For mission 1) my gr.grandma. The only thing I had at home was
an old envelope from an mrs. Ericsson in Laramie, WY (the letter was missing).
And an hearsay that my gr.grandpa got an request from this lady- wanted
to buy a part of the grave.
For mission 2) the 5 siblings : nothing
For mission 3) my grandmas brother (Gotfrid): some letters from
him from Carpenters home in lakeland Florida, where he lived as retired.
this wasn't at all so far back in time so we also knew he worked in Chicago
and that his wife's relatives took care of the funeral. And I heard that
they was supposed to be buried at the same place. In one letter he also
mentioned a cousin Alice, That was GREAT NEWS.
The computer supported research
I had to start to learn what information I could get from Internet and I found huge amounts of gen. information. And learned a lot about American archives, gen. societies and discussion groups, found addresses and so on. At first I joined a huge group but didn't find so much of interest, but sometime there popped up some hint for useful links, and suddenly I had joined a new discussion group with people with mostly scandinavian-american roots.
Started with mission 3), when this seemed the easiest one.
To begin with I wrote a letter to carpenters home (no answer) and got
help from a friend (Doug) in Lakeland. He found out that the carpenters
home in florida had closed. I Had also trouble getting a death certificate,
cause I assumed he was registered with the name he called himself as first
name. But later i found that name was the middle name. Worth to be noted
can be, that they searched for the exact match I wrote in the request,
no other possible combinations.
A major breakthrough was when I called my fathers cousin who found
an letter with the cemetery where his wife was buried. I called the cemetery
and they said they had his wife there but not him!!!
Of course when I asked for Gotfrid!
The first death certificate was negative, as I asked for Gottfrid,
But had success with the second request when I asked them to look for the
other name.
At last I got an Death certificate, and the cemetery was also there.
I called the cemetery again and ask for him, but I guessed they remembered
my last call, and didn't look in the files and said NO he isn't here.
The final solution was when I got help from those on the discussion
list, who finally went to the cemetery and asked them about the grave,
The name was wrong spelled in their computer also so it wasn't so easy
to find him.
During this time I had also got so much help and hints from many on
the group, so I strongly recommend that you join any discussion group to
learn more and to exchange favors.
I have also learned not to take an NO for granted, be critical!
For mission 3) Karin my gr.grandma
As I had the envelope I asked for some addresses on the list, and wrote
to the largest cemetery in Laramie- no answer. Got an death certificate
for my gr.grandma rather quickly. from Vital services. One on the list
contacted a relative living in Laramie, and from now on the research went
on rather quickly, this wonderful lady (sorry I just must write your name,
Lesley ) helped me to get all the information, She went to all possible
archives and visited the cemetery where she found and took photos of the
grave. she also took photos of the swedish churches and where They lived
at the time. She also found out that they married in Laramie (wow we didn't
know that). took copies of the Obitury and Laramie boomerang 1918, and
the land records.
On the CD emigranten I found out that her husband went to Us one year
ahead, first to Duluth, Minnesota and that Karin went directly to Laramie,WY.
Now is this story completed, but without dear Lesley in Laramie I am
positive I had never got all the information I have today. Many thanks,
to all of you who helped me with this.
For mission 2 )
Started in the church records here in Sweden, Where I found the dates
when they emigrated. I haven't been able to locate all of them in the church
record so far. For some county's in Sweden have the SCB (statistical central
bureau) been writing books for all the emigrants (for statistical purposes),
and I was lucky to find a book for the county where my folks was living.
Now I knew what year they left and in some case even the date. Tried to
look them up in that new CD with emigrants. And succeeded to find 2 of
them (the first went to NY and the last one to Chicago). This gave me the
precise date of departure. And the next logical step I think would have
been to go to 'the house of emigrants' to look for the departure lists
and so on. Because of Gotfrid mentioned a cousin Alice in a letter, that
he used to visit, I suspected that some of them went to Chicago.
Major breakthrough in this part was when I ordered an 'Bouppteckning',
from when their father died. In it was all the emigrants listed, and also
THE ADDRESSES. - HURRAY
Now I knew that 3 of them went to chicago, one to Marquette Michigan,
and one to Woodstock Il. I ordered some soundex films at the LDS church
here in Sweden and perhaps there was one of them, but also many similar
with the same name. Eric helped me to look in the census files and I think
we found one of the emigrants. But Im not 100 percent sure.
As one of the girls who emigrated had the surname Fransson in the will,
I understood that she
must be married now. And I understood when searching for the name Fransson
in the US phone book on the internet
that it wasn't such an common name.
So I listed up all With the name Fransson in Illinois and wrote them
a letter, where I asked them if they was related to Maria Fransson
I also e-mailed to all with the name Frans(s)on in the whole US.
Only a few answers via email and a few via mail, with 'no know' or
negative answers.
Again help, this time from Carolyn on the discussion list and success.
The lady (Maria Josefina) who went to Woodstock was listed in a 'cemetery
inventory book' and her children. and where they was buried.
Got a death certificate the next week for (now) Mary Josephin that
didn't told me any more. A month earlier I wrote to McHenry county genealogical
society, and now I got an answer : they had a biography who a daughter
of Maria had sent in.
And voila there was My maria and all her children up to 4 generations.
At this time I emailed one of the more promising Franson's that had
answered my letter via email (Todd)
and gave him the additional facts.
And in juli-1997 I received an email, where he told me that The man
my Maria married to probably was an brother to his gr.gr.grandpa....WOW
He gave me the facts he knew about, I compared The book from Maria
where it said that his husband
came from 'Iemja' and the fact from Todd, that his gr.gr.grandpa came
from Bleking
I first thought that Mr. Fransson came from the same parish as Maria
(Kumla) and that Iemja only was misspelled.
But there is a county in southern Sweden that is named Blekinge, and
when I went to the country archive (RA)
to check I found an parish that was named Jemjö. Looked in the
books for cathetical meeting, and there they were, the whole family
Fransson.. all the children and the parents, and all the facts fitted very
well with Todd's.
Congratulation to me and Todd!!
Now I've also received some letters from my 3:d cousin Larry and also
From my 3:d cousin Diane Craig
and I'm sooo happy!
Summer 2000 ; the first meeting : Diane and her husband are on
a cruise from London visiting the countries around the Baltic sea.
She is Visiting Stockholm one day. Our plans were completly ruined,
while the ship where one half day delayed due to an engine
broke down. They anchored up at the roadstead at another town south
(Nynäshamn) and the passengers were transported by bus into Stockholm.
(Was later told that many cruising ships use to anchor up at Nynäshamn
instead, because it takes so long time to go through the archipelago.)
Finally we were lucky to meet, one hour before they had to return to
the ship.
There are many more that have helped me so far with those missions and
Again, I send all my thanks to you who have helped me.
You will forever be in my mind and in my heart.
Mchenry county genealogical society
Mary is buried in
The Oakland Cemetery of Dorr
Township in Woodstock, Mc Henry County, Illinois.
The Franson family
Mary Josephine (mother) b. Feb
27 1861 , emigrated to US 1882
& buried Jun 18 1939 / grave site# nG245 (Visit
her Swedish parentsJonas E.Eriksson-Maja C.Persdr.)
Chas. A. (father) b. 1861 & buried
Oct. 14 1928 / grave site# nG246
Last updated 2001 March 14
send me your 
comments
and suggestions
