Albert's Swedish roots

Eric Albert Ericsson (also Eriksson, Erickson) was born in 1869 in Sweden and came alone to the US as a young man. He was my second great-grandfather, and the most recent immigrant in my family tree. I  wondered about his life in Sweden, about his family there, and what made him decide to come to America.

Albert and wife Josie in Renton, WA
Photo shared with me by my cousin Thomas Timson

To find out where he came from in Sweden, I started with the records I had already found here in the US. A handwritten note listing his parents as Eric Johnson and Johanna Peterson was my first hint. It had been recorded by the wife of Albert's grandson, but I didn't know how she got the information. The Washington State death record lists his father as John Erickson and his mother as Johanna Peterson and gives a birthdate of May 22, 1869. Again, I don't know who the informant was. Albert was listed in census records for the years 1900-1940, first in Mahaska County, Iowa and later in Washington state, with Sweden as his birthplace and his immigration year as 1887 or 1888.

While reviewing the records I had already seen, I followed a shaky leaf hint on Ancestry where I found Albert's marriage record in Oskaloosa, Iowa. It gave me an earlier account of his parent's names, and he was likely the informant.

Marriage record of E. A. Erickson, born in Sweden, father Erick Johnson, mother Johanna Pearson.
Ancestry.com. Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1940 [database on-line]. Iowa Department of Public Health; Des Moines, Iowa; Series Title: Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922; Record Type: Textual Records

That led me to this:

Ancestry.com, Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1859-1943 [database on-line]. 
From Swedish Church Records Archive; Johanneshov, Sweden; Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1880-1920; GID Number: 100004.22.44000; Roll/Fiche Number: SC-521; Volume: 309; Year Range: 1869

Or, more specifically, this:

Birth record from Östra Vingåker parish, Södermanland, Sweden shows Eric Albert, born 22 May 1869, to Eric Jansson and Johanna Charlotta Pehrsdotter of Starrhult.

This birth record matched the birthdate on Albert's death record. After a short lesson on patronymic naming patterns, I realized I had struck gold. Now I had the PLACE and the Swedish spellings of his parent's names - Eric Jansson and Johanna Charlotta Pehrsdotter.  The remaining records that I found on Ancestry didn't include images, which I wanted to see, so I hopped over to www.FamilySearch.org to see if the images were there. Most of the records for that parish have been digitized, but are available for viewing only at a Family History Center, affiliate branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Luckily, there is a church nearby that I can visit to view those restricted images.

In 19th century Sweden, the church was responsible for recording all the families within each parish. Household Examination Books were kept by the church to follow each parishioners religious education. These records are a genealogist's dream! Each family member is listed under the head of the household by name and, in most cases, full birth dates. Each book covers a number of years and notations are made if a person moves, marries, or dies during that period. Having the full birthdate for an ancestor is a key piece of information when looking at these records. Because of the patronymic naming patterns in Swedish families, many people have the same name. For example, Eric Jansson's children were all given a first name, then the boys assumed Ericsson as a surname and the girls would be called Ericsdotter. I wanted to take my ancestry back another generation, so I was looking for a household with a father Jan or Johan that included a son Eric and a household with a father named Pehr or Per with a daughter Johanna. Quite literally, there is one on almost every page. Thank goodness the priests included birthdates!

In Gillershult, the family of Johan Persson, 1832-1836.

In Lilla Tholtorp, the family of Per Nilsson, 1832-1836.

Equipped with the birthdates and names of their parents, I was able to find the birth records for Eric Jansson and Johanna Pehrsdotter:

Eric, along with twin sister Johanna, was born to Jan Pehrsson and his wife Stina Pehrsdotter
 in Gillershult on the 5th of July, 1831.

Johanna Lotta was born to Pehr Nilsson and his wife Anna C. Olsdotter
in Lilla Toltorp on the 10th of September, 1833.

Now that I had some basic information to get started with the Swedish end of the research, I decided to try a subscription Arkivdigital.com. I paid for a month and dug in. By recording the names and birthdates, moves from one village or farm to another, and looking at birth, death, and household records, I have been able to expand the family tree from knowing virtually nothing about Albert's family to this:

My tree from Albert now includes five more generations in Sweden. Amazing. All of these families lived in the Östra Vingåker parish of Södermanland or in the neighboring province of Östergötland (where I haven't even begun researching yet!). It appears that they were all tenant farmers. When children were old enough to work, they often moved to other farms as farmhands (male) or servants (female) until they were married.

I still haven't learned why Albert made the decision to come to America.

