2012 New Year's Resolutions

Another year comes to a close. The past 12 months were sprinkled with equal parts levity and laughter, wonder and worry, pitfalls and proud moments. I'm glad I was on the planet to see all the ups and downs firsthand and I very much appreciated your company along the way.

With family group sheet in hand, I nervously reviewed my 2011 resolutions. Not as bad as I thought - whew! 

2012 offers new opportunities to make check marks on my genealogy to-do list. Look out family tree, I'm getting serious about climbing you this year! With weekly encouragement from my Success Team partner Jenny, I plan to will:

1.) Attend at least one out-of-state genealogical conference or convention.

2.) Focus my research on 12 direct-line surnames; Clarin, Clarke, Gury, Landstrom, Littrell, Mangels, Mueller, Peterson, Schmitt, Thompson, Tolf, and Walton. Start by organizing the surname-related computer files, manila folders, family group sheets, and pages on my web site.

3.) Answer the following burning questions:

• Did Esther give birth to the Clarin/Mangels child I recently located? Was her divorce from Gustave really as public as family stories suggest?
• From what country did the Maryland Clarkes originate?
• Who is the child that accompanied Marie-Anne Gury and her children from France to Cincinnati?
• When (and at which port) did Augusta Landstrom arrive in America?
• From what country did the Virginia Littrells originate?
• What did the inquests into Herman Friedrich Carl Mangels and Frank Mangels' deaths reveal?
• In which Swiss town was Jacob Mueller born? Were Otto Mueller and his wife Alvina Schmitt really cousins?
• Where did Maria Fredericka Peterson's sisters settle after leaving Sweden?
• What were the circumstances around Elizabeth Schmitt's divorce from Anton Bidenharn and marriage three days later to Jacob Mueller?
• Where did Peter Thompson die and where is he buried? Was his daughter really institutionalized so her husband could obtain a divorce?
• At which American port did James Walton and his parents end their voyage from the Isle of Man?

4.) Keep other living descendants up to date on our family history research progress through emails, letters, Twitter, this blog and my web site. Search for as-yet-unknown cousins in the same way.

5.) Honor the relationship between genealogy and scrapbooking: Scan and digitize old photos. Preserve hard copies of pictures. Archive online photos off-site. Organize, label and safely store slides and negatives. Share pictures with relatives. Assemble heirloom photo albums.

6.) Share (and create more) family history with my glorious grandchildren.

Every one of my goals interests and excites me. 2012 could be a great year for my family and me. I hope yours is even better. Happy New Year!

Surname Saturday ~ November Birthdays

Happy November birthday to my sister and my nephew Ben, and to my cousins Russell, Mitchell, and Barbie.

November birthdays in my family tree include:

My 4th great-grandmother Maja Lisa LIDSTROM (16 Nov 1797) and her daughter Gustafva Jubilina TOLF (28 Nov 1830) were born in Svenarum, Jönköping, Sweden.

My 3rd great-grandfather Peter Johan JOHANISSON was born 14 Nov 1836 in Norra Sandsjö, Jonkopings, Sweden. His children, my 2nd great-grandmother Maria Fredrika PETERSDOTTER (22 Nov 1864) and her brother Johan Gustaf PETERSON (15 Nov 1874) were born in Tånnö, Jonkopings, Sweden.

First cousins thrice-removed, Lillian Christine KIRCHHEIMER (19 Nov 1873) and Emil Francis SCHMITT (21 Nov 1875) were born in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio. Lillian's mother and Emil's father were my 2nd great-grandmother's sister and brother respectively.

Birthdays in my Clark/Clarke line include Susan E BERG (13 Nov 1871) and Miriam Edith BLAKE (21 Nov 1920) both of Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Great-granduncles George James WALTON (28 Nov 1884) and Frederick WALTON (20 Nov 1888) were born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

First generation American Julia Christine THOMPSON born 10 Nov 1888 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois was my great-grandmother. Her father Peter Thompson immigrated from Norway and her mother (Maria Fredrika PETERSDOTTER listed above) immigrated from Sweden.

Frank Raymond TOLF born 23 Nov 1888 in Batavia, Kane, Illinois and
Howard W TOLF born 10 Nov 1898 in Dixon, Lee, Illinois were cousins; nephews of my 2nd great-grandfather Per August Tolf. Frank's wife Ruth MCFARLAND was born in Indiana 28 Nov 1892. 2nd cousin twice-removed Norman Joseph FRIEND born in Illinois 30 Nov 1914 was a Tolf descendant; his mother's mother was Frida Katrina TOLF.

My great-grandaunt Agnes Magnheld CLARIN (21 Nov 1891) and her half-brother Carl James CLARIN (22 Nov 1898) were both born in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Their father, Carl Larsson Clarin was a Swedish immigrant.

Do any of my ancestors reside in your family tree too? Please contact me at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com. Let's compare notes!

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 ~ 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.