Mystery Monday - Was there another child?

Nels Henry Nelson was the oldest son of Jens Nelson and Anna Nilsdotter Rickard. He was born in Vinslöv parish, Sweden August 22 in 1885. In 1887 he emigrated with his mother and younger brother Carl Emil to America, a year after their father and Annas husband Jens went there.

Nels married Emma Larson and they had a son, Howard Emmet Nelson, born September 21 in 1915.

Howard Emmett Nelson

Looking close on the birth certificate of Howard, it says:

Number of children to this mother, including present birth: 2
Number of children of this mother now living: 1

I had this birth certificate for years and only recently noticed that detail.

Since Howard was born in 1915, this child must have been born sometime after 1910 but before 1914 and probably in Minneapolis and Hennepin county. At Minnesota Historical Society there were two possible birth certificates from 1913, with surname Nelson and mothers maiden name Larson. 18 USD later I found the right one:

A baby girl, stillborn on April 15 in 1913 in Minneapolis.

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

Sunday's Obituary - Anna Nelson in Minnesota

For a long time I tried to trace my greatgrandmothers siblings Anna, Elna, Andrew and Nels who emigrated to the US. After many, many hours of searching I found them in Minnesota. This was also the time I first came in contact with Minnesota Historical Society. I was in for a surprise when I got the death certificate of Anna in the mail.  It said she died from fracture ribs, perforation lungs and chock.

Anna Nelson Death Certificate

Later when I got intouch with decentants of Anna I found out she had been kicked by a horse.

During the whole time I had been trying to search online newspapers to find information about what had happend to Anna. She was married to Jens Nelson. No matter how I tried I could not find anything.

Well, eventually I did find a small notice about Anna. The reason it took so long for me to find it was that I didn't consider the possibility for the newspaper to mix up her name. So, instead of Mrs. Jens Nelson they printed Mrs. Nels Jenson.

The Princeton Union September 28 1905, page 7

Motivation Monday - My goals for June

Usually for my genealogy and family history research I have no motivation problems.. it is all the other things that needs to be done.. fixing in the garden, clean up the house, grocery shopping, doing laundry and of course work - nah,  just kidding, I have a bit of a hard time to focus on research if the house is a mess...

But for June I am going to try something different, I am going to put up some goals. I usually take a look at the trees Im researching and then pick something I find interesting. Or if I am bored with my own research I pick a headstone and try to find out as much as possible or try to help someone with questions on some genealogy forum.

So, June, here are my goals:

1) Register the remaining headstones at http://www.genealogi.se/gravproj/Gravsoklist.php for Kropp cemetery. I signed up as a volunteer to do this and I have done a lot but now I feel I need to finish it.
Deadline: June 16 (probably 5 hours of work)

2) Write minimum two blogposts a week. At least one should be about my Verno-side of the family and at least one about my Seck-side. Those are the sides of the family where I don't have a lot of information and I need to focus. My Seck and Verno side are right now (four generations back) in Estonia and Russia.
Deadline: June 30 (probably 20 hours of work, including research)

3) Order a DNA test. I am so curious about the possibility to get a DNA test for genealogy purposes. I understand the basics but as soon as I try to get a deeper understanding I give up. I am thinking that if I get a test done it will be easier to understand if I have the real result, letters and numbers infront of me.
Deadline: June 30 (30 minutes of work)

4) I also need to finally get the muster rolls of Andrew Richardson from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Andrew Richardson was my great granduncle who emigrated from Sweden to the US and for some reason ended up in the Spanish-American war.
Deadline: June 30 (15 minutes of work)

Those things are what needs to be done. Besides that, as much research as I feel like :) :)

Somehow connected to my family.. don't know who, where or when

Children of Sven Peter Rickard, part 5a, son Sven

Sven Peter Rickard was my 4th great grandfather. He is a brickwall backwards, I haven't been able to find his birth and parents. He seemed to be an interesting person (lookes like he was married four times and he had an interesting occupation, husar/soldier). So meanwhile trying to find out about his past I'm trying to find out as much as possible about his descendants. This is about his fifth child, son Sven, in the marriage with Kjersti. I have decided to make a part 5a and b about Sven. Part 5a is about Sven in Sweden, b will be posted another day and will be about a Sven in the US that might be "my Sven" but since I am not certain I want to keep them apart.

