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Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: JustJean on Tuesday 15 April 14 18:50 BST (UK)
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In order to prove I'm connecting two Anna/Hannahs corrrectly in the US I could use some help in the Swedish records.
I have emigration data on Anna Berggren departing Gothenberg on the SS Romeo 10 Oct 1890 for Hull, England and then departing Liverpool on 14 Oct on the SS Majestic bound for New York. She arrived in New York on 23 Oct 1890. She appeared to be traveling alone on the entire journey. I noted one other female passenger that originated in Boras but they were not listed together on the manifest and did not share a surname.
Once in the US i have tracked her into a marriage in Connecticut and then into Massachusetts and finally Maine. I'm not certain I have the right Anna/Hannah in the 1900 US Census but I believe her husband took another wife around then which muddles things. I have a likely looking Hannah Christine who marries in 1910 and dies in Maine in 1913 and both her Maine marriage and death records list her father as Peter Mattson/Madderson with occupation of "miner". Her mother is unknown.
I would love to find the original Anna Berggren in Sweden in the same household as a Peter Mattson in the area of Boras just prior to the time of her emigration or at least locate Anna herself in Boras and try to track her backward in time. From a combination of US census and death records I have a calculated date of birth for her as 14 August 1871 but have not been able to link that information to a birth record on Ancestry or Familysearch.
I have zero experience in Swedish research but from what I've read is available there could be a chance of finding her. Biggest stumbling block at the moment is the language barrier!!! Google translate is not enough! Any suggestions or assistance would be greatly appreciated!
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi
I checked out this Anna Berggren who travelled on the Romeo. Her full name is Anna Josefina Berggren. She lived in Borås and was born 3 Jan 1871. Her parents were Anders Månsson Berggren and Anna Sofia Stare.
The other name you saw on the passenger list, Jenny Karlander came from the same place and she left 1 day before Anna did and they seemed to travel together.
Ian
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Thanks so much Ian. Clearly not the answer I was hoping for. Perhaps I have started with the incorrect Anna Berggren..... yet I did not find another arriving in 1890 which is the year she has stated on US census records. I assume there is no way to search for an Anna (any surname) born Aug 1871 (month and year given on census records and corresponds with year/month/day age on DC) without have a parish name to look in?
I'll continue to dig on this side and may return with more info. Again thanks for the very prompt reply!!
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi
If you can give me links to your findings of Anna I can then have a dig myself. I am off to bed here in Sweden now so I can take a look tomorrow.
Ian
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I'm curious what document you have on the U.S. side that indicates Anna's maiden name is Berggren. Usually, someone with that surname would have a father with the same surname. Are you sure Berggren is her maiden name, or is it an earlier married name? It's not clear from your post what you actually know vs. what you are concluding or assuming.
There are CDs containing a Swedish "census" for 1880 and 1890 that may help track down your Anna in Sweden - not an actual census but rather an index created from parish records. If you don't get the answer you're looking for from this board, the Sweden board on Ancestry is especially active and someone may be able to help you there, especially if you have a birthdate and father's name.
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I wonder if her name was Anna then changed it to Hanna?
I have gone through a number of databases and have found a couple of maybes.
We'll see.
Ian
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Thanks for the replies. The only one document I have with the surname Berggren is a child's birth record that states father was Lewis Brink and mother was Hannah Berggren. Both names spelled just that way. Both parents listed as born Sweden. I'm attempting to work forward and backward from that certificate by piecing together plausible records. I agree that I expected Hannah/Anna to have the same surname as her father. I may just be barking up the wrong tree with the Mattson end.
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi again,
I have gone through many databases including 1880, 1890 and 1900 censuses and The Emigration Database. There are no Peter Mattssons with a connection to an Anna or Hanna or even Johanna as a miner. This might mean that he may have died before 1880, assuming of course that the name given is correct and he was a miner. I have even checked other Peter, Petter Mattssons with odd spellings etc.
The record showing the mother’s name as unknown is a bit strange I think. It might mean she was adopted and took Berggren as her name and didn’t know her mother’s name. I have checked all other Berggrens with Anna, Johanna and Hanna.
