Esther Debora Johansson: b. 1891, Göteborg

[Brooke Nelson]

I'm looking for information on my great-grandmother Esther Debora Johansson, born on February 7, 1891 in Göteborg, Sweden. Can someone look her up in the Swedish censuses for me?
 
She came to the U.S. in 1912. She arrived in New York from Gothenburg on November 12, 1912 on the ship Hellig Olav. On the ship's manifest, her father is listed as Carl Aug. Johanson. This matches other information I have that her father is named Carl (or Karl) August Johansson. (here is the ship passenger manifest - she is on line 19: http://brookenelson.com/genealogy/esther_johansson_passenger_list.gif ) Esther's mother was Ida Abrahamson. I also have information that she had two brothers named Hugo and Daga but I know nothing about them.
 
Esther married Erik (Eric) Adolph Alexander Nelson on February 3, 1917 (b: 12/12/1889 Stockholm, Sweden) in Brooklyn, NY, and they had a daughter Viola (who died as a child) and a son Robert Henning Nelson, born May 22, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY (Robert is my paternal grandfather). Eric Nelson came to the U.S. from Stockholm, Sweden on October 19, 1903. His family's name was Nilsson but they started using Nelson after they moved to the U.S.
 
By the way, on various documents I have seen her first name spelled Ester and her last name spelled Johanson.
 
I know almost nothing about Esther's family - her parents or her brothers. Apparently, she came to the U.S. alone, as there are no other family members listed on the ship passenger manifest when she came over. I am curious as to whether she had other relative who had moved to the U.S. before or after her. I think I may have heard something about one or both of her brothers also coming to the U.S. I would like to find out more about them.
 
If anyone can look up Esther Johansson and her family for me, I would be grateful!!

[Chris Bingefors]

This must be Ester in the 1900 census:
Record 1500090
 
Ester Debora
 
b. 1891 in Göteborgs domkyrkoförs (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland)
 
d.
Girl, child
 
Sjätte Roten 1 A
Göteborgs Kristine (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Göteborgs domkyrkoförsamling Göteborgs och Bohus län
 
 
Family:
Johannisson, Carl August   1852   Father (b in Fors parish, policeman)
Abrahamsdotter, Ida Margareta   1849   Mother (b in Sandseryd parish)
Hugo Maximinus   1881   Child
 Elin Irene Margareta   1885   Child
 Ester Debora   1891   Child
 Daga Maria   1893   Child (Girl!)

[Chris Bingefors]

In her emigration record (Gothenburg Emibase) she is listed as Johansson and she is a seamstress, living in Karl Johan Parish, Gothenburg since 1909 when she moved from Oskar Fredrik Parish;
 
Namn: ESTER DEBORA JOHANSSON  
Kön: K     Född: 1891-02-07
Församling: GBG:S DOMKYRKO     Län: O
Inflförsaml: GBG:S OSCAR FRED     Län: O
Inflår: 1909
Yrke/Titel: SÖMMERSKA     Civilstånd: OG
Hemförsaml: GBG:S KARL JOHAN     Län: O
Bosatt: 2 ROTE 8/4 5
Utvandrdag: 1912-10-29     Ålder: 21
Ensam/Familj: ENSAM
Destland: AMERIKA     Landskod: AM
Faders namn: CARL AUGUST JOHANSSON
Faders yrke: POLISKONSTAPEL
Moders namn: IDA MARGARETA ABRAHAMSDOTTER
Sida i husförhörslängd: 324
Huvudakt:      Aktnr: 053

[Brooke Nelson]

Chris,
 
THANK YOU so much for finding this information! This is so valuable!
 
Is there any chance you could translate the emigration record for me?
 
This is fantastic, thank you so much.
 
~ Brooke

[Brooke Nelson]

Two questions: Can you tell me how I can access the 1900 Swedish census, so I can look up stuff myself? Is it through this site: http://www.svar.ra.se/ ?  I know that I have to pay for a subscription - I wonder if they will take payment from a U.S. credit card?
 
Second, I don't want to ask for too many lookups, but if anyone doesn't mind, could you look up Esther's family so I can get accurate birth dates for my genealogy records?
 
Carl August Johansson b. 1852
Ida Margareta Abrahamsdotter b. 1849
Hugo Maximinus Johansson b. 1881
Elin Irene Margareta Johansson b. 1885
Daga Maria Johansson b. 1893
 
Also, is there any record of the above people in the emigration database? I am trying to find out if any of them also came to the U.S. or if Esther was the only one in her family to come.
 
Finally, where is Fors Parish and Sandseryd Parish (where Carl and Ida were born)?
 
Thanks in advance for your help!!

