1910 Census - Hugo and Sarona Alvine

I found my grandfather’s sister, Sarona, and her husband, Hugo in the 1910 Census. Sarona was one of the first Kallman family members to come from Sweden. She had followed her brother Håkan Patrik, but on immigrating, she did not name him as her contact but her future husband, Hugo. Hugo had arrived in the U.S. in 1893. He visited Sweden as a U.S. citizen returning to the U.S. in 1903. 1904, Sarona left to join him. Did he meet her on a return visit to his family, or was the intent always to leave for the U.S., establish himself, and return for his love, Sarona? I like either possibility!

April 16, 1910 Chicago, Cook, Illinois    889 King Place

#59- Alvine,Hugo H., head, Male, White, 34, Married 1st time for 2 years, born in Sweden, both parents born in Sweden, immigrated in 1893, naturalized citizen, occupation merchant in retail grocery, not out of work throughout 1910, can read and write, renting a house

#59- Alvine, Sarona, wife, female, white, 30, married 1st time for 2 years, born in Sweden, both parents born in Sweden, immigrated in 1904, *, occupation none, can read and write.

* Naturalization is not noted for Sarona. Before 1922, marrying a citizen automatically conferred citizen status on a woman. Conversing, an American-born woman lost her citizenship if she married an alien!

1950 Census - Hugo and Sarona Alvine

 In this 1950 Census, my great uncle Hugo and great aunt Sarona lived at 611 Main St. Turlock, Stanislaus, California. They are retired, age 74 and 71 respectfully.

#4 house #611, Alvine, Hugo H., head, white, male, 74, married, born in Sweden, naturalized citizen, unable to work

#5 house #611, Sarona R., wife, white, female, 71, married, born in Sweden, naturalized citizen, unable to work

In this census every fifth person had additional questions. Luckily Great Uncle Hugo was one of those.

#4 living in the same house 1 year ago, both parents were born in Sweden, he finished the 8th grade as his highest education, he did not work at all the last year nor earned any money working, he earned $700 from other income (perhaps some came from lodger income), he did not serve in the US military during WWI, WWII or any other time.

I never met my great Uncle Hugo as he died a few months before I was born. I did once meet great Aunt Sarona, but being only 3 or 4 I do not remember that meeting. Great Aunt Sarona, her sisters Tekla and Olga and also my Uncle Albin all moved out to California well before my birth. I do not think my Illinois branch of the family, unfortunately, ever really knew them.

52 Ancestors in 52 weeks #50: "Inlaws" - Sarona Kallman Alvine & Lydia Abrahamson Kallman

  prompt #50 Dec 10 - Dec 16 "Inlaws" Saron Alvine and Lydia Kallman

My grandmother Lydia and her sister-in-law, my great aunt Sarona. They hold on their laps their first born sons Stanley (Sarona) and Albin (Lydia). Were these inlaws close? Sarona and her family moved out to California in the 1930's while my grandmother Lydia's family remained in Chicago, so most likely they were not.

From Amy Johnson Crow, a genealogist, far more experienced then I. "The data that we've accumulated in our genealogy software and in our binders and folders doesn't do a whole lot of good just sitting there. We need to do something with it." Each week she sends out a prompt to share a bit about an ancestor, collateral relative, or family friend.

Grand Aunt Sarona Kallman

My grand aunt, Sarona Rebecka Källman, was my grandfather Richard's oldest sister , the oldest of all six Källman siblings. Her birth record, December 17, 1878, declares her to be "oäkta" or illegitimate. Her mother Clara Sofia is only listed but a note was added that she was baptised in her father Anderssons parish, January 2, 1879. Her parents married in May of 1879.

She arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1904 following her brothers, Patrik and Botvid who had emigrated in 1901. In 1907 she married Hugo Henry Alvine, a man she must have known back home in Sweden because it was he who was named on the ship manifest as her contact in America. 

When my grandfather Richard immigrated in 1906, it was Sarona who was named on the ship manifest as HIS contact in America.

Her first of two sons, Stanley Kallman Alvine, was born in Chicago in 1911.

My Grand Aunt
Sarona Rebekah Källman Alvine
b. 11 December 1878 Tjällmo, Östergötland, Sweden
d. 28 July 1956 Turlock, Stanilaus, California, USA

My father's cousin

Stanley Kallman Alvine

b. 19 September 1911 Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA

d. 28 Feb 1979 Kodiak, Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA

Great Aunt Sarona Rebecka

My great aunt Sarona Rebecka Kallman was born this month in Lerback, Orebro, Sweden.

My Mom told me long ago that "babies take 9 months to come, except for the first one, that one can come any time". 6 months before the wedding? I have blogged before about the rural Scandinavian custom of the engagement being the binding agreement and the wedding was the religious celebration. Many farm girls moved to their future husbands home after the engagement. But look at Sarona's birth record. "Oäkta", Illegitimate it states, with no father listed! Who knows the circumstances but glad to see great grandpa Karl stepped up to the plate. Sarona was baptized in her father's home town of Tjällmo, Östergötland and her parents married there in May of 1879.