1887, Sweden, Emigration Registers, 1869-1948. Lehi, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data: Göteborgs Poliskammare, 1869–1948, Landsarkivet i Göteborg; Norrköpings poliskammare; Huvudarkivet Polisen in Helsingborg; Poliskammaren i Malmö Överståthållarämbetet för polisärenden 1 (ÖÄ): Äldre poliskammaren (Stockholm 1869-1904); Överståthållarämbetet för polisärenden 2 (ÖÄ): Poliskammaren (Stockholm 1905-1940).

S. S. Orlando, Wilson Line steamship built 1869 at Hull, England by C. & W. Earle.
from Illustrated London News, April 2, 1870 p. 336
http://www.norwayheritage.com/gallery/gallery.asp?action=viewimage&categoryid=10&text=&imageid=395&box=&shownew=

On October 14, 1887, at the age of 18, he boarded the S. S. Orlando in Göteborg, alone, heading to Hull, England. His final destination was listed as Oskaloosa, Iowa. There were a few other young men from his parish boarding the ship that day, but he was the only one heading for Iowa. It's clear that he had a specific plan in mind when he left his family and homeland behind.

Obituary for Eric Albert Erickson

In a writing group, I was challenged to craft an obituary. I could choose to write my own (creepy!) or one for a deceased ancestor. It's a bit harder when it's someone you never met, obviously, but it was an interesting exercise. Here is my attempt to capture the life of Eric Albert Erickson, my second great-grandfather, in an obituary. 

E. Albert Erickson

     As a young man, growing up in a small Swedish village, Albert Erickson dreamed of living in America and the opportunities that could be found there. He worked hard, saved money for the voyage and, at just eighteen years old, bid farewell to his childhood home, friends and family and left for NordAmerika. Born Eric Albert Erickson in the Spring of 1869 to Eric Jansson and Johanna Charlotta Pehrsdotter, he was raised in the village of Östra Vingåker, Södermanland, Sweden . He died at the age of 83 in his home in Renton, Washington, on Sunday, July 6, 1952 after a lengthy illness. Albert’s bravery, adventurous spirit, and willingness to work hard to reach his goals served him throughout his life. 

     Soon after arriving in America, Albert settled in Mahaska County, Iowa, one of only a handful of Swedes in the area, where he immersed himself in the process of becoming American. He quickly learned the language, completed the naturalization process, and set about making a life for himself. Josie Lena Moore, a young woman native to the area, caught his eye and became his wife in March of 1892. Josie’s father and step-mother were of German heritage, so she brought those customs into their home to blend with Albert’s Swedish upbringing. They were members of the Friends Quaker community in Oskaloosa and attended services with Josie’s family. The couple was blessed with seven children, four daughters and three sons. Sadly, their firstborn son, Walter Dewey, died at only three months of age. Even in adversity, he remained joyful with faith in his God, and the goodness of his fellow man, his buoys. It was rare, indeed, to see Albert without a happy grin on his face. 

     By 1910, the Erickson family had moved to Grant County, Washington, settling in the brand-new community of Ephrata. It was hard work to clear the dry desert land of sagebrush and prepare it for farming and building. Albert’s eldest two daughters helped support the family by working in a restaurant, while Albert worked as a farm laborer. After ten difficult years in Ephrata, he once again chose to make a drastic change. This time, he packed everything up and headed for the city. Albert, Josie, and the four youngest children moved to Seattle.

     City life suited Albert. He was a happy, jolly man and enjoyed the people he encountered at work and at home. He found employment with the City of Seattle Water Department, where he remained until retirement. He and Josie cheerfully welcomed the spouses of their children and all the grandchildren that became part of the rapidly expanding family. Albert will be remembered for bouncing them all on his knee as he sang out, in his native Swedish, children’s rhyming songs of his youth. His zest for life and willingness to work hard for his dreams have left a lasting impact on all who knew him. 

     Albert is survived by his wife of sixty years, Josie; two sons, Roy (Marie) and Earl (Margaret) Erickson, both of Seattle; four daughters, Eda (Peter) Peterson of Cashmere, Chelan County, Katie (Art) Cavanaugh of Selah, Yakima County, Rose (Theodore) Cox of Wesley, California, and Pearl (Clyde) Morrison of Seattle. He also leaves 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

     Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 1 o’clock in Stokes Chapel, Renton, Washington, with burial to follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery. While his family will long mourn his death, they will forever remember Albert with fondness and strive to live as he did, finding joy in each day.

