Sibling Saturday: Finding a Previously Unknown Half-Brother

When I obtained the Civil War pension application of Samuel August Samuelson, the brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Johanna Carolina Samuelson, I discovered a previously unknown family member.

Statement of C. J. Johnson. Samuel A. Samuelson (Pvt., Co. E, 73rd Ind. Inf., Civil War, pension application no. 283,424, certificate no. 217,996),Case Files of Approved Pension Applications..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

C. G. Johnson gave a statement, and was asked if he was in any was related to Samuel A. Samuelson. He answered, "I am what is called a half brother."

I knew that Johanna and Samuel had two older brothers, Johan Peter and Anders Fredrik, but I did not know that they had a half-brother. Their mother, Anna Lisa Torstensdotter, was thirteen years older than their father, Samuel Eriksson, so I wondered if C. G. Johnson was her son from a previous marriage.

I found Carl Gustaf Johnson's death certificate in Ancestry.com's database Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011. He had died in Westchester, Porter County, Indiana on 30 July 1909. The death certificate gave his date of birth: 27 October 1823. His birthplace was listed as Vastra Harg, Sweden.

Indiana State Board of Health. Death certificate no. 109, Carl Gustaf Johnson, 1909. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

I had already known that the family had come from Västra Harg, Östergötland, Sweden. I looked at the Swedish records on ArkivDigital, and found Carl Gustaf's birth and baptismal record. He was not a child from a previous marriage; he was an illegitimate child. The record did not name his father.

Västra Harg C:1 (1797-1840) Image 179 / page 341 (AID: v42201.b179.s341, NAD: SE/VALA/00446)

I found the family in the household examination records, after Anna Lisa Torstensdotter had married Samuel Eriksson. Carl Gustaf was listed with the patronymic Jaensson.

Västra Harg AI:11 (1835-1840) Image 88 / page 159 (AID: v27140.b88.s159, NAD: SE/VALA/00446)

Carl Gustaf Johnson married Matilda Sofia Johnson. According to the 1900 United States Census, Matilda had six children.

1900 United States census, Westchester, Porter County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 94, page 3B. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

However, I have only discovered four of the children: Albertena Johnson (born 15 August 1868), Albert L. Johnson (born about 1874), Ida Johnson (born 24 March 1875 or 1876), and Gustaf Johnson (born 29 March 1883).

Johanna Carolina Samuelsdotter

Johanna Carolina

My 3rd-great-grandmother Johanna Carolina Samuelsdotter (Samuelson, Erickson) was born 180 years ago today, on 18 August 1836, in Västra Harg, Östergötland, Sweden. She was the daughter of Samuel Eriksson/Erickson and Anna Lisa Torstensdotter.

Johanna was baptized on 21 August 1836.

Västra Harg C:1 (1797-1840) Image 250 / page 483 (AID: v42201.b250.s483, NAD: SE/VALA/00446).

In 1851, Johanna, her parents, and her brothers Anders and Samuel left Sweden. Johanna's oldest brother Johan Peter did not go with them.

The family arrived in New York, New York on the Preciosa on 8 September 1851.

Passenger list, Preciosa, 1851. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

The family spent a year in Chicago, and then settled in Westchester, Porter County, Indiana. Johanna married Johannes "John" Borg, and their first child, Clara Matilda, was born on 29 August 1858. Their second child, Anna Christina, was born on 24 August 1860.

1860 United States census, Westchester, Porter County, Indiana, population schedule, page 466, family 281. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

By 1860, Johanna's brother Johan Peter had joined the family in Porter County, Indiana.

John and Johanna's third child, my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary/Marie Louise Borg, was born on 13 January 1864. Their first son,  Alfred, was born almost exactly two years later, on 15 January 1866. Another son, Carl Gust, was born a little over two years later, on 26 January 1868.

Johanna's mother Anna Lisa had died by 1870. Johanna had four more children during the 1870s: Emil Richard (born 11 June 1870), Minnie (born September 1872), Malinda (born 16 March 1875), and Carl/Charles John (born 28 July 1878).

1880 United States census, Westchester, Porter County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 136, p. 399A, family 243. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Johanna had two more children during the 1880s: David Theodore (born 21 October 1880) and Daniel Elvin (born 17 October 1882).

In September 1888, the family moved into a new house, which was designed by A. J. Lundquist.

Johanna experienced two losses in less than two years. Her son Carl/Charles John died of typhus fever on 18 October 1889. Her father Samuel Erickson died of dropsy on 18 July 1890. Six years later, Johanna became a widow; her husband John died of cancer on 20 September 1896.

In 1900, Johanna lived with her daughter Clara and her sons David and Daniel. Three months after the census was taken, Clara married Nels A. Samuelson, whose family was listed underneath the Borg family in the 1900 census.

