1880 emigration, Samuelson family, Billinge and Bjuv/Riseberga, Skåne, to Chicago

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

My husband and are traveling to Sweden next month, hoping to visit my family’s former homes in Skåne and Västmanland.  I know much about their history in the US, but very little about their years in Sweden, though I have searched for years.  I planned to visit Salt Lake City before we leave to look at microfilmed parish records there, but I have been in the hospital unexpectedly and so must cancel the trip. Instead, I’m now trying frantically to gather information as quickly as possible from home via the web.  I’m hoping you can help.
 
My great grandmother.  Cecilia or Cenna SAMUELSON (or SAMUELSDOTTER in Sweden?) was born or christened 12 September 1854 in Billinge parish (Malmöhus län).  Her parents were Samuel SVENSSON (b. 8 Mar 1817 in Strö parish, Malmöhus län – though I don’t know whether it was V. Strö or O. Strö) and Marne Abanna ANDERSDOTTER (b. 6 Jan 1819 at Billinge).  Samuel and Marne were married in 1849, probably at Billinge.  
 
Samuel and Marne Abanna’s children, all apparently born at Billinge, were:  
 
(1) Anders A. (b. 25 May 1850).  Married Johanna POHLSON (b. 17 Oct 1852 at Riseberga, Kristianstads län) on 22 Dec 1876 at Bjuv or Riseberga.  Five children born in Sweden, apparently at Bjuv:  
· a stillborn son, 5 Jan 1878  
· Albin M., 1 Mar 1879  
· Tage E., 29 Jan 1881
· twins Adelina Marie and Axelina Lydia, 22 Jan 1883  
· Elin, 6 Jan 1885.  
(2) Emilia/Emily, b. 28 Oct 1851  
(3) Cecilia/Canna, my great grandmother, 12 Sept 1854
(4) Maria/Mary, b. 14 Nov 1858
(5) Possibly a son Svensson (name uncertain), birth date unknown  
 
Samuel SVENSSON was known to his neighbors in Sweden as “Holy Samuel,” as he was a Baptist dissenter from the Lutheran church who was jailed for preaching without a license.  After Marne’s death in 1873, presumably at Billinge, the widowed Samuel and most of his young adult children (Emilia, Cecilia, Maria and possibly Svensson) emigrated to Chicago about 1880.  Between 1885 and 1887 Anders and his family followed.  
 
My husband and I will be in Lund too briefly to search the archives there, especially since I don’t speak or read svensk!  We will also visit Svenska Emigrantinstitutet in Växjö, but by the time we reach Växjö we will already have left Skåne.  That’s why I must find more information about my SAMUELSON family before we leave home.  This is very difficult because I don’t yet know my family’s exact names in Swedish records, I can’t recognize them on the many passenger lists I’ve searched, and the Billinge, Riseberga and Bjuv parish records don’t appear to be online.  I would be very grateful for any information about them, but I’m especially eager to find out the following before our trip next month:  (1) their names in Swedish records; (2) where in Billinge, Strö and Bjuv or Riseberga the families lived, and what their occupations were; (3) parents, ancestors and/or siblings of Samuel and Marne; (4) Marne’s place of death and burial; (5) emigration records for any of them.  
 
I would be very grateful for any help or advice you can give me.
   
Tack så mycket!

[Chuck Mäki]

Swenson Swedish Immigration Center here in Rock Island has films for 9 Chicago Swedish baptist churches.
If you have a street address for them, that would help but I have to tell you in advance that baptist church records are notorious for not recording information as did the lutheran and covenant churches.  
You have a lot of information but you are looking for a Samuel Svensson,born 8 Mar 1817 in Strö, correct?  I can get to Swenson next Tuesday so give me an email if you have more information that would be of help.  
Chuck

[Hjördis Meijer]

Cecilia Samuelsdotter was born 1854-09-12 at Billinge 2, Billinge.  
Parents: Samuel Svensson and Marna Andersdotter. Married 1846-11-05 at Hjelmaröd, Bosarp.
 
