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

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 - Else, born, married, dead and buried in the month of March

Today, 128 years ago it was the day before my second great grandmother Elses' wedding day. She got married on March 5 with my second great grandfather Jöns Torkelsson Berlin.

Jöns Berlin and Else Månsdotter got married on March 5 in 1886
ArkivDigital: Vinslöv EI:4  page 20 

The month of March contains the birthday of Else. She was born March 25, 1866, in Vinslöv, Sweden. As written above, she got married on March 5 in 1886. In the month of March she died on the 16th in 1893. Finally, on what that would have been her 32nd birthday, she was buried, March 25 in 1893.

Else is one of my favorite ancestors. I don't know much about her, but she and her husband Jöns were two of the first ancestors I had to do research to find. Before I started doing genealogy even their names were unknown to me. Also, seeing Else die so young, sixteen days after giving birth to her forth child made me a bit sad at the time I found out.

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.

Wordless Wednesday - Boys on horses

Two boys and two horses in front of a house. From an album that belonged to my great grandparents who lived in Farstop (Skåne, Sweden). I don't know who those boys are or where the picture was taken.

Friday’s Faces from the Past - Farstorp

Photo from 1909. The churches in the picture are Farstorp and Hästveda. My greatgrandfather Nils Anton Berlin was born and lived in Farstrop so when I found this photo I happily bought it, he was probably familiar with one or two of those priests.

Names in the picture. Herslow, Herrlin, Person, Lafvesson, Billing, Haslov, Rosenberg,
Ström, Helmers, Andersson, Theding. Löfström, Alf, Fokman, Pire

Military Monday - Jöns Torkelsson Berlin

Jöns Torkelsson Berlin was my greatgreatgrandfather. He was born on February 11, 1850 in Farstorp. His parents were Torkel Görtz and Kersti Nilsdotter. In 1868, August 29, he joined the cavalry, 18 years old.

Part of the document where Jöns signs up for the cavalry in 1868.

March 5, 1886 he married Else Månsdotter. They got married in Vinslöv where Else was born. Else then moved to Farstorp and the lived at Luhr 4. They had four children, Emma Christina (b March 2 1887), Nils Anton (b December 6 1888 (my great-grandfather), Anna (b December 24 1890) and Emil Anton (b February 28 in 1893). Else died when Emil Anton was only 25 days old. She was 31 years young.

When Jöns joined the cavalry, he got the soldier name Berlin. He was at Livskvadtonen, Kunliga Skånska Husarregementet. He stayed with the cavalry until September 21 in 1900 when he retired, 50 years old. He had been in the cavalry for 32 years. He got graded "excellent well"

Jöns Berlin, retiredocument from 1900

This is a picture that belonged to my greatgrandfather. It is possible that Jöns Berlin is one of the people in the picture. Ljungbyhed is where they had thier training.

Jöns Torkelsson Berlin, my greatgreatgrandfather
might be on this picture.

Jöns died April 5 in 1929, in Farstorp.

Children of Sven Peter Rickard, part 2, son Nils

Second child of Sven Peter Rickard and Kjerstin Nilsdotter was my 3rd great grandfather Nils Svensson Rickard. He was a shoemaker and lived most of his life in Vinslöv (Sven Peter Richard also moved to Vinslöv later on).

Family of my third great grandfather Nils Svensson Rickard

Nils Svensson Rickard was born in Kviinge on May 8 in 1828. December 12 he married his first wife (my 3rd great grandmother) Elna Holmgren, born Septemer 27 in Vanneberga.

They had five children:

1) Anna Nilsdotter Rickard AKA Anna Richardson and Anna Nelson born March 23 1853. She and her husband, Jöns Nilsson AKA Jens Nelson emigrated to the US. Jens in 1887 and Anna in 1888. First they went to Wisconsin but they ended up in Minnesota. Anna died in 1905 from injuried she got when kicked by a horse. Jens remarried and he died in 1930. They had five children together. Jens had two children with his new wife.

