Looking for emigrant's place of birth in Sweden

[Ernst Stjernberg]

My great-aunt (Pernilla Svensdotter, b. 1 Nov 1867 in Östra Broby) emigrated to Minneapolis, Minnesota 25 Nov 1885. There she became Ella Swanson and married a Swede by the name John P. Noreen on 12 Dec 1891 in Hennepin County, Minneapolis. John P. Noreen was a tailor who worked for a number of different companies in Minneapolis after his immigration. Ella and John's life in Minneapolis is well documented in censuses, letters from Ella to her sister and city directories, and even photos. I am in contact with their great-granddaughter in Texas. The problem is that we don't know where John P. Noreen came from in Sweden.
As far as we can tell John P. Noreen was born on 12 Dec 1862, he emigrated in 1887 and died on 29 Jan 1918 at age 55 in Minneapolis.
What we don't know is where he came from in Sweden, if he changed his name to Noreen in USA or if that was a name he took in Sweden when he became a tailor or a journeyman. I assume he was trained in Sweden as he already in 1889 was working as a tailor for C A Green in Minneapolis (as per city directory).
I realize I need a parish in Sweden to find his ancestors there so my question is really: where could I find a clue as to where he came from? I have done a fairly exhaustive search but have come up empty-handed. I have tried to get a copy of his death certificate but with strict new rules of access in Hennepin County, that avenue is not available. I cannot find an obituary either.
Does anybody have any suggestions of how to proceed?

[Chris Bingefors]

In the 1900 census his birth is given as Dec 1863, in the 1910 as 1862. Immigration year also varies between censuses. One Family Tree on Ancestry gives his birth as Dec 9, 1862, his name as Johan Peter Persson Noreen and his father´s name as Johan Persson born 1833 (unlikely - the father probably was Per if the son is Persson)
 
One very implausible candidate is:
 
Post 923923
 
Norin Gustafsson, Jan Petter
Dräng (unmarried man)
 
b. 1/31/1862 in Grangärde, Kopparbergs län (Dalarna)
 
Emigrated 5/23/1886
from Norsgärde, Grangärde, Kopparbergs län (Dalarna)
to Nordamerika
 
Source: Household Examination Roll, p. 980
 
Emibas migration file ID: Grangärde W 1886 021

[Chris Bingefors]

Minnesota Death Index.
Name:    John P. Noreen
Gender:    Male
Burial Date:    01 Feb 1918
Burial Place:   
Death Date:    29 Jan 1918
Death Place:    Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota
Age:    55
Birth Date:    09 Dec 1862
Birthplace:    Sweden
Occupation:    Tailor
Race:    White
Marital Status:    Married
Spouse's Name:   
Father's Name:   John Person
Father's Birthplace:    Sweden
Mother's Name:   
Mother's Birthplace:    Sweden
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:   B02119-3
System Origin:    Minnesota-EASy
GS Film number:    2218020
Reference ID:    22442

[Chris Bingefors]

In a passport application for Ella his birthdate is given as 9 dec 1863, he immigrated in 1885 according to this.

[Ernst Stjernberg]

Thanks Chris for your help with this problem.
When I look at the census closest to John's arrival in the USA, the 1895 Minnesota Territorial and State Census taken on 14 June 1895, it gives John's age at last birthday as 33 which would mean he was born 1861. It also shows length of time in Minnesota as 9 years 1 month which translates to immigration in May 1886.
The next census, the 1900 Federal Census taken on 11 June 1900 shows John being born in Dec 1863 which agrees with his stated age of 36 (note 5 year between censuses, 3 years difference in age!)on last birthday. He is also shown to have immigrated in 1887 and has been in the State 13 years.
On the 1905 Minnesota Territorial and State Census taken on 6 June 1905, his stated age is 43 on last birthday which would mean he was born 1861. On this census he has been in Minnesota for 20 years, meaning he immigrated 1885.
Ella's passport application gives his birth date as 9 Dec 1863, BUT she gives her own birth date as the 5th November when in fact she is born on 1 November 1867. Thus, she maybe does not remember exactly when John was born either.
In summary:  
John was born allegedly on 9 Dec in 1861, or 1862, or 1863.
He immigrated in 1885, or 1886, or 1887.
 
Regarding the Ancestry Family Tree, it belongs to John's great grand-daughter, with whom I am in contact. It contains some guesses as to John's full name and his father's name and age. She has no sources for that information.
 
So my question is still: where and how can I find a clue as to which parish in Sweden John (Johan? Jöns?) came from?. Is it fair to assume he was a tailor or journeyman tailor when he left? I cannot find anybody with that name and occupation in Emibas or Emihamn.

[Chris Bingefors]

What about this one? He is a tailor:
Post 445304
 
Persson, Jöns
Skräddare (unmarried man)
 
b. 12/9/1861 in Osby, Kristianstads län (Skåne)
 
Emigrated 3/19/1886
from Bjelkarp, Östra Broby, Kristianstads län (Skåne)
to Amerika
 
Source: Household Examination Roll, p. 246
 
Emibas migration file ID: Östra Broby L 1886 007
 
For some reason he is listed as dräng or statdräng in the household census, but as tailor in the emigration book.Many seem to have had doubleoccupations in Skåne,I have seen many who work the land and are tailors.
 
