Anna Elaine Dahl

[Karen Kelsey]

I am searching for the Dahl family, but I have very little information. I am unable to find an obituary, but I will keep searching for one.  Please tell me if there is any hope of finding her background from what I do know:
  Name: ANNA ELAINE DAHL, born August 9, 1867 in Sweden.  (Parish or area of birth unknown) Emigrated in 1868 at age of one year.
  Her father:  JONAS DAHL, born about 1827 in Sweden(he was 53 on the 1880 MN census).  He emigrated in 1868 with his wife (name unknown) and two daughters, Anna Elaine and BERTHA DAHL (born in 1860 in Sweden).
   What databases are available that search on name and date of emigration, without any specific birth parish or parish from which the family emigrated?

[Elisabeth Thorsell]

This can be the family you are looking for:
 
Larsson, Jonas, sharecropper (married man),  
 
b. 26 March 1827 in Sunnemo, Värmlands län (Värmland)
 
Ersdotter Larsson, Marith
Wife (married woman)
 
b. 1/26/1830 in Ekshärad, Värmlands län (Värmland)
 
d. Jonasdotter, Britta Kajsa
Daughter (unmarried woman)
 
b. 8/27/1859 in Norra Råda, Värmlands län (Värmland)
 
d. Jonasdotter, Anna Elina
Daughter (unmarried woman)
 
b. 8/9/1867 in Norra Råda, Värmlands län (Värmland)
 
They all emigrated 4/3/1868
from Hedetorp Västra, Norra Råda, Värmlands län (Värmland) to Nordamerika
 
Source: Emibas database
 
It was common that the emigrants started to use proper surnames when they had settled in America.

[Cecilia Månsson]

Hello Karen,
 
Have you checked the 1900 US Census for Anna Elaine's parents and sister? The 1900 Census has birth month and year listed, and not just age - at least the ones that I have seen.
 
The family that Elisabeth found for you is a very good match, but you should look for something that can verify that this is indeed the right family. If you are lucky, you just might find the family in the 1900 Census, with the birth month/year the same as the information Elisabeth gave you.
 
Good luck!
 
Cecilia Månsson

[Karen Kelsey]

Yes, I put my question on Rötter because I had gotten so few answers to my questions in the U.S. census.  Her father was listed on the 1900 U.S. census, but it was such a poor quality print that I was unable to read anything.  It came at the bottom of a page and it was black.  I could only see that he had remarried, but could not make out much else.  When I get to a university library I will reel through the actual census microfilm and see if the imprint is any clearer.
   By 1880 Jonas Dahl was a widower, and I have not identified the name of his first wife yet.  The obit for Anna simply gave the year of her emigration, although I have not found an obit for Jonas yet.  That search will be done soon, by scanning the Minnesota papers when I drive to St. Paul - a 400 mile trip north.   I also searched for the death date of the sister, Bertha, but she her married name was Eagle, and she disappeared from the Minnesota census around 1910.  She might have remarried because her first husband died before 1910.
    Thanks Elisabeth for finding the family that seems to match.  With some more investigation, I ought to know whether my Anna Elaine Dahl is the person you found from Varmland.  Genealogy is not easy here, since it often involves going to the sources - which are kept at the state level, or sometimes at the local (county) level.  I live near Chicago, but the sources for Anna's early life, and the life of her father, will be found at the MN Historical Society or at Wright County, MN, and the sources for her later life are kept at the WI Historical Society in Madison, with other things kept at the county level in Park Falls, Wisconsin, since so many of the Swedes worked in the lumber industry, and Park Falls had a big pulp mill and lumber industry.
   Thanks!

[Elisabeth Thorsell]

Karen, do you know if your Dahl family were members of a local Swedish American church?  
 
If they were, those churches mostly kept very nice records, and they are available on microfilm at the Swenson Sweidsh Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.  
 
The Swenson Center also has many other records useful for immigration research. Check their web site and you will find lots of good info.

[Laura Bonde]

1900 Census
Household and Dwelling 53, District 224, Franklin township, Wright county, Minnesota
 
Dahl, Jonas Head White, Married, Birth: March 1827,age 73, born in Sweden,  
both Parents in Sweden, immigrated in 1868, 32 years in the US, able to read, and speak English
Owns home free of mortgage, occupation unclear--something maker
 
Dahl, Maria Wife White Female Born Sept 1827, age 72, born in Sweden,
both parents born in Sweden,  Mother of three, one living, immigrated in 1872, 27 years in the US
able to read and write, does not speak English.
 
 

[Laura Bonde]

1900 Census
Household and Dwelling 53, District 224, Franklin township, Wright county, Minnesota
 
Dahl, Jonas Head White, Married, Birth: March 1827,age 73, born in Sweden,  
both Parents in Sweden, immigrated in 1868, 32 years in the US, able to read, and speak English
Owns home free of mortgage, occupation unclear--something maker
 
Dahl, Maria Wife White Female Born Sept 1827, age 72, born in Sweden,
both parents born in Sweden,  Mother of three, one living, immigrated in 1872, 27 years in the US
able to read and write, does not speak English.
 
 

[Laura Bonde]

Well, I am bound to get it right one of these times!!
 

 

[Jeff Benson]

Hi all,
 
Lookups from the MN Historical Society's Death Record Index:
 
DAHL, JONAS L.
Date of Birth: 1827
Place of Birth: SWEDEN
Certid# 1906-49-1260
Date of Death: 06/12/1906
County of Death: WRIGHT
 
DAHL, MARY  
Date of Birth:  not indexed
Place of Birth:  not indexed
Mother Maiden Name:  not indexed
Certid# 1909-MN-014620
Date of Death:  09/22/1909
County of Death: WRIGHT
 
Based on the above, there does seem to be a good match between the Jonas Larsson that Elisabeth found and the Dahls of Wright County.
 
Karen, if you go to the MHS website (http://www.mhs.org), find the death certificate search page and repeat these lookups, you can then order copies of the actual death certificates (for a fee). The death certificates will contain more information, including full dates of birth for both Jonas and Mary Dahl. (Although, Jonas died before the state standardized its death certificates so his probably is less informative.) That will help confirm the connection -- and you don't have to travel to Minnesota to get them.
 
Good luck,
 
Jeff

[Laura Bonde]

This looks to be your Bertha Eagle:
 
1910 Dwelling 110, Household 114, Third Street, District 207, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota
 
 
 
 
1920 Dwelling 171, Household 180, District 89, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota
 
 

[Laura Bonde]

1910 Dwelling 110, Household 114, Third Street, District 207, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota
 
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1920 Dwelling 171, Household 180, District 89, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota  
 
 
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[Karen Kelsey]

Wow!  I thank everyone.  I knew about the MN death index and had planned to order a copy of Jonas Dahl's death certificate.  I am unsure if I'll order his wife's death cert., since that was his second wife.  His should help me decide if Elisabeth found the correct family.  I was using Heritage to find the 1900 census.  Obviously, you got a better image in your search engine!
   I will follow through with this, and I thank everyone.
Karen

[Laura Bonde]

Sorry, Karen. Here's a transcription since I seem to be image-impaired today.
 
1910 Dwelling 110, Household 114, Third Street, District 207, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota
 
Eagle, Bertha Head, Female, White, 50 years old, Widowed, mother of five, four living, Born in Sweden, both parents born in Sweden, immigrated in 1868 Occupation: private boarding house
 
Eagle, Eunice daughter Female, White, Age 21, Single born in Illinois, both parents born in Sweden, Occupation: Teacher in a public school
 
Eagle Ina N.H. daughter, female, white age16, born in New York, both parents born in Sweden, Occupation: none listed
 
Thompson, Della Boarder female, white, age 23 single, born in Iowa, father in Pennsylvania, mother in Iowa. Occupation: Teacher at Public School
 
1920 Dwelling 171, Household 180, District 89, Delano Village, Wright County, Minnesota
 
Wiese, Arthur O. Head, rents, Male, white age 31 married born in Minnesota, both parents born in Germany, Occupation: brakeman for the railroad.  
 
Wiese, Eunice I. wife female white, age 31 married, born in Illinois, both parents born in Sweden, Occupation: none
 
Wiese, Ardeth E. daughter, female, white age 6, single born in Minnesota, father born in Minnesota, mother in Illinois, Occupation: none
 
Eagle, Bertha C.  Mother-in-law, female, white age 60, widowed, immigrated 1868, naturalized citizen, born in Sweden, both parents born in Sweden, Occupation: dressmaker at home.

[Karen Kelsey]

Elisabeth, the family that you found must be the family that I was searching for.  There is a positive identification for Anna Elaine's birthday, then we identified that the father, Jonas, was born in the correct month and year, and now I located Bertha Dahl Eagle in the 1900 census, living in New York.  Her birthday also matches, so that means that the Jonas Larsson family was correct, and they came from Varmland.  Thanks to everyone for the database search, and for getting better imprints of the U.S. federal census.