me.

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