Charles Fredrick Blomberg (Carl Fredrik?) born May 1870

[jrcarleton]

Hello! I'm trying to track down information on my great-great-grandfather, known in the US as Charles Fredrick Blomberg. He was born in Sweden in May 1870, emigrated to the US in 1894, and lived in Arizona. He married Annie Laura O'Harra in November 1895, they had one daughter, and they divorced in 1901. He was naturalized as a US citizen in 1903. He was in the 1910 US Census, still in Arizona, and then that's the last I can track down on him. He was a general laborer, and also worked in mining. Our family has no photos of him, no information on any of his relatives or where he came from (nothing more specific than "Sweden"), and no idea of when or where he died. I have done all the online searching I can, with no luck. I joined DIS as a member in the hopes of finding more information on his origins, but a search of DISbyt didn't yield anything definitive. Can anyone help? I really appreciate it.

[Hans-Peter]

Hi Jim!

You don´t say anything about where in Sweden your great grandfather is born.

I have tried to look in swedish sensus 1880 after a Carl Fredrik (often was Carl in Sweden changed to Charles in the US).

I found no one born in 1870 but one born in 1875 in Lövö (an island in the lake Mälaren) close to Stockholm, his fathers name was Anders Fredrik Blomberg. I also found one born in Stockholm town 1878, his fathers name was Johan Fredrik Blomberg.

I found none with the name Charles Fredrik and a father called Blomberg, but I found two kids with the name Charles Fredrik born 1870, but none of them had a father with the name Blomberg.

One was Charles Fredrik Hjalmar from Gotheborg, his father was Johan Fredrik Jansson

Another was Charles Fredrik born i Maria Magdalena in Stockholm, his father was Viktor Leonard von Bentzen

I don´t know if any of these kids could be your great grandfather.

[jrcarleton]

Thank you for looking! We have no idea where he was from, other than Sweden. All I have to go on is the information that he gave for the 1900 and 1910 US census. He gave his birth date as May 1870, his year of emigration as 1894, and he said both parents were also from Sweden. I found in the 1890 Sweden census 2 or 3 Carl Blombergs that were born in 1871, but none in 1870. I also found, in the passenger list of the Venetia (which sailed from Gothenburg to New York, arriving August 1, 1895) a Carl Blomberg, who was 25 at the time, meaning possibly born in 1870. But he gave 1894 as his emigration year in the 1910 US census, not 1895. I suppose it could still be him. Arriving August 1, 1895 might possibly give him enough time to get across the country to Arizona, and then get married in November 1895. But it seems a stretch.

[jrcarleton]

If he is not appearing in the Sweden census of 1880 or 1890, would that imply that he was born somewhere rather remote? Or were certain regions not included in the census?

[Hans-Peter]

Hi Jim!

No all regions was includen in the swedish cencus 1880 or 1890.

But I can think of several reasons why we don´t find him: His original sirname was difficult to say or spell in english so he simply changed it to another name easier to say and spell.

His original name was, what was most common in Scandinavia at that time, made from his fathers fist name + son, like in Larsson where the fathers first name was Lars and all his sons therfore got the name Larsson as sirnames.

Or he siply didn´t like his old name ant took the oportunity to get a new one.

It will be nearly impossible to find him with some certanty without knowing anything about where he was born and if possible his fathers name as young people not was registred with sirnames before they left home after confirmation. If they for some reason stayed at home also as grown ups, no sirname was registred before later.

So sorry I can´t give you more help in sirching for your great grand father.

[jrcarleton]

Thank you for your help. It's unfortunate if I cannot track him down, but I understand the difficulties. I will try to find more information. But also, I wonder if there is any way I can get in touch with people who have researched the Blomberg name?

[Hans-Peter]

Hi again Jim!

You could try the swedish FaceBook group "Släktforskning" or the internet mailing list and homesite Scangen http://www.scangen.se/, in both places it is OK to write your guestion in english.

Or have you tried to search in Disbyt? As a member of DIS you can search there, may be another DIS member has your great grandfather in his research. http://disbyt.dis.se/ . Use your members number and security code for connecting.

Hope you will find your great grand father.