Marna Andersdotter was born 1819-01-06 at Grönahult, Billinge. Dead 1873-05-14 at Billinge 2, Billinge, cause of death: smallpox.
Parents: Anders Persson and Sissa Trulsdotter.
 
If you want more informations about persons and places and so on please contact me.
 
Hjördis M.
 
h.meijer.eslov@telia.com

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

Dear Chuck and Hjördis -
 
Many thanks for your kind help!  I have also just received help from the Sweden maillist at RootsWeb, and between all of you kind souls I have already made encouraging progress in getting the information I need.  
 
Chuck, I believe my great great grandfather Samuel Svensson was a member of a Swedish Baptist Church in Chicago, although it now appears he may have moved to Michigan shortly after his arrival in the US.  I know for a fact that my great grandparents Cecilia/Cenna Samuelsdotter (or, in the US, Samuelson) and Carl Ludvig (later Louis C.) Österberg were very active.  On the 13 June 1880 census, just weeks after her arrival from Sweden, Cenna (here spelled Sena) and her sister Mary were working as maids at what appears to be a boarding house on Milwaukie Ave. (ED 102, p. 46), if that is any indication of which church she attended so soon after arrival.  I know she married my great grandfather Louis at the First Swedish Baptist Church on 27 Sept 1884, and at some point early in their marriage they lived at 2734 Portland Avenue.  I'm not clear when either of them first joined the church, and it would certainly be good to know that -- though your point about Baptist record-keeping is a helpful caution. I certainly appreciate anything you can tell me.
 
And Hjördis, I am so glad to have help from someone in the Eslov area.  Your help with Marna's birth and parents is invaluable.  I understand that #2 Billinge was also known as Ängahuset or “the house on the meadow.”  Is there any way of knowing whether such a house still exists, or at least where it was located?  It would certainly be wonderful to see my great grandmother's birthplace.  And can you please tell me if Grönahult is a farm or other identifiable address?  How large a village is Billinge today?
 
I wish I could adequately convey how much I appreciate your help!
 
Med vänlig hälsning
Judith

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

P.S. Hjördis -- I should also have asked about Hjelmaröd, Bosarp.  Is that a farm?  How big is Bosarp today?  Should I be asking these questions under the Swedish Geography subheading rather than here under Emigrants?
 
Once again, tack så mycket!

[Arne Thornberg]

Dear Judith,
 
the parents of your great great grandmother (Marna Andersdotter born 19 January 1819)
were Anders Persson and Sissa Trulsdotter. Marna was the youngest of the family. Her
brothers and sisters were: the boys: Per (born 24 Aug 1804) ,Truls (born 6 Jan 1807),  
Sonne (born  3 Jun 1809) and Ola (b 21 Sep 1811), and the girls: Elna (b 3 Mar 1814),
Bengta (b 9 Mar 1816)... They  were all born at the small farm (croft) Grön[a]hult.
(nb the crofters of Grönahult were tenants as the grounds belongs to castle Trolleholm).
 
Some information from a book over old Billinge published earlier this year [2005]:  
 
...Grönahult has been found in documents for the first time in 1802 and is then
 inhabited by your ancestors Anders Persson and Sissa Trulsdotter. Anders was the first
 crofter to live there. He had at his own expense fenced, cultivated and built this small
 farm (croft). For more than hundred years his relatives lived at the place Grönahult:
 1802-1837 Anders Persson, your ggg grandfather(?).
 1837-1876 the son-in-law Måns Olsson (married to Bengta born 1816) was crofter there
           after Anders (dead 1848).
 1876-1890 Olof Månsson (b 1850), son of Måns and Bengta, was the crofter of Grönahult.
 1891-1892 Hilda Truedsdotter, wife of Olof Månsson (dead 1890 at the age of 39).
 1892-1924 Johannes Månsson (b 1861), brother of Olof and son of Måns and Bengta
           and married to the widdow Hilda Truedsdotter...
 
Actually Grönahult still exists and is very nice situated with lovely surroundings.  
 
As my wife is born close to Grönahult and we are now living at part of the former
grounds of Billinge #2 (sic!) I suppose that we have some more information of interest
for your interesting genealogical research. For the time being I would however like to
give the following question:
 
You write that your ancestor Samuel Svensson was known to his neighbors in Sweden
as “Holy Samuel,” as he was a Baptist dissenter from the Lutheran church who was
jailed for preaching without a license...  Very interesting! Do you know when he
was jailed (and perhaps where or how?)?. Actually in Billinge at the same time
lived a quite well-known parish clerk, Nils Lilja (1808-1870), who was a free-
thinking author, publisher and botanist, who was almost banned by the church.
Almost certainly Nils Lilja must have met your ancester Samuel Svensson...  :-)
 
For now,
 
Med vänlig hälsning
/Arne & Paula Thornberg, Billinge #2:27

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

Hej Arne and Hjördis -
 
This is more exciting than jul!  I am really thrilled to have this information - and to know that Grönahult, the croft where my great great grandmother and her brothers and sisters were born, is still there 200 years later. Tack, tack, and again tack for your help.
 
Were Anders Persson and Sissa Trulsdotter torpaere, then?  And when we come to Billinge next month (on 27 or 28 July), how will we find Grönahult?  Can you give us driving directions, or is it a place anyone we ask in Billinge could direct us to?  Please excuse my ignorance, but I can't even find anything online that tells me how many people live in Billinge today!  
 
Am I correct that Billinge #2, the “Ängahuset” of 1850-1880, no longer exists?
 
Arne, I don't know the specifics about my great great grandfather Samuel being jailed for preaching.  I have heard the story many times, but no date or places.  But I should think Nils Lilja and “Holy Samuel” would have indeed known each other if they were both dissenters.  It is interesting also to know that Samuel's daughter Cenna (my great grandmother) and grandson (my grandfather Arthur Osterberg) continued to be religiously independent on this side of the ocean.  After moving to Los Angeles in 1905, they were among the earliest pioneers of the Pentecostal movement and the Assemblies of God church, one of the fastest-growing in the world.  My grandfather was long a pastor and district superintendent in that church.  I am not a member of that denomination (my own father, “Holy Samuel's” great grandson Arthur Dean Osterberg, was a Presbyterian minister), but I am proud of my family's religious courage in a time when dissenters were called fools or shunned.
 
Hjördis, you wrote “I have tried to find Samuel Svensson born in V. Strö or Ö. Strö 1817-03-08, but his not there. Samuel is not a very common name, but I found a Samuel born in Skarhults parish, a neigbour parish to Ö. Strö. He was born 1817-08-09, maybe he is the right one.”  I wish I knew more!  All I have found in family records is that he was “born at Strö.”  Would that usually refer to V. Strö, Ö. Strö or some other Strö?
 
If you would be willing to answer more questions, I'm sure I'll have some!  
 
Med vänlig hälsning
Judith

[Chuck Mäki]

I found the member listing for Louis Österberg and Senna Österberg on a reel containing churches with these names:  Salem Baptist, Swedish Baptist (Englewood) and Emerald Avenue Baptist.  The main reel is identified as Salem Baptist, B105-2 is the Swenson code.  It would appear that they arrived at this church with letter from 2nd Baptist Chicago, letter dated July 6, 1888.
I could not find a church at Swenson identifed as second Baptist.
If you email your postal address to me, I will put the fotocopy of the page into the mail for you to take to Sweden.
The main man you are seeking, Samuel Swenson/Svensson, etc, was not there so likely your opinion that he left for Michigan right away is the reason for not locating him.  If you have that town name in Michigan, send that to me in the email.
Have fun in Sweden,
Chuck

[Arne Thornberg]

Hej Judith!
 
Happy days are here again? Almost jul with all these [x-mas] gifts?  :-)
 
Yes, we agree that it?s thrilling with this rewarding research.  
And - thank you very much for your data regarding Holy Samuel and his descendents.  
 
Welcome to Sweden at the end of July! We think that we somehow can arrange guiding at Billinge at that time. I think that the very few of the inhabitants of Billinge knowing the location of Grönahult can explain the complicated way there [via small unpaved country roads] - in english. :-)
 
Besides, the small, sleepy country village of Billinge has some 400 inhabitants (the whole of Billinge parish has nowadays about 1000 inhabitants).
 
