Swedish American Genealogist Volume 30 | Number 1 Article 1 3-1-2010 Full Issue Vol. 30 No. 1 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag Part of the Genealogy Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons Recommended Citation (2010) "Full Issue Vol. 30 No. 1," Swedish American Genealogist: Vol. 30 : No. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag/vol30/iss1/1 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swedish American Genealogist by an authorized editor of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. (ISSN 0275-9314) A journal devoted to Swedish American biography, genealogy, and personal history Volume XXXMarch 2010 No. 1 CONTENTS Chasing John Nordholm ....................................... 1 by Paul D. Sward Copyright © 2010 (ISSN 0275-9314) The Emigrant Instute Emigrates ........................ 5 by Ulf Beijbom Swedish American Genealogist News from the Swenson Center........................... 7 Publisher: Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center Ready to go?............................................................. 8 Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 by Michael John Neill Telephone: 309-794-7204. Fax: 309-794-7443 E-mail: [email protected] Ester Karolina – a Värmland emigrant ........... 10 Web address: http://www.augustana.edu/swenson/ by Carla Peterson Sullivan (†) Editor: Elisabeth Thorsell An “America Letter” from 1846 ........................... 13 Hästskovägen 45, 177 39 Järfälla, Sweden translated by John E. Norton E-mail: [email protected] Father unknown – what to do? .......................... 14 Editorial Committee: by Elisabeth Thorsell H. Arnold Barton, Tyresö, Sweden Dag Blanck, Stockholm, Sweden Handwriting Example XXIV ............................... 18 Dennis L. Johnson, Pottstown, PA Ronald J. Johnson, Madison, WI Bits & Pieces .......................................................... 19 Christopher Olsson, Stockton Springs, ME Priscilla Jönsson Sorknes, Minneapolis, MN The Strindin family and Stockholm ................. 20 by Kerstin Jonmyren Swedish American Genealogist, its publisher, editors, and editorial committee assume neither responsibility Riksarkivet (National Archives of Sweden) ... 23 nor liability for statements of opinion or fact made by by Elisabeth Thorsell contributors. The solution to the Handwriting example ...... 24 Correspondence. Please direct editorial correspon- Book Reviews ........................................................ 25 dence such as manuscripts, queries, book reviews, announcements, and ahnentafeln to the editor in Interesting Web Sites ........................................... 30 Sweden. Correspondence regarding change of address, back Genealogical Queries ........................................... 31 issues (price and availability), and advertising should be directed to the publisher in Rock lsland. The Last Page ......................................................... 32 Subscriptions. Subscriptions to the journal are $28.00 per annum and run for the calendar year. Single copies are $8.00 each. Swenson Center Associates are entitled to a special discounted subscription price of $15.00. Direct all subscription inquiries to the publisher in Rock Island. In Sweden the subscription price is 250.00 Swedish Cover picture: kronor per year for surface delivery and 275.00 kronor The postcard from Silver Hill, Alabama. John per year for air mail. This subscription fee may be Nordholm is probably the man to the right. Read deposited in our plusgiro account: 260 10-9, Swedish more in Paul D. Sward’s article on page 1. American Genealogist, c/o Thorsell, Hästskovägen 45, S-177 39 Järfälla, Sweden. Chasing John Nordholm A missing grandfather’s uncle TEXT AND PHOTOS: PAUL D. SWARD I was raised with a strong sense of name of Nordholm, when my great- my Swedish heritage. The town that grandmother went by an anglicized I was born in, Kewanee, Illinois, had version of her patronymic surname a large population of ethnic Swedes (Nelson)? He was an intriguing figure due in large part to the nearby to me. community of Bishop Hill, which had The two previous generations that been settled by Swedish immigrants had knowledge of John Nordholm are in the mid 19th century. now gone. Consequently, my starting Although both my paternal grand- point began with an old family parents had been born in the United photograph; a family story that John States, both of them spoke Swedish. Nordholm was buried in Wallace, My grandfather was the son of Swed- Michigan; and that there was an ish immigrants from Skåne. My image of him permanently affixed to grandmother was born to a mother his headstone. who had emigrated from Småland and an American-born father that The chase begins was the son of “Bishop Hill” Swedes Since John Nordholm was allegedly who had emigrated from Hälsing- my paternal great-grandmother’s land. As a child I was exposed to a brother, I began my research in the kaleidoscope of Swedish