Bengt Nilsson Backstrom

  Research Notes:

NOTE: Lennart Eriksson FT on Ancestry records that Bengt Nilsson Backstrom ancestry goes back to Mats Larsson Porkka, born abt 1632. However, I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence of this. I have written more detail - see research page for Mats Larsson Porkka, b 1632 - see the next paragraphs copied from his page

Annika Eriksdotter Porkka [b 1708] was married to Nils Jönsson Karttuinen [b 1709]
and then Lennart Eriksson FT records that a great great grandson of Annika Eriksdotter Porkka and Nils Jönsson Karttiuinen was:
Bengt Nilsson Backstrom, 1830-1920, and Bengt was the grandfather of Anna Marie Shinnes married to my 2nd cousin twice removed, Nels Martin Olson (b 1886 in MN and in 1941 at Stettler, AB)

HOWEVER, There is no marriage record for Annika Eriksdotter Porkka and Nils Jönsson in the Fryksände parish records. I do not know why this is the case. The only records that exist are the Household records in Fryksände starting in 1741 [vol AI:4] and this volume records a person named Nils Jönsson and his wife Annika [without a patronymic name] and daughter Kerstin living at South Lekvattenat. By following this family, we are able to eventually go to a person named Bengt Nilsson (b 1830) [Backstrom in the US and Canada].

SO, we can follow the ancestors of Bengt Nilsson (Backstrom) b 1830 through the Household records to the "first" ancestors, Nils Jönsson and wife Annika in 1741 at south Lekvattnet.

BUT THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM:
I cannot reasonably conclude from my research that the person named Annika in the 1741 household record and married to a person named Nils Jönsson, is in fact my ancestor, Annika Eriksdotter Porkka b 1708 and then her ancestors going back to my
"9th great grandfather", Lars Klemetsson Porkka, b bet 1595 and 1600 in Finland.

There is no evidence who the person name Annika in the above record actually was. In subsequent volumes, her birth is recorded as 1713 - this is a 5 year gap from her birth record of 1708, and gap is unusual. And often Nils Jönsson's wife is recorded as Anna Eriksdotter. Anna or Annika are likely interchangeable names. And later in the household records, a patronymic name "Eriksdotter" is added. However, this does not prove that she was Annika Eriksdotter Porkka b 1708.

Annika Erikdotter b 1708 and Annika Eriksdotter b 1713, may or may not be the same person. More research will be needed

Written by Rueben D Grue, 28 Jul 2021
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this database, I have recorded Bengt's ancestors, but I have NOT recorded the parents of Annika/Anna Eriksdotter, b 1708 and married to Nils Jönsson b 1709. Lennart Eriksson records her Finnish Family Name as "Porkka" and that her father was Erik Mattsson Porkka, b between 1665 and 1675 at Runnsjön.

On Bengt's family view on my Legacy database, there is "no relationship" - until I can be more confident that his mother's ancestors go back to the early Finnish Family Name as "Porkka", no relationship can be determed

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:
(1). there are a number of spelling variants. For example, the findagrave post (id 82973351) spell his name as Bengt Neilson Backstrom - but the most likely Swedish spelling would have been Bengt Nilsson Backström. Of course the spelling of his name, wife, and children vary with many sources records - US Federal Census and the Canadian Census
(2). I have not been able to find a record of his birth/baptism in the Östmark parish records, Fryksände parish or Lekvattnet parish. His birth is noted in the various Household Record volumes.
(3). Much of the ancestor information is from "Lennart Eriksson Family Tree" on ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/85009464/person/220162465246/facts
See Bengt's ancestors for information from the Östmark/Fryksände parish records.
(4). I have also used the FamilySearch.org Family Tree, id LCFX-G27. Both the Ancestry FTs [Family Trees] and the FamilySearch FT often lack source citiations and may not always be correct, particularly when I reviewed Bengt's ancestors in the Östmark area.
(5). The information for Bengt's children are from the Ross/Runquist ... FT

