Elin Persdotter (1739-1810) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 52) Theme: "Resolution"

For several years, the database for my Swedish 5X great grandmother has indicated that "I need to resolve conflicting birth and death dates and two sets of possible parents for Elin." This final story for 2020 seems like a good time to see if I can make any progress toward a resolution. And, if not, perhaps this is slated to become a resolution for further research in 2021.

Laxarby Church photograph 2018 by Vogler
Wikimedia Commons under creative commons license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

The Swedish branch of my mother's family is on her paternal Anderson line, with immigrant ancestor Israel Anderson. Elin Persdotter was Israel's great grandmother. (Israel's story was the first one I wrote five years ago when I last did the "52 Ancestors" challenge, making it appropriate to bookend this year by ending with one of his Swedish ancestors.) 

Elin appears in the marriage record for 1 January 1765 showing Elin Persdotter of Germundebyn marrying Nils Enarsson of Prestegarden in Laxarby, Älvsborg, Sweden.

Laxarby, Älvsborg Marriage 1 January 1765

Nils moved from Prestegarden to Elin's family area at Germundebyn where records for their growing family are easily found. Birth/baptism records from the Laxarby church books can be found for the following children:

1. Britta Nilsdotter b. 17 January 1766 (my 4X great grandmother)
2. Olof Nilsson b. 16 January 1768
3. Enar Nilsson b. 23 November 1770
4. Pehr Nilsson b. 5 April 1774
5. Ingrid Nilsdotter b. 11 March 1777
6. Bryngel Nilsson b. 14 July 1779.

(As an aside, a census of Laxarby today would not yield a significant population; apparently fewer than 900 people now live in the area. At the time my Anderson ancestors lived there, Laxarby was part of Älvsborg, but in the late 1900s it became a part of Västra Götaland.)

Laxarby, Sweden location of Elin's family, Google Earth

Among the best sources of information for Swedish families are the Husförhörslängd (household examination records kept by the State Lutheran Church). These are essentially annual censuses of all family members. The Household Examination Records for Nils and Elin's family make it easy to follow them from year to year between 1774 and 1810. Nils and Elin disappear from the household examination records after 1810.

Household Examination Record for Nils and Elin's family 1774-1779

The record for the period 1795-1800 is of interest since it records that my 4X great grandmother Britta has left the family to marry and move to Korsbyn. 

Household Examination Record for Nils and Elin's family 1795-1800

The problem requiring resolution is that there are records for two different Elin Persdotters in Laxarby in the relevant time period. For a long time, the only record I had located was for Elin Persdotter born in December of 1741 to Per Egelsson and Christin Jonsdotter. (Most online family trees use this Elin with these parents for my family group.)

 Elin, daughter of Per Egelson and Christin Jonsdotter, born in Laxarby in 1741

Then, an indexed source pointed in another possible direction. There was an Elin born 24 March 1739 and baptized the following day at Laxarby to parents Per Olsson and Ingri Jonsdotter. However, the original church record is almost unreadable,

Birth/baptism record for Elin, daughter of Per Olsson and Ingrid Jonsdotter, 1739 Laxarby church records

Unfortunately, only one year (1757) of the Household Examination Records for the relevant Germundebyn farm is available for the entire time of Elin's youth.

1757 Household Examination Record for Germundebyn farm

Most likely this is Elin's family since it is on the right farm (Germundebyn in Laxarby Parish) and has the possible mother (Ingrid Jonsdotter) but it seems that Elin's father Per has probably died and the farm is now being run by a man named Bryngel Mathisson. One possible death record for Per (Pehr) Olsson has been located but I have a difficult time convincing myself that I can actually read his name for this 50 year-old who died at Germundebyn in 1748. 

Possible death record for Per Olsson 18 February 1748

Two brothers of Elin's also appear in the household record family group: Jon Persson b 1735 and Olaf Persson b1740. There is also a child named Jacob (could it be Bryngelsson?) born in 1749. Finding their birth records is definitely in order as part of this whole resolution process. 

Has Ingrid remarried to a man 19 years her junior or what is the explanation for this family group? Ingrid would have been 49 years old when this child was born, so this seems unlikely. Who was Bryngel and how does he connect to the family?  I'm  finding more things to muddy the waters - and more things requiring further research! 

Elin's birth year is consistently recorded in the household examination records as 1739, leading me to conclude that she was NOT the Elin born in 1741. These records continue through 1810, but for 1811, both Nils and Elin are no longer included in the family listing. Their death records occur on opposite pages in the church records, his in 1809 at age 70 and Elin's 6 May 1810, also at age 70. She was buried 20 May 1810 at Laxarby. 

1810 Death record for Elin Persdotter of Germundebyn

Once again there was a record of another Elin Persdotter (quite probably the one born in 1741) who died in 1812. Unfortunately, no marriage or household examination records have been located for this other Elin Persdotter. 

Death of an Elin Persdotter in 1812 at age 75

Given "my"  Elin's disappearance from the Household Examination Records for 1811, coupled with mention of the Germundebyn farm in her death record, it is most likely that she was the Elin who died in December of 1810. 

Have my issues been resolved? I believe it is most likely that my Elin Persdotter was the one born in 1739 to Per Olsson and Ingrid Jonsdotter and that she died in 1810.

More research will definitely be required for some of the other issues uncovered, but I think that belongs in my list of 2021 New Year's Resolutions. 