Anna and her two oldest sons on the passenger list

2) Karna Nilsdotter Rickard, AKA Karna Persson born October 6 1855. Karna was my 2nd great grandmother. Karna had four children, Hanna, Marie, Jöns Anton and Per, all born out of wedlock. I have never found any wedding certificate but she lived with and worked for Per Persson. Karna died January 10 in 1919 from the Spanish flue. Only three days before her son Per died from Spanish Flue as well.

From Farstop, Karna, Per and Per

3) Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer AKA Andrew Richardson born 26 Jan 1858 in Vinslöv. Andrew is very special to me. He was the first person I foumd related to me who emigrated. In 1882 he emigrated to the USA and his destination was Webster City. He later came to Wisconsin, he was in the Spanish-American war and then in 1920 he lived in Minnesota. He was found dead in his house in August 1928. Andrew never got married.

Andrew Richardson

4) Nils Nilsson Rickard AKA Nels Richardson born February 23 1860 in Vinslöv. He also emigrated to the USA in 1882. He ended up in Minnesota as well and died in 1935. Nels never married.

1920 Census, Nels and Andrew Richardson

5) Elna Nilsdotter Rickard AKA Ellen Nelson born July 6 1862 in Vinslöv. Elna emigrated with her youngest daughter Elina Ceclia in 1891. Elna had another daugher Ellen who she left with Nils Svensson Rickard in Vinslöv. Ellen first married Johan Eriksson and after he died she married Nels Nelson. Ellen and Nels and children lived in Minnesota. Ellen died in 1950.

Elna in the birthbook Vinslöv CI:9 page 4

Christmas at a hospital? Unidentified photo

This picture, probably somewhere in Sweden, is from an old album that used to belong to my greatgrandfather with surname Berlin. He lived in Farstorp in the south of Sweden I dont know who the people in the picture are but it looks like it is Christmas celebration at a hospital?

31-day genealogy challenge - Day 16

My 31-day genealogy challenge is over, last day was August 7. Its been great trying to do something with genealogy / family history everyday for 31 days and at least one different thing every day. The hardest part has been to blog about it everyday, thats why the posts are somewhat delayed.

Anyway, day 16. About two months ago, going through "hints" on my trees at Ancestry.com I found something.. A tree with an cousin of my grandfather I didnt know about. I emailed the person who put up the tree and asked my mother if she ever had heard of that cousin. She had not. I looked into birthbooks and everything with this cousin was accurate. A few days later I got a reply from the woman who made the tree, which is my mothers second cousin. She and my mom talked on the phone a few times and Day 16 it was time to go visit her.

I brought my computer, camera and scanner with me and I went there together with my parents. We had a great time. Comparing photos and noticing we had the same ones. She also had letters written by my greatgrandfather to her sister which I scanned. We went to the cementary (which I ofcouse put up on Billiongraves.com) and we drove by the house where my greatgrandparents used to live. While going on this sightseeing, driving on those narrow roads we ran into one of my mothers cousins who probably hadent met in quite many years. I didnt know, but I and her son are born on the exact same date and year. Cool. She also told us that just around the corner another cousin of mom where working, chopping some woods. We went by and said hi to him as well.

So, I truly had a great time. Some of the photos got identified, that is awesome. I know most of the people on those photos are relatives but it is always nice to know exactly.

Emma Berlin - sister of my
greatgrandfather Nils Anton Berlin.
One of the pictures we got identified.

Even if we thought we knew about all of my grandfathers cousins, we didnt. And that is why it is so good to put your research online, in this case at ancestry where thanks to the hintssystem two secondcousins found eachother. Ive had simular experience at geni.com where Ive also found relatives.

Letter written by Nils Anton Berlin
in 1909 to his sister Emma Berlin while
he was in the military.

Day 16 completed:
*Visited my mothers second cousin we never met before
*Went to see my greatgrandfathers house
*Identified a lots a pictures, scanned letters and pictures.
*Added Farstorp at billiongraves.com