November Anniversaries

Happy November anniversary to the following couples in my family tree:

My 4th great-grandparents Matthew CLARKE and Rebecca Margaret RIDENOUR were married on 13 Nov 1818 in Washington County, Maryland. (Wish I knew exact dates of birth for either of them!)

My 3rd great-grandparents Lars PETERSSON and Anna SVENSDOTTER tied the knot on 21 Nov 1856 in Agunnaryd, Kronobergs, Sweden. Their son Carl took the military name Clarin and would later immigrate to Chicago Illinois.

The direct line ancestors with whom I spend much of my time these days; my 2nd great-grandparents Jacob K MUELLER and Elizabeth SCHMITT were married in Chicago on 28 Nov 1874.

Other November brides and grooms include:

Norman A CLARKE and Hester Ann LEFFEL were married 23 Nov 1887 in Springfield, Clark, Ohio. 

John PETERSON and Amanda Sofia Karlsdotter TOLF were married in the 1st Swedish M.E. Church in Chicago, Cook, Illinois 21 Nov 1900. (I wonder why? They both lived in Batavia Illinois, 30 or so miles west of Chicago.)

Lawrence Charles YOUNGBERG and Alma S SANDSTEDT were married 17 Nov 1909 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

John Alfred LUND and Hannah Christina TOLF were married 10 Nov 1910 in Kane County, Illinois.

Amanda Ida MANGELS and Stephen Taylor GILES were married 22 Nov 1910 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Are any of these people in your family tree too?

Please contact me at find.an.ancestor [at] gmail [dot] com.

Let's compare notes!

Surname Saturday ~ The Name Game

In the New Dictionary of American Family names, author Elsdon C. Smith writes, "After the Crusades, people began, perhaps unconciously, to feel the need of a family name, or at least a name in addition to the simple one that had been possesed from birth. The nobles and upper classes, especially those who went on the Crusades, observed the prestige and practical value of an added name and were quick to take a surname, usually the name of the lands they owned. When the Crusaders returned from the wars, the upper classes who had stayed at home soon followed suit."

Ready to test your name-knowledge? (The names for Round 4 of The Name Game were inspired by the Geneabloggers who attended FGS 2011.)

Step right up and try your luck guessing the country of origin and the meanings of these names:

Bankhead

Doyle

Freda

Higgins

Jerome

Lyons

Niziolek

Pointer

Roach

Tapley

Voorhees

Xanthos

Give yourself one point for each country guessed correctly and another point for each correct meaning.

Scroll down...



to see...



the answers...

Bankhead (Scottish) One who came from Bankhead (end of the ridge), the name of several small places in Scottland.

Doyle (Irish/English) Grandson of Dubhghall (black foreigner); the swarthy stranger or foreigner; one who came from Ouilly (Olius' farm), the name of five places in Normandy.

Freda (Italian) Descendant of Freda, a pet form of Friderico, a variant of Frederick (peace, rule).

Higgins, Higgin, Higginson, Higgens, Higgs (English/Irish) The son of little Higg or Hick, pey forms of Richard (rule, hard); descendant of Uige (knowledge).

Jerome (English) Descendant of Jerome (holy name).

Lyons, Lyon (English/Scottish) Descendant of Leon (lion); dweller at the sign of the lion. Jacob's reference to Judah as a lion (Gen. 49:9) has caused this name to be adopted by many Jews.

Niziolek (Polish) One who was short in stature.

Pointer, Poynter (English) One who made laces for fastening clothes.

Roach (Irish) Dweller at, or near, a rock. See also Roche.

Roche, Roch, Rocher, Rochet (French/English) Dweller near a rock; one who came from Roche (rock) in Cornwall; or from Roche (rock), the name of many places in France.

Tapley (English) One who came from Tapeley (wood where pegs were obtained), in Devonshire.

Voorhees, Voorhies, Voorheis (Dutch) One who lived in front of Hees, the name of four places in Holland.

Xanthos (Greek) The golden, or yellow-haired, man.

Hope you enjoyed this round of The Name Game!

Surname Saturday ~ The Name Game

The author of the New Dictionary of American Family Names, Elsdon C. Smith writes, "Surnames were most commonly derived from a person's place of residence, his occupation, a prominent physical characterstic, or from a father's given name."