Some Resources:

• Familysearch Research Wiki for Sweden, accessible online at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Sweden_Genealogy

Marith Christophersdatter (c1768-1848) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 51) Theme: "Winter"

Some countries have a natural affinity with winter. Canada, where I live, is one of them. Norway, where my 3X great grandmother Marith lived, is another. 

This branch of the family lived up the west coast of Norway in Nordland. The area they came from included the area now called "Bardalssjoen" and is the source of our family's Bardahl surname.

The Bardahl family came from Nordland, Norway - Google Earth Image

Norway is often called the "Land of the Midnight Sun" because sometimes the sun shines there 24 hours a day. This occurs in the polar regions of earth in summer. The opposite of this "polar day" is the "polar night" when the sun does not appear above the horizon for a period of time in winter. The duration of the polar night depends on how far north one lives. This does not necessarily mean that everything is pitch black for weeks on end. In fact, there is a phenomenon known as the "blue hour" when the landscape appears a beautiful surreal blue.  This, and the northern lights that often appear in the northern arctic region can, at least in normal times, be a big tourist attraction. Although many would find the weeks without sunshine to be depressing, it is said that many Norwegians enjoy the quiet beauty of this special time of year. 

Polar night blue hour and snowfall over Øvervatnet lake in Fauske, Nordland
28 December 2016 photograph by Frankemann

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The Arctic Circle runs through northern Nordland but the Arctic Circle Center is located in Mo i Rana, not far from where Marith and her family lived. The polar night would have been a familiar feature of their lives in winter.

Map of Nordland showing location of Frankemann's blue hour photo, the Arctic Circle Center
 and Marith's family sites

Marith was born between 1766 and 1768 in Nordland, Norway. So far, no birth or baptism record has been located for her. That her father's first name was Christopher is clear, but beyond that we can only guess. Marith was married in winter and died in winter, but we don't know the season of her birth.

The first record of which we can be certain is that for the marriage between Lars Joensen Hellesvig and Marith Christophersdatter on 6 January 1793 in Alstahaug, Nordland. Lars would have been about 33 and Marith 25, fairly typical marrying ages in Norway at this time. 

 

Lars and Marith were the second couple listed for 1793 marriages in Alstahaug kirkebok

Four sons and two daughters were born to them between 1793 and 1807, including my 2X great grandfather John Christian Larsen. Interestingly, all of her children were born between the months of April and October, with not a single winter birth. (That would mean, however, that their children were conceived during the long Norwegian polar winter.) 

At the time of the 1801 Norwegian census, Lars was 41 and a farmer. Marith was listed as his wife, age 33. 

1801 census for Hellesvig farm, Alstahaug, Nordland, Norway

Living with them at the time of the census is widow Sara Andersdatter, age 67, who could be Marith's mother. There was a marriage between a Sara Andersdatter and Christopher Pedersen in Hemnes, Nordland, Norway in 1767; this couple could certainly be Marith's parents, but without finding her birth/baptism record, we cannot be certain. 

Marith's husband Lars lived to the age of 85, dying on the Hellesvig farm on 25 April 1845. Marith died there on 7 January 1848 at the age of 82. She wasn't buried until 23 April when the ground thawed in the spring. Several others were buried that same day. Although this was normal for the time and place, it nevertheless must have added another whole layer of anguish for Marith's family and the others who were forced to grieve a second time when the burial couldn't occur until after winter ended.

Not where Marith is buried! Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Painting by a contemporary of hers, Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1827): 
"Megalith Grave near Vordingborg in Winter" 

Robert Moulton, Salem Witch Trial Witness (1644-1731) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 50) Theme: "Witness to History"

Being a witness at one of the infamous Salem witch trials definitely qualifies my 7X great grandfather Robert Moulton as a witness to history. I had already written about him in 2016, but his story seems well worth revisiting in relation to this week's suggested theme.

Robert Moulton was my 7X great grandfather. His father was also Robert Moulton (1607-1665) and his grandfather likewise Robert Moulton (1587-1655). It was Robert's grandfather who had emigrated from Ormsby St. Michael, Norfolk, England in 1629, bringing with him his grown son Robert who was a Church of England minister. This older immigrant ancestor was a master shipbuilder who was said to have been the first well-equipped shipbuilder to arrive in New England, building the first vessels that were built in Salem and in Medford, near Boston. Son Robert attempted unsuccessfully to establish the English church in Salem, but this was rejected as not in accord with the prevailing Puritan beliefs in New England.  Both men were active in community affairs, politics and business matters. Clearly the family were upstanding and well-respected members of the community.

The Robert of our story was the first of my direct Moulton line born on American soil, in Salem, Massachusetts in 1644. He was the second child and oldest son of Robert and Abigail (Good) Moulton. On 17 July 1672, 28 year-old Robert married Mary Cooke and started a family of his own. By the time of the 1692 witch hysteria, they had a family of eight children.

Map of Salem Village 1692
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=836532

First, a bit of background. There were two towns associated with the "Salem" witch trials: Salem Town and a fast-growing farming area at its northern end called Salem Village (now called Danvers). The earliest events of 1692 started in Salem Village, which contained some 500 people at the time. There would have been another 1500 or so living in Salem Town. The Village had established its own church in 1672, the same year that Robert and Abigail were married. None of its earliest ministers were ordained, resulting in a good deal of instability. Late in 1689, the church finally obtained an ordained minister named Reverend Samuel Parris. Parris had spent time in Barbados and brought to Salem with him a couple of Carib Indian servants; they would have had knowledge of voodoo practices and told tales of witchcraft to the Parris daughters. Things went well with Reverend Parris at the Salem Church at first, but because of his strict religious orthodoxy, dissent soon arose. The Village found itself in turmoil within a couple of years. It is perhaps not surprising to learn that the earliest witch accusations arose in Parris's own home. Starting in February of 1692 with three young girls who experienced fits, over the next few months some 200 people were accused of witchcraft, many were tried and twenty executed.

