April 21-27

Seeing the places where my ancestors lived their lives was an amazing part of last year’s trip to Scandinavia.

BIRTHS:

It was an emotional experience being in the spot where “our” cottage stood 154 years ago. Elis Peterssdotter, who I wrote about here, was born at a farm called Skiften in Tånnö April 25th, 1870. I’m so thankful to the local historical society for marking the location of each farm that appeared in the local church records. Their hard work made it possible for us to find Elis’ exact place of birth.

Elis, also known as Elizabeth or Lizzie in later records, was the third daughter born to Peter Johan Johannesson and Johanna Kristina Andreasdotter. Elis and her older sisters Maria (my great-great grandmother) and Emma would immigrate to North America while in their teens. Younger brother Johan Gustav would follow them.

Another significant ancestor in my family tree was also born April 25th. My great-great grandmother, Maria Mangels was born in 1859 in Königsberg, a port city on the southeastern corner of the Baltic Sea. *Today the city is called Kaliningrad and is the capital of the Russian province of the same name, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic Coast. Dubbed Königsberg during centuries of Prussian rule, the city was largely reconstructed after WWII. Traces of its German heritage can be seen in the surviving Brandenburg Gate and the riverside Fishing Village, a dining and shopping destination with re-created medieval-style buildings. *Quick Facts from Google Maps

Was Maria Prussian? German? Russian? Polish? Her maiden name, Maria Bukmakofski makes me lean toward the latter. My limited knowledge of Maria is primarily of her life in Chicago. She immigrated in 1882, arriving in Baltimore, and traveled to the Windy City. She married a widower in 1886 and had three known children. I recently connected with another direct descendant of Maria’s and look forward to working with her to tell Maria’s story.

DEATHS:

Two of the notable deaths I’d like to highlight this week are on the French branch of my family tree.

Mary Mathilda Droll is the Ohio-born daughter of Nicolaus and Maria-Anne Schmitt, my 3rd great grandparents. Nicknamed Tilly, she was the only one of three children born in Ohio to live to adulthood, but she was surrounded by older siblings who had been born in France. Tilly, who died April 23, 1917, shares a final resting place with two of her sisters in Cincinnati Ohio.

Jean Bouché was married to my 6th great-grandmother Françoise Adam. They had three known children before Jean’s death on the 26th of April 1737, in Boulay, Moselle, Lorraine, France. The widowed Françoise married a widower named Jean Schmitt (my 6th great-grandfather) in 1739. The couple had three known children together before Françoise died in 1745.