First off, we have two new foals for the Chincoteague pony herds. Yesterday evening a foal was spotted with Kimball's Rainbow Delight and her mate Prince. It was at a great distance, on a foggy day, and near dusk. Both parents are pintos, but the baby looked like a chestnut. And, since the Spring Round-Up, Smooch has been at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague because of her poor condition. Her coat looked bad, she was very thin, and she was definitely pregnant. She has been keeping company with Bailey's Star a donated mare, and getting extra feed and supplements. She had been in Legacy's herd this past year. This morning, when the CVFC man arrived to feed the girls, Smooch had a palomino pinto filly at her side. As soon as good photos are available of both, I'll post them.
I've been working on my Swedish genealogy for awhile. My mother's father held dual citizenship in Sweden and America. His parents sailed over to the US in the summer of 1890 so he would be born here. He arrived on 10 September in Hoboken, New Jersey; was christened in the Swedish Lutheran Church there; and the family sailed back to Sweden before the end of the month. The cost of his passage was the price of a case of condensed milk, purchased by the ship, in case his mother couldn't nurse him...
Other than being told about Cap'n Walt's parents by my mother, I knew nothing about them. I was told that my great-grandfather's name was Andreas Johnson, and was called "Black Andy" because his hair never grayed or turned white, and that he was one of six brothers. I was told that great-grandmother was named Hannah Olson, and that my grandmother used to take the children to visit her, by train, in New York City. After my grandparents' house was sold, my Aunt was cleaning the attic and throwing almost everything away. One of the things in the "toss pile" was a red velvet-covered photograph album that had belonged to my great-grandmother Hannah. I rescued it and kept the photos.
Over the past few years, I have found that my great-grandparents' birth names were Andreas Jonasson and Hanna Marie Olsdotter, and that both were born in Torhamn, Blekinge, Sweden. I have found their birth dates and their marriage record, and I also found that Andreas was a twin. He had a twin brother named Olaus, whom my mother never mentioned; and five other brothers, as well. Perhaps Andreas never mentioned his twin, who, as far as I can tell, stayed in Sweden. Four of Andreas' brothers came to the United States: one settled in Montana, and the other three stayed in the area of Queens, New York. Those three were employed at the outset by the Fulton Fish Market, and two moved on to other jobs. But Charles, born Carl in Sweden, was the dock manager for the Fulton Fish Market for over 30 years... I cannot tell when either of my Swedish great-grandparents died - their are many records of people with those names dying in New York and/or New Jersey - but those records don't include the birth dates of the deceased. By matching those, I could say definitely when and where they passed away and were buried...
I was able to find Hanna's parents rather easily - they were born, and passed away in Torhamn - Ola Andersson (8 June 1825 to 22 January 1905) and Maria Olsdotter (10 May 1821 to 2 December 1908). But Andreas' parents were much more difficult. I finally found their names through Andreas' brother Charles' marriage license in New York City. Their names were Jonas Zakrisson (born 15 April 1826 in Jamjo Parish, Blekinge, Sweden and died 12 February 1881 in Torhamn) and Kerstin Andersdotter (born 10 November 1836 and died 10 May 1905).
The church records say that Kerstin was born in Torhamn Parish, but I have read through every entry for 1836 in Torhamn Parish, and there is no one of that name born that year. Illegitimate children are listed in the church records, and she is not there, either. I have not been able to track her parents down, nor where she was actually born....
Jonas Zakrisson is, in a way, another enigma. His mother, Malena Trostersdotter, was the second of eleven children. I have her parents' names and her paternal grandparents, too. She was single when she had a daughter in 1806; the child is listed as illegitimate and was named Maria Malenasdotter, but two years later she is listed as Maria Olafsdotter. In 1810, Malena had a son, Johannes Malenasson. In 1814, Malena married a widower named Jonas Persson; he brought two children into the family from his deceased wife. Malena and Jonas and two children: Mans Jonasson born in 1818, and Sissa Jonasdotter born in 1821. In the 1825 Church Record book, Jonas Persson and his two children with his first wife are listed, but they also have three lines through each of their names... there is no recording of them moving, nor of their deaths,, so what happened is anyone's guess. But in 1826, Malena gave birth to another illegitimate child - a son named Jonas Malenasson. But, again, in two years time, Jonas had a different surname - Zakrisson. But Malena never married anyone named Zakris.... So who was the father? There were four men named Zakris living in that parish at the time of conception - but it didn't have to be someone who lived there....
'Tis a mystery.....
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Monday, May 20, 2019
Friday, April 27, 2018
Once, A Long Time Ago....
Once, a long, long time ago, around the year 480, something very strange happened on the Swedish island of Oland. Why it happened is still a mystery, but even today, 1,518 years later, the native-born in the area speak of evil and curses surrounding the area, as well as ghosts haunting the local cemetery. Archaeologists began excavating the ancient ring fort at Sandby in 2010, after reports of fortune hunters with metal detectors were reported digging in areas outside, but near the old borg. The Swedish government does not fund archaeological work unless the site is considered to be in imminent danger of destruction, so funding for this dig has been small and somewhat piecemeal.
In 383, Magnus Maximus withdrew all Roman troops from Great Britain, except for a few scattered auxiliary forts. (These forts were closed in 410.) The reason was a massive push of Germanic peoples against the Roman forces in Europe. The Germanic tribes had gained the upper hand completely by 455, and ruled the entire northwest European lands. It is uncertain whether the island of Oland was under the rule of the Germanic tribes, or a local island leader, or if they were under the rule of Sweden. What is definitely known is that Scandinavian mercenaries were in the employ of Rome - men from Norway, Sweden and Denmark all were recipients of gold Roman coins for their work in the Roman Legions. From the recoveries of treasure troves - but more importantly, grave goods - it is apparent that Scandinavian warriors hired themselves out well before the Viking era.
Oland is just over 85 miles long, and not quite 10 miles wide at the broadest place. In 480, it is believed that 15 or 16 borgs were in existence. The island people fled to them for safety from sea-borne raiders. This was well before the Scandinavians were known to go a-viking - and earned themselves the name of Vikings. It is believed that most of these raids came from mainland based Germanic tribes and Danes. Most of the people of Oland farmed a little - the ground was very rock strewn in the south - fished a lot, and about half of them had a goat, sheep, a pig or two, or cattle. Horses were luxuries.
Around 400, the people of southern Oland began building Eketorp Borg. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Oland that has been completely excavated, yielding over 24,000 individual artifacts. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle, and is a huge tourist attraction for the island. The entirety of southern Oland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Sandby's ring fort is more oval than round in construction. There is a small earthen berm, and then a rock wall of 13 to 16 feet was built upon it. There were three, probably four, gates that were open except when the people were threatened. In fact, the archaeologists believe that Sandby Borg itself was only occupied for a total of four months or less, due to the small amounts of trash and midden heaps. There were 52 buildings inside the borg, most built against the walls, with a few in the center with a surrounding street. Food stores for entire families were kept inside the borg in case of trouble. The borg is quite close to the shore of the Baltic Sea. I was amazed at how close the shore-line is today, but I don't know if the shore has washed away, or filled in since 480.
After the archaeologists received reports of treasure diggers outside the walls of Sandby, they hired professional users of metal detectors, and had them check out the interior of the fort. They found five "treasure caches" inside five different houses, each placed under the floor to the left of the door. The caches include gold, silver and bronze brooches, silver bells, gold rings, amber beads, glass mille fiore beads, and even cowrie shells from the Mediterranean. Also found were Roman solidi, gold coins commonly issued as pay in the late Roman empire. The solidi found on the island are distinctive, and matching dies have been found in Rome. A lot of the coins are very fresh, in mint condition, without the characteristic wear of coins that have been passed from had to hand in trade. Through these coins, there is a direct link to Rome, and later to Milan and Arles.
Apparently, the warriors brought their pay home to Oland - and 36% of the Roman solidi found on Oland were found within a one mile radius of Sandby Borg. However, with the Romans losing their empire in the northwest, the warriors of Oland would have to travel almost all the way to Constantinople for employment with the Eastern Roman emperor. Seemingly, this was not acceptable to the men of Oland. Soon, there were a lot of unemployed men, trained to war, in somewhat closer quarters than they were used to.
But what triggered the seemingly unexplainable massacre at Sandby Borg, where bodies were never buried or cremated, where easy loot was never touched, and where livestock - including precious horses - were left to die of starvation, and not taken by neighbors or family, after the massacre occurred? Why was everything left untouched? Why did awful tales grow about evil and curses and hauntings? Why do local people still shun this place 1,518 years later?
More tomorrow....
In 383, Magnus Maximus withdrew all Roman troops from Great Britain, except for a few scattered auxiliary forts. (These forts were closed in 410.) The reason was a massive push of Germanic peoples against the Roman forces in Europe. The Germanic tribes had gained the upper hand completely by 455, and ruled the entire northwest European lands. It is uncertain whether the island of Oland was under the rule of the Germanic tribes, or a local island leader, or if they were under the rule of Sweden. What is definitely known is that Scandinavian mercenaries were in the employ of Rome - men from Norway, Sweden and Denmark all were recipients of gold Roman coins for their work in the Roman Legions. From the recoveries of treasure troves - but more importantly, grave goods - it is apparent that Scandinavian warriors hired themselves out well before the Viking era.
Oland is just over 85 miles long, and not quite 10 miles wide at the broadest place. In 480, it is believed that 15 or 16 borgs were in existence. The island people fled to them for safety from sea-borne raiders. This was well before the Scandinavians were known to go a-viking - and earned themselves the name of Vikings. It is believed that most of these raids came from mainland based Germanic tribes and Danes. Most of the people of Oland farmed a little - the ground was very rock strewn in the south - fished a lot, and about half of them had a goat, sheep, a pig or two, or cattle. Horses were luxuries.
Around 400, the people of southern Oland began building Eketorp Borg. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Oland that has been completely excavated, yielding over 24,000 individual artifacts. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle, and is a huge tourist attraction for the island. The entirety of southern Oland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Sandby's ring fort is more oval than round in construction. There is a small earthen berm, and then a rock wall of 13 to 16 feet was built upon it. There were three, probably four, gates that were open except when the people were threatened. In fact, the archaeologists believe that Sandby Borg itself was only occupied for a total of four months or less, due to the small amounts of trash and midden heaps. There were 52 buildings inside the borg, most built against the walls, with a few in the center with a surrounding street. Food stores for entire families were kept inside the borg in case of trouble. The borg is quite close to the shore of the Baltic Sea. I was amazed at how close the shore-line is today, but I don't know if the shore has washed away, or filled in since 480.
After the archaeologists received reports of treasure diggers outside the walls of Sandby, they hired professional users of metal detectors, and had them check out the interior of the fort. They found five "treasure caches" inside five different houses, each placed under the floor to the left of the door. The caches include gold, silver and bronze brooches, silver bells, gold rings, amber beads, glass mille fiore beads, and even cowrie shells from the Mediterranean. Also found were Roman solidi, gold coins commonly issued as pay in the late Roman empire. The solidi found on the island are distinctive, and matching dies have been found in Rome. A lot of the coins are very fresh, in mint condition, without the characteristic wear of coins that have been passed from had to hand in trade. Through these coins, there is a direct link to Rome, and later to Milan and Arles.
Apparently, the warriors brought their pay home to Oland - and 36% of the Roman solidi found on Oland were found within a one mile radius of Sandby Borg. However, with the Romans losing their empire in the northwest, the warriors of Oland would have to travel almost all the way to Constantinople for employment with the Eastern Roman emperor. Seemingly, this was not acceptable to the men of Oland. Soon, there were a lot of unemployed men, trained to war, in somewhat closer quarters than they were used to.
But what triggered the seemingly unexplainable massacre at Sandby Borg, where bodies were never buried or cremated, where easy loot was never touched, and where livestock - including precious horses - were left to die of starvation, and not taken by neighbors or family, after the massacre occurred? Why was everything left untouched? Why did awful tales grow about evil and curses and hauntings? Why do local people still shun this place 1,518 years later?
More tomorrow....
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Assorted Art and Photos
Steampunk spider
Coastal cliffs, Skane, Sweden
Victorian kitten illustration
The Queen is not amused
Arapaho men, 1867
Friends
Victorian dinner illustration
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Tidal Pulls
It's Saturday, 13 June. Today the Boulder Iron Man Triathlon is taking place - swimming, biking, running. Multiple streets are closed, the library will be packed, and the Boulder Creek Path is closed. If I were on the Eastern Shore, I'd be in Cape Charles for the Tall Ships Festival - I guess having watermen, fishermen, ship captains, sailors, whalers, and Vikings in one's history doesn't allow one to ignore the call of the sea, the pull of the tides, the smell of salt marshes, and the cries of sea birds. A single scent, sound, or sight can completely entrap me and send me back to the islands and beaches I grew up on.... It's amazing. I've been in Colorado for 13 years, but when I hear the cry of a seagull in a parking lot, I have to blink multiple times to make sure I'm in the Rocky Mountains, and not on the coast of Florida or Virginia.
I have to trace Dad's ancestors back at least 8 generations to find folks who were not farmers or teachers or preachers. Then one finds sailors and fishermen, whalers and chandlers. I do feel a great affinity to the land, the seasons, and crops. Of course, I am very close to all animals and living creatures - but the sea always has a much stronger pull. Mom was born and raised on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia; her mother was born and raised in the same place. Pop-pop, or Cap'n Walt, was born of American parents, who had Swedish parents - Walt and his brother Ben were born in New Jersey, but the family returned to southern Sweden a couple of weeks after each boy was born. The boys were raised in Sweden, but returned to the US at the age of 20, using their dual citizenship. Black Andy (Andreas Johansson), Walt and Ben's father, held dual citizenship (US and Swedish), as did his wife, Hannah Olsen. Black Andy was a mechanic and engineer, but his sons were raised as watermen and light farmers. I have no further knowledge of Andy and Hannah's ancestors. Cap'n Walt married Aleda Peterson of Chincoteague; Aleda's mother was a Tarr; her father was the son of a Danish farmer and waterman, Andreas Pedersen, and Esther Whealton. It's through great-great-grandma Esther that the family traces back to the 1640s on Chincoteague - the Whealton family.
