Multiples

We seem to be a family with very few multiple births. The only modern day multiples I know of are the twins born to my cousin Joel and his wife in 2002. But we certainly aren't known for our multiple births. Yet, there is ONE that I can report on in this post.

Kerstin Larsdotter is my 3rd great grandmother on the Olofson side. She was born to Lars Larsson and his wife Greta Ericksdotter in Farila Parish in Gavleborg County. Kerstin was one of 5 children born to this couple, and she is a twin.

• Son Lars, born July 27, 1800
• Son Eric, born April 23, 1802
• Daughters Kerstin and Marta (or Martha), born May 4, 1804
• Daughter Brita, born March 2, 1807

Marta and Kerstin, twins, born May 4, christened May 5, to farmer Lars Larsson and his wife Greta Ericsdotter in Fone (the farm in Farila Parish). The mother was 36 years old; the last column contains names of witnesses

So, maybe there's nothing too remarkable about one set of twins. But let's take a closer look at Kerstin and Marta.

Every year in Sweden, the priest would conduct a clerical survey of each household in the parish. His goal was to check on the knowledge of the Bible that each family member had, vaccinations, determine any births, marriages or deaths that occurred in the past year, and who might have moved in or out of the parish. The records are incredibly useful to a family historian and very detailed.

In several clerical surveys for Farila Parish, Marta Larsdotter is shown as having epilepsy. In the early 1800s, there would have been no treatment for epilepsy, and the physical toll it would have taken on Marta would have been tremendous. Marta died at the age of 24 on June 18, 1828. The cause of death was listed as convulsions.

The farmer Lars Larsson's daughter, Martha of Fone (the farm) died of convulsions on June 18, buried on June 22. She was 24 years, 1 month, and 14 days old.

Marta was the second child in this family of 5 children to die. In 1827, older brother Lars died of a "nerve fever" (perhaps rheumatic fever). Lars' and Marta's deaths left just 3 siblings in this family, one being the surviving twin Kerstin.

We know that Marta had epilepsy that was recorded by the parish priest in each yearly survey, but twin Kerstin also suffered from a life-long problem. My 3rd great grandmother was listed as being "hard of hearing" in several clerical surveys while she was growing up.

In case you don't know how Kerstin fits into our family, she married Olof Olsson in 1834. They had 6 children before immigrating to the United States in 1850, settling in Wisconsin. They lost their youngest child during their immigration. The family of Olof, Kerstin, and 5 children lived in Wisconsin where Olof died, family stories indicate from a logging accident. No one researching this family has found a location or date of his death. Another family story has Kerstin (now known as Christine Olofson) walking with  her surviving children to Iowa where she settled in the Stratford area. 

Christine Olofson's son Olof Olofson was my second great-grandfather, his son William Edward Olofson was my great grandfather, and Maude Edith Olofson was my grandmother.

I've not seen a mention in any record in the United States that Christine Olofson (Kerstin Larsdotter) had difficulty hearing, but I have no reason to doubt what the priest wrote in every yearly survey in Sweden.

And so, to my knowledge (and with apologies if I've left out a multiple birth in our family), we have just the two: Joel's and Lars', 198 years apart. I feel safe in saying that our Swedes aren't known for multiples!

How They Died

What do we know about how our Swedish ancestors died? Do we have any common illnesses, genetic issues, that we should know about?

The Swedish death records, depending on the parish priest's interest in writing a proper obituary,  sometimes contained elements of our ancestors' lives, hints about other family members, and sometimes the cause of death. Here are just a few from our ancestors:

One of my 7th great grandmothers, Anna Larsdotter, an ancestor to Maude Edith Olofson, was born on March 11, 1694 in Farila Parish, Gavleborg County. Her death record states the following:

Farmer's daughter, Anna Larsdotter, born in 1694, on March 11, was the daughter of the farmer Lars Mansson of Fone, and her mother was Karin Olofsdotter. She was married in 1721 and had 6 children -- 4 sons and 2 daughters. She was a widow as of March 28 of last year She had good health, but in the last year she was in mourning. She probably laid on her soft bed as she was taken with grief. She died at 80 years, 10 1/2 weeks.