Will that information help you in Round Three of the Name Game?

Step right up and try your luck guessing the country of origin and the meaning of these names:

Abt

Chambers

Erdos

Gach

Infelise

Kauppinen

Mavros

Orfevre

Quail

Ryerson

Taddei

Vaher

Xanthopoulos

Zajicek

Give yourself one point for each country guessed correctly and another point for each correct meaning.

Scroll down...



to see...



the answers...

Abt (German) A member of an abbott's entourage; sometimes the lay abbott of a monastery who inherited his office.

Chambers (English) The officer in charge of the private household of a king or important nobleman; one who worked in the chamber, sometimes the reception room of an important household.

Erdos (Hungarian) Dweller in, or near, the forest or wooded land.

Gach, Gache (Polish) One who is fond of women, a ladies' man.

Infelise (Italian) The poor, wretched, miserable man.

Kauppinen (Finnish) One who kept a shop, a merchant or tradesman.

Mavros (Greek) One with a dark or swarthy complexion.

Orfevre (French) One who made and sold gold articles, a goldsmith.

Quail (Manx) The son of Fhail, Manx form of Paul (small).

Ryerson (Dutch) The son of Ryer or Reijer (rider).

Taddei (Russian) Descendant of Taddei, a Slavic form of Thaddeus (praising God).

Vaher (Estonian) Dweller near a maple tree.

Xanthopoulos (Greek) The son of Ksanthos (blond).

Zajicek (Czech) Dweller at the sign of the hare; one who hunts hares.

Which of your scores was the highest; this time or Round One or Round Two? How many of the names listed above surprised you?

Surname Saturday ~ October Birthdays

Happy October birthday to my youngest and most adorable grandson, my niece Rebecca, my husband's nephew Paul, my cousin Rose, and my aunt Kylene!

Especially in my thoughts today; my dad who would have been 80 years old October twenty-fifth.


Karl Larsson KLARIN

 October birthdays that appear in my family tree include:

Clarin/Klarin

My 2nd great-grandfather Karl Larsson KLARIN was born 19 Oct 1863 in Hörby, Malmöhus, Sweden. He served in the Swedish army until 1884 and later immigrated to Chicago. Karl and his wife had three daughters. Mabelle, the youngest, had a baby named Betsy Ann WALLIN 18 Oct 1933. Sadly Betsy died the same day.

Jönsdotter and Jönsson
My 2nd great-grandmother Bengta had at least seven siblings. Her sister Hanna JÖNSDOTTER was born 02 Oct 1859 in Bjäresjö, Malmöhus, Sweden. This is a copy of the husförhör (household examination roll) from Hörby 1863-1870:

Landstrom
My 2nd great-granduncle Johan Wilhelm LANDSTROM was born 22 Oct 1860 in Norra Sandsjö, Jönköping, Sweden.

Johan Wilhelm LANDSTROM

Littrell

My 2nd great-grandmother Mary Ella LITTRELL was born 30 Oct 1858 in Roanoke County Virginia. Her mother died when Ella was quite young. Ella's father married a widow with three children; Ida born 15 Oct 1857, George and Anna DEMASTER. The blended family moved to Springfield Ohio. Anna's daughter Catherine May TEACH was born there 10 Oct 1891.



Gustav Robert MANGELS



Mangels

My great-grandfather Gustav Robert MANGELS was born 20 Oct 1889 in Chicago; the oldest son of German immigrants. He and my great-grandmother divorced and both remarried. Between marriages, Gustav appeared on the 1920 census in Massachusetts as a soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Warren. Gustav and his second wife lived in Fort Wayne Indiana where he worked for General Electric. His daughter Lucille Emilie MANGELS was born 18 Oct 1930.

Schmitt

The last child born before my Schmitt ancestors immigrated to Cincinnati Ohio, my 2nd great-granduncle Francois SCHMITT was born 24 Oct 1853 in Hellimer, Moselle, Lorraine, France. What became of him in the US is not yet known.

Tolf

My 2nd great-grandfather's brother Gustaf TOLF was born 25 Oct 1847 in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden. He was the first of his seven siblings to immigrate to America. Gustaf settled in Batavia Illinois where he worked as a blacksmith as he had done in Sweden. 