1900 United States census, Westchester, Porter County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 95, p. 8B, families 168 and 169. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Johanna died on 11 May 1903 in Westchester, Porter County, Indiana. The cause of death was carcinoma of the stomach. She was buried in Augsburg Lutheran Church Cemetery in Porter, Porter County, Indiana.

Indiana State Board of Health. Death certificate no. 23, Johana Carolina Borg, 1903. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Mappy Monday: Districts in Mjölby Municipality, Sweden

District subdivisions in Mjölby Municipality. Lantmäteriet [ODbL (http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/), CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

This map shows the districts in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden. My Borg ancestors were from what is now  Mjölby Municipality (Östra Tollstad and Västra Harg).

Travel Tuesday: Visiting Relatives in Indiana

Vidette-Messenger, 29 May 1931, page 4

On 27 May 1931, Marie Louise (Borg) Dahlquist, her daughter Juliet (Dahlquist) Gilbert, her son-in-law Fritz Arthur Gilbert, and her granddaughters Lois and Joyce Gilbert traveled from Chicago, Illinois to Porter County, Indiana. They visited Marie's sister Clara Matilda (Borg) Samuelson and brother-in-law Nels A. Samuelson. They also visited Marie's brother Alfred Borg and sister-in-law Emily (Chellberg) Borg.

52 Ancestors: Week 5 "Plowing Through": Nels A. Samuelson, Killed in Cultivator Accident

When I saw that the 52 Ancestors Challenge Week 5 theme was "Plowing Through," I immediately thought of Nels A. Samuelson, the husband of my great-great-grandmother's sister Clara Matilda Borg. Nels (or Nils) was born in Indiana on 21 August 1871. He was the son of two Swedish immigrants, Carl August Samuelson and Sophia Johnson. Carl August Samuelson was a farmer, and Nels also became a farmer.

On 28 November 1900, he married Clara Matilda Borg in Porter County, Indiana. M. J. Lonner was the officiating minister. Clara's sister Malinda A. Borg married Charles August Lawrence on the same day. Clara was thirteen years older than Nels, and was 42 years old when they married. The couple never had biological children, but they raised an adopted daughter and son. The girl was born Etta Maria Carter, but was listed as Etta Samuelson, adopted, in the 1910 United States Census. The boy, Leroy G. "Roy" Johnson, had joined the family by 1920; he was listed as a lodger in the Samuelson home in the 1920 United States Census.

Nels' older brother John Samuelson committed suicide by hanging on 9 July 1929. John's daughter Anna was enumerated in Nels and Clara's household in the 1930 United States Census. Clara died at the Samuelson home in Baileytown, Porter County, Indiana on 18 March 1934.

On 29 June 1935, Nels was cultivating corn on his farm. When his team of horses became frightened, Nels was dragged under the blades of the cultivator and was killed. His memorial service was held at the Augsburg Lutheran Church, and he was buried in Augsburg Lutheran Church Cemetery on 2 July 1935.

Vidette-Messenger, 1 July 1935, page 1

Vidette-Messenger, 3 July 1935, page 4

Funeral Card Friday: Samuel August Samuelson

Image contributed to Find A Grave by Eva Hopkins, researcher at the Westchester Township History Museum, Chesterton, Indiana.

Funeral card for Samuel August Samuelson, brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Johanna Carolina Samuelson
Born 3 January 1839, Västra Harg, Östergötlands, Sweden
Died 14 January 1908, Porter County, Indiana

National Adoption Day

The Saturday before Thanksgiving is National Adoption Day. The day is intended to raise awareness of the large number of children in foster care waiting for adoption, and to celebrate adoptive families.

My great-great-grandmother's sister Clara Matilda Borg and her husband Nils A. Samuelson never had biological children, but they raised a girl, Etta Maria Carter, and a boy, Leroy G. "Roy" Johnson.

1910 United States Census, Westchester Township, Porter, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 152, page 9A. Available from  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

1920 United States Census, Westchester Township, Porter, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 157, page 4A. Available from Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

The Vidette-Messenger, 20 March 1934, page 2. (The name of the daughter is listed incorrectly.)

My 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin and his wife Martha Ann Gower legally adopted a little girl, Tennessee Reed (Minnie Gatlin after the adoption), in 1874.

Miller, Alan N. Nineteenth Century Tennessee Adoptions, Legitimations, and Name Changes. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, 2009. Page 51.

The girl's biological parents reconciled after the adoption had approved, and wanted her back. The Davidson County, Tennessee Circuit Court ruled that it was in the best interests of the child for her to remain with her adoptive parents. The below excerpt from an article in the Nashville Union and American, 3 December 1874, shows that the adoptive mother and daughter had formed a close bond.

Nashville Union and American, 3 December 1874. Available from Chronicling America.