* most FTs record his marriage as 17 Dec 1857, but the marriage isn't recorded on that date, BUT then
- another FT on Ancestry: Jimmy Rundquist FT [ jlrundquist]; accessed 30 Jun 2021
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/53397546/person/120005461470/facts
- posts a photo of marriage record from Östmark parish
- nothing on Bengts' parents etc


other FTs on Ancestry:
Lennart eriksson Släktträd FT on ancestry [lennart eriksson] ; acccess 23 Jun 2021
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/85009464/person/220162465246/facts

Ross/Runquist-Lowes/McKinnon FT [darren ross]; accessed 21 Jun 2021
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/3945231/person/172133080554/facts

Potters from Missouri .... FT [Vickie Potter Boechler]; accessed 30 Jun 2021
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/527808/person/360080852608/facts
- has additional information on son Nels Nilsson Backstrom b 1866; nothing on Bengt Backstrom

and Flanagan FT [Joan Flanagan, from Coquitlam, BC]; access 30 Jun 2021
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/150947088/person/182116669569/facts
- additional information of Nels J b 1866; other children of Bengt are noted but no detail

Death:
almost all the FTs record Bengt's death in Stettler in 1920 and this is what is recorded on findagrave. But findagrave also posts a photo of his gravestone marker; and this photo this clearly records: B N Backstrom, 1830-1921
- then fom the Alberta death index: Alberta Provincial Archives, deaths-ba-1919-1924, page 6 of PDF [first col, abt mid-page] no 528: Bengt Backstrom, Stettler, no 528; died 1921
- and Anna Backstrom, Stettler, no 3483; died 1918 [deaths-ba-1877-1918, page 19 if PDF [first col, 6th from bottom]



1. findagrave posts a modified "biography": [with some corrections/editions in square brackets]

Born in Ostmark Sweden in 1830. Bengt emigrated to Swan Lake [Twp, Meeker Co*], Minnesota with his wife Annie and three children, John, Katherine and Carolina in 1865. He and Annie had two more children, Nels and Tilda in Minnesota that survived. After 15-20 years they moved to Devils Lake, North Dakota. They stayed there for another 20 years and then moved in the early 1900's to Stettler Alberta. Bengt and Annie came with four of their children (John, Carolina Shinnes, Nels and Tilda Borgland) and their families. Katherine Jacobson followed with her family about a year later.

They homesteaded in the Ransom area west of Stettler. John and Nels built the Swedish Lutheran Church in Stettler, the Ransom School (currently at the Stettler Museum) and the roundabout in Big Valley [roundhouse in Big Valley??].

* Swan Lake Twp was later named Dassel Twp in Meeker Co

2. An intial Household record volume from Östmark parish:

Östmark (S) AI:21 (1861-1865), Page 734, Rådom Rundsjötorp
Bengt Nilsson, b 1 Nov 1830, Östmark; family leaves for North America, 1 May 1863
wife, Annicka Ersdotter, b 24 Jun 1833, Östmark
son Johannes b 27 Dec 1858
dau Kasja, b 10 Aug 1860
dau Caroline, b 10 Mar 1863


3. Swedish American Lutheran Chuch Records: Stockholm Lutheran Church, Stockholm, Wright Co, MN
image 699; https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61584/images/47830_554912-00100?pId=30217280

Bengt Backstrom, b 1 Nov 1830, Östmark, Värmland, Sweden
Annika Eriksdotter/Ersdtr, b 24 Mar 1833, Östmark
Children:
Johannes / John Backstrom, b 27 Dec 1858, Östmark
Kajsa Backstrom, b 10 Aug 1860, Östmark
Carolina Backstrom, b 24 Jan 1866, Östmark
Nels Backstrom b 24 Jan 1866 [likely Swan Lake Twp, Meeker Co, but there is no place name recorded
Anna Maria, b 22 Aug 1868, Moores Prairie, Wright Co, MN [birth image, 1046 - 2nd fr bottom]
Erik Emil, b 1 Jan 1871; died 11 Jan 1874


- a couple of lines above Bengt is Annika's parents
Erik Andersson, b 28 Aug 1795, Östmark and Carin Ersdtr b Aug 1804; arrived 1869
and then at the top of the page is their son, Erik E Rundqvist, b 19 Dec 1829, his wife and 5 children
- Rundqvist surname is likely from the from Rundsjötorp