About your Billinge #2 the farm itself was built around the 1860.s at the same time as the new impressive and cathedral-like church of Billinge was built. Old people of Billinge have long said that Billinge #2, called Nygård [NewFarm], was partly built with stones from the old, very old, and then replaced parish church.
 
As a preparation for your visit I can now offer an Internet-map of Billinge & -surroundings (incl Grönahult). Try this following Internet-adress: www.gulasidorna.se/kartor
 
There you get the option to put in a Gatunamn/plats. Write there your two search words: Grönahult Billinge [2 words and space between them]. Enter! As a result you would get a map over vital parts of your Billinge parish. At the center you see Grönahult (marked with a red dot). At NE you see Nygård (Billinge #2) and at SW you can see the place of the big farm Hjelmaröd (where your ancestors Samuel and Marna married 1846-11-05)... :-)
 
Please let me know if you succeed in getting this small (and zoomable!) map at your computers screen.  
 
And Yes! We have found the small cottage Ängahuset, where Samuel and Marna lived and had their children. At first it seemed to be quite a mystery, but now everything seems to be solved and very obvious: Ängahuset was very close to Grönahult (a few hundred meters). Nowadays you have to walk - or fly? - to come from one place to the other. More than 100 years ago there was a small road, now a narrow path.. Since 1924 it has another name and belongs not to #2 of Billinge. Danish summer-tourists are renting the old place nowadays. It?s fantastically situated far from traffic and other noices of the society of today, rather difficult to reach by car..
 
Besides I suggest that we from now on continue our discussions outside this national genealogical list. I suggest that you send mail directly to my mail adress and not thru this list. It would be nice if we could have a list of three by including Hjördis Meijer, who is well-informed member of the board of the genealogical society of Eslöv (feel free to check out their website www.esff.just.nu - english pages exists!)
 
Med vänlig hälsning
/Arne Thornberg
 Arne.Thornberg@swipnet.se

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

Hej Arne, Chuck and Hjördis –
 
Everything you have given me, including the map, is EXACTLY what I’ve needed.  Arne, that map not only shows me Grönahult, Nygård and Hjelmaröd, but I hope that with it I can find the other places my farfar’s mor lived as a piga, such as Munkarp (No. 5 Henninge); Rugerup, Hallaröd; Esperöd, Hallaröd.  I have already spotted Killeröd southwest of Grönahult.
 
Chuck, I thank you once again for the help with the church records.  And Hjördis, I’ve used the Eslöv site www.esff.just.nu ever since I learned that my people came from Billinge.  It’s been very helpful.  When I’m in Sweden I have already planned to donate to the society.  
 
I agree that we should not use up more board space.  But before I leave here, I want to publicly thank you all again from the bottom of my heart.    
 
Last night I sent a note to the RootsWeb SWEDEN mail list (whom I also wrote an inquiry to last week), explaining how far you have all helped me come in such a short time.  You can read the note – and the whole discussion thread – at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/SWEDEN/2005-06/1119341286, but unfortunately all of my Scandinavian alphabet characters AND my punctuation disappeared from the message!    So here is a shortened version, in easier to read form.
 
=====
 
Goddag to all --
 
All of you who have so kindly responded to my request are really amazing.  I’m 61 years old and have been doing family research for 40+ years, as well as teaching it in the community and at the college I was a history professor at until retirement.  In all those years I’ve used countless archives and sources, including other helpful mail lists and boards, but NEVER have I encountered such generous help or gained the vital knowledge I needed so quickly as I have thanks to you.  When I had to cancel my Salt Lake City plans earlier this week, I was frantic that I would find myself in Sweden next month prepared with only a tiny fraction of the information I had counted on.  Instead, just a few days later, I know far more than I could have hoped for.  With your help, I now know:  
-- my great grandmother’s family’s exact names in Swedish records, despite years of confusion over them
-- their precise localities for years before their emigration
-- the exact place of my immigrant great grandmother’s birth
-- the sad story of her mystery brother Sven
-- my great GREAT grandmother’s parents and siblings  
-- source citations for most of the records needed  
-- leads to take me even further back in time
 
