No, this isn’t one of those jokes. A Norwegian immigrant named Peter Thompson married a Swedish immigrant named Maria Fredrika Peterson in Chicago in 1883. How they met is a mystery. Family lore has it that Maria worked as a house servant in San Francisco’s Nob Hill when she first arrived in America. How she came…
She died. And then she disappeared. According to the local newspaper, my 3rd great-grandmother died 13 January 1901: From the Batavia (Illinois) Herald, Wednesday 16 January 1901, “Death of an Aged Mother – Died, at the home of her daughters, Misses Christina and Amanda Tolf, on Hueston (sic) St., West Batavia, Sunday, Jan 13, 1901, after…
I come from a long line of Tolfs. And that’s quite an accomplishment for a Swede! You see, genealogists researching in Scandinavian countries generally encounter the patronymic naming practice early on. Since Tolf was the first name I added to my family tree, I was fortunate not to have the extra challenge of ever-changing surnames. According to Ancestry.com, Tolf was…
My 5th great-grandfather Carl Tolf was born on this date in 1768 (246 years ago!) in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden. Here’s a brief pedigree for the cousins following this line: Carl TOLF (1768-1827) married Helena Jonasdotter WIDERBERG and they had a son named Carl Jonas; Carl Jonas TOLF (1795-1833) married Maja Lisa LIDSTROM and they had a son…
Feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks on your genealogy to-do list? Oh my gosh, me too! Last month I decided to let my ancestors guide me through what should be done next to tell their stories. I started by printing a monthly calendar from Family Tree Maker. Each day lists an event in the life of one…
Here’s a rainy day project idea. Peruse the surnames of your direct line ancestors and jot down a question or two you’d like answered for each name on your list. My list is below: Françoise ADAM (my French 6th great-grandmother): when/where was she born? when/where did she marry Jean Schmitt? Magnus ÅMAN (my Swedish 4th great-grandfather):…
Happy September birthday to the leaves on my family tree including my eldest incredible grandson, my nephew Zach, my uncle Ernie, my grand-uncle Fran, my cousin Michael, and to Andrea – my first cousin once-removed, Branden and Tyler – my first cousins-twice removed, and Joseph – my 4th cousin once-removed. September births from the roots…
Happy July birthday to my niece Christina; nephews Drew and Justin; cousins Cynthia, David and Ernie Lynn; 3rd cousins once-removed Dave, Jim, Pat and Steve; 4th cousin John; 4th cousin once-removed Angel; and my Aunt Karen. Birthdays among my Swedish Carlsons: My 2nd great-grandmother Maja Stina KARLSDOTTER was born in Börstil, Uppsala, Sweden 02 Jul 1839. Four of her six children immigrated…
where2look4ancestors 