Maritime Monday: Andreas Eriksen

My 2nd-great-grandmother's brother Andreas Eriksen was born on 18 May 1835 in Avaldsnes, Rogaland, Norway. He was the son of Erik Svendsen Haavig and Marthe Maria Jakobsdatter.

Rogaland fylke, Avaldsnes sokneprestkontor, H/Ha/Haa/L0005: Parish register (official) no. A 5.1, 1825-1841, p. 121. https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/kb20051108030134

In 1865, he and his wife Marthe Johanne Hansdatter lived in Rennesøy, Rogaland, Norway with Anders Hansen and his family. Andreas was a styrmand (ship's mate).

Rogaland fylke, Rennesøy prestegjeld, Statlig folketelling [Rogaland County, Rennesøy parish, Government census] 178 (RA/S-2231/E), 1865-1865, p. 12.oppb: Riksarkivet. https://media.digitalarkivet.no/en/ft20090731650431

In 1875, Andreas and his family lived in Torvastad, Rogaland, Norway.  He worked as a skipper.

In 1885, Andreas and his family lived in Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway. By this time, he was a skipperborger (skipper/ship master, social layer above the working class).

Haugesund is located on northern end of the strait of Karmsund.

Physical map of Fjords and Sunds between Bergen and Stavanger. By Ulamm (www.maps-for-free.com) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], 29 January 2008. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Fishing and shipping were important industries in Haugesund. Herring were plentiful in the coastal waters. (The Birth of the Town of Haugesund)

Nordre havn, Haugesund, Stavangers amt. 1900-1910. Riksarkivet [National Archives], Havnedirektoratet [Harbor Directorate]. Public domain. Arkivverkets fotoarkiv.

Finnish Swedish Heritage Day

Unofficial flag of Swedish-speaking Finns. By Mysid (Self-drawn in CorelDraw, based on FOTW.) [Public domain]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

November 6 is Finnish Swedish Heritage Day. It is a celebration of Finland's Swedish-speaking population. The day was established in 1908 by the Swedish People's Party of Finland. November 6 was chosen because Gustavas Adolphus of Sweden was killed at the Battle of Lützen on 6 November 1632.

5.5 percent of the Finnish population speaks Swedish. Finland was part of Sweden for 700 years, and Swedish speakers have lived in Finland since the 1100s.

References
Finnish Swedish Heritage Day
How to be Finnish in Swedish - thisisFINLAND

Sympathy Saturday: Michael Joseph Gatlin

I have previously written about my great-grandfather John Schneider's sister Marie (Schneider) Illig, who died of bronchopneumonia due to influenza during the 1918 pandemic. Marie was not my only relative that died in the pandemic; Michael Joseph Gatlin, brother of my great-grandfather Henry Brown Gatlin, also died of bronchopneumonia.

In 1918, the Gatlin family lived in Chicago, Illinois. On 1 October 1918, 374 cases of influenza were reported to the Public Health Service by the Illinois Health Officer. The 2 October 1918 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune reported the effects of the disease on hospital staff.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 2 October 1918, page 17

By 9 October 1918, 135 people had died as a result of the influenza pandemic.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 9 October 1918, page 8

On 10 October 1918, there was another death: Michael Joseph Gatlin. He died of bronchopneumonia at Augustana Hospital. Dr. S. J. Burrows had attended him on October 9 and 10.

Illinois State Board of Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death certificate no. 27450, Michael Joseph Gatlin, 1918.

Michael was only 22 years old at the time of his death. Like many members of his family, he had worked in the printing industry. He was buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Cook County, Illinois.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 12 October 1918, page 11

Stuart and Nat

Since today is the birthday of my first cousin Stuart Slagle, who died in 2007, it is a good time to share this photo of him and his nephew, my first cousin once removed Nathaniel "Nat" Shultz, who died in 2006. This photo was taken at my parents' house in 2005.

Those Places Thursday: Gower Road, Nashville, Tennessee

Gower Road is located in Nashville, Tennessee, between River Road and Old Charlotte Pike.

My 5th-great-grandfather William Gower's property was on this road. He was a Methodist preacher, and his church, Gower's Chapel, was across from his home. In 1885, a new church, Centenary United Methodist Church, was constructed on the property.

Centenary United Methodist Church

Gower Cemetery is located on the hillside below the church. William and other members of his family are buried there. Unfortunately, the cemetery is very overgrown.

Gower Cemetery area

Job Lucas

Job Lucas was born 259 years ago today, on 2 November 1757 in Virginia. He was the son of my 7th-great-grandparents Edward Lucas and Elizabeth Corn.

From May 1776 to October 1777, he served as a private in the 8th Virginia Regiment. He was a waggoner.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1047. Virginia, Eighth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

In 1778, he served as a private in the 4th Virginia Regiment. He died at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on 15 May 1778.

Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 975. Virginia, Fourth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. Available from Fold3.

According to family Bible records, the cause of death was smallpox.

Tuesday's Tip: Swedish-American Newspapers

The Minnesota Historical Society provides access to 28 Swedish-American newspapers published between 1859 and 2007. These newspapers were published for the Swedish immigrant communities. More than 300,000 digitized pages are available for searching and browsing. There is a text correction tool that you can use to correct mistakes. There is also a user annotation tool, which can be used to add comments and tags.

I found some interesting things in this collection. My ancestors attended the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Chicago, and news from the church was published. My great-grandfather Edward Theodore Anderson and his brother-in-law Carl Dahlquist were elected to serve as deacons. My 2nd-great-grandfather C. J. Dahlquist (Carl's father) was in the Anti-Saloon League (something that I was previously unaware of).

Svenska Amerikanaren, 18 January 1917, page 15

I found a death notice for C. J. Dahlquist's son Martin L. Dahlquist.

Svenska Tribunen-Nyheter, 6 August 1919, page 12

C. J. Dahlquist's brother Frank A. Shirlander and his wife were attacked by a former employee in 1905. The incident was reported in two Swedish-American newspapers.

Svenska Amerikanaren, 30 May 1905, page 11

Svenska Tribunen, 31 May 1905, page 11

If you have Swedish ancestors who immigrated to the United States, this collection is worth a look. The collection can be accessed at http://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/swedishamerican.