What wonderful hints about her, her husband and his death, how many children to research and follow.

 A 7th great grandfather, also on the Olofson line, was Olof Ersson, who lived from 1666 to 1747 in Farila Parish, Gavleborg Parish. His death record indicates that he "lived with his wife of 50 years who is still living. They had 5 sons and 3 daughters. He lived an honest life but was in weak health and died of rheumatoid arthritis on Sunday, April 27, 1747, at the age of 81 years and 4 months."

From this record, we learn that his wife is still alive; how many children, in case we've missed any, how old he was so we can trace back to his birth record if we don't have it.

Going to the Linn ancestors, my 4th great grandmother Greta Carlsdotter, mother-in-law to Olaus Fredricsson, has the following obituary that contains several hints for research:

Greta Carlsdotter from Amundarp died June 24, 1823. She was born in Edshult on December 15, 1764. She was married in 1782 to the farmhand Jonas Mansson and was widowed in 1788. Mother in this marriage to two daughters, both of whom are living. She married in 1793 to Corporal Johan Tomt and with him conceived 4 children, 3 sons and 1 daughter, who are still alive. She died at age 58 years, 6 months, and 9 days. Cause of death was pain.

Greta married twice and had a total of 6 children to follow. Her second husband, Johan Tomt, a military man, is also someone to follow as Sweden was at war during this time.

Carl Lundblad, Catherine's father, and my 3rd great grandfather, died on August 17, 1841, at the age of 47. His death record below shows that he was from Saxebacken, was a lifegrenadier from Skarlunda, born in Tidersrum Parish in 1793, married to Anna Stina Jonsdotter (his second wife), and had 1 son and 2 daughters. He was buried on August 22. He died of "slag" or a stroke.

Notice all of the elements of his life in this short death record that a researcher can use to follow other people, to find a birth, to find his military record, and more.

And then we run across a husband and wife, my 5th great grandparents, who died within 6 months of each other. Maria Ericksdotter, of Stromskullen in Malexander Parish of Ostergotland County, and her husband Olof Ekstrom of the same place are Linn ancestors, Catherine Lundblad Linn's great grandparents. This one threw me a bit when, last November, I was sitting at a computer in Salt Lake City just after the opening of the library. I had Maria's death record pulled up on the screen. She died June 15, 1799, buried on the 23rd. She was 75 years old. But then the library computers all froze, and all I could do was stare at the page on the screen, but not translate anything using the library online dictionaries. I wanted to know what Maria had died of. It's in the far right column below. And so, while waiting for the power to return, I used a translate feature on my Iphone and entered what I thought I could read of her cause of death: "venerisk sjekdom".

I'm quite sure that I uttered something when my Iphone translated those Swedish words into English. Venerisk sjekdom means venereal disease. My 5th great grandmother. 1799. What?

When the computers were working again, I hailed THE BEST Swedish researcher at the library and asked him to look at Maria's death record and tell me what her cause of death was. He said "venereal disease". I had to ask if that meant what I thought it did and he assured me it did. He said it was probably syphilis, completely untreatable, and a painful and prolonged way to die.

Shock. Just shock. Then sadness that she suffered so. Then anger. What about her husband Olof Ekstrom? I found his death on the same page.

Olof Ekstrom died on December 5, 1799 and was buried on the 15th. He was 70 years old. And he died of breast fever, known as pneumonia.

Well, something doesn't add up. Either Maria contracted syphilis from someone other than her husband, or Olof died of pneumonia before the syphilis killed him. They probably both suffered quite a bit and were in a great deal of pain.

Whether the diagnosis at the time was accurate, I don't know. Whether there are other plausible reasons for Maria's disease, I have no clue. It is clear from the record above that, in 1799, her diagnosis was venereal disease. But, I leave any possible interpretations to you.

Our Swedish ancestors died of many different diseases, from influenza, to TB, to pneumonia, to cancer, and venereal disease. There were horse, car and work accidents, old age, and the death of small infants, not able to survive. I've not found a single cause of death to warrant our being concerned about a specific illness or genetic problem.

The details of our ancestors' lives are what puts the meat on their bones. Last week's post was about the "boring begats" that turn many people off. But don't you think that this was an interesting look at some of our ancestors?

