Maria Jonsdotter

  Research Notes:

Summary: Maria Jonsdotter was the youngest child of Jon Errson (b 1793) and Gertrud Andersdotter (b 1804) and she was born at the farm/village Fäbacken in Östmark parish in Värmland. Her younger years were at home and as she was older she worked away from the family home as servant/farm hand. In 1866 she married Nils Nilsson who was from the farm/village of Ulfsjön. In 1867 Nils, Maria and a 2 month old baby left Östmark for North America. By Jan of 1869 they arrived at Stockholm Township in Wright Co, MN, however, their daughter Maria had died at somepoint during the journey. I haven't found a record of them on any ship lists nor where they may have first stopped in the US.

Records show that the family settled on Sec 14 in Stockholm Twp in an area near Grass Lake (at that time, Grass Lake was also known as Big Rice Lake). In MN, Nils and Maria had 7 children, with 4 surviving to adulthood. In Jan 1879, the 3 youngest children died. They most likely died due to a "diptheria outbreak". A number of young children in the area had died in this outbreak.

Nils and Maria's daughter, Emma (b 1871) married, and she was the only child to marry. Emma did not have any children. The 4 boys did not marry and they farmed in the area of their parents.

Nils Nilsson (Nels Nelsson on some records) died in 1919. Maria Jonsdotter died in 1924. Both are buried at the Stockholm Lutheran Church Cemetery along with their children except the youngest John Wilhelm. It is not clear if the children who died in 1879 were buried at the Cemetery or on the farm.

Following her direct ancestor line, she descends from the early Finnish settlers [Porkka] on the farm Fäbacken [initially in Fryskände parish and then later part of Östmark parish, and even later, a part of Lekvattnet parish]. Following his father's line, he was my third cousin, 7 times removed. And following his mother's line, he was my "half third cousin, 4 times removed". Note that Nils was a cousin of Maria, and thus, I have a 'double' relationship with Nils and with Maria. Nils ancestors also belonged the the Porkka Finish families at Fäbacken.


[written by Rueben D Grue, 12 July 2020, with a revision on the 18 Jul 2023]
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1. Sweden - see Maria's parent's research page for early years

Östmark (S) AI:23 (1866-1870) Page 662, Ulfsjön (AID: v9148.b251.s662); same page as brother Anders Jonsson, b 1827
Nils Nilsson, b 16 Jul 1841 at Ulfsjön family to America on 18 Apr 1867
[moving out, B:2, image 50 no 15]
Maria Jonsdotter, b 9 Sep 1839 at Ulfsjön; married 19 Oct 1866
Maria Eugenie, b 10 Feb 1867 [CI:4, p 141, 2nd side]

BUT note: Maria's parents were Jon Errson (b 1793) and Gertrud Andersdotter (b 1804)
- Jons Ersson was the son of Erik Ersson (b 1786) and Marit Johansdotter (b 1794) and thus a brother to Erik Ersson (b 1786) and Gertrud Andersdotter b 1804 was the daugther of Anders Andersson b 1778 and Brita Halstendsotter 1783 and thus another relationship to me

about mid-page
brother, Jon Jonsson, b 28 Jul 1835 to America on 11 Apr 1868 [moving out B:2, image 58 no 17]
*** NOTE: Jon Persson (Hedman) b 1 Jun 1851 left on the same day as Jon Jonsson b 1835 - im 58 no 18

about mid-page
Jon Persson (Hedman) b 1851 at Langerud, moves to p 560 in 1863; then later to America

NOTE: there is no FamilyTree on ancestry (there are a couple that do not have the right birth, birth location or parents, but the three surviving children are correct); nothing on FamilySearch

2. US Census Records:


1870 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; page 13 (image 21 2nd side on ancestry), dw 87, fam 88, line 21
Nils Nilsson age 30 [ ancestry indexed as Nels Welson]
wife Mary age 33
son Nils, age 1 [1869]

1875 MN State Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN (image 178 on ancestry), fam 131
Nils Nilson, age 35
Mary, age 37
son Nils, age 6
Emma age 4
Christina, age 2
Wilhelm age 0 [maybe age 8 mos)

Note: John Hedman and family, family 130; Per Halstensson and family, family 127;
possible family 133 - John Johnson, age 39 [ 1835], but no wife or children are noted