Closeup of southwest corner of map of Salem Village showing location
of Robert Moulton's home (#138, circled in turquoise)

Salem was certainly not the only place where people were executed as witches. In those days, people in many parts of Europe and North America believed in witchcraft. Many believed the Devil himself was here on Earth. When unusual events occurred,  in the absence of an accepted scientific explanation, a person could be accused of having used sorcery or being in league with Satan. The accused were most often those already sidelined in their societies - the eccentrics and misfits, the ugly, the mentally ill. Women were accused more often than men and spinsters and barren women were an easy target, especially if they were willful or outspoken. 

In Salem, however, several men and pillars of the community also found themselves among the accused; one of those accused was my well-respected 9X great granduncle, John Alden, Junior, son of 1620  Mayflower arrivals John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. Fortunately, he managed to escape from prison and leave town safely. 

Another such pillar of the community was a 71 year-old wife, mother and grandmother named Rebecca (Towne) Nurse. Always a pious and well-respected woman, she was nevertheless accused of being a witch. The Nurse family had been in a number of acrimonious disputes with the neighboring Putnam family. On 23 March 1692, she was arrested on the basis of charges made against her by Edward and John Putnam. She protested her innocence and many in the community did come to her support, but several young girls (including Reverend Parris's daughter Betty and a young Ann Putnam) swooned with fits that they said were caused by Nurse tormenting them.

One of those who gave evidence on Nurse's behalf was my 7th great grandfather Robert Moulton. He testified that one of her young accusers named Susannah Sheldon had admitted to lying.

Testimony of Robert Moulton in the Trial of Rebecca Nurse

A transcription of his testimony is a bit difficult to understand but the general intent is clear:

 “the testimony of Robart Moulton sener who testifith and saith that I waching with Susannah sheldon sence she was afflicted I heard her say that the witches halled her Upone her bely through the yeard like a snacke and halled her over the stone walle & presontly I heard her Controdict her former: disCource and said that she Came over the stone wall her selfe and I heard her say that she Rid Upone apoole to boston and she said the divel Caryed the poole”

As with all the accused witches, she was not allowed a lawyer and had to defend herself. The examining magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne seemed sympathetic to her cause. Even the Governor of Massachusetts at one point issued a reprieve. Nonetheless, when the swooning fits of the young girls continued, Rebecca Nurse was ultimately convicted as a witch, excommunicated from the church and sentenced to death by hanging on 19 July 1692.

Rebecca Nurse in Chains
By Freeland A. Carter, artist - The Witch of Salem, or Credulity Run Mad, by John R. Musick.
New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1893. p. 275. See [1],
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3080307

It would be several years before the Putnam family, the church and the government issued apologies and attempted to make reparation for the wrongful death of Rebecca Nurse. Although Robert Moulton's testimony had not changed her tragic fate, at least he had had the courage act as witness on the side of one of the innocents during this historic time.

Sources and Further Reading:

• Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature website accessed 18 November 2020 at http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/nursecourt.html
• History of the Salem Witch Trials accessed 18 November 2020  at http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials
• "The Salem Witch Trials" website accessed 18 November 2020 at http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/SalemTrials.html
• Essex County Court Archives, vol. 2, no. 128, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives, on deposit James Duncan Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.

Martha Grace Edwards (1865-1921) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 49) Theme: "Oops!"

By all accounts, my great grandaunt Martha Grace Edwards ("Grace") was a much-loved and highly respected member of her extended family. Still, her life contains one or two events that might garner this lovely lady an "oops!". I suppose, in fairness, most of us have had at least an oops! or two in our lives.

Grace Edwards in 1916

To begin at the beginning, it is anything but clear that her mother's husband was Grace's biological father.  Mother Barbara Hoover had married her second husband, Lewis Edwards, on 24 October 1861 in Henry County, Illinois. The American Civil War had already begun and, just a few months into their marriage, on 9 August 1862, Lewis enlisted as a private in Company C, 112 Illinois Infantry and was off to war. 

Serving with the army near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Lewis contracted a severe cold and cough in early spring of 1863 and was sent to the camp hospital.  After this, he never returned to active duty.  He was sent home to Orion, Henry County, Illinois on a brief sick furlough in February of 1865.  Lewis was formally discharged from the military on 24 July 1865. According to a deposition of his brother-in-law Clark Bleakney, Lewis returned home in August of 1865 from military service, at which time he was suffering so severely from "disease of the lungs" that he "remained sick and suffering from said disease . . . up to the 18th day of February 1866 at which date he died and is buried in Orion cemetery."

No official birth records exist for the time of Grace's birth, and the date shows signs of revision in the family Bible. The revising may have occurred during the time that Grace's mother Barbara was applying for a Civil War orphan's pension on behalf of Martha (Grace) and her twin sister Mary (Minnie) Edwards, trying to establish that they were the legitimate children of deceased veteran Lewis Edwards. The girls were  born on 28 November in either 1865 or 1866, not in Orion, Henry County, Illinois where Lewis lived and died but at the home of Barbara's sister in Jasper County, Iowa. Either birth year makes for interesting speculation, given the tenuous state of Lewis Edwards' health and the timing of his furlough and release from the army which was followed shortly by his death. Oops? Maybe. 