How Far Back?

Often people want to know how far back a family historian or genealogist has gone in the family line. When I was in my first few years of genealogy research, collecting a new ancestor, a new generation, going back farther in time was a real thrill.

Today, I'm all about trying to learn more about their lives and document HOW they lived and died, WHAT they did for a living, WHY they moved or immigrated.

But I can tell you the farthest I've gone back on Elin Andersson Linn's line is to my 7th great grandfather, Jons Larsson, born in Vastra Eneby Parish in Ostergotland County on August 1, 1680. Once a person can establish an ancestor that far back, you can imagine how few records there are to give any details about a person's life. That's why I've not spent more time writing about these ancestors of ours who are back that far in Swedish history.

Unless we had an ancestor who did something extraordinary, there would be little mention of that person except in the birth, marriage, and death records. Maybe a probate record. Perhaps a tax record. And even then, there would be just a notation, a date. No proper obituary. No details about their occupations. Nothing more about their lives.

The "begats" of our genealogy lines can be boring and cause many people to just roll their eyes when I tell them that my hobby is genealogy. While I wouldn't agree 100 percent, it's the thrill of learning about their lives and telling their stories that is really exciting. But just to show you some of the "boring begats", here is our pedigree from Elin's line, starting with my 7th great grandparents:

Jons Larsson married Maria Mansdotter, also from Vastra Eneby Parish on May 16, 1706. Together, they had 11 children. Their second child is my 6th great grandmother, Kerstin Jonsdotter, born October 11, 1710.

Kerstin married Lars Mansson in 1729 and had 6 children, the oldest of whom was my 5th great grandfather, Carl Larsson, born in 1732.

Carl married Brita Carlsdotter in 1760, and they had  just 3 children, the middle child being my 4th great grandfather, Carl Carlsson.

Carl married Lena Abrahamsdotter in 1792 and had 5 children, the fourth being my 3rd great grandfather, Abraham Carlsson.

Abraham married Anna-Brita Johannesdotter in 1826 and had 8 children, their third being my 2nd great grandmother, Anna Maja Abrahamsdotter.

Anna Maja married Carl Magnus Andersson in 1856. They had 5 children. And here is where I'm sure everyone can pick up the story. Their 3rd child was my great-grandmother, Elin Mathilda Andersson.

You can see that, with just 7 generations and all of the children and in-laws and cousins who could be researched, this hobby of mine will never end.

I learned very early in my research that we are fortunate to be Swedish descendants. Their records are fantastic!! And not hard to read once you get the hang of it. You just need a few Swedish words and the ability to strain and squint to read some very old handwriting. Beginning in 1686, every birth, marriage and death needed to be recorded by the local parish priest. So, to work my way back to the late 1600's, as long as the records weren't destroyed and are readable, can be done. Anything prior to 1686 would just be available as long as a priest had decided on his own to keep records and those records were preserved.

So who wants to join me in this hobby? There are plenty of people, more lines, more records to research!

A Weekend With Grandma

Today's post will be a short one as I just returned from Iowa where my brothers and I went through our 93-year old mom's 10 x 20 storage unit. We organized, tossed, and labeled the items she had accumulated and saved.

We laughed at some of the things we found and the number of funeral notices and obituaries that she had in duplicate, triplicate, and more. Recipes cut out of a magazine that were never used and every birthday, Christmas, or Mother's Day card she had ever received! I cried when we talked about our memories or saw items that had belonged to our grandparents. We talked about the school books, some dating to the late 1800's that now were moldy and not salvageable. And I was saddened by the huge number of photos, mostly unlabeled, that will one day be tossed because we can't identify the subjects.

It was an emotional week. And now mom's 93 years are downsized even more, from a 10 x 20 unit to a 10 x 10 unit. 

For all of us, I ask that we label photos or cherished family items for future generations so they will survive and be enjoyed beyond our time. I wrote the following post a couple of weeks ago, and today it seems most appropriate:


Do you have an item from one of our relatives or ancestors that makes you smile or remember a special time?

