52 Ancestors, Multiple: Four Nilsen Siblings Emigrate to the United States

This is my third year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

Multiple members of the same family left Sweden for America. Jonas Nilsson and Marta Larsdotter of Åsenhöga, Jönköping län, Sweden had seven children, six who lived to adulthood.[1] The farms in Sweden were getting too small to subdivide and only one child could then inherit the property. So, one inherited, one married a Swedish man, and four emigrated to the United States in the 1880s.

Household Examination for Jonas Nilsson's family

The family in the United States spelled their name as Nilsén, (pronounced neel-sane). Later the accent was dropped and the pronunciation morphed to “neel-son.”

The first child to emigrate was Johan Laner. He left Sweden and arrived on 2 May 1887.[2] He lived in New Britain, Hartford County, Connecticut until his death in 1901.[3]

The oldest son, Nils Malkom was the second to emigrate.[4] He attended seminary school and left Sweden to work at the Mission Covenant Church in Sheffield, Warren County, Pennsylvania. He served there from the spring of 1889 to October 1890.[5]

Their daughter, Wilhelmina, left Sweden and arrived in the United States on 27 September 1889.[6] She was just fifteen and traveled with her brother, Nils Malkom’s future wife, Ida Swenson.

The last child to emigrate was Sven Alfred, who arrived on 19 June 1890. He settled in New Britain near his brother, John and sister, Wilhelmina. All three attended the Swedish Bethany Church.

I have written a book about this family called The Nilsen Family: From Jönköping To Amerika, which covers three generations of Nilsens. We still have copies available for sale.

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[1] “Sweden, Church Records, 1451-1943,” digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com), Jönköping > Åsenhöga > Husförhör (Household examination) > 1876-1884 (AI:10), Ingarp Södergärd, p. 63, Jonas Nilsson household; citing Swedish Church Records Archive, Johanneshov, Sweden: Genline AB, GID number 222 .26 .1730 0.

[2] "New York Passenger Lists 1820-1957", digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 21 May 2010), ship Aurania, 2 May 1887, # 496, Joh L. Jonason; citing NARA series M237, roll 506.

[3] New Britain, Hartford Co, Connecticut, "Records of marriages and deaths M-D2 1900-1903," deaths in the twon of New Britain, p. 40, [image 165], John Laurin Nilsen, 17 Feb 1901, digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org); citing FS digital film 007734081.

[4] "Swedish Emigration Records 1783-1951," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), Nils M Nilsén, 15 Mar 1889; citing Emigranten Populär (EmiHamn 38:224:9747).

[5] Mission Covenant Church, Sheffield, Pennsylvania, USA., Short History, 1965, p. unk.

[6] "New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), SS Britannic, arrival 27 Sep 1889, p3, #106, Wilhelmine Jonason; citing NARA M237.

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