Wedding Bells for Peter Tolf and Augusta Landstrom

How did this young couple meet I wonder? Peter August Tolf was born in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden 01 Jan 1858. Augusta Sophia Landstrom was born 13 Feb 1858 in Norra Sandsjö, Jonkopings, Sweden. While they weren’t terribly far from one another, they weren’t exactly neighbors. In May of 1878, Peter, three of his sisters and their parents immigrated…

Siblings Share a Headstone

Auntie died on this day in 1973. Six months later, her younger brother passed away. Auntie and Unkie lived together nearly all of their lives. It was fitting that these siblings should remain together even after death. Their headstone comes to mind every time another Find A Grave contributor asks me to link people as spouses. We can not assume…

Happy Camera Day!

This is a reminder to celebrate Camera Day by snapping a picture or two – of a loved one, your current vehicle or the place you live. Save those precious photos to a place your descendants can find them in 50 years. Imagine how much the value of your snapshot will increase over time. This picture of my…

Peter Swanson 1848-1937

From the July 1, 1937 edition of the St. Charles (Illinois) Chronicle; “PETER SWANSON The passing of Peter Swanson of 1042 4th street south Friday, after an illness of several weeks, removes an olden time and respected resident who has lived in this vicinity for nearly 70 years. Mr. Swanson was born in Sweden 88…

What I Learned at the Batavia Public Library

I shared my recent visit to the library here. I went with the hope of finding information that will lead me to the final resting place of my 3rd great-grandmother Helena Christina (Åman) Tolf. Batavia is a frequent stop when I visit Illinois. The library is lovely and the librarians are always very nice and…

Batavia Public Library

After undressing in the Kane County Courthouse [sheepish grin], Husband and I found a little pub in downtown Geneva. A flatbread pizza and glass of wine later, I was ready to resume my search for the burial location of my 3rd great-grandmother. Instead of visiting the Kane County Government Center (I’ll save that for another…

Kane County Courthouse

My recent visit to the Geneva History Museum was not my first attempt to find the final resting place of my 3rd-great-grandmother Helena Tolf. I’ve mailed death certificate requests to Kane County on several occasions over the years, each time hoping a different clerk would get the request and find this elusive record. All attempts…

Geneva History Museum

While I pondered about a genealogical to-do list for my recent trip to Chicago, I submitted a question to the Rootsweb ILKane mailing list: “Hello all, My 3rd great-grandmother Helena (nee Åman) Tolf died 13 Jan 1901. According to her obituaries, she died in Batavia and is buried at West Batavia Cemetery. But neither Kane County nor…

Harry Wilhelm Tolf

Born 07 April 1884 in Batavia, Kane, Illinois Died 06 Feb 1964 (Chicago, Cook, Illinois) From the Chicago Tribune, Friday 07 February 1964: “TOLF – Harry W. Tolf, husband of the late Judith; father of Earl, the late Donald, and Harriet Walton; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; brother of Katherine and Raymond Tolf. Resting at Edgar-Anderson Funeral…