[Chris Bingefors]

Name: ESTER DEBORA JOHANSSON  
Gender: Female Born: 1891-02-07 (7 Feb 1891)
Birth parish: GBG:S DOMKYRKO Län: O  
Moved from parish: GBG:S OSCAR FRED Län: O  
Year: 1909  
Occupation: SEAMSTRESS Civil status: UNMARRIED
Home parish: GBG:S KARL JOHAN County: O (Gothenburg and Bohuslän)
Address: 2 ROTE 8/4 5  
Day of emigration: 1912-10-29 Age: 21  
Family: ENSAM (ALONE)
Destination: AMERIKA Country Code: AM  
Fathers name: CARL AUGUST JOHANSSON  
Fathers occupation: POLISKONSTAPEL (Policeman)
Mothers name: IDA MARGARETA ABRAHAMSDOTTER  
Page in household census: 324  
File#: 053
 
In Gothenburg it is difficult to find the right record, due to the size of the city and the rather strange parish boundaries, I will try. For some reason they are not at page 324 as the record says.Fors is a parish north of Gothenburg in Älvsborg county and Sandseryd is in Jönköping County further north in Sweden.
 
Yes, you can access the census in the Svar data base. They will accept Visa or Master Card. At the moment there is a special X-mas offer, 3 months for 295 kronor. You can also access the original records for many parishes.
 
I found them in the 1898-1906 household census for Kristine parish, the ID of the page is 00065574_00129 you can access that page directly when you get a subscription.
 
Carl August Johansson was born 3 May 1852
Ida Abrahamsdotter 20 July 1849
Daughter: Torborg Ragnhild 24 June 1879 (Domkyrko parish Gothenburg), EMIGRATED to America 3 Oct 1899!
Hugo Maximus, book keeper 29 May 1881 (Domkyrko)
Elin Irene Margareta 12 July 1885 (Kristine parish)
Ester Debora 7 Feb 1891, Kristine parish
Daga Maria 1 April 1893, Kristine parish
Parents married 12 Jan 1879.
 
Unfortunately, the records from 1906 are still embargoed. They will probably be released soon.
 
The Emibase (Gothenburg) record says that Torborg moved back to Sweden 6 March 1905.

[Chris Bingefors]

Daga Maria died unmarried in 1969 (Swedish Death Index version 4)
18930401-5002
 
Johansson, Daga Maria
 
Friggag 13
 
Dead 1/8/1969.
 
Registered in Göteborgs Kristine, Göteborgs kn (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Born 4/1/1893 in Göteborgs domkyrkoförs (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Unmarried woman.
--------------
Corresponding parish(es) as of Jan 1, 2007:
Göteborgs domkyrkoförs, Göteborgs kn (Västra Götalands län, Västergötland)
 
Parish of birth in the records:
Göteborgs domkyrkoförs (Göteborg och Bohus)  
 
Source records:
DB, FS / RTB 69
 
Elin died in 1954, she had been a widow since 1910:
 
18850712-540
 
Sjöberg f. Johansson, Elin Irene Margareta
 
Vasastaden 10:22-3 Erik Dahlbergsgatan 25
 
Dead 4/30/1954.
 
Registered in Göteborgs Vasa, Göteborgs kn (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Born 7/12/1885 in Göteborgs domkyrkoförs (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Widow (10/28/1910).
--------------
Corresponding parish(es) as of Jan 1, 2007:
Göteborgs Vasa, Göteborgs kn (Västra Götalands län, Västergötland)
 
Parish of birth in the records:
Göteb.domk. (Göteborg och Bohus)
 
Source records:
DB, MTL, PA / DOR 52-60
 
 
Torborg stayed in Sweden:
18790624-502
 
Blomberg f. Johansson, Torborg Ragnhild
 
Öv Husarg 19
 
Dead 7/28/1964.
 
Registered in Göteborgs Annedal, Göteborgs kn (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Born 6/24/1879 in Göteborgs Kristine (Göteborgs och Bohus län, Västergötland).
 
Widow (9/13/1928).
--------------
Corresponding parish(es) as of Jan 1, 2007:
Göteborgs Annedal, Göteborgs kn (Västra Götalands län, Västergötland)
 
Parish of birth in the records:
Göteborgs Kristine (Göteborg och Bohus)
 
Source records:
DB, PA / DOR 64

[Chris Bingefors]

I could not find Carl August in the birth book for Fors, maybe his dates have been altered by mistake. Ida was born in Sandseryd 20 July 1849 to Abraham Andersson and Maja Johannisdotter (38 years of age) in Månstorp, Norrgård farm (Births, Sandseryd book C:2 page 181)

[Chris Bingefors]

They also had a son, Simson Laurentius Gottfrid born 1888 who apparently died after 1890 (Census 1890, Göteborg Domkyrko parish AIa:35, page 176).
 
In the Hosehold census AIa:60 Domkyrko Parish he is listed as having died 10 Jan 1892. The death book (F9, page 73) says he died from measles.
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av izla den 03 december, 2008)

[Chris Bingefors]

According to the Gothenburg grave register Elin was married to Anders Sjöberg who was buried 3 Nov 1910, West Cemetery (Västra Kyrkogården). Torborg was maried to Robert Leonard Blomberg, buried 19 Sept 1928 in the West Cemetery. These graves are still there, Daga Maria´s has been reused (we do that if the grave rights have not been paid for). Robert was an office clerk in 1900, born 1878, the son of policeman Carl Leonard Blomberg.
 
