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

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