[jrcarleton]

Hello,

I have done a lot of research on my great-great-grandfather since my original post. I believe he died in California in 1941. He remarried a few years before his death, and his marriage certificate gives me some information that I didn't have before. His name was actually Charles Ferdinand Blomberg, not Charles Fredrick as I had thought. He listed his father's name as John Blomberg, and his mother's name as Louisa (maiden name unknown). Both parents were born in Sweden, as was he. His death certificate indicates that his birthdate was September 21, 1870 (not May as I previously thought).

A few other pieces of information that I have from family history: The Blomberg family in Sweden was apparently "pretty well off". Charles entered the US through Ellis Island (I have searched the database to no avail) and settled briefly in Minnesota before moving on to Arizona where he was a teamster, running mule teams to transport ore from mining operations. Also, he had been kicked in the face by a horse as a small boy in Sweden (leaving him with a squashed nose).

If anyone could help me find the origins of Charles Ferdinand Blomberg, born Sept. 21, 1870 in Sweden, parents John and Louisa Blomberg, I would really appreciate it. This has been a family mystery for a long time and I'd love to be able to tell my great-uncle, his last living grandchild, about where his grandfather came from.

Thanks!
Jim Carleton

[micholof]

Hi Jim

His name was Carl Josef Ferdinand Blomberg. Born on the island Gotland in a place called Lummelunda.
His father, policeman, Johan Blomberg born 1830-03-31 in Södra vi and his mother Anna Lovisa Lundström born 1828-08-07 in Alhem.
She died in 1882-08-08.

Good luck with your searching!

[jrcarleton]

Wow, this is great! I am so happy that you were able to find this information for me. Were you able to verify his birthdate? Was this from census information, or other sources? Did he have brothers and sisters? What is the next step for me if I wanted to further research this family? I do have a DIS membership but I wasn't able to find Carl or either of his parents through a database search.

Thank you so much for your time and help! This is really like finding a treasure for me.

[Phryxe]

This seems to be the source for the birth record in Lummelunda* (from Arkiv Digital (http://www.arkivdigital.se)):

Martebo (I) CI:4 (1861-1876) Bild 430 / sid 40 (AID: v62101.b430.s40, NAD: SE/ViLA/23061)

* Same volume as Martebo records

[Phryxe]

This is the corresponding source to the household examination roll with the family in Etebols, Lummelunda (I).

Lummelunda (I) AI:5 (1861-1873) Bild 520 / sid 44 (AID: v61213.b520.s44, NAD: SE/ViLA/23058)

[jrcarleton]

Many thanks! I will look in Arkiv Digital for more.

[jrcarleton]

Wondering if you could help me out with a translation... I found the birth record for Anna Lovisa Lundström but I'm having trouble extracting the names of her parents. The record is about 2/3 of the way down the right-hand page of the following:

Ålem C:5 (1807-1832) Image 140 / page 135 (AID: v41591.b140.s135, NAD: SE/VALA/00462)

Thank you again!

[micholof]

Hi

Arkiv Digital: Ålem (H) AI:10 (1823-1828) Bild 257 / sid 495 (AID: v24684.b257.s495, NAD: SE/VALA/00462), down on the left-hand.

Father: Peter Lundström born 1796, and he was a sailor
Mother: Anna Cajsa Persdotter 1793.

[jrcarleton]

Thank you!

[jrcarleton]

If I could get some advice- it's easy enough for me to find birth records in the Arkiv as long as I know the birth year and the town/parish. But what is the best way to find a particular family in the household examination rolls? I tried looking for some families, but it seemed like I'd have to scan through dozens or hundreds of pages to find them. Unless I'm missing something?

[jrcarleton]

For instance, I was trying to find the parents of Peter Lundström (who you found for me above). On MyHeritage.com, I found a Peter a Peter Lundström, son of Lars Lundström, born in Ystads Sankt Petri in 1796. I checked the Arkiv and found his birth record easily enough- halfway down on the left of the following page:

Ystads Sankt Petri C:3 (1772-1810) Image 63 / page 123 (AID: v111931.b63.s123, NAD: SE/LLA/13490)

http://www.arkivdigital.se/aid/show/v111931.b63.s123

But I'm not sure of the best way to trace his family in the household rolls to see if he moved to Ålem and married Anna Cajsa Persdotter, or if that was a different Peter Lundström.

[Phryxe]

I would say Peter Lundström is a rather common name, so be cautious. When I want to trace back a person (with little info) I first follow him forward in time because newer records often are more informative. E.g. in the household record from Ålem (above) there are no birth parish mentioned.