Gustaf and Nettie Tolf with six of their children

Gustaf's sister Frida married Charles Johan LJUNGBERG/YOUNGBERG born 27 Oct 1861 in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden. The couple moved from Batavia to Chicago where Charles worked for the Pullman Car Company.

Their daughter Myrtle married Joseph Philip FRIEND born 24 Oct 1885, an immigrant from Schonlinde, Czechoslovakia. Joe worked as an "operator at the moving picture theater" according to the 1930 census.

Charles and Frida's son Lawrence Charles YOUNGBERG was born in Chicago 12 Oct 1887. Lawrence had two daughters, Dolores Lorraine YOUNGBERG born 01 Oct 1913 and her younger sister Evelyn. Both girls married men with October birthdays: Dolores to Paul Evert JOHNSON born 08 Oct 1909 and Evelyn to Douglas Lee FOSTER born 29 Oct 1924.

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 ~ The Name Game

Ready for Round Two of the Name Game?

Step right up and try your luck guessing the country of origin and the meanings of these names:

Bleeker

Driscoll

Fortier

Hofstetter

Jalowiec

Lackey
Nikolich

Palmieri

Raske

Teslenko

Vela

Xander

Zsoldow

Give yourself one point for each country guessed correctly and another point for each correct meaning.

Scroll down...

to see...

the answers...


Bleeker, Bleecker (Dutch) One who bleaches or whitens cloth, a fuller.

Driscoll (Irish) Grandson of Eidirsceol (interpreter).

Fortier (French) One employed at a fortress; one who made and sold gimlets.

Hofstetter, Hostetter (German, Swiss) One who came from Hofstetten, the name of several villages in Germany and Switzerland.

Jalowiec (Polish, Russian) One who was sterile or barren, dweller on infertile soil.

Lackey, Lackie (English, Irish) One who attended another, a footman; dweller at a stony or rocky place.

Nikolich, Nikolic (Yugoslavian) Son of Nikola, Serbo-Croatian form of Nicholas (people's victory).

Palmieri, Palmiero (Italian) One who carries the palm in religious processions; one who granted or sold indulgences.

Raske, Rask (Swedish) Daring, a soldier name.

Teslenko (Ukranian) The son of the carpenter.

Vela (Spanish) One who took care of sheep, a shepherd; one who came from Vela (raven), in Spain.

Xander, Xanders (Greek) Descendant of Xander, a shortened form of Alexander (helper of mankind).

Zsoldow (Hungarian) One hired for service in the army, a mercenary soldier.

Did you do better in Round One or Round Two? Share a surname you are researching and I'll add them to an upcoming post.

Surname Saturday ~ The Name Game

In the preface to the New Dictionary of American Family Names, Elsdon C. Smith writes, "...Each family carries a distinctive label...allied with its own identity... the family name...  Since it has been...in the possession of the family for generations...it is taken for granted. Now and then one pauses to wonder how that particular family name came to identify one's ancestors."

A former president of the American Name Society, the author has been criticized for his failure to list references, roots, etymological origins, and the early forms from which surnames were derived in the 570 page book.

Despite the lack of depth, I found Smith's Dictionary quite interesting. My purpose for using the book in this venue is to have a little fun exploring the  origins of some family names.

Before you scroll down any further, can you guess the country of origin and the meaning of these surnames?

Affleck

Cole

Estrada

Gruber

I

Khoury

Onesti

Quackenbush

Selsky

Underland

Wegrzyn

Yergey

Give yourself one point for each country guessed correctly and another point for each correct meaning.

Okay...

now...

scroll down...

Affleck (Scottish) One who came from the barony of Auchinleck, (field of the flat stone), in Ayrshire; or from Affleck, in Angus.

Cole, Coles (English) Descendant of Cole, a pet form of Nicolas (people's victory).

Estrada (Spanish) One who came from Estrada (paved road), in Spain; dweller near a paved road.

Gruber, Grube, Grubman, Grubner (German) Dweller near a mine, ditch or quarry.

I (Chinese) The first Chinese syllable of a Manchu's name, which serves as the family name.