Östra Broby B:3 (1861-1896) Bild 97 / sid 185 (AID: v102587.b97.s185, NAD: SE/LLA/13515)
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av izla 2013-05-01 12:26)

[Chris Bingefors]

The father,Pehr Pehrsson is still alive in 1900,a death date and then his estate inventory could give more clues. Unfortunately the books do not go past 1900 online. His wife is also alive in 1900.
 
Post 628237
 
Persson, Per
Torpare
 
f. 1836 i Örkened (Kristianstads län, Skåne)
 
Gift man, far i familjen
 
Nordanå Gård
Östra Broby (Kristianstads län, Skåne)
 
Per Persson d.y.
 
Födelseort i källan: Örkened Kristianstads län
 
 
Persson, Per   1836   Far
Tufvesdotter, Bengta   1833   Mor
----------
(Saknar efternamn), Nilla   1878   Mor
(Barn), Nils Ture   1900   Barn
 
It is not totally implausible that he took the Noreen name, the village where he grew up was Nordanå.
 
Pernilla and Jöns would have lived quite close to each other
http://www.ostragoinge.se/upload/6212/Kulturrunda.pdf
 
(Meddelandet ändrat av izla 2013-05-01 12:49)

[Chris Bingefors]

Arrivals New York,listed occupation is tailor:
Name:   Jons Persson
Arrival Date:   26 Apr 1886
Birth Date:   abt 1862
Age:   24
Gender:   Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality:   Swedish
Place of Origin:   Sweden
Port of Departure:   Glasgow, Scotland and Moville, Ireland
Destination:   United States of America
Port of Arrival:   New York, New York
Ship Name:   Circassia

[Chris Bingefors]

Jöns Persson´s mother, Bengta Tufvesdotter dies Aug 28, 1901 in Östra Broby. Her estate inventory should be in the archives in Lund:
http://www.riksarkivet.se/default.aspx?id=8882&refid=1194

[Lasse Waldemarsson]

According to Poliskammarens archive in Malmö
Poliskammaren i Malmö D3:20 (1886-1886) Bild 830 (AID: v449922.b830, NAD: SE/MSA/00780)
 
8 april 1886
Tailor Jöns Persson 24 years old from Broby  
He is going to Minneapolis Minnesota
 
Lasse

[Chris Bingefors]

Tack! Jag hittade honom inte i något register. Stämmer ju prima detta

[Lasse Waldemarsson]

He is travelling with the Anchor Line, the shipping company that owned Cicassia
http://www.heritage-ships.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_18&produc ts_id=1092
 
Lasse

[Ernst Stjernberg]

Thank You Chris and Lasse! Great work!!
 
I found Jöns Persson in Osby on Emibas just after I posted last night and was going to work on it tonight but you have found so much info already!!
I am very hopeful that it is John P. Noreen. Now I will follow up on the probate and also try to get Noreen's naturalization papers which may contain useful information to confirm that this is the right man. The fact that he was working in Bjelkarp, Östra Broby before he left suggests that he may have known Ella (Pernilla Svensdotter) at No. 3 Njura, Östra Broby as these two farms are very close together. She emigrated as soon as she turned 18. She already had a brother and a sister in Minnesota.
 
Thanks again, and I will post here again when I have found out if Jöns Persson from Osby is the husband of Ella.

[Ernst Stjernberg]

Update: I now have the probates for both his parents. Unfortunately, they do not give any closer address than Minneapolis for Jöns. The final naturalization papers for John P. Noreen also do not give any information as to his previous name.  
 
Searching in the City Directories for Minneapolis I found a John Person, tailor, in the 1888 directory. He does not appear in the 1889 edition but here I find John P. Noreen, tailor. I want to believe that this is Jöns Person first changing his first name to John, and later becoming John P. Noreen. I am now waiting for microfilms from Minnesota Historical Society for John's marriage and his death. I am hoping they will contain some clues to his background. That may be the last hope of officially confirming that Jöns Persson became John P. Noreen.

[Lasse Waldemarsson]

Hi Ernst
 
Do you have any information about if they had some friends from Sweden close by in Minneapolis?
The shipping companys list over travellers where I found Jöns Persson, lists 6 persons who went from Broby at the same time.
As these people have namnes that are somewhat unusual it could be helpful.  
They were:
Per Johannes Reimer 22
Olof Persson 18
Janne Lindström 23
Fredrik Friberg 27
Anders Andersson 27
 
They were travelling together and they were all going to Minneapolis.
 
Lasse

[Ernst Stjernberg]

Hi Lasse,
Thanks for the suggestion about friends. I don't know what friends they had - too far back in time. However, I found out today from John P. Noreen's great grand-daughter that John's daughter Hazel told her and the family that John's surname had been Persson but that he had found it too common and therefore took another Swedish name - Noreen (which I did not associate with Sweden).  
Regarding friends - the probate documents show that three of Jöns' siblings also had emigrated. Similarly, his wife had three siblings in Minnesota so there was a large network of relatives there.
 
Thanks for pointing out the Poliskammaren resource which I did not know about but which is very useful. I found John's wife Pernilla (Ella) there and the register showed that she had a free ticket. I am now of course wondering who paid her way to Minnesota!
 
mvh
Ernst