I have a few small items from my grandparents, and even a couple from great-grandparents. A vase. A teapot. A dish. A violin. None are worth any large sums of money. Most were items that they used, that I remember, that I saw in their houses.

My Grandma Linn (Maude Edith Olofson) was known to some to be a difficult woman with a temper and a memory to match. I never saw any of those characteristics. To me, Grandma was a great cook (although the only way I could stomach the lutefisk was to smother it with white sauce and dump a ton of cinnamon on it), a left-handed crocheter,  a lively piano player, and a hugger who always wore shirtwaist dresses and had her short curly hair perfectly arranged.

Grandma and Grandpa had 5 sons, then 2 grandsons, and then me. Maybe there was a special bond between us as she had to be a bit weary of seeing nothing but males in the family. But whatever the reason, I always had a good time visiting with Grandma and always loved eating anything she cooked.

We all know about Grandpa's bleeding ulcers and how he suffered with them. There were times he spent at the Veteran's Hospital for treatment of his ulcers. And during one of those stays, when I was 11 or 12, I spent a couple of days keeping Grandma company.

At that time, we lived just a block away. Grandpa and Grandma lived in a one-story, two-tone bungalow at 1430 5th Avenue. We lived at 1464 Fourth Street in a two-story house built in the late 1800's that had a horse barn/garage behind the house, complete with steps to a second floor attic. That was where all of our toys were stored, where we often played. It was just a short walk through the alley, around the corner, past the World War I shell-shocked man and a few good friends' houses to reach Grandpa and Grandma's house.

I had many times alone with Grandma, many times that I wish now I had asked her questions about her own parents, about traditions, about the photos she had on the mantle. How I wish I had asked her about life on the farm, about her memories of her grandparents, about how she and Grandpa fell in love. But I didn't.

When I stayed with Grandma, she sat me down in the kitchen at the back of the house, next to a large bucket of apples. We were going to make jars and jars of applesauce, and my job was to use the apple corer/peeler to start the process. We had a great time, a special time, that I will always cherish.

And I have that apple corer/peeler today. Every time I see it, I think of Grandma and the time we spent, just the two of us, making applesauce.

Grandma's Rusty Apple Corer

Do you have an item from one of our ancestors that you cherish? I hope that most of us do. And I hope that these items stay in the family, being displayed, passed down to the next generation so they know some of the stories about their family.

If you ask my siblings, they will tell you that I just might border on being a hoarder. I would not agree. But what I would say is that these items, when gone, are gone forever. Photos. Vases. Military uniforms. Recipes. Family Bibles. Please don't toss what you have. If you don't have anyone in your family willing to take these treasured family heirlooms, I'm here. And I promise to take good care of our family history in all of its forms and do my best to pass it on to the next generation.

Want one of your items displayed on this blog? Send me a photo and a story and we can all enjoy. I've spent alot of time these past few days while writing this post, just thinking about my Grandma. And each time I did, I smiled, just remembering that one special day, but also so many special days we had, whether playing cards, listening to her play the piano, or eating her great food.

I hope that you have an item that brings back those same kinds of memories.

A Woman's Right

This week's post is about something I take for granted. Something I do regularly, something I do without remembering that there was a time that someone like me would not have had the right to do. I vote.

The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. Soon we will be celebrating 100 years since women were given the right to vote through this simply stated amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

Such a simple statement, but with a long and difficult history. What was Iowa's role in allowing women to vote? And what was the atmosphere like where our ancestors lived, in Boone, Webster, and Hamilton counties?

Here's a bit of the history that our ancestors lived.

In 1848 a women's suffrage convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, at which time there was a call for expanding political rights for women. Little attention was paid in Iowa which had just become a state two years prior. Only after the Civil War when debate centered around the status of former slaves did some Iowans begin to argue for women's right to vote.

In 1894, the Iowa legislature granted women "partial suffrage," the right to vote on bond issues and similar matters but not where there were candidates (men) running for office. In 1916, a bill was voted on in the Iowa state legislature to remove the word "male" as a requirement to vote. But it was defeated, in large part because it was opposed by pro-alcohol advocates and liquor manufacturers (that thought most women were prohibitionists who would curtail the use and sale of liquor), as well as the Catholic Church which stated that, according to the Bible, man was the head of the family, interpreted to mean that only men could vote.