I also hope you tracked your first mentioned ancestor until he emigrated. The information about the other persons are rather useless if you got that one wrong.

[jrcarleton]

Thank you. Yes, I had thought about that. It would be pointless to research this family back through time if this was the wrong Charles F. Blomberg. I did find him in the Moving lists as emigrating from Nors, Gotland to America in April 1888. Based on my research on him after his emigration, I am 90% sure that this is the right person. I am waiting to receive some documents that should verify it 100%.

[JElfving]

Hello All,

Thanks "Tack" for replying to my cousin Jim's questions.

It may be true that Charles Blomberg's middle name might not be "Fredrick" as my Grandmother, his daughter, thought. He did state that his birth was May 1870 in the 1900 US Census. He also stated in the 1910 US Census that he immigrated in 1894, but that could just be the time he entered Arizona Territory.

Hi Jim,

I will check the records in ArkivDigital that you mention. My husband, Sven, helps me translate when needed.

Happy New Year / Gott Nytt År!
Judy

[Phryxe]

If I could get some advice- it's easy enough for me to find birth records in the Arkiv as long as I know the birth year and the town/parish. But what is the best way to find a particular family in the household examination rolls? I tried looking for some families, but it seemed like I'd have to scan through dozens or hundreds of pages to find them. Unless I'm missing something?

In the birth record you find (with few exceptions) the place where the family lives. Rarely in newer records the birth records also mention the page. Most of the household examination rolls have an index of places in the beginning or at the end of the book. Sometimes there is also an index of professions that can be of use.

Sometimes you have to browse through an entire book to find a person or family. That happens quite often when trying to trace a person back or forth in time through household rolls and migrations lists. Mostly this happens when they move from one parish to another.

[jrcarleton]

Thank you for the advice! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I only wish I could read Swedish! Google Translate helps a little.

Hi Judy, great to hear from you! I've been researching Charles Blomberg quite a bit, and I have lots of documents and information I was hoping to share with you.

I agree about the discrepancies in his US census records. I believe there is a mark in the 1900 census indicating that it was his mining partner, the head of household, who answered for him. Maybe he just guessed about Charles' birth month. Also, Charles' voting registrations in Arizona imply that maybe he wasn't sure of his birthday himself at the time. He declared that he was 38 on June 29, 1908, but then only 39 on July 23, 1910. And then 41 on August 3, 1912. So I don't put much faith in May as being his birth month.

Regarding the 1910 census, where he gave 1894 as his year of immigration- I think he meant that as the year he declared for naturalization. He declared his intention on January 2, 1894 in the Territory of Arizona. And Aunt Mary's family history says that he lived first in Minnesota before moving west to Arizona. So I don't think he could have immigrated in 1894, I think it was a good deal earlier. Unfortunately, the 1890 Minnesota census was lost in a fire, so we can't verify it that way.

I researched his voting registrations, and once he became a citizen in 1903, he registered to vote every two years. 1904, 1906, 1908 in Santa Cruz, 1910 in Graham, 1912, 1914, 1918 in Pima (1916 register lost). Aunt Mary's history indicates that he visited his daughter Cora once in 1918, and met his 2 young grandchildren Mary and Uncle Bud. He gave Cora his address and asked her to write, but by the time she tried to contact him he had already moved on. There are no more records of him in Arizona.

However, in 1920 a Charles F. Blomberg started registering to vote in California, and stated mining as his profession. I think this has to be him. He registered in 1920 and 1922 in Fresno county, and then from 1928 to 1940 he registered in Oakland. I noticed that in 1940, he was listed alongside a Mabel Blomberg, same household. So I did some more research and found that he had remarried in 1938, and then died in 1941 in Oakland. I have copies of his marriage certificate and his death certificate. When I saw his middle name given as Ferdinand (and his DOB given as September 21), I thought I had the wrong person. But then I realized that there were no actual documents giving his middle name as Fredrick. Just the recollections of his daughter and his ex-wife (who he was only married to very briefly). So I think maybe their memory was mistaken.

I actually was able to track down a grandson of his second wife Mabel from a previous marriage, who lived in Oakland during Charles and Mabel's marriage. I am hoping he can verify that this was the same Charles Blomberg as ours. Perhaps he would remember his nose being flat (from a kick from a horse in Sweden, as mentioned by Aunt Mary). Or maybe he would have mentioned that he had a daughter in Arizona.