Sven Svensson Rickard was born in Kviinge on December 15 in 1836.

Sven birth: Kviinge CI:3 page 339

Sven and his family lives in Kviinge, nr 15, Torp 5.

Torp 5 Kviinge AI:5 page 66

In 1846, the year when Sven is turning 10 years old, he, his father Sven Peter, mother Kjersti and brother Gustaf moves to Vinslöv. The distance between Kviinge and Vinslöv is about 15 kilometers.

A = Kviinge, B = Vinslöv

When Sven is 16, in 1852, he moves to Färlöv. He lives at Bjärlöv nr 10, and work as a farmhand. Living at the same place is also his half-sister Gunnild Svensdotter and her husband Bengt Jönsson. Sven stays at Bjärlöv for a year, until 1853.

Sven at nr 10 Bjäröv in Färlöv:  Färlöv AI:9 page 126

From Färlöv, Sven moves to Hjärsås. Unfortunatly there was a fire in Hjärsås in the end of 1800 which destroyed 200 years of church books. This could have been the end of the story about Sven, but I was quite lucky.

A = Kviinge,  B = Vinslöv, C = Färlöv, D = Hjärsås

Since Sven only stayed for a year in Färlöv I took a chance he only stayed for a year in Hjärsås as well.. and I was lucky. In the moving-book, year 1854, he is moving from Axeltorp, together with a whole lot of other people to the US.

Sven emigrating to the US: Hjärsås B:1 page 75

So, 18 years old, in 1854, he leaves Sweden and moves to the US. When I first found out about his brother Gustaf emigrating in 1867 I thought that was early. But Sven is by far the earliest emigrant related to me I have found so far. That is so cool, fun and exciting!

Children of Sven Peter Rickard, part 4, son Gustaf

Sven Peter Rickard was my 4th great grandfather. He is a brickwall backwards, I havent been able to find his birth and parents. He seemed to be an interesting person (lookes like he was married four times and he had an interesting occupation, husar/soldier). So meanwhile trying to find out about his past Im trying to find out as much as possible about his descendants. This is about his forth child, son Gustaf, in the marriage with Kjersti.

Gustaf was born in Kviinge, August 21 in 1833.

Gustaf birth: Kviinge CI:3 page 313

Gustaf, his older siblings and parents Kviinge AI:4 page 54

In 1846, Sven Peter, wife Kersti, Gustaf and his younger brother Sven moved to Vinslöv. In 1850, Gustafs older brother, Nils moved to Vinslöv as well and they seems to have lived close to eachother.
Then when Gustaf was 19 (in 1852) he joined the army. When joining the army he got a new surename, Holmberg.

He moved to Ingnaberga parish where he lived in his (problably) little soldierhouse, called Gulastorp 2. He was a soldier between 1852 and 1867.

Gustaf decided to emigrate and he went to America in 1867, 34 years old.

Husar Gustaf R Holmberg Vankiva B:3 page 127

I think "my" Gustaf is the one found in Dayton, Iowa in the 1900 census. Everything seems to match, except his birthyear (1834 in census instead of 1833). He is married to a woman called Ida, she is also from Sweden and they got married in 1868. He is a cobbler.

Gustaf and Ida: Year: 1900; Census Place: Dayton, Webster, Iowa; Roll: 465; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0172; FHL microfilm: 1240465.

 Ida and Gustaf are found in the 1910 census as well, living at the same place. In 1920 census Ida is a widow.

At find a grave there is a couple that seems to be Ida and Gustaf. In that case, Gustaf died in 1910 and Ida in 1922. They are buried at Dayton Cemetery, Webster County, Iowa.