culture. My parish records.1 An examination of Jöns (John) Nilsson Nordholm. grandfather would regale me with records revealed only one sibling that stories about Gustavus Adolphus and seemed likely to be John Nordholm, possibilities helped further the re- the Thirty Years’ War. My grand- Jöns Nilsson. search. mother would take me to visit Bishop Jöns Nilsson was born at Ugerup The next logical step was to exam- Hill where she and her friends would Torp #12, Köpinge parish, Kristian- ine the census records, but I faced a converse in a mixture of English and stad län to Nils Pehrsson and Elna problem which many genealogists Swedish. Jönsdotter on July 8, 1869. Jöns face, the lack of a complete 1890 U.S. Unfortunately, over the years I remained with his family until the Census. Since almost all of my rela- have retained very little of this and parish records indicated that he tives that emigrated from Skåne and my renewed interest has been a immigrated to “Amerika” on June 15, Småland arrived in the 1880s, I had rediscovery of my heritage. 1888.2 Parenthetically, all of Nils and found other ways to conduct research One of the many pieces in this Elna’s seven children immigrated to during this time frame, either puzzle of rediscovery relates to my the United States prior to 1900.3 A through local records or family docu- paternal grandfather’s uncle, John record dated July 19, 1888, in the ments. Three of Jöns Nilsson’s Nordholm. I have a vague memory EmiHamn database indicates that siblings settled in Kewanee, Illinois, of my grandparents discussing him. Jöns Nilsson departed from Malmö and appear in the 1890’s records of a They referred to him as the family destined for New York,4 eleven days local church.5 From family documen- member who settled in the woods of past his nineteenth birthday. tation I was able to identify that two the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was unable to specifically identify other siblings relocated to the Chi- What became of John Nordholm? a record of Jöns Nilsson’s arrival in cago, Illinois, area, but I was unable Why did he settle in a remote part of the U.S., although I did uncover a few to determine where Jöns and his Michigan when his siblings settled in possibilities. However, none of these brother Pehr settled. However, in Illinois? Why did he take the sur- Swedish American Genealogist 2010:1 1 Canada Menominee County, MI Map of Upper Michi- gan and some parts of Lower Michigan, from the “Handy Book for * Genealogists” publish- ed by George B. Everton Sr. (1977). The star shows ap- proximate location of Wallace. researching Jöns’s sister, who died in farm. This same John Nordholm also county, but he had returned after 1923, I discovered that her obituary appeared in the 1920 and 1930 U.S. retiring. Sheldon is also of Swedish references a brother named John census for Menominee County. It ancestry and was now serving as the Nordholm residing in Wallace, Michi- became clear that I needed to conduct sexton for the Mellen Township gan. some field research in Menominee Cemetery. I explained to Sheldon my County. Although I also live in Mich- search for John Nordholm. Sheldon The chase leads to igan, this is a geographically large advised that there was a John N. state. I live in the far southeastern Nordholm buried in the cemetery Wallace, Michigan corner of the lower peninsula of and he offered to meet us at the At this point, the only avenue that I Michigan and Menominee County is cemetery when we arrived. had for further research was Wallace, located in the far western part of the On the appointed day, my friend Michigan. I began with the 1900 U.S. Upper Peninsula of Michigan, sepa- and I arrived early at the Mellen federal census for Menominee Coun- rated by five hundred miles. Con- Township Cemetery. The cemetery is ty, Michigan, where Wallace is locat- sequently, I put my quest for John relatively small and well marked. I ed. I was unable to find an appro- Nordholm on the shelf and moved on easily found John Nordholm’s grave priate match under Nilsson/Nord- to other things. based on the information that Shel- holm, but I did find a Johan Noert- don had provided. The headstone was holme residing in Ingallston town- Encountering Sheldon marked “John N. Nordholm” and had ship who is a perfect match for coun- an indentation where an image could try of origin, date of birth, and date Anderson – a good man have been attached at one time. of immigration. I am fairly confident Many years later I planned a fishing Sheldon arrived shortly there- that this is Jöns Nilsson/Nordholm. trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michi- after. Sheldon is the type of person He is shown as a day laborer board- gan with a friend of mine. Realizing that you immediately like when you ing with a family of German origin. I that our fishing camp was within first meet him. He is intelligent, suspect that the name was corrupted sixty miles of Wallace, Michigan, I friendly, and to the point.