Soldier Search

[Audrey Parks]

My great-uncle's obituary in Canada states he served in the Swedish army.  How would I be able to find out when, where or if he did?   His name was Emil Martin Sällfrid Larsson born July 26, 1881 in Döderhult parish, Kalmar.  The family moved to Kristdala in October 1885 so I'm assuming he would have left from there.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[Brian Almquist]

Hello Audrey!
 
Just ran across your posting, and I found your great uncle's family in Kristdala parish. They appear in the parish census for 1887-93 on page 367 (Genline ref. 90.2.20400) under Malbriana, Malghult No.1, Kristdala. The family is listed as follows:
 
Lars Peter Karlsson b.Sept.7, 1845 Döderhult
(wife) Kristina Sofia Johansdr. b.7/3/45 Kristd.
s. Albin Julius Gotfrid b.7/3/75 Döderhult
s. Emil Martin Sällfrid b.7/26/81 Döderhult
d. Selma Ottilia Sofia b.1/8/85 Kristdala
 
In 1890 they moved to Malghult No.2, and you can find them on page 404 (Genline Ref. 90.2.24100) of the parish census for 1887-93. There is no parish census after 1893, so I could not dtermine the family's whereabouts after that date.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Mvh,
 
Brian Almquist
Ashland, Oregon USA

[Judy Olson Baouab]

1900 Swedish Census CD:
 
Karlsson, Lars Peter 1828 Father
Johansson, Kristina Sofia 1845 Mother
Lind, Albin Julius Gottfrid 1875 Child
(Barn), Emil Martin Sällfrid 1881 Child
(Barn), Selma Ottilia Sofia 1885 Child
 
Record 4984756
 
Karlsson, Lars Peter
Inhyses (tenant)
 
b. 1828 in Döderhult (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Man, married, father
 
Malghult N:o 3
Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Döderhult Kalmar län
 
 
Record 4984755
 
Johansson, Kristina Sofia
 
b. 1845 in Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
h. (wife)
Woman, married, mother
 
Malghult N:o 3
Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Kristdala Kalmar län
 
 
Record 4984757
 
Lind, Albin Julius Gottfrid
Artillerist f.d. (former artilleryman)
 
b. 1875 in Döderhult (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
s.
Man, single, child
 
Malghult N:o 3
Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Döderhult Kalmar län
 
 
Record 4984753
 
Emil Martin Sällfrid
 
b. 1881 in Döderhult (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
s.
Boy, child
 
Malghult N:o 3
Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Döderhult Kalmar län
 
 
Record 4984754
 
Selma Ottilia Sofia
 
b. 1885 in Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
d.
Girl, child
 
Malghult N:o 3
Kristdala (Kalmar län, Småland)
 
Place of birth (original source): Kristdala Kalmar län
 
I don't see Emil Martin Sällfrid on the cd Swedish Death Index 1947-2003. Maybe he died before 1947 or he is one of the unnamed people or he left Sweden or ?
 
Judy

[Judy Olson Baouab]

His emigration from Sweden can be seen on the Emihamn database. Emihamn was made from registrations with Swedish port police.
 
First name: EMIL M S
Last name: LARSSON
Age: 22     Gender: M
Parish: KRISTDALA     County: H (Kalmar)
Port: GÖTEBORG
Date: 1904 07 08 (July
Destination: MONTREAL
Fellows: NEJ
Source: 76:179:1886
 
Judy

[Audrey Parks]

Hello Brian and Judy,
 
Thank you for your help.  I have not been working on my Swedish genealogy for quite some time, so I haven't been regularly checking the message boards.
 
Through receipt of Albin Larsson Lind and Emil Larsson's Canadian Citizenship Papers from the Canadian Government, I did discover that Albin stated he arrived at New York in about June or July 1903 and went directly from there to Montreal, Quebec via  GTR train.  Through checking the records for Ellis Island, I found an Albin Lind of the same age who was going to Kansas, USA and he was with a girlfriend.  However, I don't think this is our Albin Larsson Lind - there was apparently more than one from the same area in Sweden of about the same age.   I know that Albin's last name was Lind while serving in the Swedish army and that he was apparently in Winnipeg in 1906 when he first applied for Canadian citizenship.  After he left the army in Sweden he became a sailor and jumped ship in Denmark or Norway about 1902, so I believe he most likely was a sailor or stowed aboard a ship to travel over the Atlantic Ocean.  I have read that in those days that sailors did not have to register their names for these voyages.    
 
Albin is a hard man to trace, and it is believed that he never married, but had girlfriends, but my Mother remembers her mother Selma telling her that he was sending support payments to Sweden for a child - I have no idea who that would have been.  I also found that Albin and Emil both worked in Vancouver, BC for a few years on the docks and in lumber mills.  Albin committed suicide in the Winnipeg, Manitoba when he was 65.  
 
Albin's brother Emil Larsson arrived in Canada in 1904 and his sister Selma (my grandmother) arrived in October 1906, and I found Emil and Selma's entry to Canada via Quebec and the actual registers of their entry to Canada on the ships they sailed on.  They both came to Winnipeg and sometime shortly thereafter, changed their last name to Lind as well, which would indicate to me that Albin was in fact in Winnipeg, Manitoba at that time, or at least by 1906.  Selma married in 1907 and at that time she gave her name as Selma Lind.  To date I have not been able to find any evidence of the fact that Emil had served in the Swedish army, I rather think some family member upon writing his obituary may have made an error and was thinking instead of Albin at that time.  Emil's son, now 75,  cannot enlighten me at all since he says his Dad was very quiet about his life in Sweden and didn't tell his children much of anything about his life there.  Emil died in Kenora, Ontario at the age of 83.  Selma died in Manitoba at the age of 67.
 
Genealogy and tracing our ancestors is wonderful.  I don't subscribe to Genline, but it seems to be such a wonderful source of information, and I so much appreciate the help I've received from those people who help me in the quest for my Swedish ancestors.
 
Audrey Parks
Winnipeg, MB

[Judy Olson Baouab]

Here is another sibling.
 
Emihamn database:
 
First name: SELMA O S
Last name: LARSSON
Age: 21     Gender: K
Parish: KRISTDALA     County: H
Port: GÖTEBORG
Date: 1906 10 05
Destination: WINNIPEG MAN.
Fellows: NEJ
Source: 82:239:3010

[Judy Olson Baouab]

Selma is also listed on the Emibas database.
 
Post 331927
 
Larson, Selma Ottilia Sofia
Woman
 
b. 1885
 
Emigrated 9/28/1906
from Slätbråna, Kristdala, Kalmar län (Småland)
to Nordamerika
 
Source: Household Examination Roll, p. 417
 
Emibas migration file ID: Kristdala H 1906 038
 
Judy