Sarona Rebecka Kallman Alvine 1878-1956 

 Aunt Sarona died out in California when I was barely 4 so if I did meet her I unfortunately do not remember her. In the couple of small photos I have of her, in every one she is always smiling, a great big happy smile. I think I would have liked her.

Happy Birthday to my Great Aunt! 

Sarona Rebecka Källman Alvine

b:11 Dec 1878 Lerback, Örebro, Sweden

d: 28 Jul 1956 Turlock, Stanislaus, California, USA

**click on photo or document to enlarge for easier viewing**

Tombstone Tuesday - Hugo and Sarona Alvine

my Great Aunt and Uncle 

Hugo Henry Alvine

b: 6 Aug 1875 Väderstad, Östergötland, Sweden

d: 9 Jan 1952 Turlock, Stanislaus, California

Sarona Rebecka Källman Alvine

b: 11 Dec 1878 Tjällmo, Östergötland, Sweden

d: 28 July 1956 Turlock, Stanislaus, California

married: 4 Dec 1907 in Chicago, Illinois

**click on photos to enlarge for easier viewing**

Great Aunt Sarona Källman emigrates 1904

My Grand Aunt, Sarona Rebekah Källman, was the eldest sister of my paternal grandfather Richard Severin Källman. The family was very poor. Sarona would have 5 additional siblings. Håkon Patrik born December 31, 1880, Karl Botvid born July 31, 1883, Olga Euphemia born November 3, 1885, Rikard Severin (my grandfather) born October 3, 1887, and Tekla Eugenia born October 3, 1889.

*line #29 - 25 year old Sarona emigrated to the United States in May of 1904. She was following her brothers Patrik and Botvid who had emigrated in 1901. Sarona named as her contact in the US, Hugo Henry Alvine of Chicago, Illinois. Hugo had emigrated in 1893 and was now an American citizen. He came from the same area of Sweden as Sarona. He returned to Sweden to visit in 1903. I don't know if he at that time met Sarona and convinced her to leave for America or if he returned to Sweden specifically to persuade her to follow him but on December 4, 1907 Hugo and Sarona married in Chicago. In a process that is now called "chain migration" one by one each of the Källman siblings would come to America and work to save money to bring the next sibling over. My grandfather emigrated next, naming Sarona as his contact. 

Sarona and Hugo had two sons born in Chicago and the family moved on to Ohio and eventually settled in California.

my Grand Aunt and Uncle

Sarona Rebecka Källman

11 Dec 1878 -  28 Jul 1956

Hugo Henry Alvine

6 Aug 1875 - 9 Jan 1952

an interesting note is that the apartment that the poor young couple lived in with their two young boys in 1917 was on Barry Ave. in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. At that time it was a heavily Swedish immigrant neighborhood. Hugo worked as a clerk at Marshall Fields. That particular building was rehabbed into a three story townhouse. In 2014 it sold for $955,000. Go figure.

*click on documents and photos to enlarge for easier viewing*

Friday's Faces from the Past - Hello Aunt Sarona!

Sarona Källman & Stanley Alvine (1year) ↔Lydia Abrahamsson and Albin Kallman (7mo)

This is another photo that arrived from my second cousin in Sweden. The photo is marked "Albin 7 months Stanley 1 year". The lady on the right is my grandmother Lydia with her baby (my uncle) Albin on her lap. The woman on the left was unknown to my second cousin and although I readily recognized my grandmother my first thought was, boy I wish grandma had taken the picture of just her and uncle Albin. Who needs a photo of some unknown woman? I put the photo into my adobe photoshop and quickly transformed the photo into one of just Grandma and Uncle Albin. A cousin in California is the only child of baby Albin in Grandma's lap.  I knew she would want the photo. I emailed it to her and in the last moment also emailed the original, in case she cared.

She immediately recognized the other woman! "That's Aunt Sarona and our Dad's cousin Stanley Alvine on her lap." Great Aunt Sarona was my grandfathers older sister and Lydia's sister-in-law. I had only a grainy snapshot of Sarona and her husband in their later years. Sarona and her husband Hugo had moved out to California from Illinois. I had seen her and my grandfather's other two sisters, Olga and Tekla, only once or twice in my life and I was a child at the time. My California cousin had grown up knowing these aunts.

Family History lessons for me were:

1. Those "unknown" people were photographed with our ancestors because they were important to them. Spend a little time researching them. They may also be someone who was part of who you are and someone you would have liked to know. Don't be so quick to "photoshop" them out of the family.

2. Share your findings with others. Others may have the important answers to questions that you didn't even think to ask yet.

Thank you cousin!