Grace and her twin sister Minnie had an older half-brother Samuel Lester Hoover born 1855 from their mother's first marriage and would go on to have another half-brother Charles Francis Edwards (my great grandfather) born in 1869. After Lewis's death, Barbara and her children lived with her parents in Keokuk, Iowa where they can be found in the extended family in the 1870 U.S. census. Strangely, the twins show up as one individual in that census: M. M. age 4. (The census was taken as of 1 June 1870 and the stated age was to be the age at that date, which would put the twins' birth year at 1865.)

Grace listed as  "M" (for Martha) in the 1870 US census for Keokuk County, Iowa
This is the first record that can be found for Grace

Barbara married an older family friend named George Payton 18 August 1873 in What Cheer, Keokuk, Iowa. Their combined household can be found in Howard, Elk County, Kansas in the 1880 U.S. census. Here we find Grace listed as George's 14 year-old stepdaughter Martha. As in 1870, the census was dated as of 1 June and age was to be given as of that date, giving added credence to a birth year of 1865 for the twins. 

Grace listed as "Martha" at age 14 in the 1880 U.S. Census for Howard, Elk County, Kansas

More information about the extensive activities and business ventures of Grace's mother Barbara and step-father George Payton in Howard can be read in my story from earlier this year. It is clear that the family lived in town and all took an active part in the life of the community. Grace at this time is often known as "Gracie Payton".

Grace and Minnie celebrate their 15th birthdays
Newspapers.com - The Howard Courant 1 December 1881
(supports a birth year of 1866 for the twins) - apparently Gracie and her friend Minnie Momma paid a visit to the newspaper office, according to an item in the same issue:

By the time of the retroactive Civil War orphans' pension applications begun on their behalf  by their mother in March of 1890, both Minnie and Grace had new married names. Minnie is now Mary Simmers (sometimes given as Simmons) and Grace is Martha Lemon. 

Grace's married surname might foreshadow the biggest "oops!" of her life. 

The marriage record that has been uncovered for Gracie Edwards and John Fillmore Lemon shows that their marriage didn't occur until the following year - 5 January 1891 in Fredonia, Wilson, Kansas. By that time, they had had two children: Winfield Scott Lemon, born 29 July 1886 in Winfield, Kansas and Maud Lemon, born in December of 1887 in Independence, Kansas. 

John Fillmore Lemon was more than ten years Grace's senior. He had been married in Illinois in 1878 to a woman named Mary E. Barber. At least two sons (Albert and William) had been born to them. No record of a divorce has been located. Apparently he worked on the railroad, and this may explain how he was able to meet Grace who was living in Kansas.

John Fillmore Lemon in foreground

A health report appeared in the local paper for John F. Lemon in September of 1890, wherein he is referred to as the son-in-law of Henry Barber (presumably wife Mary Barber's father). 

Independence Daily Reporter, Independence, Kansas for 3 September 1890 in Newspapers.com

Ill or not - and still married to Mary or not - John was definitely in a relationship with Grace. His surname was used in her 1 December 1890 Civil War minor's pension application. 

Portion of Grace's Civil War Orphan's Pension Application Dated 1 December 1890
(Signed by her as Mrs. Martha Lemon - the actual marriage occurred one month later)

Grace and her sister had immediately taken over their own application process after their mother Barbara's death just over a week earlier on 22 November 1890. What difficult times these must have been for the family! 

It would be informative if the 1890 U.S. census were available to show who was living where and with whom; presumably John and Grace would have been living in Kansas with their two young children. The Lemon family does show up living together in Pueblo, Colorado ten years later in the 1900 U.S. census:

John and Grace with children Winn and Maud in the 1900 U.S. Census, living in Pueblo, Colorado 

(the 2/2 beside Grace's name indicate that she has given birth to 2 children, both of whom are still alive and the 16 listed for both John and Grace indicate they had been married 16 years, when their official marriage record would indicate 9 years.)

A family photo from Colorado was provided by one of Winn's descendants.

Grace, John, Maud and Winn Lemon in Pueblo, Colorado

If Grace was in fact the proverbial "other woman", all did not remain wedded bliss between her and John. The 1908 newspaper headline could not resist reporting this Oops!:

The Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah, 4 August 1908 from Newspapers.com

(Perhaps the statement that "there are no children" does not mean that they never had any, just that the two children were now adults. In fact both are now married and can be found with their spouses in the 1910 U.S. Census.)

By 1910, John Lemon is single and one of a long list of boarders living in Boulder, Colorado, working in a stone quarry. 

John Lemon in 1910 U.S. Census

This was apparently not the life John wanted for himself. After this, he seems to have ingratiated himself with his first wife Mary and is once again living with her and their two adult sons in Ohio by the time of the 1920 census.

John and Mary Lemon with sons in Ohio, 1920 U.S. Census

Grace seems to have escaped the Oops! factor thereafter. 

Immediately after her divorce from John Lemon, we find her getting married again on 12 August 1908 to Henry Bradshaw ("Brad"),  a man some 15 years her junior. (Like her sister Minnie and mother Barbara, she sometimes fudged her age a bit. All three often seemed to get away with claiming to be younger than their years, especially when in relationships with younger men.) That same year, they relocated to Portland, Oregon, where we find them in the 1920 U.S. census.

