Surname Saturday ~ October Anniversaries

Happy October anniversary to my niece Kathleen and her husband Richard!

October anniversaries that appear in my family tree include:

Clarke/Downey

My 3rd great-grandaunt Henrietta CLARKE has been instrumental in uncovering records about her brother Morgan CLARKE (my direct line ancestor) so I have a special affection for her. Henrietta married Thomas E DOWNEY in Washington County Maryland 20 Oct 1849.

Johanisson/Andreassdotter
My 3rd great-grandparents Peter Johan JOHANISSON and Johanna Kristina ANDREASDOTTER were married in Tånnö, Jönköping, Sweden on 16 Oct 1864. They had seven children. Four of the five who reached adulthood immigrated to the United States, including my 2nd great-grandmother Maria Fredrika PETERSDOTTER. A few years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting a descendant of the child who remained in Sweden.

Klarin/Larsson
My 2nd great-grandmother Bengta JONSSDOTTER was just 28 years old when she died in 1895, days after giving birth to her fourth child. Her husband Carl LARSSON KLARIN married Ida Maria LARSSON, also widowed, on 19 Oct 1897 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Landstrom/Weig
The youngest of seven children who immigrated from Sweden to Chicago with my 3rd great-grandparents, my 2nd great-granduncle Axel Fabian LANDSTROM married Anna O WEIG 16 Oct 1907 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. A special affection for this collateral ancestor began after learning he moved his parents' graves to Rosehill Cemetery when he buried his young son there.

Lidstrom-Tolf
My 4th great grandparents Carl Jonas TOLF and Maja Lisa LIDSTROM were married 04 Oct 1817 presumably in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden. Presumably because my notes lack any details (ugh!), but both Carl and Maja were born and died there. Sadly Carl died at 38 leaving Maja with seven young children.

Mangels/Brenke
My paternal grandparents divorced and (Grandma) Frances Lois MANGELS went on to marry Robert Emmett BRENKE 19 Oct 1940 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Samuelsdotter/Uhlitz
Swedish immigrant Ricka SAMUELSDOTTER married my 2nd great-granduncle Oskar Fredrik LANDSTROM in 1902. Theirs was a physically demanding life, he was a blacksmith and she was a laundress. Oskar died in 1913 and I wondered what became of Ricka. Then one day I stumbled upon a marriage certificate on FamilySearch. Ricka married German immigrant Otto George August UHLITZ 19 Oct 1916 in Chicago.

Do we share any ancestors? If you see any familiar names above, please email me at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com and let's compare notes!

Surname Saturday ~ July Birthdays

Happy July birthday to my niece Christine; my cousins Cynthia and Ernie Lynn; my 3rd cousins once removed James, Pat, and Steven; and my 4th cousin-in-law Michael. Birthdays from the past include:

George BORST born 26 Jul 1861. George was a postman in Chicago Illinois and lived to be 90. He married Nana Elizabeth PLUM born 21 Jul 1872.

Esther Ingeborg CLARIN born 07 Jul 1890 was the first child born to Swedish immigrants Carl and Bengta Clarin in Chicago Illinois. Mabelle Theresia CLARIN born 09 Jul 1894 was Esther's younger sister. The girls' grandfather Lars PETERSSON was born in Fultofta, Malmohus, Sweden 21 Jul 1800.

Mary CLARKE, born 24 Jul 1869, was the eighth of 11 children. Her parents were Morgan and Susan (nee Shank) Clarke of Funkstown Maryland.

Carl ERSSON born in Börstil, Uppsala, Sweden 14 Jul 1807 is my third great-grandfather. He and his wife Brita Carin ANDERSDOTTER had seven children, among them my second great grandmother Maja Stina KARLSDOTTER born 02 Jul 1839.

Alice Louise GILES born 31 Jul 1913 lived to be 90. She was the first family historian I knew. Her sister Fern Mary GILES was born 3 Jul 1922. In her later years, Alice gave her genealogy files to Fern for safe-keeping.

Vernie G HIGHBARGER was born 22 Jul 1887 in Washington County Maryland. She married William F King and lived in Baltimore. Her parents John and Zora (nee Clarke) Highbarger lived with Vernie the last 10 years of their lives.

My second great-grandfather Herman Friedrich Carl MANGELS was born 04 Jul 1845 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and immigrated to Chicago about 1882. The family story is that his wife Mary (nee BUKMAKOFSKY) banished Herman to their enclosed porch one January night after he'd been drinking and he froze to death. But his death certificate says he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Carl Jules SCHMITT was born 17 Jul 1881 in Ohio. Carl's father Jean Nicolas SCHMITT moved his family to Chicago where he opened a bakery and restaurant. Carl became a commercial artist.

Edward Arthur THOMPSON born 25 Jul 1895 in Chicago Illinois was the youngest child of Peter and Mary (nee PETERSON), Scandanavian immigrants.

Jacob Wilhelm TOLF was born 05 Jul 1826 in Lindefors, Jönköping, Sweden. His father (my 4th great grandfather) Carl Jonas TOLF was a blacksmith. Carl died at just 38 years old leaving a widow and seven young children.

My grandmother Harriet Kathlyn TOLF born 02 Jul 1909 and her brother
Oliver TOLF born 05 Jul 1915 lived in Chicago their entire lives. As an adult, Ollie legally changed his name to Donald. Both siblings died in their forties; Harriet in 1954 and Donald in 1961.

Clockwise Julia (nee Thompson), Earl, Oliver and Harriet Tolf.

This is the Face of Genealogy

Wordless Wednesday ~ Brenke?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Just Married

To Daddy, with love

William Edwin Mueller

October 25, 1931 ~ October 18, 2010

One week prior to his 79th birthday, William E. Mueller, Barron, Wisc., died at his home with his beloved wife Harriet May (Anderson) at his side. The couple was married for 38 years and lived in Barron for the last 10 years.

William was born in Chicago October 25, 1931 to Frances Lois (Mangels) and Harold Clarke Mueller. At 17, he joined the U.S. Army and served as an infantry unit auto mechanic. His most significant assignment was at Battery D 71st AAA Gun Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

William's love of cars became his career, working first at auto dealerships and then owning several auto body shops in Chicago.

Surviving are daughters Laura Aanenson (Gregory), Lizabeth Chocian (Scott), Lana Gruber (James), LouAnn Mueller, and Victoria Bray (Terrence); 15 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; sisters Janice Stetz and Karen Brenke; and brothers Ernie Mueller (Kylene), Alexander (Barbara) and Robert E. Brenke Jr.

William was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Frances Brenke, sister Lois Cuevas, and daughter Patricia Mueller.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 25, from Salem Lutheran Church, Barron. William will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis.