Saturday, March 6, 2010

An update on Erik Johan Elg, b. 1844

In my previous post I noted:

One Johan Elg, b abt 1844, emigrates to Chicago in Nov 1869, with wife Christina. I have no evidence that this is Erik Johan, except matching year of birth, and Johan comes from the same region of Sweden.

I have now found this family in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, where Johan is employed as a blacksmith. Johan and wife Christina are listed in the 1880 US Federal Census, along with a son, Carl Johan, born 1875.

In the 1895 Wisconsin census, the household consists of three males and one female. Only the head of the household is named in this census, but most likely another son has been added.

I still have no direct evidence that this is "my" Erik Johan Elg. The fact that John is a blacksmith, and the name of his son are circumstances in favor of this hypothesis. Erik Johan came from a long line of blacksmiths,and the name Carl Johan is used a lot in the family. Still, this is not unique, as this was the name of the Swedish king between 1818 - 1844..

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hello:
I am Philip Richard Johnson, grandson of Arthur and Ida Johnson. I spent time as a child on the Johnson Ranch and was so pleased to find your photos on the Web. I hope you see this comment and contact me so we can discuss the family.