I have looked for daughters with the name Berggren with different parent’s surnames with no luck.
According to all the evidence I have found and have received from you I think we can safely say that Hanna married only twice, both times in USA. Her surname recorded as Berggren is probably her name from Sweden but without anymore evidence it will be hard to continue.
I have looked up the Anna and Hanna Berggrens on the passenger lists in the Swedish Books. Anyone of these could be her.
The question is, if true, why would she lie about her father’s name?
Is it really her real name?
If you find more info get back to me and I will see what I can do.
Ian
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I'm still going in circles. Have a couple of wild suggestions. Just out of curiosity are you able to locate a Johanna Christina born 27 Aug 1871 to Per Mattsson and Lovisa Andersdotter in Ljusharsberg Orebro? She ticks the father name and the correct month and year qnd the middle name of christina and hanna with the Jo added. Any chance Per was a miner? Any chance she emigrated to the US?
Now for wild suggestion number two. I'm waiting on some replies to enquiries to form some more theories so have looked for interesting Berggrens while I'm waiting. I've found a Peter E Berggren coming through the port of Boston 17 Jul 1886 on the Pavonia. He was born abt 1860 in sweden. gives occupation of farmer and his destination looks like Maine? Can you find him with a departure or before? Also I have another Peter E. located in Ansonia Connecticut directory 1888-1890 and then was in Derby Connecticut directory til 1891. I have no idea if he could be the same man or anything about him but am hoping to expand research in that area.
Thank you so much all your searching so far. Will keep in touch if anything starts to knit together!
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi
I think you have hit the jackpot.
Per was a miner and Johanna went to America. Well done. He died when she was young.
Here is the passenger list from Gothenburg. She lived in Ramsberg at the time. You will have to see if you can find it on Ancestry. It is late here now so I'll continue sometime during the weekend.
Ian
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Here is the family in 1871 in Ljusnarsberg.
Lös Grufall (gruvare)= Loose Miner. (I think it means that he mined "loose stuff"). Maybe it can be googled.
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Here is Johanna leaving Sweden in the books:
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I'm wondering too about the occupation of miner. That can be a very general term for many specific jobs. I wonder if it could be expanded to include such work as a quarry worker? Does Sweden have open pit type mining or would that be called something else? Is there rock quarry mining or just underground mining? What do they mostly mine for.....coal? ore? minerals? Just grasping at straws here.......
Any thoughts are welcome!!!
Best wishes
Jean
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Oh my!!!! I wrote the last post before reading your wonderful posts before!!!! This really is starting to look promising!!!!!! I have lots to consider here!!!! Many many thanks for your hard work!!! Woll be in touch.
Best wishes
Jean
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The question remains if this is her where did she get the name Berggren from. I have come across many names taken from the farms they used to live in. etc.
I can add though that in Swedish "Berg" means mountain and "gren" means tree branch.
Ian
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The mines around Kopparberg in Ljusnarsberg were of copper. There is a little info on Wikipedia.
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A little clue maybe.....
On the first line it says "Lovisa Andersdotter, Per Mattssons widow at the house of Bergström"
The name Berg maybe a clue.
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Per Mattsson died 6 May 1874 of pneunomia.
Ian
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Have perhaps found a few more clues. The Peter E Berggren I was favoring found inAnsonia Connecticut on directories around 1890 is quite possibly found on 1900 census in ansonia indexed as Eric Bergesen. He has a wife Louisa and 5 children. They continue to be found in Ansonia In 1910 and 1920. His death is recorded as 26 sep 1924 in ansonia. The exciting bit is his date of birth. That is found as 27 Nov 1861.......which i believe is the identical date of birth of Joannas brother Per Eric that you found on the Swedish records. Is this truly her older brother??? Can you find him in Sweden prior to departing around 1884-1886? US census records are not consistent with dates and ages etc but i do think it's the same family. On the Connecticut military census of 1917 he states experience as a copper roller. That is the same occupation shown on the 1900 census for him. It could also tie back to the place of employment of Peter E Berggren in Derby CT 1890-91 at ansonia brass & Copper co.