Josie Lena (Moore) Erickson (1874-1956)

The day that I discovered Josie Erickson's maiden name was one of the happiest in my life as a genealogist. For decades, my great-great grandmother sat on my pedigree chart as simply "Josie". During those early years of my genealogical family-gathering, I was also raising a young family and working full time. Certainly, had I devoted more time, I may have made the discovery much sooner. Regardless, the joy that I felt that day is unforgettable. I recall that it went something like this:


Me: (jumping up and down) Oh My God! Oh my God! I found her! She's Josie MOORE!! This is so exciting!
My husband: that's nice.

He totally doesn't "get" the thrill of crashing through a genealogical brick wall. A trip to Iowa to look for even more information is on our future-vacation-trip wish list. (Whether he likes it or not!)


The discovery that led me to Josie's maiden name and down her family line was made in 2006. I had contacted the Central Washington branch of the State Archives and obtained copies of my grandparents (Bill Cavanaugh and Helen Allen) and great-grandparents (Art Cavanaugh and Katie Erickson) marriage licenses. I had seen images online of the marriage licenses themselves, so no surprises there, but I had not seen the "marriage return" that was included with each license. The return was a page of questions, including the full names of bride and groom, their age, residence, and birthplace, and their parents names. The little gem pictured below is page 2 of Art and Katie's marriage license and it names their parents. Bingo! Katie's parents were listed as Albert Erickson and Josie Moore.

Arthur V. Cavanaugh and Sarah Katie Erickson Marriage Return, 12 July 1915, 
Ephrata, Grant County, Washington. 
Copy from Washington State Archives Central Region, Ellensburg, Washington, 24 March 2006.

A few months later, in January of 2007, my Uncle Terry Cavanaugh sent me a large envelope of his mother's papers. Most were copied poems, stories, and such, but some of the papers were her recordings of the family history. Of course, I don't know who supplied the information to her, but she wrote it down and I saved it as another clue that I was on the right track.

An excerpt from the handwritten notes of Helen (Allen) Cavanaugh, 
daughter-in-law of Katie (Erickson) Cavanaugh. 
From my personal collection.

Searching since then, I have uncovered some of the details of Josie's life. Genealogy is always a work in progress and there are still many places to look for more information. This is what I have found so far.

Close-ups of the Moore family from the 1880 Federal Census living in 
Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. 
Image from Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 
Accessed 5 Aug 2016.

The two images above, from the 1880 census, show us the Moore family. The first image lists their names, sex, age, and relationship to the head of household. Further along the line for the family, in the second image, we have entries for place of birth, place of father's birth and place of mother's birth. From this we know that John Moore was born in Ohio about 1843, Sarah was born in Iowa about 1848, and Josie was born in Iowa about 1873. John's parents were both born in Germany, Sarah's look like maybe Indiana but it's hard to read. (I also know that they were not born in Indiana, but we don't know who gave the enumerator the information.) And then for Josie, it gives us evidence that John and Sarah are her parents since she is listed as daughter to the head of household and their birthplaces match those listed under the "father birthplace" and "mother birthplace" columns.

Josie's mother died in 1882 and her father remarried the following year. In 1885 the family was living in Garfield, Mahaska County, Iowa where John was working as a carpenter. In 1887, Josie's half-brother Leo Moore was born. He was her only known sibling.

On 2 March 1892, Josie married E. Albert Erickson in Mahaska County. They initially made their home in Mahaska County and were listed in Garfield by the 1900 census taker. That year three daughters were shown with the family; Eda (Eda Mae), born in 1892, Kate (Sarah Katie), born in 1895, and Rosie (Rose Valeria), born in 1899. A few years before that census, the couple lost a son, Walter Dewey. He was born and died in 1898 at only a few months of age and was buried in Oskaloosa.

Photocopy of Obituary clipping of Walter Dewey Erickson,

dated 10 Sept 1898, as published in the Oskaloosa Saturday Globe.

Two more children were soon welcomed in Iowa, Pearl Goldie in 1902, and Albert Roy in 1905. Sometime between 1905 and 1910, the family migrated to Grant County, Washington, where they settled in the newly incorporated city of Ephrata.

In this part of central Washington, the land is mostly flat and full of sagebrush with a semi-arid desert climate. Ephrata was just springing up out of nothing but a few sparse farms, so to develop a property would have been a major undertaking. In 1910, the census that year tells us that Albert was working on his farm and the two eldest girls, Eda and Kate, were working in a local restaurant. Eda was waitressing and Kate was the dishwasher. Josie had her hands full with the younger children and a new baby, Leo Earl, who was born that year. In 1910, the population of Ephrata was only 323 people.

Farming in the desert didn't work out like Albert and Josie had planned, and by 1920 they had moved to the big city of Seattle where Al found work as a boilermaker. Again, the two eldest children in the home were working. Rose and Pearl were employed at a factory, packing candy.