Gust Holmberg (1833 - 1910) - Find A Grave Memorial
Ida Holmberg (1849 - 1922) - Find A Grave Memorial

That is what I have found out about Gustaf Svensson Rickard AKA Gustaf R Holmberg AKA Gust Holmberg. Perhaps in time, it will show that Im wrong.. or that Im right. For now, Im 98% sure that Im right,

Children of Sven Peter Rickard, part 3, daughter Anna

Sven Peter Rickard was my 4th great grandfather. He is a brickwall backwards, I havent been able to find his birth and parents. He seemed to be an interesting person (lookes like he was married four times and he had an interesting occupation, husar/soldier). So meanwhile trying to find out about his past Im trying to find out as much as possible about his descendants. This is about his third child, daughter Anna, in the marriage with Kjesti.

The third child of Sven Peter and Kjersti was the daughter Anna. She was born in Kviinge, on August 20 in 1830.

Anna birth: Kviinge CI:3 page 291

Anna in houseexamineroll with a line over her name. She died only a couple of weeks after her first birthday.

The family in the houseexamineroll: Kviinge AI:3 page sid 24

 From the deathbook. It says Anna died from Augustifeber (augustfever). I noticed the priest wrote Anna Petersdotter when I would think it would be Anna Svensdotter. He also left out the name Sven and it says her fathers name was Peter Rickard.

Anna death: Kviinge CI:3 page 291

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

Happy New Year

My 2012 genealogy and family history highlights:

February: Who Do You Think You Are Live in London. My first time in London. Had such a great time, a true genealogy bootcamp at genealogy heaven :).

August: A two day family reuninon on my grandfather Kvist line. First day, barbeque and hanging out, second day a visit at the cemetery and later a nice dinner. Met so many people I never met before, some of my fathers cousins and my second cousins. Great days and even the weather was nice! See what could happen when you start a familygroup on Facebook...

All year: My research and findings on Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer AKA Andrew Richardson. He has been dead for more than 80 years and didn't have any family of his own but still I find small pieces here and there which amazes me. And as late as yesterday, New Years Eve, I made another discovery that so fits into his puzzle.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and thanks for all your nice comments and emails!

Andrew Richardson and the Spanish-American war, part 2

As I wrote in an earlier post I suspected Andrew Richardson, my great granduncle had participated in the Spanish-American war after I found a Veteran Grave index record at Minnesota Historical Society. It didn't take 30 business days for the record to arrive but Ive been checking the mailbox everyday waiting for that letter to arrive. The day before yesterday was my lucky day. Every weekday at lunch I drive home to take the dog out for a walk. Just letting the dog into the house again that day I saw the yellow post car and waited for the postman to drop the mail off. There it was. All the way from Minnesota. How exciting it is before you open it. You think "Now all my questions will get answers".

I sat down in my car and opend it. At least I didn't open it standing next to the mailbox even if I wanted to. Two pages. A lot of fields with great information to fill out.. which hadn't been filled out. Well, it did say he served in Philippine Insurrection, birthdate was 1858 and birthplace Sweden, no more details than that. And then the feeling you get when you realize you didn't get any answers, just a few more questions. But that is why we all love genealogy and family history research right?

So many interesting fields to fill out,
homcome are most of them empty?

Drove back to work and used the last minutes of my lunch to scan the papers and email it to Andrews relatives in the US.

Well, I also sent an email to Aitkin County Historical Society, giving them the birth and death data of Andrew and telling the story of that he might have been in the Spanish-American war, asking if they had any obituaries or newspaper clippings since their homepage said they have local newspapers on microfilm. (Ive been searching genealogybank.com, newspaperarchive.com and chroniclingamerica.loc.gov with no luck).

Yesterday (within 24 hours), I got an email reply from Aitkin County Historical Society with an obituary of Andrew Richardson attached to it. What a joy! Answers to my questions, yes, Andrew was a Spanish-American War veteran.