Have also found Hanna C on street directories in Maine for 1902 and 1906. One lists her as widow of Louis Brink.
It's still not clear to me just when and why they changed to Berggren.
Best wishes
Jean
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I have found him and yes you are right....
Here is the name Berggren for the first time:
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and him leaving for USA...
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and finally him on the Swedish passenger list travelling to Caribou, Maine ....
The original is on Ancestry.
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That certainly helps a lot!! Caribou, Maine is certainly an interesting twist! I hope you are not growing tired of digging out these records as we are getting quite good at this!!!
I'm wondering if Johanna's mother Lovisa Andersdotter died when Johanna was young. There must be a reason that Johanna does not recall her mothers name but does recall her father's. Especially since her father died when she was only 3. The record you provided for Johanna Christina Petterson leaving Sweden in 1889 does not mention Berggren yet her brother's record does. She much have changed to Berggren after arriving in the US. I wonder too if any of the other children changed names to Berggren. Is there any way to find them in Sweden after the death of Per Mattsson? I have no clue yet if others came to the US and if they did when. There seem to be at least 3 other siblings, Carl Johan b. 7 Nov 1864, Lovisa Wilhelmina b. 1 Feb 1867, and August Edward b. 3 Mar 1874. I will do more digging.
Thank you so much for everything you have done!!!
Best wishes
Jean
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Hmm...This is very interesting. Lovisa Andersson (Hanna's mother) also went to USA.... Ansonia in 1892. Her son August Edvard also went but in 1894 or 1895 or 1896...somewhere!!. He didn't leave properly by visiting the priest first. So he was accounted as missing. We'll just have to find him.
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I have tried to look for the passenger list of Lovisa and have only found 1 that might fit. I found it on http://www.ellisisland.org as a Louisa.
She sailed on The Hekla from Copenhagen. It is written that she is a widow and is 50 years old.
Also, there is a fun notation in one of the books from 1882 for Per Erik....(Hard to read).
"Judged for drunkenness and aggressive behaviour in church during the God's Service. Fined 50 kronor dated 17 April 1882 at Kopparberg's Magistrates".
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I hope you are not growing tired of digging out these records as we are getting quite good at this!!!
Not at all. Keep it coming!!
Ian
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Here is August Edvard on the Swedish passenger list to Caribou:
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Nice work! I'm stuck on August. Have found his naturalization in Ansonia Connecticut 23 Oct 1895 and also on the directory there in 1895 boarding at 5 East St. and working at Ansonia Brass & Copper Co......but no positive identification after that. Have not found mother Lovisa on this side at all yet.
It seems a little odd to me that Eric (1886) and August (1890) both intended to settle in Caribou later settling in Connecticut and their mother apparently came right to Connecticut in 1892...but sister Johanna Christina comes over in 1889 with the intention of going to New York. Why did she not say she was going to Caribou or Ansonia? And also why was she departing from Ramsberg and not Ljusnarsberg like the others? It is certain we have found the right Johanna Christina Pettersson??? One reason I ask is I think I have found Johanna arriving in New York on the Bothia 21 Oct 1889. In scanning the passenger list I noted what looked like a Hana Person age 18 was also on the ship. Was it important that the emigrating Swede have a certain destination (with a church!) before they would be permitted to leave their country??
Best wishes
Jean
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The thing is that Hannah was living in Ramsberg at the time she left.
Ian
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I don't know if they had to say where they were going but having that paper would have made life a little easier for them. There wasn't a law that they had to go to the priest first.
Ian
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Carl Johan Persson died 22 Aug 1889 in Ljusnarsberg.
Ian
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Lovisa or Louisa Wilhelmina also went to Boston, USA:
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I thought I would post all the documented evidence of the family leaving Sweden from the books showing a little more info. (in the order they left):
Per Erik Berggren 1886:
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Johanna Christina Persdotter 1889:
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August Edvard Persson 1890:
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Lovisa Wilhelmina Petterson 1891:
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Lovisa Andersdotter 1892:
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An explanation regarding moving around back then in Sweden:
From ArkivDigital...