Moreover, since I also had posted a related inquiry on Anbytarforum, I have received two wonderfully helpful letters from people in the Billinge area. One of them, Hjördis Meijer, made a phone call on my behalf and obtained help from Arne Thornberg, who lives today on part of Billinge #2.  Moreover, Arne’s wife Paula was born close to Grönahult, my great great grandmother’s birthplace.  They very kindly sent me the history of the Grönahult croft (torp, I suppose?), which was first established by my 3Xgreat grandfather Anders Persson in 1802 and passed down through his family until 1924.  All that is taken from a 2005 book of Billinge history.      
 
Now, am I not the luckiest person, to be met with such kindness?  TACK many times over to all!!!  
 
I’m sorry this post is too long, but if anyone reading it now or in the future hesitates to dive into the family’s Swedish roots because they know too little, please take my advice.  I’ve traced most branches of my family (Danish, Norwegian, Mayflower pilgrim and a little Welsh) back as far as records are available, but I had had so little success with the Swedish part that I several times just gave up.  The last few days show that miracles can happen!
 
With deepest appreciation –
Judith Osterberg Sylte      
 
PS -- I'm sorry if the svarta fan has control of my keyboard again. The Swedish characters all look fine on my outgoing posts, but they look insane online and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong!

[Arne Thornberg]

Breaking my own recommendation (to continue this discussion outside this message board) as I?ve now found some new genealogical data regarding Samuelsson. The following marriage notice seems to mention the names (and occupation) for the parents of Samuel Svensson:
 
Vigsel 1846-11-05 i Bosarp mellan
dräng Samuel Svensson, Hjelmaröd och piga Marna Andersdotter, Hjelmaröd
Han: Afl. Skogränsaren Sven Samuelsson och afl. Elsa Tychasdotter i Strö.
 
Translated it should be something like this:
Marriage 1846-11-05 in Bosarp between farm-hand Samuel Svensson at Hjelmaröd and maid Marna Andersdotter at Hjelmaröd. At his side: The deceased woodsman Sven Samuelsson and deceased Elsa Tychasdotter at Strö.
 
Well then, the parents of the bridegroom were both dead at the time of wedding for Samuel. Oddly the father of Samuel had the same profession as my own father-in-law had: Woodman, and then most probably for the castle of Trolleholm with it?s large forests in Billinge, Bosarp, V Strö...
 
BTW Judith, excellent that you now can see the map of Grönahult and surroundings at your computers screen. There you also ought to be able to see the place of Ängahuset. It?s close to Grönahult, a few hundred meters north of Grönahult. A small dark dot in the middle of a meadow..
 
Greetings,
 
Arne, Billinge #2:27
(which BTW lies not at Grönahult but much closer to Billinge #2 [= Nygård] and opposite Billinge church..).

[Arne Thornberg]

Dear Judith,  
 
obviously it seems to be impossible (for the time being) to send mail (from Sweden?) directly to your att-mail-address. Your att-system always gives blocked-messages like the following when we try to mail directly:
 
Failed to deliver to 'jasylte@att.net'
SMTP module(domain att.net) reports:
 return-path address  rejected by gateway1.att.net:
 550 Blocked for abuse.
 
What can be done about this? I?ve tried to study the advices at http://www.att.net/features/spamblockerfaq.html.
 
Do you have any other mail-address? Hotmail?
 
Regards,
/Arne Thornberg

[Judith Osterberg Sylte]

Hi all --
 
I've found new informationn on the birth of my farfars morfar Samuel Svensson, so will start a new discussion thread under his name.
 
:-) Judith

[Maria Sandström]

Hej alla,har läst ovanstående , är så glad och stolt över alla hjälpsamma här på Rötter, vill nu så gärna få veta hur resan till Sverige blev för Judith och hennes man.
Kan inte Rötter göra ett reportage om detta.
Welcome to Sweden ,Judith, I want to here from you ,here on Roots ,about your visit in Sweden.  
Best Regards Maria