Henry and Grace Bradshaw in Portland, Oregon in the 1920 U.S. Census

Brad and Grace (center front) at the Cliff House, San Francisco in 1907

Brad and Grace, Portland, Oregon 1916

The couple seemed to enjoy their lives together until her untimely death in her mid-50s in Tacoma, Washington on 20 September 1921. 

Some Resources:

• Edwards, Lewis C. (Pvt., Co. M, 112th Ill Vol. Inf.), Civil War widow's pension application no. 394,573, certificate no. 265.106 and minors' pension application no. 418,303, certificate no. 265.106 ; Case files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934, Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Lemon, Winfield Scott, Personal Memoirs "Compiled at the request of his grandson Dick," copy provided to the author by Richard Lemon.

Elizabeth Alden (1678-1705) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 48) Theme: "Gratitude"

 With about one out of every eight women dying of complications of childbirth in early New England, it comes as no surprise to find them among our early ancestors. Elizabeth Alden, my 8X great grandmother, was one of these women. Those of us who descend through the child she died giving birth to owe this woman (and all those like her) a great deal of gratitude.

In the days prior to effective birth control and medicines, many women gave birth to a baby every two years and often succumbed to infection and a variety of complications of childbirth. It isn't surprising that many colonial women regarded pregnancy with dread. Their letters from the time indicate their awareness of the danger that they were facing. Early New England poet Anne Bradstreet expressed the fear well in her poem entitled "Before the Birth of One of Her Children" in which she anticipates her husband's remarriage after her death:

Yet love thy dead, who long lay in thine arms.
And when thy loss shall be repaid with gains
Look to my little babes, my dear remains.
And if thou love thyself, or loved'st me,
These O protect from step-dame's injury.

Elizabeth Alden was born in 1678 in Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony to Joseph Alden and Mary Simmons. She was the granddaughter of  1620 Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullins on her paternal side and of 1621 Fortune passenger Moses Simmons on her maternal side.

When she was still in her teens, on 12 December 1693 she was married by Justice of the Peace Josiah Edson to Benjamin Snow (a grandson of Peter Browne, another Mayflower passenger). Benjamin was a farmer in the Bridgewater area. Then started the regular arrival of babies and the inherent danger that entailed:

1. Rebecca Snow born 7 November 1694
2. Benjamin Snow born 23 June 1696
3. Solomon Snow born 6 April 1698
4. Ebenezer Snow born 29 March 1701
5. Elizabeth Snow born 5 May 1705 (my 7X great grandmother)

(Based on the usual pattern, one might suspect a miscarriage or stillbirth to have occurred in about 1703, but no record has been found.) 

Elizabeth did not recover after the birth of her daughter Elizabeth, dying three days later on 8 May 1705 of complications of childbirth. She wasn't yet 30 years old. Her burial location is unknown but would be somewhere in the Bridgewater area. 

Scotland Cemetery, Bridgewater MA photo 1999 - other family members buried here
 but no record for Elizabeth Alden Snow

With five young children including a newborn baby, it isn't surprising to see widower Benjamin remarrying in short order. On 25 October of that same year, he married the widow Sarah (Allen) Cary who added some five children of her own to the household. One might hope that she treated her stepchildren well and not in the way poet Anne Bradstreet had feared in her poem. 

Elizabeth and her namesake daughter never got to know each other at all. Young Elizabeth Snow grew up to marry Joseph Carver when she was 20, dying at the age of 50 after successfully giving birth to 8 children between 1727 and 1744. Our branch of the family descends from her first-born son, Joseph Carver junior. One might assume that this Elizabeth faced each impending birth with understandable concern, always aware that her own birth had resulted in her mother's death. 

Elizabeth Snow's tombstone in the Scotland Cemetery near Bridgewater, MA, is in a lovely country setting. It reads as follows: "Here lies buried Mrs. Elizabeth Carver, y wife of Mr. Joseph Carver, who died July 6th, 1755, in y 51st year of her age."

Bridgewater 1755  tombstone for Elizabeth Alden's daughter Elizabeth (Snow) Carver
photo taken 1999, Scotland Cemetery, Bridgewater, MA

The sacrifice made by Elizabeth Alden in giving birth to her daughter Elizabeth Snow enabled the very existence of a whole line of descendants. Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Remembering you is the only way we can really express our gratitude for your life. 

Some Resources:

• Bradstreet, Anne, Before the Birth of One of her Children, accessed online 09 November 2020 at https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Before_the_Birth_of_One_of_Her_Children
• Childbirth in Early America, Digital History Topic ID-70, 2019,  accessed online 09 November 2020 at https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/topic_display.cfm?tcid=70
• Mitchell, Nahum, History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, including an extensive Family Register (Boston, 1840; rep. Bridgewater, Mass., 1897) accessed online at Internet Archive 09 November 2020 at https://archive.org/details/historyofearlyse00mitc/page/n5/mode/2up

George Gardiner (c1650-1724) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 47) Theme: "Good Deeds"

"Deed" can have a couple of distinct meanings: first, as an act or gesture illustrative of one's character, and secondly, as a legal document signed and delivered regarding ownership of property. Those two meanings intersect in George Gardiner's story.

But for the bold enterprising nature of his mother, my 8X great grandfather George might never have been born. And he certainly would never have shared in the ownership of substantial lands acquired through the good deeds of his mother's generous third partner. 