Non-existing persons book (obefintlighetsbok)
The non-existing persons book or “obefintlighetsbok” is a list of the persons within the parish whose whereabouts are unknown or in other words missing. Whenever a person moved out of the parish, they were supposed to advise the parish minister that they were leaving and where they were moving to. The minister gave the individual a moving out certificate showing information about his birth, last residence, character and religious standing and the minister recorded the information in the household examination book and moving out book. If the individual moved to another parish within Sweden, he or she would give the certificate to the new minister and that minister would record it in the moving in book and the household examination record. This is the reason why in most cases it is easy to trace a person whereabouts in the Swedish books.
However, there were many cases where the person left the parish without telling the minister. Before the 1880’s the ministers had much freedom as to how they would enter information in the household examination books about persons who disappeared. Some would just cross out the name while others would move the persons to a “obefintlighet” page in the household examination book or the “obefintlighetsbok”.
In 1894, there was a requirement that the missing should be listing in a special category, “obefintlighet” or whereabouts not known. This is why you may see non-existing persons books listed in a parish archive. Often you will find seaman or persons who emigrated without securing the necessary moving out papers in these lists.
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Why did she not say she was going to Caribou or Ansonia? And also why was she departing from Ramsberg and not Ljusnarsberg like the others? It is certain we have found the right Johanna Christina Pettersson??? One reason I ask is I think I have found Johanna arriving in New York on the Bothia 21 Oct 1889.
I am pretty sure we have the right Johanna. She might not have known exactly where she was going. I do know that many just wrote the port of arrival. She may not have wanted to meet up with her brother.
I do think though that it is strange that the family left in different years. Maybe the family split up after some fight over something.
Ian
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Many thanks Ian for all the info. You have done a marvelous job!!!
Would there be any Swedish records of people who returned to Sweden from the USA? I found a mention of a widow Louisa who arrived in Liverpool from Boston and then departed for Hull with ticket through to Gothenberg. It think this was around 1906? Did not make a note of it!!! Anyhow....It made me wonder if mother Lovisa might not have stayed in the US. If she returned to Sweden can that be tracked in more modern records? The one I found around 1906 was 70 years old which I thought was odd to have a lady of that age traveling by herself back to Sweden.
Are there burial or cemetery records in Sweden? Can I learn where Per Mattsson or Carl Johan Peterson were buried? Also....is there a record of the cause of death of Carl Johan Peterson?
One other thing I considered......I wonder if they had any family that came to the original "New Sweden" settlement in Northern Maine near Caribou around 1870. I guess I need to explore names there too.
Have ordered a book on Swedish genealogy so maybe I can become a bit more knowledgeable. Let's hope it's written in English!!!!!!
Best wishes
Jean
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Hi Jean
Just glad to help. I will look into Lovisa coming back. I will look for the deaths of Per and Carl.
Ian
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Just looked up Per Mattsson's birth record. He was christened Petter.
I can also say that Per Mattsson was arrested for theft in 1856!!
Have you found Louise Wilhelmina and mother Lovisa in USA yet?
Ian
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Hi
Oh dear....a thief! I wonder what that was all about!
As for USA findings on Lovisa mother or daughter.....Nothing found yet. Not even an arrival record! The returning record I found for the 70 year old was Louisa Anderson arriving Liverpool 27 Feb 1908 with ticket through to Gothenberg. She had departed Boston, was born in Sweden, and is not listed on the passenger list with family that I know of.
I also noticed a Swedish marriage in Orebro on 12 May 1900 of a Louisa Vilhelmina Petterson to Anders Emil Bergstrom and what looks like a daughter Helga Viktoria born 18 Sep 1900. Any chance that is sister Lovisa????
Best wishes
Jean
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Here is this family with Helga. Not the right one.
Bergström, Anders Emil b.1878 - Father
Pettersson, Lovisa Vilhelmina b.1878 - Mother
Helga Viktoria b.1900 - Child
Ian