On May 5, 4:30 pm, Steve Stone <n2
...@citlink.net> wrote:
> On 5/5/2012 2:31 PM, p holm wrote:
> > It is relatively easy to find an emigration date in the Swedish Church
> > records. But, finding where the person(s) are in the USA is sometimes
> > very difficult, if not impossible.
> I wish that were true for me and my research of my Swedish Great Great
> Grandmother,
> Elna Johansen of Sweden, born Jun 07 1862.
> On her death certificate from New Jersey USA is record her mothers name
> of Alma Anneson and father John Johansen. I have yet to find this
> Swedish family anywhere online.
> Steve
Steve,
What I have had success with in crossing from the USA to Sweden is to
find the church your US immigrant belong to. As indicated in my
original post, I went from a USA surname to a Swedish patronymic some
are very different.
Typically, Swedish immigrants found a Swedish speaking church within
their new community. Those churches could be Swedish Lutheran,
Augustana Lutheran, Swedish Covenant, Swedish Baptist, or Swedish
Mission and there likely are others. The object of your search is a
church with Swedish roots near where they lived. In Minnesota and
Wisconsin, you could probably throw a stone and hit 2 or 3 of
them. :)
My experience in the US church records is they replicate the records
were kept in Sweden churches. The US church most often will list the
person's patronymic (both husband and wife) as well as the surname
used in the US, their birth parish, birth date, and where they
arrived from (this sometimes is another church in the USA).
Find that Swedish heritage church here in the US (hopefully the
records are extant) and you likely will make the connection to the
Swedish parish that will enable you to continue your search for
ancestors.
You may even find that information in the church records where the
death occurred.
Phil Holm