General area of the Good Deeds - South Kingstown, R.I.
Google Earth

To understand how these good deeds came about, it is necessary to explain a bit of the history of his parents. George was born about 1650 in Newport, Rhode Island to George Gardiner senior and Herodias Long. Both George senior and Herodias had had prior marriages and never officially married each other, instead following the Quaker custom of standing before witnesses and swearing to live together as husband and wife. From all appearances, they lived together happily as husband and wife for a couple of decades and had seven children, the third of whom was the George of our story. 

George's mother Herodias was a fanatic Quaker, at one time willingly walking some 70 miles from Newport to Boston with a young child in her arms to receive a whipping at the post for her religious beliefs.

When their relationship eventually soured, Herodias claimed that George was no longer supporting her and the children. She also claimed to regret having lived with George without going through a proper form of marriage. Thus on 3 May 1665 we find George Gardiner senior brought before the General Assembly court upon the petition of "Hored Long alias Gardner, his reputed wife."

According to Herodias, she had been forced to move in with Gardiner for the support he could provide following her divorce from her first husband, John Hicks. She said she had repeatedly begged  Gardiner to set her up in a separate house and "not to meddle with mee." This must be greeted with a healthy dose of skepticism since she appears to have been a strong-willed woman quite capable of standing up for herself.

The General Assembly found themselves unable to grant her divorce since there was no actual marriage to terminate! They decreed that Gardiner cease to trouble her and that the couple pay a fine for having lived together without being married.  

HOWEVER, the true cause of her wish to free herself from Gardiner can be found in another petition to the same General Assembly. Margaret Porter, wife of John Porter, a wealthy Rhode Island landowner, complained to the court that her husband had deserted her and gone to Pettaquamscut leaving her without means of supporting herself. In her petition, Margaret said that her husband "is destitute of all congugall love towards her, and suitable care for her". She requested that Porter be required to support her from his large estate. Porter was a well-respected member of the community and was expected to behave accordingly. The General Assembly sided with Margaret and ordered Porter to support her, which he arranged to do within the month. 

By this time, Herodias had already moved in with John Porter at Pettaquamscutt. Porter was one of the original purchasers of a huge tract of land called Pettaquamscutt from the Indian sachems of an area around what is now South Kingston, R.I. At first, the pretense was that she was working for him as his housekeeper, but no one really believed this. They were brought to court for living together without being married, but no mention can be found of any penalty or reprimand. 

Porter conveyed large tracts of his lands to her children, supposedly to fulfill a promise he had made to Herodias at the outset of their relationship. No record of a marriage between this couple has been found.

 

 

1724 Map of the 1657 Pettaquamscutt Purchase - Public Domain Image
John Porter's Pettaquamscut lands showing transfers to Herodias's sons

Divorce was almost unheard of at the time. One can only imagine how this scandal would have affected the children of the two divorcing couples. George junior would have been in his mid-teens at the time. 

About five years after all this turmoil, George Gardiner junior at about age 23 married Tabitha Bethiah Tefft. This couple would not cause any scandal during their lengthy marriage, during which they had a large family of at least 9 children (the 6th of whom was my 7X great grandmother Hannah Gardiner). 

It was during the early years of George and Tabitha's marriage that his stepfather John Porter performed his own good deed by transferring good title deeds to lands to George and his siblings.

Historical Marker regarding John Porter's acquisition of the lands
subsequently transferred to stepchildren including George
Photo used with permission of trashpaddler.com

George junior appears in the records only for such matters as having taken the oath of allegiance on 19 May 1671. On 16 November 1678 he and wife Tabitha sold Nicholas Gardiner 60 acres. Then on 29 January 1700, he and his wife for the love of their son Nicholas deeded him 60 acres of land.

On 17 November 1705, George and brothers Benoni, Henry, William and Nicholas, along with wives Tabitha, Mary, Joan, Elizabeth and Hannah Gardiner and Rebecca Watson, all of Kingstown, sold 410 acres on Point Judith Pond to John Potter for 150 pounds to be paid to Thomas Hicks of Flushing, Long Island.  (Thomas was a half brother of George, being a son of Herodias and John Hicks.) The good deeds continued.

George lived to about age 74, dying and being buried at Kingston, Rhode Island. Although there is no marker for his grave, he is believed to be buried in the Nathan Gardner Lot at South Kingston, Rhode Island.

Some Resources:

• Archer, Richard, "Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century", University of New Hampshire, 2001, pages 73-77
• "Genealogies of Rhode Island, Volume 2", page 523
• Moriarty, G Andrews, "Herodias (Long) Hicks-Gardiner-Porter, A Tale of Old Newport" from "Genealogies of Rhode Island, Volume 1", pages 599-607
• "Some Notes on 18th Century Block Island", NEHGR Register, Volume 105, page 258
• Wikipedia article for Horodias Long and John Porter accessed online 8 November 2020
• Robinson, Caroline E, "The Gardiners of Narragansett, Being a Genealogy of the Descendants of George Gardiner the Colonist 1638", Providence Rhode Island 1919

Norwegian Ancestor Kittel Guttormsen (c1758-1836) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 46) Theme: "Different Language"

 Having more than 50% Norwegian ancestry, it was clear to me from the beginning that at some point I would be faced with researching in Norwegian.  It turned out to be not only manageable but fairly accessible, even to someone with little knowledge of the language.