The following anti-suffrage ad appeared in the Iowa Homestead newspaper in 1916:

One argument against women's suffrage was higher taxes

In October 1908, a parade was held in Boone, demanding that women be given the right to vote. And today the monument below honors those who marched in this important event. I wonder if any of our ancestors, male or female, marched in this parade.

Monument located just outside the birthplace of Mamie Eisenhower.

The church in this photo is the United Methodist Church in Boone.

I was recently in Iowa celebrating mom's 93rd birthday. We drove to Boone where I took this picture of the same UMC still standing 110 years later.

As you might expect, Iowans both supported and rejected women's right to vote. Following are several articles, opinions, and jokes from the local newspapers of the day. Just a warning that some of them just might, well,... you'll see.

Stratford Courier, February 25, 1909

Stratford Courier, May 20, 1909 - A cocktail to make for a man

Dayton Review, January 13, 1911 - Sarcasm??

Stratford Courier, May 15, 1913 - Hmmmm

Stratford Courier, July 23, 1914 - Shrill lungs?

Dayton Review, appeared 6 different times in 1916; "the woman who despises her home"

Shortly after the amendment passed, this survey of women voters in Marion Township in Hamilton County (home to many of our ancestors) appeared:

Stratford Courier, September 2, 1920

And, the following, as women were preparing to vote for the first time, shows us again a different thought in our history:

Stratford Courier, October 7 1920

Well, that's a sampling of the views expressed during the time our Linn and Olofson, Barquist and Rask, ancestors lived in the Dayton and Stratford areas. These are articles they would have read and might have been influenced by. How would our grandparents have reacted to these articles, these jokes, these put-downs, and the disrespect? How did our own ancestors feel about a woman's right to vote? I wish I knew. None of them were quoted in any articles I found. But I would guess that some were FOR and some were AGAINST the issue.

A major women's advocate for the right to vote in Iowa was Mary Jane Whitely Coggeshall. You can read about her at this link: Mary Jane Whitely Coggeshall.

Carrie Chapman Catt, born in Wisconsin but graduated from Iowa State University in 1880, was also a voice for the suffragette movement.: Carrie Chapman Catt. She was founder of the League of Women Voters.

A quick look at the movement in Iowa, a PowerPoint presentation by the University of Iowa Libraries: The Suffrage Movement in Iowa

Where do you think our Linn and Olofson ancestors stood on this issue? Do you think that our female ancestors voted the very first opportunity they had? It was 100 years ago, yet two women I loved and admired, my grandmothers, would have had the right to vote for the first time around the time they married. I'd like to think that they voted. Your thoughts?

A Confederate Soldier?

Minnie Almedia Barquist was my first cousin, 3 x removed, the granddaughter of John Barquist, and niece of my second great grandmother, Maria Barquist Olofson.

Normally, I wouldn't blog about such a distant cousin. There's nothing extraordinary about Minnie's life. Minnie was born in Galesburg, Illinois, to Anders Gustaf Barquist and his wife Christina Anderson on July 23, 1876. Her family moved to Hamilton County, Iowa, sometime between the 1880 US Federal Census and the 1885 Iowa State Census.

But one quiet day as I sat researching the Barquist line, I took a closer look at Minnie. On March 17, 1908, Minnie married Thomas Basket. Thomas was originally from Tennessee. And his father, Jonathan Basket, had served in the Civil War from Tennessee.

My eyes opened wide. Did we have a Confederate soldier in the family? I'm so proud of Gus Linn's service and his strength to survive as a POW. I tell people of how Lewis Linn, John Linn's stepson, marched with Sherman on his famous March to the Sea. Both of these men served in the Civil War--on the Union side.

I admit that I felt a bit of sadness, disappointment, that a Confederate soldier might be an ancestor, no matter how distant. Perhaps that makes little sense today as so many years and distance is between all of us and an ancestor who served in the Civil War. The cause that the Confederate soldiers fought for, no matter how I felt about it, was one that they believed in, just as important as our Gus and Lewis must have felt. But still....

The following map from the National Geographic website shows the breakdown of the states during the Civil War, and clearly, Tennessee was a slave state, a Confederate state.