Another piece of information given on his marriage certificate is that his father's name was John, and his mother's name was Louisa. This actually coincides with another tidbit from Aunt Mary's family history- that Cora's middle name was Louise, named after Charles' mother.

So if we assume that this is the correct Charles F. Blomberg, then with his correct middle name and birthdate, we can find that he was born in Lummelunda on Sept. 21, 1870. He left for America on April 24, 1888 from Nors, Väskinde. His father was a police officer. He had a brother Johan Gottfrid who was a baker, joined the military, and moved to Stockholm in 1886, where I lose track of him. He had a sister who died in infancy. He had another brother, Gustaf Adolf Wilhelm, who moved to Visby, married and had 4 daughters, and later also emigrated to America with his wife and 2 of his daughters. He settled in New York as William Blumberg/Bloomberg, and died in 1934.

I have lots of Arkiv documents bookmarked that I can share with you, including an inventory of his father's estate. I'd love some help with translation. I am also trying to research his maternal grandparents, Peter Lundström and Anna Cajsa Persdotter- both of whom died in 1846. Parish records indicate that Peter was born in Högsby in 1796, but I cannot find his birth record or family. Also, Anna Cajsa's birthplace is given as "Kalmar" in 1793, and I'm not sure what parish in Kalmar to look in for her birth record and family. Here are some of my bookmarks:

Gotlands norra häradsrätt (-1899) F2B:145 (1889-1890) Image 1060 / page 38 Johan Blomberg estate inventory
Väskinde B:1 (1861-1894) Image 480 / page 44 Carl Josef Blomberg move
Väskinde CI:5 (1861-1894) Image 1290 / page 124 Johan Blomberg death
Södra Vi C:5 (1828-1851) Image 26 / page 43 Johannes Birgersson Blomberg birth
Ålem AI:10 (1823-1828) Image 257 / page 495 Peter Lundstrom family
Väskinde B:1 (1861-1894) Image 490 / page 45 Carl Josef Ferdinand Blomberg move
Ålem AI:11 (1829-1835) Image 41 / page 33 Peter Lundstrom family
Ålem AI:12 (1836-1847) Image 47 / page 37 Peter Lundstrom family
Ålem AI:13 (1847-1856) Image 52 / page 36 Peter Lundstrom family
Ålem C:5 (1807-1832) Image 140 / page 135 Anna Lovisa Lundstrom birth
Lummelunda AI:5 (1861-1873) Image 520 / page 44 Johan Blomberg family
Väskinde AI:7 (1861-1884) Image 1940 / page 373 Johan Blomberg family
Martebo B:1 (1861-1894) Image 720 / page 133 Johan Blomberg family move
Martebo B:1 (1861-1894) Image 720 / page 133 Johan Gottfrid Blomberg move
Gotlands Nationalbevärings arkiv, Visby jägarkompani DIII:1 (1868-1886) Image 1870 Johan Gottfrid Blomberg military
Lummelunda CI:3 (1818-1861) Image 740 / page 148 Emilie Mathilda Lovisa Blomberg birth
Martebo CI:4 (1861-1876) Image 370 / page 34 Gustav Adolph Wilhelm Blomberg birth
Martebo CI:4 (1861-1876) Image 430 / page 40 Carl Joseph Ferdinand Blomberg birth
Väskinde B:1 (1861-1894) Image 440 / page 40 Gustaf Adolf Blomberg move
Gotlands Nationalbevärings arkiv, Visby jägarkompani DIII:1 (1868-1886) Image 4510 Gustaf Adolf Wilhelm military
Gotlands Nationalbevärings arkiv, Visby jägarkompani DIII:1 (1868-1886) Image 5170 Johan Gottfrid Blomberg military

There is also a family tree on Ancestry with more information on the family. I believe it was made by a descendant of Charles' uncle Josef Blomgren. I am not sure why one Birgersson brother took the name of Blomberg and another took the name of Blomgren, but there you have it. The link is here:

http://person.ancestry.com/tree/41663290/person/29335711668/facts

Best wishes to all!
Jim

P.S. to Judy- if you want a copy of the Coffey family history ("The Coffey Clan from 1690"), I received it from a Coffey cousin and would be happy to send it to you.