Complications with the Norwegian language arose because of Norway's history of being controlled by Denmark for several centuries until 1814. For a long time, Norwegian was much like Danish and then another version developed to move away from Danish and be more distinctly Norwegian. This resulted in a couple of variations of the Norwegian language, which have subsequently moved into a single form. As a result, modern Norwegian usage may be quite different from that found in the old church records. 

Another thing that distinguishes Norwegian is that is has 29 letters to its alphabet rather than the 26 we have in English. The additional three letters are all vowels (æ, ø and å) and occur after "z" - something to always keep in mind when searching an index for a word in alphabetical order! Although these additional Norwegian vowels do not appear on most keyboards, there are codes for getting these letters to type in computer programs.

To add additional challenge, the old style Gothic writing in the kirkebøker (church books) varies considerably in legibility and, even with the best penmanship, can be difficult to decipher.  See some examples further below.

Notwithstanding these challenges, it is important to recognize that you don't need to be fluent in a language to be able to read basic records. You can quickly pick up the basic words relating to gender, number, birth and baptism (døpte), marriage (viede, copulerede), death (døde), burial (begravede), censuses (folketellinger). Often, there is some similarity of the Norwegian word to its English counterpart.

In addition to using an online translator such as Google Translate, a Norwegian-English Dictionary can come in handy. Remember that you might find a Danish-English Dictionary of more use in some cases. For most basic research, a list of the usual Norwegian words used in genealogy is sufficient, such as the one at the Family Search wiki (see Resources below). 

English-Norwegian-Danish Dictionary compiled by Haldor Hanson, Chicago:
John Anderson Publishing Co., Publishers Skandinaven, 1912

Because the state Lutheran Church was mandated to keep all the vital records for Norway, excellent records are available well back into the 1600s. When I first started researching my Norwegian ancestors, it was necessary to scroll patiently through microfilms, sometimes several for each parish, by ordering them from Salt Lake City. Subsequently, most church records and several censuses have been freely obtainable online from the National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket). 

I have conducted research on dozens of my Norwegian ancestors with the very basic Norwegian language skills I have picked up. As an example, this week's story will focus on one of my mother's Norwegian paternal ancestors. 

Kittel Guttormsen is my 4X great grandfather. Norwegian naming practices also vary from what we are used to in the English/American world where we tend to have a given first name, sometimes a middle name and always a surname, usually passed down from the father. In Norway, there was a given name and a patronymic name based on adding the suffix "sen" or "datter" to the father's first name.  Just from his name, we know that Kittel Guttormsen's father's first name was Guttorm. To get away from the problem of so many names being essentially the same, individuals could be differentiated by adding their (farm) location as an identifier. Hence, Kittel is sometimes known as Kittel Guttormson Opsahl. To add to the confusion, however, if a person moved during his lifetime, that part of the name changed accordingly!

Kittel was the second child born to Guttorm Bjørnsen Nareim and his wife Siri Kittelsdatter Mjøseng. (We can see that Kittel was named for his maternal grandfather, a common practice.)  At the time of his birth in about 1758, his father was farming Nareim farm in Sigdal parish, Buskerud. Kittel was baptized there on 15 July 1759.

Døpte (Baptism) record for Kittel Guttormsen from the Sigdal Kirkebok

In 1778, Kittel's father bought half of the Nedre Opsal farm in Lier parish some 30 miles distance from Nareim farm in Sigdal parish. After the father's death in 1784, widowed mother Siri transferred half this land to Kittel and the other half to his brother Gullik. The farm book describes a lot of financial transactions, including mortgage loans and payments made, values for the property and earnings. Apparently there was a mill on the property valued at 500 dlr. 

On 24 July 1792, Kittel married Johanne Nilsdatter.

Copulerede (marriage) record for Kittel and Johanne from the Lier Kirkebok

The land transactions  remained convoluted and continued over the years. Complex descriptions in Norwegian are definitely beyond my current skill level with the language. The Farm Book describes the following according to Google Translate:

In 1792, Kittel sold in 1796 from a fehage, 1 lp.m which lay on the north side of the garden. In 1801, along with a part of Klemmetsdal, Gullik sold a small piece of wood, "located at the top of Opsalfjellet", to Asle Nilsen from Strømso. The owners of this piece of wood should answer 6 divorces. Annually, "all-time owners of Garden Opsal." In 1804, Kittel digged on Gullik's part of the garden for 600 dlr, and then took the mortgage for the entire purchase price. In the beginning of the 1800s he entered into contact with the other users at Nedre Opsal regarding the dragon horse . Kittel took a mortgage loan of 100 spd. In 1819. The following year, debt grew by 170 spd. In 1823 he issued a joint for 800 spd. and the livestock of the son Gunder Kittelsen. . .

You can see Google Translate does not provide a nice comprehensible translation. Norwegian friend Ragnild assures me that Norway does not have dragon horses and this should have probably been translated as a draw horse for pulling loads. Goodness knows what answering 6 divorces really should have said!

Aside from all these property transactions, Kittel and Johanne also raised their family. They had sons Gunder (my 3X great grandfather) and Nils and daughters Ingebor, Siri, and Anne. 

Gunder and  Johanne and their first three children show up in the 1801 Norwegian census living at Opsahl farm in Lier, Buskerud.

Folketellinger (census) from 1801 for Lier, Buskerud

Kittel died 25 February 1836 and was buried at Tranbye on 10 March. 