Cropped image of the Erickson family in the 1930 Federal Census, 
Seattle City, King County, Washington. 
Image from Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. 
Accessed online 10 August 2016.       

             

                           
The image above shows the family in 1930. Albert was working for the City of Seattle Water Department, Earl was employed at a sheet metal shop, and Rose, now married to Harold Muzzy, was still working as a packer at the candy factory. By 1940, Albert and Josie had moved to a more rural area of King County with son Earl and his wife, Margaret, where I believe they lived the rest of their lives.

E. Albert and Josie (Moore) Erickson.

Copy of a photo from Lavera Cavanaugh

labeled "Katy Erickson Cavanaugh's parents, the Ericksons. Bills grandparents."

Albert passed away in July of 1952. Josie followed a few years later, on 29 August 1956. They were buried together in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Grave of Albert and Josie Erickson, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Image from www.findagrave.com, Memorial # 135716388, 

added 10 Sep 2014 by user GenealogyJenny. 

Accessed online 10 August 2016.







Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh (1895-1988)

Arthur Virgil "Art" Cavanaugh, my paternal great grandfather, was born 31 January 1895 in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri. He was the third of six children born to John Houston Cavanaugh (1870-1954) and Mary Calier Read (1871-1949).
Art had two older bothers, Lexon Charlie (1891-1949) and Elmer Diamond "Curly" (1893-1957), and one younger brother, Orvel Burgess (1897-1979). He also had two younger sisters, Zona Ruby (1901-1991) and Opal Edna J. (1906- ?).

John and Mary with their first three sons, Art is the youngest one on his mother's lap. This copy of the original photo was sent to me years ago by Lavera Cavanaugh. Taken about 1896 probably in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri.

The following timeline shows the family moved several times during Art's childhood:

• January 1895, Art's birth in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri
• January 1897, brother Orvel's birth, also in Mountain Grove
• June 1900, Federal Census, Clinton, Texas County, Missouri
• August 1901, sister Zona's birth in Waterville, Douglas County, Washington
• June 1906, sister Opal's birth, Missouri
• May 1910, Federal Census, Robberson, Greene County, Missouri
• July 1915, marriage to Sarah Katie Erickson, Ephrata, Grant County, Washington

Art as a young man.

I have a photocopy of the original photograph, and I think it was from Lavera Cavanaugh, but I didn't document it and can't remember for sure (otherwise known as "How Not to Do Genealogy").

In about 1895, Henry Cavanaugh, Art's great Uncle, moved with his wife and young family to Douglas County, Washington and settled in the Waterville area. Henry's sisters Sarah and Lucy followed with their husbands by 1900. Their mother, Art's great grandmother, was also living in the area for several years and may have come with her daughters. So John bringing his family to Douglas County wasn't such an odd thing, since he had several relatives in the area at the time. It's not known why he returned to Missouri or why, as fate would have it, they were in central Washington again in about 1914 when Art met Sarah Kate "Katie" Erickson, and fell in love. They were married on 12 July 1915.

Marriage return for Art and Katie, copy from the Washington State Archives,
Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg, Washington.

 Katie was the daughter of Albert Erickson, a Swedish immigrant, and Josie Moore, who had German and Quaker roots. The family came to Washington from Iowa between 1900 and 1910 and settled in the newly formed Grant County. Ephrata became a city in 1909, so they were some of the first settlers of the town. Art and Katie were still in Ephrata when their son William Virgil was born on 16 January 1916. (I'm doing the math in my head and I think Art may have been "encouraged" to marry Katie as baby Bill came just 6-1/2 months later!)  Art was working as a laborer in Seattle in 1918 and remained there until about 1923-24, when he brought his family to Yakima County. Two additional children had been born to the couple; Evelyn Winnifred in 1918 and Melvin Roy in 1921. The young family lived for a time in Yakima, then Moxee, and eventually settled in a home in Selah with some acreage and an orchard. My Dad lived with his grandparents briefly in his teens and remembers fondly the time spent with them. Art and Katie remained there for many years before retiring to a small home in town on Pear Avenue.

Art and Katie Cavanaugh, photo from my personal collection.

Art suffered a heart attack and died on 9 April 1988 in Yakima, Washington at the age of 93. His wife Katie outlived him by several years, passing in 1997 at 101 years old. They are buried together at West Hills Memorial Park in Yakima, Washington.

Funeral record from Shaw and Sons Funeral Home, Yakima, Washington.

Art's obituary from the Yakima Herald, obtained from the obituary file housed at
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, Union Gap, Washington.

The grave of Art and Katie Cavanaugh at West Hills Memorial Park.

Photo taken on my Memorial Day visit last year.