1880 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; page 16, ED 72; dw 131 fam 136, line 8
Nils Nilson, age 38 [1842]
Mary, age 41 [1839]
son, Nils age 11 b in MN [1869]
Emma, age 9 b in MN [1881]
Otto age 4 months [Feb 1880]

1885 MN State Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN, (image 267 ancestry) page 28; fam 234, line 39
Nils Nilsson age 44
Mary, age 46
Nils age 16
Emma age 14
Otto age 5
Jon age 4

1895 MN State Census, Stockholm Tw, Wright Co, MN, (image 619 on ancestry) page 3, first - top of page [as of 1 Jun 1895]
Nils Nilsson, Sr, age 53; in US for 27 yrs and 2 months [Nov 1867]; in this jurisdiction, 26 yrs 10 mos [Mar 1868]
Mary age 56
Nils Jr age 26 b in MN;
Otto age 15, b in MN;
Jon W age 13 b in MN

1900 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; sheet 1B, dw and fam 81, line 95 ; possible but birth dates off ???
Nils Nilsson, b Aug 1841 in Sweden [actual 16 Jul 1841]; married 34 yrs [1866]; em 1867
wife Mary, b Aug 1838 in Sweden [actual 9 Sep 1839]; mother of 9 children, 4 living
son Nils, b Apr 1869 in MN
Otto, b Feb 1880
John W, b Apr 1881

1910 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; ED 218; sheet 11A (image 21 on ancestry); dw 203 fam 204 line 42
head is John W Nelson age 28
then father Nils Nilson, age 68 and mother Mary age 71; mother of 9 children, 4 living
then brother, Nil Nilson, age 41
then brother Otto age 30 [1880]

1920 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; ED 101; sheet 8A; dw 164 fam 165 line
head is John W Nelson age 38
then father Nils Nilson, age 68 - would have died bet 1910 and 1920; and mother Mary age 81 - Widow
then brother, Nil Nilson, age 50
then brother Otto age 39

1930 US Census, Cokato Twp, Wright Co, MN; ED 86-9; sheet 9A; dw 172 fam 174 line
J W Nilson, age 48 farmer
servant, Mrs Clara Mix, age 51 b in Norway
lodger, Timothy Coughlin, age 16 b in MN

1930 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; ED 86-33; sheet 5B; dw 109 fam 110
Nil Nilson, age 60
then brother Otto age 59
. note: Maria b 1839 died between 1920 and 1930

1940 US Census, Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN; ED 86-34; sheet 2B; dw 36. line 35
Nil Nilson, age 70
then brother Otto age 60

- on sheet 11B for Stockholm Twp
J W Nilson dw 203, line 61
J W Nilson, age 58 carpenter
hired girl, Clara Soderberg, age 61 b in Norway
lodger, Dona Standly, age 4 b in MN ????

3. US church records

** US Evangelical Lutheran Church, Swedish American Church Records: Stockholm Lutheran, Moores Prairie
image 735
note image 688, Nils Nilson is recorded and a location name [?], Gras Lake (same location for some other members) - Pehr Hallstenson, Michael Hendricksson, Erik Eriksson
--- current google maps show an area about 5 kms cross country "Grass Lake-Stockholm Wildlife Management Area (part of the MN State Parks - looks like a small lake/slough with a creek and likely just reeds or grasses. Doesn't seem to be an entrance - area between County Hwy 5 SW and Norling Ave SW and south of 70 Street SW

--- but on the 1901 Plat of Stockholm Twp, the area east of church is named "Big Rice Lake"

image 785; "Section 14" [ same section as Per Hallstensson b 1823 ]

Nils Nilsson b 16 Jul 1841 and wife Maria Jonsdotter, b 8 Sep 1838; arrived in 1869, from Östmark received, 31 Jan 1869;
then, image 785; "section 14" - same as Per Halstensson b 1823
Nils Nilsson b 16 Jul 1841, received 31 Jan 1869; arrived in US in 1867
wife Maria Jonsdotter, b 3 Sept 1838 [should be 9 Sep 1838]
children: all born in Moores Prairie
Nils b 25 Apr 1869 [birth/baptism, image 1049; sponsor: Pehr Hallstensson and Karin Nilsdotter; home baptism ?]
Emma b 28 Jan 1871
Christine, b 20 Apr 1872; [birth image 1066] died 14 Jan 1879
Wilhelm, b 31 Mar 1875; [birth image 1077] died 14 Jan 1879
Jon, b 13 Jan 1877; birth image 1080; sponsor Jon Ericksson, Kajsa] died 14 Jan 1879
Otto, b 12 Feb 1880 [birth image 1098; sponsor, John Hedman och Christina ]
Jon Wilhelm b 4 Jul 1881 [birth image 1100]


note: couldn't find a funeral record for daughter Emma, Nils Nilsson or Maria Jonsdotter at Stockholm Lurtheran Church
[10 Jul 2020] - BUT see Findagrave at Stockholm Lutheran Cemetery - his name as Nels Nelson