Døde og begravede (death and burial) Lier Kirkebok 1836
accessed from the Norwegian Digital Archives

Understanding just a few basic words in Norwegian took us all the way from Kittel's baptism to his burial. Now I must expand my language skills to figure out what that translation about the 6 divorces really meant!

Some Resources:

• FamilySearch.org research wiki for aids to researching in Norway, accessible online at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Norway_Genealogy and for a list of the more common Norwegian words used in genealogy at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Norwegian_Genealogical_Word_List
• Thomsen, Finn A., Genealogical Maps & Guide to Norwegian Parish Registers, Thomsen's Genealogical Center P.O. Box 588, Bountiful Utah 84010, 1988
• Norwegian Digital Archives accessible online at https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/
• Bjerkås, Ola, Liers Historie Bind III Gårdhistorie, Utgitt av Lier Bygdeboknemnd (Farm Book for Lier, Buskerud)

Carl Johan Nelson (1839-1911) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 45) Theme: "Bearded"

When I sit to spend time on my family history, my Dad's two sets of grandparents watch over my shoulder, as if trying to ensure that I tell their stories fairly. They gaze at me rather sternly, seemingly rebuking me for some failure on my part. How I would love to have a nice chat with them to get more detailed stories in their own words so that I could truly do them justice!

My Dad, Ken Bardahl, really appreciated family history. When he found these two pictures at the Bardahl homestead farm, abandoned  and unframed, he scoured the antique and collectibles shops until he found the two domed-glass frames. After Dad passed away, my siblings graciously agreed that I should take possession of these treasures, and that's how they come to watch over my shoulder, admonishing me to get their stories right.

 

Although both of Dad's grandfathers are bearded in their photographs (as was the fashion in the late 1800s), this time it's Carl Nelson's turn to be featured. Dad never met this maternal grandfather who appears in the top picture on the left. In fact, he only ever met one grandparent, namely Anna Elton Bardahl, and that just during one visit when Dad was 4. The stories about his other grandparents can be found here: 

• Karen Nilsdatter (upper picture, right)
• Anna Elton (lower picture, left)
• Hans Bardahl (lower picture, right)

Carl Johan Nelson c.1890
(No picture has been located for Carl without his beard)

Carl was born 26 August 1839 in Norderhov, Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway to Nils Olsen and Guri Larsdatter. His parents never married, and his baptism was unusually delayed, for almost a year, until 8 June 1840.

Baptism and birth record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

As was traditional, he was confirmed into the state Lutheran church when in his mid-teens. On 25 June 1854, his confirmation appears in the Kirkebok for Norderhov.

1854 Confirmation record for Carl Nelson from the Norwegian Kirkebok for Norderhov, Buskerud

The next time we find Carl in an official record is in the 31 December 1865 folketelling (census) for Norway. He is unmarried, 27 years old and working as a hired man on the farm of Anders Engebretsen in Norderhov. Living conveniently nearby, listed on the same page in the census, is a 24 year-old woman named Marie Nilsdatter. 

Carl married Karen Marie Nilsdatter on 3 July 1866 at Norderhov. Their daughter Gunhild (Julia) was born the following month. They were only married a few months when Carl, Karen and Gunhild joined thousands of their countrymen in emigrating to America. Bundling up their possessions and leaving all they knew to sail across the Atlantic in the dead of winter must have been challenging and at least a bit scary. 

Uttflyted record from the Norderhov Kirkebok
showing the family leaving the parish for America

At first, they settled in Salem Wisconsin but soon moved to Douglas County, Minnesota where they remained for 9 years.  While there, Carl became a naturalized American citizen on 3 October 1872.

1872 Carl Nelson American Naturalization

(It is interesting to note that in making this application, Carl had to renounce all allegiance to the King of Sweden and Norway. Norway at that time was under the reign of the King of Sweden in a rather complex relationship between the countries.)

Carl and his family made one final move in 1876 to the area of Erdahl, Grant, Minnesota where they lived out their lives.

Carl Nelson's land just southeast of Erdahl, MN
Erdahl Plat 1900

Carl and Karen had a family of 8 children, 7 daughters and one son. Most of the children were born during their time in Douglas County, MN, but the two youngest, Josephine and my grandmother Louise, were born after the move to Grant County.

Carl and Karen's Family c.1890 with identification of some of his daughters in Carl's fine handwriting
(Note the daughters' surnames are all given as Carlsdatter in the Norwegian patronymic tradition)

The following photograph is from 1898 at Carl's farm at Erdahl where he appears in his trademark beard working the land with son Nels.

1898 image of Carl (right) with son Nels, farming at Erdahl

One final photograph shows an apparently older Carl on his own, once again in his signature full beard.

Carl Nelson c.1910

Carl died at the age of 72 at 2:00 a.m. on 4 December 1911, after an illness of more than a year. From his obituary, we learn that "Mr. Nelson was an old member of the Pomme de Terre lake congregation of the Synod Lutheran Church, and took an active part in its work. His death is a distinct loss not alone to the congregation but also the community of which he was a part." His funeral was on Friday, 8 December and interment in the Synod Cemetery.

1992 - Carl's grandson Ken Bardahl and his wife Elinor visit Carl's grave

Some Resources:

• BBC History Magazine article on the History of Beards accessed 18 October 2020 at https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/a-brief-history-of-beards/
• Norwegian digital archive records for Norderhov, Buskerud Kirkebøker (church books) accessed online at https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb/browse