My great-grandmother Kathleen (Graham) Mapplebeck Boe was the biological daughter of James Graham, but when her mother Catherine Elizabeth Winters married James Mapplebeck, she took his name and he became her father. The adoption may have been informal rather than legal, but Kathleen's application for a Social Security account shows that James Mapplebeck was the man that she considered to be her father.

Kathleen Graham Mapplebeck Boe, SS no. 494-07-1459, 11 December 1936, Application for Account Number (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.

Those Places Thursday: Borg Home, Baillytown, Porter, Indiana

My 3rd-great-grandparents John and Johanna (Samuelson) Borg and their family lived in the Swedish community of Baillytown in Porter County, Indiana. They lived in a gabled ell house which was similar to the nearby Chellberg and Nelson homes. These old family photos show the Borg home, which was designed by A. J. Lundquist. The Borg family had a farm and engaged in animal husbandry.

Unfortunately, the Borg home has deteriorated over the years and is crumbling.

John Borg Home, Porter, Indiana. Photo by Chris Light [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons.

References
Swedish Baileytown: A Nineteenth Century Rural Enclave
Swedish Farmsteads of Porter County, Indiana
Swedish Historic District
Swedish Homesteads

Census Sunday: Keeping House for Her Uncle

In 1880, the household of my 3rd-great-grandmother's brother Samuel Samuelson included a servant who was keeping house. Her name was given as Mary Bord.

1880 United States census, Westchester Township, Porter County, Indiana, population schedule, enumeration district 136, page 27. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 304, image 806. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

"Mary Bord" was actually my great-great-grandmother Mary Borg. Although the census record does not indicate that she is related to anyone in the household, she was Samuel's niece. Her mother was Samuel's sister Johanna Carolina (Samuelson) Borg. Samuel's wife Maria had died three months before the census was taken. Samuel had five children between the ages of one and eight years to take care of. Although his 70-year-old mother-in law lived with the family, taking care of five young children and keeping house probably would have been too much for her to do alone. Mary probably moved in after Samuel's wife died, so that she could help her uncle.

Civil War

This month marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, so I thought I'd start my blog off by honoring the members of my family who participated in the war:

My 3rd-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley was born in Robertson County, Tennessee on November 11, 1832. By 1860 he was living in Williamson County, Illinois with his wife and children. He joined the Union army on September 26, 1862 and mustered in on November 5, 1862 at Camp Butler, Illinois. He was a private in Company G of the 128th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry. He died of measles on January 9, 1983 in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, and was buried at Spiller Cemetery in Williamson County, Illinois. His family moved back to Tennessee after his death.

Davidson Binkley at Find A Grave 

My 4th-great-uncle Samuel August Samuelson was born on January 3, 1839 in Västra Harg, Östergötlands, Sweden. He came to the United States in 1851 with his parents and siblings, and after spending a year in Chicago, Illinois, the family settled in Porter County, Indiana. He enlisted in the Union army on August 16, 1862, and was a private in Company E of the 73rd Regiment of the Indiana Infantry. He mustered out on May 28, 1863; he was discharged because he had been wounded. He was disabled for more than 3 years, but eventually recovered. He died on January 14, 1908 in Porter County, Indiana and was buried at Augsburg Lutheran Church Cemetery in Porter, Porter County, Indiana.

Samuel A. Samuelson at Find A Grave

Biography of Samuel A. Samuelson (from Porter County, Indiana GenWeb)

My 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington was born on November 8, 1830 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He enlisted in the Confederate army on December 5, 1862 in Waverly, Tennessee. He was a private in Company D of the 10th Regiment of the Tennessee Cavalry. However, he was at home on sick leave for much of the time due to asthma and pneumonia. He died on April 19, 1903 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee and was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

Joseph Tarkington at Find A Grave

Ancestry.com has Civil War records; although it is a subscription site, they are offering free access to the Civil War Collection and the 1860 and 1870 U.S. censuses from April 7-14, 2011. Footnote.com also has Civil War records; it is also a subscription site, but access to the Civil War Collection is free from April 7-14, 2011.

Other useful Civil War links:
Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System 
Civil War Maps, 1861-1865 (American Memory from the Library of Congress) 
Research in Military Records: Civil War (National Archives) 

State resources are also available; here are a few examples:
Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database
Civil War - Indiana State Digital Archives 
Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications: Soldiers & Widows

Some helpful books:

Dollarhide, William. Genealogical Resources of the Civil War Era: Online and Published Military or Civilian Name Lists, 1861-1869, and Post-War Veteran Lists. Bountiful, UT: Family Roots Publishing Co., 2009.

Munden, Kenneth W., and Beers, Henry Putney. The Union: A Guide to Federal Archives Relating to the Civil War. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1986.

Beers, Henry Putney. The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Government of the Confederate States of America. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1986.