Khoury, Khouri (Arabian) One who performed sacerdotal functions, a priest.

Maison (French) Dweller in the house, usually designating a house of some importance; one who came from Maison, the name of many places in France.

Onesti (Italian) The honorable, honest man.

Quackenbush (German, Dutch) Dweller near the bridge across the bog; or at the swamp where the bushes grew; or in, or near, the swampy wood frequented by frogs.

Selsky (Ukranian) Dweller in the village.

Underland (Norwegian) Dweller on the lower land, a farm name.

Wegrzyn (Polish) One who came from Wegry, i.e., a Hungarian

Yergey (Russian) Descendant of Sergey, Russian form of Sergius (to serve).

So...how'd you do?

Surname Saturday ~ September Marriages

Some ancestrally-significant weddings took place in September;

My second great-grandparents Maria BUKMAKOFSKY and Herman Friedrich Carl MANGELS were married in Chicago on the 18th of September in 1886:

My great-grandmother Esther Ingeborg CLARIN married her second husband Charles Fredrick OTTO in Chicago September 10, 1918.

My third great-grandparents, Nicolas SCHMITT and Marie Anne GURY were married in Léning, Moselle, Lorraine, France on September 26th, 1837:

Dolores, the oldest daughter of my mystery 1st cousin thrice-removed Lawrence Charles YOUNGBERG (what happened to him?), married Paul Evert JOHNSON September 1, 1937.

Do we share any ancestors? Visit my web site or

send me an email at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Surname Saturday ~ September Birthdays

Happy September birthday to one of my favorite grandsons, my nephew Zac, my uncle Ernie, my cousin Michael (pictured below), my great-grandniece, my brother-in-law, my cousin-in-law Stephen, my grand-uncle Fran, my great-grandfather Alfred Jacob MUELLER, my second great-grandfather William Penrod CLARKE, my third great-grandmothers Johanna Kristina ANDREASON (pictured far below) and Anna SVENSDOTTER.

More September birthdays include my grandaunt Alma Erika MANGELS, my granduncles Harry Vincent FLOOD and Roy WALTON, my great-grandaunts Alma E MUELLER and Esther Maria THOMPSON, my great-granduncles Herman Joseph MANGELS, Otto V MUELLER, John H and Thomas Arthur WALTON, my second great-grandaunts Kersti PERSSON and Christina SCHMITT, my second great-granduncles Harry Orville CLARKE, Gustaf Adolf LANDSTROM, Henry Charles and John Henry LITTRELL; my first cousins twice-removed Branden and Tyler ALLEN, and Edward H CARLSON; first cousins thrice-removed Albert Joseph, Clara, and Emil Julius BIEDINGER, Franklin Whitfield BLAKE, Clifford Morgan and Edna Jeanetta CLARKE, Fredrick DOMKOWSKY, Jules Arthur DROLL, Julius Jacob PLUM, Ernest Carl SWANSON, Clarence Ferdinand, Eva Matilda and Wesley Lambert TOLF; my second cousins twice-removed Julius J PLUM and Ruth SWANSON, and my fourth cousin once-removed Joseph FRIEND.



Do we share any ancestors? Click here to visit my web site or

send me an email at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Surname Saturday ~ August Marriages

Some ancestrally-significant weddings took place in August:

William Clarke and his wife Ella (nee Littrell)

My grandparents Frances Lois MANGELS and Harold Clarke MUELLER were married 22 Aug 1930 in Chicago Illinois.

My great grandparents (Harold's parents) Gertrude CLARKE and Alfred MUELLER were married 24 August 1907.

My second great grandparents (Gertrude's parents) William CLARKE and Mary Ella LITTRELL were also married 24 August, in 1882.

Surname Saturday ~ August Birthdays

Happy August birthday to my wonderful husband, my little sister, my beautiful granddaughter, my uncle Bob, my cousin Bill, my cousin in-law Michael, my grand uncle Bud, my first cousin once-removed Faith, my first cousin twice-removed Courtney, my third cousin once-removed in-law Cindy, and my fourth cousins once-removed Spencer and Taylor.

My August-born ancestors are also in my thoughts:

Helen Irene ADAMS born 04 Aug 1919 married William Howard TOLF in Chicago Illinois. Their daughter is one of my favorite genealogists.