Jonathan Basket. Civil War soldier. Tennessee. Greene County. I kept reading. Researching. And this is when I learned a bit more about the Civil War. Greene County, Tennessee, in the northeast part of the state, is thought to be one of the few places in the United States that has memorials to BOTH Union and Confederate soldiers. As it turns out, Greene County, Tennessee, provided MOSTLY Union soldiers, even though Tennessee itself was a slave state and part of the Confederacy.

And when the state voted whether to secede, the percentage of citizens from Greene County who voted FOR secession was just 21.7%. Greene County was clearly outvoted, though, as Tennessee seceded and joined the other Confederate states.

According to the Greene County Genealogical Society website, the variance of votes for and against secession by county created a "Civil War within a Civil War" where neighbors and family members killed one another as they chose sides.

So which side did Jonathan Basket, father to Thomas Basket, father-in-law to our Minnie Barquist, choose?

He chose the Union side. Jonathan Basket was a private in the 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry.

After the war, in 1866, Jonathan Basket married Louise McMackin and they had 7 children, the middle child being Thomas Basket. Jonathan died in 1905; his wife died in 1915; they are buried in Tennessee.

Thomas came to Iowa around 1900. He died in 1944 at the age of 68. Minnie died in 1941 at the age of  64. Thomas and Minnie are buried at the South Marion Cemetery just outside Stratford, Iowa.

Thomas Basket and Minnie Barquist Basket, South Marion Cemetery, Hamilton County, Iowa

Jonathan Basket, Greene County, Tennessee

I'll admit that I'm relieved that Jonathan Basket fought for the Union side during the Civil War. But I probably shouldn't have reacted as I did. I have to remind myself from time to time as I research that my ancestors' successes and failures, the choices my ancestors made, were all made at a different time, under circumstances that I may never fully understand. I don't own their choices, their great triumphs or their failures.

So for now, I can say that my ancestors fought ONLY on the Union side during the Civil War. But my research is far from over....

Are We French?

There's something different about my 6th great-grandfather's name. While Swedes followed a patronymic naming pattern, giving children the father's first name followed by SON or DOTTER (i.e. Lars Mansson's children might be Brita Larsdotter and Olof Larsson), we do have an ancestor with a name that sounds anything but Swedish.

In Gavleborg County, Hanebo Parish, lived a man named Bertil Monsieur, and he is my 6th great-grandfather on Maude Edith Olofson Linn's line. Sounds French, right? Here's what I know.

In the 1600's and 1700's in Gavleborg County, iron was abundant. And the Swedes, including many of our ancestors, were able to mine the ore. But they didn't have the expertise to refine the ore. And so, they brought in skilled people from France, Belgium, and Finland to help with the process and to teach Swedes the craft.

In 1640, Sweden exported just around 11,000 tons of iron, but by 1740, that amount had increased to over 40,000 tons per year, thanks in part to the skilled iron ore workers who were brought to Sweden during that time. Sweden was a major supplier of iron for armaments, both at home during the many wars Sweden was involved in, as well as for exporting and trade, and so, having the ability to mine AND to refine the ore was a real benefit.

One of the people who was brought to Sweden to refine the ore was Bertil Monsieur's father, and to my knowledge, based on information I've exchanged with Swedish researchers living in Sweden, he came from Finland. So, technically, Bertil Monsieur was a Swedish resident and citizen born in Sweden, but of Finnish descent.

Bertil Monsieur was born on Tonsen Farm in Hanebo Parish in 1693. He met and married Ella Olsdotter who was born in 1686. They had 4 children including my 5th great grandmother, Karin Bertilsdotter.

Bertil Monsieur was a soldier between 1711 and 1719. From 1718-1719, Sweden was in war against Norway as part of the Great Northern War; and during a march back in December 1719, Bertil's feet were so badly frostbitten that he couldn't continue as a soldier. And so, he became a farmer in Hanebo Parish.

Bertil died in 1773 at the age of 80.

I'm not sure what your reaction is, but we are not French. If, however, you go back far enough into the 1600's on Maude Edith Olofson Linn's line, we are Finnish.