Andersson/Andersdotter, Sophie/Sophia/Sofia, b. 1863

[Nancy Todd]

Looking for ANY  Sophie/Sophia/Sofia Andersson/Andersdotter, born 8 December 1863 in Sweden.  Emigrated to USA, lived in Rockford, Illinois.
 
Father: Anders Andersson,  MIGHT have been a doktor or läkare.
Mother: Mari ?
 
MIGHT have been born or lived in Stockholm at some time. NOT sure.  
 
I found about 12 ladies of those names born in 1863 in Disbyt, but only have birthdate of one, and no parents' names.
 
I found a Sofia Andersson, born 8 Dec 1863, at Kullings-Skövde socken in Älvsborg Län AND who emigrated to Rockford, Illinois, USA,  from Göteborg 31 March 1882 from Vårgårda. I do not know if this is our relative.  
 
There was also a Sofia Andersdotter, age 24, from Hellstad, Älvsborg Län, who left on 22 April 1887 from Goteborg, for Rockford.
 
According to US census, our Sophie came to in 1886, but this may be wrong, too!
 
Thanks, Nancy
 
http://www.geocities.com/drnancytodd/johnson.html

[nancy]

New information from Rockford church register! This is our Sofia...
 
Sofia Andersson born 17 December 1863, Kirketorp, Skaraborg, Sweden.  
 
So this probably is not the same one as above.

[Bo Johansson]

Kirketorp is probably Kyrketorp (Norra Kyrketorp or Södra Kyrketorp).
 
About doctor Anders Andersson, might he have had the title dr. = dräng (farm worker)?  
 
// Bo Johansson

[Judy Olson Baouab]

Hi Nancy,
 
Those Swedish-American church records are very helpful when our ancestors actually joined and didn't just attend.Those records should also list a year of coming to the U.S.
 
The county of Skaraborg, where you can find Kyrketorp and the county of Älvsborg, where you can find Hällestad, are next to each other, and are now merged, along with Göteborg och Bohus county, into Västra Götaland county. People did move from one county to another. :-) When you check the parish records for Södra Kyrketorp parish, you will find records (including date) of moving, either to other parishes, or to the U.S.
 
Kyrketorp parish is now called Södra Kyrketorp, according to this link listing available records from Södra Kyrketorp. I can't find any Kirketorp. Either the spelling changed or it was misspelled.
 
http://tinyurl.com/6o5o
 
I can't find any Sofia or Sofie of the right age going directly to Rockford. She might have lived there fairly soon after emigrating but be open to an emigration to another place first. The person from Hällestad (Hallestad) is closest to what you want, but she is traveling too soon in the year to be 24. Yours would have been 23 for many more months.
 
  ANDERSDOTTER  SOFIA         24    HELLSTAD      P     1887   ROCKFORD ILL
                SOFIE         16    GROLANDA      R     1869   ROCKFORD
                SOFIA         25                        1969   ROCKFORD
  ANDERSON      SOFIA         10    GROLANDA      R     1869   ROCKFORD
                SOFIA         56    AMERIKA       US    1895   ROCKFORD
                SOFIA         52    LJUSHULT      P     1901   ROCKFORD
  ANDERSSON     SOFIA         26    BERGA         G     1884   ROCKFORD
  ANDERSSON     SOPHIA        16    WÄSE          S     1869   ROCKFORD
 
The church records in Rockford should also have a date of joining that particular church, or at least it should if the minister kept the records properly and if this is an Augustana Lutheran Church. Some other denominations didn't keep the records as conscientiously as the Augustana Synod did. Their membership records are very similar to the husförhörslängd (clerical survey record) used by Swedish parishes.
 
Maybe the year is incorrect or maybe she emigrated through a Norwegian or Danish port. Check the Rockford records and the parish records to get more clues.
 
Good luck!
 
Judy

[nancy]

Bo,
 
Thank you Bo for directing me to the places. I suspect the dr is dräng.  
 
Judy,
 
Thank you for your help. Rockford First Evangelical Lutheran records indicate Sofia Anderson arrived in America from Skövde, Skaraborg, in 1888, received at church 5 August 1888.  
 
Also this note:
Sofia Anderson, 25, of Skövde Parish, Skaraborg,  left Göteborg 25 May 1888 for New York.

[nancy]

Thought I would report back on what I have found. I had the Swenson Center do a search for me as of the last posting, but they could not find her.  I had given Sofie's birthdate given on her death certificate which turned out to be wrong. Family lore about her being from Stockholm was wrong, too.  (All those hours I wasted looking for birth records in EVERY parish in Stockholm!)
 
Someone then kindly checked the baptismal records of her children in and traced her back in the Rockford church records which gave us the correct birth date and parish. However, that person mis-read the name of the parish from the old handwriting. It is LOCKETORP.
 
So now I have found more from Swedish records. This is our Sofie's family:
 
Anders Andersson, born  6 June 1821, Hvarf (Varv) parish, died 20  June 1879, Locketorp parish, Skaraborgs Län.
Sara JUNGMAN, born 7 May 1819 in Dala parish, died 30 June 1911, Locketorp parish, Skaraborgs Län. Children:
 
...Anders Gustaf Andersson,  born 29 February 1844 in Hvarf parish, Skaraborgs.
...Alfred Andersson, born 24 August 1848 in Hångsdala parish, Skaraborgs, d. 23 May 1877 in Locketorp.
...Maria Andersdotter, born 27 January 1851 in Hångsdala parish, Skaraborgs län, moved in 1875 to Horn parish.
...Matilda Andersdotter, born 27 July 1853 in Åsaka parish, Skaraborgs län, moved in 1872 to Horn parish.
...Emma Andersdotter, born 28 October 1857, Locketorp, moved in 1877 to Varnhem parish, Skaraborgs.
...Adolf Andersson, born 20 June 1860 in Locketorp parish, Skaraborgs.
...Sofie Andersdotter, born 17 December 1863 in Locketorp parish, moved in 1881 to Skövde parish. She emigrated 1888 May 8 from Skövde and left from Göteborg on 1888 May 25 for New York. Received at First Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rockford, Illinois, 5 August 1888. (Emigration source: 35:432:6269)
 
So now I can search for Anders Andersson from Varv and Sara Jungman from Dala!
 
Thank you all for your help.  Nancy
http://www.geocities.com/drnancytodd/johnson.html