My second great-grandfather was given the name Pehr August when he entered the world on 01 Jan 1858 in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden. He was the 5th of eight children born to spiksmed (nail-smith) Carl Tolf and his wife Helena Stina Åhman. Pehr was just 11 years old when his oldest brother Gustaf emigrated to America.…
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…
From page 1 of the Thursday, February 6, 1930 issue of the St. Charles [Illinois] Chronicle: “OBITUARY Mrs. Peter Swanson Mrs. Peter Swanson passed away at her home on Fourth St. south at 10 p.m. Thursday, January 30. Her death was the result of a paralytic stroke which she suffered on the previous Monday. Mrs.…
Every once in awhile I will stumble across a photo that makes me do a double-take. Do you have any of those in your tree? A picture of one person who looks so much like someone else in your tree you almost think it’s a… well…an impossibility? This picture had that effect on me. I never saw…
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…
My 5th great-grandfather Carl Tolf was a master blacksmith (hammarsmedsmästare) or in the words of Google Translate a “blacksmith’s hammer champion“. Carl lived primarily in Lindefors Bruk, Svenarum, Sweden for 60 years. He was born on this day in 1768 – that was 247 years ago. I have located a number of the Swedish church records in…
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…
Timing is everything. Rough draft plans for a mid-October road trip were on the table. Chicago, Door County Wisconsin, and Mackinac Island Michigan were the top contenders. I was Google-ing our options when I saw the “Civil War to Civil Rights” tour offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. At Oak Woods Cemetery. A place I’ve…
I wish I’d kept a list of all the cars I’ve owned since I started driving (illegally) 42 years ago. The last few are easy to remember. A precious few really stand out in my mind. Like the multi-shades-of-orange-manual-transmission Pinto. And the clunker I bought for $50 at a garage sale. To open the trunk,…
As a result, I couldn’t fix this: Husband and I recently took a genealogical road trip to Illinois. First Stop – Judy Russell. The Legal Genealogist spoke at the Chicago Genealogical Society meeting in Arlington Heights. That was a day well spent. Next up – locate the final resting place of two of my Tolf ancestors.…
where2look4ancestors 