4. US Census Records:

1875 MN State, Swan Lake Twp, Meeker Co, MN; fam 96; line 6 on 2nd side
B. N. Backstrom age 44 b in Swe; farmer
wife Anna, age 42 b in Swe
John age 15 b in Swe
Katie, age 14 b in Swe
Caroline age 12 b in Swe
Nels, age 9 b in MN


1880 US Census, Dassel/Swan Lake Twp, Meeker Co; ED 057, page 5; dw/fam 37
Bengt Beckström age 48, b in Swe
Annie, age 47, b in Swe [sick - rheumatism]
Cattie, age 19 b in Swe [abt 1861] - likely Kajsa b 1860 and later known as Katherine - she married Jacob Jacobson
Carolina age 17 b in Se
Nels age 14, b in MN [1866]
Annie S, age 5 b in MN [abt 1875]
Inga M age 2 b in MN [abt 1878] [Inga Mathilda b 16 Dec 1877 - First Lutheran church bap - image 426; Dassel, MN]

note; - on the next page is the family of Erik Rundqvist, age 51, b in Swe


1885 ND State Census, Pembina, Roll 7836, image 617 page 61 [Ramsey Co], dw 124/fam 127 [line 37];
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1078/images/44315_346016-00616?usePUB=true&_phsrc=pKy666&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=3440039
No given names, some with initial only

B Beckstrom age 54, b in Swe
wife, age 51 b in Swe
son, age 18 b in MN [abt 1867] - likely Nels
dau, age 7, b in MN ?? likley, Inga ?? [b 1877]
- I don't know who these last 2 children are - is it possible that they were "adopted" or foster; they do not have the Backstrom last name so ????
son, age 2 Johnson J ?? , b in ND
dau, age 1, B Johnson, ???, b in ND?

line 32, J Beckstrom, age 24 or maybe 21, b in Swe - likely Johannes/John

line 34
T Shinnes, age 28 b in Norway
C Shinnes, age 22 b in Swe, wife
A M Shinnes, age 1, daughter

note: Likely Bengt Backstrom and family moved to Ramsey Co, North Dakota sometime after Jun 1880 and before the 1st of Jun 1885 - since they are recorded in 1885 ND census.


1900 US Census, Coulee Twp, Ramsey Co, ND; ED 0124; sheet 5A; dw/fam 74; line 9
Bengt Backstrom b Dec 1830 in Swe age 69 married 45 years
wife Anna, b Ap 1833 in Swe, age 65; mother of 9 children 5 living [Nils, Anna Maja, Erik Emil and Anna Sophia - died young]
dauth Tilda, b Nov 1877 in MN; age 22; married 0 yrs [but 2 months is crossed off]; no children
- this is likely Inga Mathilda Backstrom b 30 Nov 1877 Wright Co; died 24 Jun 1951 in Stettler and married to
Alfred Borgland b Mar 1871 and died 28 Feb 1943
Borglund, son in law, b May 1871 in Swe, age 29, m 0 yrs

see previous family - Thorvald Shinnes and Carolina (daughter of Bengt)

** sheet 2A is son John Backstrom

5. Alberta Homestead; file Bengt N Backstrom, number: 1353030 (image 690 on ancestry)
NE Sec 28, Twp 38, Range 20, W4th
- obtained entry on 1 Apr 1903; house built Sep 1903
- application: 1 Apr 1903 - from Churches Ferry, ND
- patent issued: 30 May 1907

NE¼ Sec 28, Twp 38, Range 20, W4th
- west on Hwy 12 from Stettler - 4.8 km to the junction with Range Rd 202 - turn left heading south that turns into
Range Rd 203 for about 3.5 kms
- there doesn't seem to be many crossroads, but he satellite image shows a large farmstead on the right at about 2.5-3 kms, then grass, and it seems that at the south boundary on NE ¼, there is an oil road

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Emigration - 1865: Leaving for North America, 1 May 1865, Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden. ^9388,9391

Bengt married Annika Ersdotter on 1 Feb 1857 in Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden.⁹³⁸⁹ (Annika Ersdotter was born on 24 Apr 1833 in Östmark, Värmland län, Sweden, died in 1918 in Stettler, Alberta, Canada and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Stettler, Alberta Canada.)