** BUT: BUT when I was reviewing images on Stockholm Lutheran Church (church members) there is a image [image 776, family of L P Johnson, sec 17; children died in fall of 1878] for a family that children died in 1879 , and there is a notation on the far right that said "diphtheria" - there was a diptheria outbreak in eastern part of Stockholm Twp in the fall of 1878 until the spring of 1879. See my brief document, "Diptheria Outbreak, 1879, Stockholm Twp" located in Olof Halstensson b 1838 folder under 'z-folder'.
- ALSO note Olof Halstensson's research notes - 4 children died before 1880 - see his research note page

image: 908
Nils Nilsson b 1841; died 30 May 1919
wife Maria, b Johnson, born 1838; died 18 Dec 1924
Nils Nilson, b 25 Apr 1869 at Moores Prairie; died 6 Feb 1949
Emma b 28 Jan 1871 ; moved to Wheaton, 25 Feb 1893
Otto, b 12 Feb 1880 ; died 13 Dec 1951
Jon Whilhelm, b 4 Sep 1881 ...? 31 Dec 1929

5. US Land records

Link, to 1901 Plat for Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, MN
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/475372/Stockholm+Township++Keystone+PO/Wright+County+1901/Minnesota/
Link, to 1901 Plat for French Lake Twp, Wright Co, MN
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/475352/French+Lake+Township++Knapp+PO/Wright+County+1901/Minnesota/


[BUT note that there are a couple of people in French Lake Twp, in the 1885 MN State - K N Nilsson age 42 and wife Anna age 43 (image 127 fam 29) and N O Nilson age 39 wife Anna age 29 (image 129 fam 64) Note: NW¼ Sec 20; Nils Nilsson ; this corresponds to homestead lands; patent issued 9 Jun 1874 for N½ ofNW¼ of Sec 20, Twp 120, Range 28W, 5Meridian; 80 acres [I could not find this in the US Track Books - I don't know why??? 9 Jul 2020]
- it is possible that 'our' Nils Nilsson b 1841 is NOT the same person as noted in the homestead patent

AND, on the 1901 Plat of Stockholm Twp : Sec SW ¼ area, Sec 28, 80 acres: Otto Nelson but this doesn't correspond to 1910 Census

Land Plat: Ancestry collection; Twp 118N Range 28 W, 5th

1894: image 55 middle section, 2 grouping - section 14
no. 6: Nels Nelson, E½ ofNE¼, SW¼
- this is a strange plat, since image 57 is a map with sections and then coding numbers corresponding to Image 55. But this puts their farm in the area a bit south and west of 'Big Rice Lake' of the:
1901 Plat - also on Ancestry, image 7 of Wright Co: Sec 14 shows 20 acres on SE E½ofSE¼ [my numbering might not be right]
and then, Sec 23, 40 acres on the NW¼of NW¼ - N Nelson; and then NE¼of NW¼ - Jno Nelson (likely son John ) and then also the W½of NE¼ - Jno Nelson and also shows a 'building' on this piece of land

a better imaage of the 1901 plat: http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/475372/Stockholm+Township++Keystone+PO/Wright+County+1901/Minnesota/



6. Findagrave: Nils Nilsson's name is recorded as "Nels Nelson", id 123373929
and Maria Jonsdotter Nilson, id 123373851
- there is a "family plot" [Sec 1, plot 4] and links to other children with the exception of John Wilhelm Nilson, b 1881 ⁸⁹³³

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Emigration, 1867: Leaving for North America, 18 Apr 1867, Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden. ⁸⁹³¹ Leaving Östmark parish for America, 18 Apr 1867

Maria married Nils Nilsson, son of Nils Nilsson and Maria Andersdotter, on 19 Oct 1866 in Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden.⁸⁹³¹ (Nils Nilsson was born on 16 Jul 1841 in Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden and died on 30 May 1919 in Stockholm Twp, Wright Co, Minnesota, United States ⁸⁹³⁴.)