Lyman John CLARKE was born 01 Aug 1893 in Chicago Illinois and his aunt Zora E CLARKE was born in Washington County Maryland 19 Aug 1857. Their unique names help in the search for Clark/e ancestors and descendants.

My 4th great-grandmother Elizabeth GROSSE was born in Virming, Moselle, Lorraine, France 07 Aug 1781. She married François SCHMITT in 1804.

Although not yet documented other than the photo below, Christina GURY born 15 Aug 1821 in Altroff, Moselle, Lorraine, France became a nun. Her brother Jean Louis GURY was born 26 Aug 1819 also in Altroff.

Axel Fabian LANDSTROM was born in Norra Unnaryd, Jonkopings, Sweden 10 Aug 1874, the youngest of seven children who immigrated to Chicago Illinois with their parents Johan Peter LANDSTROM and Lisa Katarina PETERSDOTTER. Axel's older brother Carl Werner LANDSTROM was born 17 Aug 1863.

John Alfred LUND was born 13 Aug 1879 in Sweden. His wife Hannah Christina TOLF and her sister Ella Jubelina TOLF 21 Aug 1886 were born in the Swedish community of Batavia Illinois.

My grandfather Harold Clarke MUELLER was born 07 Aug 1908 in Chicago Illinois. He married Frances Lois MANGELS 22 Aug 1930.

Following the Swedish naming tradition, Jöns PERSSON born 23 Aug 1829 in Bjäresjö, Malmöhus, Sweden had a daughter named Bengta JÖNSDÖTTER. In America she would be known as Betty Johnson. Jöns' daughter created this priceless family treasure:

After my 3rd great-grandmother Margaret Jane SHARTZER died in 1867, Julia PETERS born 25 Aug 1827 married the widowed Charles W LITTRELL. She helped raise his children John Henry LITTRELL and Mary Ella LITTRELL.

Oscar F THOMPSON born in Chicago Illinois 12 Aug 1883 was the first American born child of Norwegian immigrant Peter THOMPSON and his Swedish immigrant wife Maria Fredrika PETERSDOTTER.

My 4th great-grandfather blacksmith Carl Jonas TOLF was born in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden 25 Aug 1795. He died at 38 leaving wife Maja Lisa LIDSTROM with seven small children, among them my 3rd great-grandfather Carl TOLF. Carl immigrated to Batavia Illinois in 1878. His August-born grandsons include Frank M TOLF 29 Aug 1884 and Leroy Harrison TOLF 10 Aug 1888. Owen Henry TOLF, a great-grandson, was born 03 Aug 1914.

On 21 Aug 1891 Swedish immigrants Carl Johan YOUNGBERG and Frida Katrina TOLF had their second child Myrtle Alvira YOUNGBERG. Myrtle's brother Lawrence Charles YOUNGBERG is one of the family mysteries I enjoy solving.

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.

Surname Saturday - July Marriages

Two family weddings in two weeks; 'tis the season! And that made me wonder how many of my ancestors were married in July. Of course there are my parents, my sister, and at least one of my cousins; but those who came before the living family members include:

My second great grand aunt Zora Clarke who married John Highbarger 16 July 1879. Zora and John lived in Washington County Maryland most of their lives. They had four children.

My great grand aunt Maria Josephina Carlson married Andrew Johnson in Chicago 12 Jul 1888. Both were Swedish immigrants. Maria had been born in Börstil in Uppsala. A family story about Mary and her husband owning a boarding house led to the discovery of this marriage. Maria married the husband everyone knew 10 years after Andrew's death. She's the widowed boarding house manager near the bottom of the page below:

My first cousin thrice removed Carl E Plum married Waity Chandler 17 Jul 1901 in Chicago. Sadly Waity died in childbirth nine months later.

My great grand uncle Otto V Mueller (Bidenharn) married Alvina S Schmitt 23 Jul 1902 in St Joseph, Michigan, a popular wedding site for many Chicagoans. The couple's daughter Edith M was born June 1903. Otto was a successful civil engineer who tragically took his own life in April 1912.