Carl August Johansson was not born in Fors parish, Älvsborg Conty but i Foss parish, Gothenburg County. He was the son of soldier Johannes Eldig and Maja Lisa Johansdotter. Soldiers had soldiers names and sometimes they were not conferred to their children - so Carl August became Johannesson (Johannes´son, later abridged to Johansson).
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av izla den 03 december, 2008)

[Chris Bingefors]

According to the soldier´s register (www.dis.se) Johan(-nes) Jacob Eldig was born Persson 16 Aug 1810 (note: another date Dec 12, in the church book below,should be the right one) died 24 April 1867, he was a regular soldier in Stångenäs Company, Bohuslän Regiment. In the 1864 household census book they had 10 children between 1840 and 1861. Johannes was born in Foss and his wife was born in Herrestad 28 April 1818.
This page is from AD-online, another subscription data base (www.arkivdigital.se), showing the soldier´s croft Stigen in Foss:
 

 
However, the birth book for Foss 1810 (C3, page 353) says Johan Jacob was born 16 Aug 1810, son of crofter Pehr Johansson and Karin Jonsdotter at Myrane under Hede farm.  
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av izla den 03 december, 2008)

[Brooke Nelson]

WOW! Chris, thank you so much. This information is so helpful to me. I definitely intend on getting a subscription so I can look up more information... I just hope that I can understand it since I know no Swedish!
 
By the way, how do they reuse graves? Do they just bury a new body on top of an old body? Or do they somehow get rid of the old body? That is so bizarre!
 
Also, here is my family genealogy page in which I used some of the information you looked up for me: http://brookenelson.com/genealogy/nelsonhistory.html
 
Thanks again!

[Chris Bingefors]

Nice home page! The name of the ship Esther intended to travel with to Sweden is Drottningholm, by the way. That was the Swedish America Line ship in use at that time. Drottningholm is the royal castle outside Stockholm.
 
I don´t know how they reuse graves - many people are cremated and then there would be no problem. But grave contracts are usually for a limited time nowadays.

[Chris Bingefors]

This is Esther returning home, with son Robert:
 
Namn: ESTHER NELSON  
Civilstånd: GIFT     Kön: K  (Married, female)
Hemort: GÖTEBORG (Home: Gothenburg!)
Land: SVERIGE     Län/Stat: O (Country: Sweden, county O (Gothenburg)
Resdatum: 1923-10-13 Travel date 23 Oct 1923
Fartyg: DROTTNINGHOLM     Klass: TURIST Ship: Drottningholm, Class: Tourist
Från: GÖTEBORG     Till: NEW YORK From Gothenburg to New York
 
(Swedish America Line departure records)

[Anna-Carin Betzén]

Brooke,  
 
A relative was buried a few years ago, and then we were told that nowadays they dig new graves so deep that if/when the lease expires, they can dig a less deep grave in the same plase without disturbing the remains from the original burial. A few centuries ago, the average person had no headstone but a cross or similar made from wood, and as these disintegrated over time the space was eventually used for new burials. Any bones that turned up while digging a grave were placed in a 'bone house' on the churchyard (I've read about churchyards in Victorian London that they reused graves and put found bones aside in just the same way).  
 
I suspect headstones started to become common for the average person in the late 19th century though I'm not sure. Nor do I know when they started keeping better track of the graves location, or when they started digging the graves deeper.

[Erick Olofsson]

Is there someone who can tell me the name of the ship GUSTAF ALFRED TÖRNROOS (FAHLBERG)was on and maybe the date of arrival in USA.This is my Grandfathers information as much as I know of it shown below.
TÖRNROS Age: 22 Gender: M Parish: County: OA [code for Göteborgs stad] Port: GÖTEBORG Date: 1892 03 40 Destination: BOSTON Fellows: NEJ Source: 47:172:44612 And from the Emibas database on the CD: Name: GUSTAF ALFRED TÖRNROOS FAHLBERG Gender: M Born: 1869-09-23 Parish: GBG:S DOMKYRKO County: O Title: HANDELSBITRÄDE Civil status: Home parish: GBG:S DOMKYRKO County: OA Resident: 3 ROTE 19 Date of emigration: 1892-02-24 Age: 22 Alone/Family: ALONE Dest country: AMERIKA Country code: AM Father: GUSTAF ADLOF FAHLBERG Father´s title: INSPEKTOR Mother: AMALIA SOFIA KRUSE Main document: Document No: 049 this should be 04.  
GUSTAF ALFRED TÖRNROOS FAHLBERG , He alone Emigrated 2/24/1892) 22years old Residence at  from 3 Rote 19, Göteborgs domkyrkoförs, Göteborgs och Bohus län (Västergötland)Gustaf Alfred k.s. Törnroos f. 1869 in Gbg:s Domk  The son Gustaf Alfred: Post 2708422 . (Biological son?) Törnroos, Gustaf Alfred  born 1869 in Gothenborg. Cathedral parish Gothenburg and Bohus county son Unmarried man, child in the family 5th squad No. 68, 69  Gothenburg Kristine parish Gothenburg and Bohus county, Västergötland Born Gothenb. Cathedral parish.