When I'm in the mountains, whether the Rockies, or the older chain near the east coast, I am always in awe of the grandeur and size of our world. The scenes, the flora and the fauna are truly awesome. But it is the sea that owns my heart - that unpredictable, unbelievably strong entity that surrounds our continents. Humans still know so little about the life forms that live in the seas and oceans of our world - they are so varied and misunderstood - and so many are still undiscovered. All I know is that I belong to the sea... The sound of the waves, the aroma of the air, the thunder of surf, the quiet lapping of wavelets, the sound of boat horns, the sounds of moving water - water that is never still, the sudden squalls and equally sudden glassiness of the water, sounds of the salt marsh, the sounds of fish jumping, dolphins breaching, and the ever-present sound of the birds. I am of the sea.
I have to trace Dad's ancestors back at least 8 generations to find folks who were not farmers or teachers or preachers. Then one finds sailors and fishermen, whalers and chandlers. I do feel a great affinity to the land, the seasons, and crops. Of course, I am very close to all animals and living creatures - but the sea always has a much stronger pull. Mom was born and raised on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia; her mother was born and raised in the same place. Pop-pop, or Cap'n Walt, was born of American parents, who had Swedish parents - Walt and his brother Ben were born in New Jersey, but the family returned to southern Sweden a couple of weeks after each boy was born. The boys were raised in Sweden, but returned to the US at the age of 20, using their dual citizenship. Black Andy (Andreas Johansson), Walt and Ben's father, held dual citizenship (US and Swedish), as did his wife, Hannah Olsen. Black Andy was a mechanic and engineer, but his sons were raised as watermen and light farmers. I have no further knowledge of Andy and Hannah's ancestors. Cap'n Walt married Aleda Peterson of Chincoteague; Aleda's mother was a Tarr; her father was the son of a Danish farmer and waterman, Andreas Pedersen, and Esther Whealton. It's through great-great-grandma Esther that the family traces back to the 1640s on Chincoteague - the Whealton family.
When I'm in the mountains, whether the Rockies, or the older chain near the east coast, I am always in awe of the grandeur and size of our world. The scenes, the flora and the fauna are truly awesome. But it is the sea that owns my heart - that unpredictable, unbelievably strong entity that surrounds our continents. Humans still know so little about the life forms that live in the seas and oceans of our world - they are so varied and misunderstood - and so many are still undiscovered. All I know is that I belong to the sea... The sound of the waves, the aroma of the air, the thunder of surf, the quiet lapping of wavelets, the sound of boat horns, the sounds of moving water - water that is never still, the sudden squalls and equally sudden glassiness of the water, sounds of the salt marsh, the sounds of fish jumping, dolphins breaching, and the ever-present sound of the birds. I am of the sea.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Green Countries - Through Clean Power & Recycling
El Nicho, Cuba
Austria
Columbia
Costa Rica
France
Iceland
Morne Brabant, Mauritius
Switzerland
Sweden
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Different Views
Cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji
Beach art
Water is necessary for all living things
Bluebells in Sweden
A merlin on Assateague Beach driftwood - by Rockadee
Abandoned building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Wildlife in Sweden
Young beaver
Wild boar sow with piglets
Red fox
Brown bear
What we Americans call moose, and Swedes call elk...
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Photos From Around the World
Sailing under a full moon in the Caribbean Sea
Lightning strike at Tiahuanaco in the Andes Mountains
Falls at Eagle Creek, Oregon
Red squirrel in Sweden
Top of the World horseback riding in Australia
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Seen in Sweden
The Accordion House in Glaskogen Nature Reserve
The Dal River
Roadway in Skane
Seals on the rocks at Kosterhavets National Park
Rainbow over Tjorn Island
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Miscellaneous Photos
Gamla Uppsala, Sweden - photo taken in the 1880s
Captain George Ashby and his horse, Cornet, of the Royal Cavalry at Motcomb Street
Assateague Lighthouse
A humpback whale playing off Ocean City, Maryland between 15th and 30th Streets
Popocatlpetl erupting on 4 July 2013 in Mexico
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Views Around the World
Riding at Black Mountain Ranch in Colorado
Karlskrona, Sweden
County Louth, Ireland
I think this in the European Alps - but I might be wrong...
Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawai'i
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