Another Chicagoan and first cousin thrice removed Myrtle Alvira Youngberg married Canadian John L Miller in scenic St Joseph, Michigan 01 Jul 1910. She was 18 years old. The marriage lasted less than three years.

Yet another first cousin thrice removed Pearl May Tolf married Algernon Chastaine Porter in Chicago 19 Jul 1913. I did not know until just this moment that Algernon and Pearl lived in Virginia with their two daughters during the 1920 census. Prior to her marriage Pearl lived with her cousins Raymond and Ranghild in a Swedish Chicago neighborhood.

My great grand uncle George James Walton married Dorothea May Reifsnyder in Cleveland Ohio. The couple had one son, [Cecil] James, with whom I shared a passion for genealogy. James lost his battle with cancer just last year.

The last of my first cousins thrice removed who married in July was Ella Jubelina Tolf. She married Arthur William Nelson in Batavia Illinois 30 Jul 1914. Everyone who described Ella to me spoke very highly of her. She and Arthur had two children. Son Frank became a dentist and practiced in Batavia his entire career.

Carlson, Tolf, Walton, and Youngberg are surnames on my mom's side of the family. Clarke, Mueller, and Plum are on the paternal side of my family tree; the side I am currently researching. Some of the ancestors listed above are collateral. Their stories often add to those of my direct line ancestors. 

Do we share any ancestors? Drop me a line at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com. I'd love to compare notes!

Surname Saturday ~ Peterson, Thompson, Tolf

Four generations of women posed for this picture on a hot summer day in 1934. 

My mother is the toddler in front. Her mother, Harriet Kathlyn Tolf is on the left in back. My grandmother was born in Chicago in 1909.

Harriet's mother Julia Christine Thompson (back row right) was also born in Chicago. At age 19, Julia married Harry Wilhelm Tolf in St. Joseph Michigan. They had three children before they divorced.

Julia's mother (seated) was Maria Frederika Peterson. Maria immigrated from Tånnö Sweden at age 16. When she reached America in August of 1880, she became known as Mary. She married a Norwegian immigrant named Peter Thompson in Chicago in January 1883. Shortly before this picture was taken, Peter went to Norway to help his father. The family story is that he was delayed at Ellis Island on the return trip and died there of pneumonia.

The photo was taken in my grandmother's mother-in-law's (Mrs. Flood) yard.

Surname Saturday ~ Grosse, Gury, Schmitt

Fashionable women ~ 1850

I'm enamored with my paternal French line; learning to speak French while driving, reading French history books, translating birth records during my lunch hour, ordering films from the Family History Library every Tuesday evening. Some might say I've become addicted, but that's not true. I've been addicted all along.

New clues show themselves frequently, but most often they come accompanied by more questions. 

The knowns:

• My 3rd great-grandfather, Nicolas Schmitt, was born in 1813 in Hellimer, Moselle, Lorraine, France.
• His parents were Francois Schmitt and Elisabeth Grosse.
• His wife was Marie-Anne Gury, born in 1818 in Francaltroff, Hellimer, Lorraine, France.
• Nicolas had at least two siblings, younger sisters Elisabeth and Barbe.
• He traveled to America with his eldest son Jules in April 1854.
• Nicolas and his family settled in Cincinnati Ohio.
• Several children, including my 2nd great-grandmother emmigrated to Chicago where they raised their children.

The unknowns:

• When did the remaining family members arrive in America?
• What happened to Francois, the last child born in France?
• What happened to Joseph, the first child born in Ohio?
• Did Jules really die in Ohio, or did he relocate to Chicago leaving his wife and children behind?
• Was Nicolas the first, one of several, or the only Schmitt that left France?
• Where is the elusive marriage record of Nicolas and Marie-Anne?
• and so many more unknowns; far too many to list.

The next steps:

• Order microfilm for 1792-1810 birth, marriage, death records for Hellimer.
• Continue checking the mailbox for the will that will tell if the French-born Ohio-residing Emile Schmitt who married Mary Kauffman is "my" Emile.
• Translate Barbe's birth record; it includes her parents' ages.
• Search passenger lists for my 2nd great-grandmother and her siblings.
• Determine whether the brother mentioned as co-owner of John Schmitt's restaurant in Chicago is Jules.

And so, as we French say, la recherche se poursuit!