But then also a little sadness reading the obituary. He was found dead by a man named Frank Fowlds on the floor in his cabin seven miles from Palisade, where he lived alone . According to the coroner E E Seavey he had probably been dead for about three days. He lived much to himself making occasional visits to Minneapolis.

Andrew Richardson Obituary 1928

So, now I know for sure he was in the war and he had a government pension. I have emailed Aitkin County Historical Society trying to express how grateful I am for their help but the truth is I really can't explain how happy I am with words. Im sure you all know that feeling too as well. They day I get to the US and Minnesota their museum is definitely on my list on places to visit.

The search may continue. I now need to find out how to find out where to find him, how long and where he served during the war. Any suggestions? I think he was in Wisconsin aroud that period of time.

Andrew Richardson Death Certificate page 1

Andrew Richardson Death Certificate page 2

In Sweden Andrew Richardson was known as Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer. Born in Vinslöv, Kristanstad, Sweden January 26 1858.

Father:
Nils Svensson Rickard
b. August 8 1828, Kviinge, Sweden
d. May 27 1913, Vinslöv, Sweden

Mother:
Elna Holmgren
b. September 27 1820, Vanneberga, Sweden
d. March 14 1886, Vinslöv, Sweden

Siblings:

Anna Nilsdotter Rickard, in US aka Anna Nelson (married to Jens Nelson)
b. March 23 1853, Vanneberga, Sweden
d. July 17 1905, Swanville, Minnesota, US

Karna Nilsdotter Rickard (my greatgreat grandmother)
b. October 6 1855, Vinslöv, Sweden
d. January 10 1919, Bubbarp, Sweden

Nils Nilsson Rickard, in US aka Nels Richardson
b. February 23 1860, Vinslöv, Sweden
d. March 24 1935, Long Prairie, Minnesota, US

Elna Nilsdotter Rickard, in US aka Ellen Nelson (married to 1) Johannes Ericsson 2) Nels L Nelson)
b. July 6 1862, Vinslöv, Sweden
d. White Bear Lake, Minnesota, US

My Andrew Richardson in the Spanish-American war?

Just like any tree in my garden my familytree needs some trimming at times. And with that I don't mean cutting of branches (unless I discover someone is in the tree that shouldn't be there of course). I see it as giving the exsisting tree a little bit of extra care. Like now, after the release of the 1940 census, adding that information to the persons that are in the census. Or when I find a database or function on a webpage I haven't seen before, doing lookups on the people in my tree that it applies to.

A couple of days ago, I found a people finder at the Minnesota Historical Society homepage I hadn't noticed before. I typed in the names of my relatives who emigrated to Minnesota and I got an interesting match. My great-grandmothers brother Anders Nilsson Rickard Holmer (known in the US as Andrew Richardson) showed up in the Minnesota Veterans Grave Index.

The dates wasn't exactly right, his death certificate say August 1 as his date of death and the VGI said August 4 (which happens to be the date he was buried). According to the little information I am able to see at the page his military service was during the Spanish-American war. It didn't take me many minutes to press the buy button and pay 9 USD. Now I am just waiting for this paper to arrive in the snail mail...

Andrew was one of the first emigrants I found related to me which has made him feel a bit special. He was born in Vinslöv 1858 and for six years (1875-1881) he lived in Kristianstad. (For at least a couple of years he was an artillerist.) I don't know if that qualified him for the Spanish-American war in some way, after all, in 1898 it has been seventeen years since he was a soldier in Sweden. There are great info about people who was in the war, like this homepage. Seems like most of the soldiers were in their twenties or early thirties. Anders on the other hand would have been 40 in 1898. Most annoying I can't find any Andrew Richardson in any list. At the time, he might have been in Idaho or Wisconsin.

Anyday now I will get that document and hopefully be able to add some extra information about Andrew Richardson. He never married and died in Aitkin, Minnesota in 1928. He was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery.