Axel August (Harald) Ahlsen (1868 - 1937)

Born 23 Feb 1868 in Älvestad, Linköping, Sweden

Ancestors

Husband of Ida M (Totz) Ahlsen — married 2 Feb 1892 in Belvidere, Illinois, United States

Descendants

Died 22 Sep 1937 at age 69 in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Melanie Paul [send private message]

Biography

Axel August was born at Karlshof manor in Älvestad parish 23 February 1868 to pigan Löf (Eriksdotter) Hilda Margareta and Alfred Johansson, also serving at Karlshof.^[1] His parents were not yet married, and his father had not yet been enrolled as grenadier Harald.

His parents married in 1869 and they moved in to soldier's croft #55 in Bullorp, Ljung parish, where his father succeeded the previous grenadier Harald, and was assigned the soldier name of his predecessor.^[2]

Axel August lived with his parents until May 1886, when he moved to Fornåsa parish.^[3] There he lived by Bobergs Lillgård as apprentice (skräddarlärling) to the tailor Johan Gustafsson.^[4] In November he moved with Gustafsson to a better location in the same parish. From there Axel August Harald went to N. Amerika 10 August 1888.^[5]

Axel (Harald) Ahlsen migrated from Sweden to Illinois, United States.

Axel A Harold, 20 years old, from Fornås, Östergötlands län, left Sweden on the Orlando, sailing from Göteborg 17 August 1888, destination New York.^[6] The Orlando went as far as Hull. The usual route for Swedish emigrant was to cross England from Hull to Liverpool. Axel arrived to New York 3 September on board the City of Chicago from Liverpool. He is on the passenger list as Axel Horald, 20 years old. He is travelling with some of the same people that he left Göteborg with. His first name has been difficult for the indexer: he is transcribed as "Ard or Aed".^[7]

Axel, a tailor aged 24 years, married Ida M Totz, the 20 year old daughter of German-born Gustav Totz and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Krueger (also German-born), on the 2nd February 1892, at Belvidere, Illinois.^[8][9]
Daughter Grace Lorene made her appearance in the world in 1894, followed ten years later by sister Margaret (1904), both at Belvidere.

Axel's naturalisation was granted on the 28th July 1906, at Belvidere, Illinois. His witnesses were E. J. Munn (Boone County), and Bessie C.Parker (Boone County).^[10]

Axel August Ahlsen, formerly Harald, passed away on the 22nd September 1937, at Chicago, Illinois, United States, five months before his 70th birthday, and was buried at the Irving Park Cemetery, Chicago, on the 25th.^[11] Axel is buried beside his wife, and their younger daughter, Margaret, at the Irving Park Cemetery, Chicago.^[12]

Ahlsen gravestone.

Research Notes

An awful lot of research was done and documented in the G2G question thread: Where did Axel August Harald get the name Ahlsen from? - far too much to include here, but needful of mention.

Regards the name:

"It may be as "simple" as Ahlsen being a contracted (and Americanized) version of Alfredsson, which would have been Axel's patronymic if he had ever used one.

He is in the Swedish sources with Harald as a surname - as is sister Ida.

Axel's three brothers are all in the sources as Haraldsson - although this is not a true, oldfashioned patronymic based on the first name of the father but a look-alike construction based on the soldier name of the father - which, confusingly is a name that is usually a first name.

Anyway, none of the siblings are in the birth book with a Last Name. What we have now is their First Known Last Names, as registered when they moved from home. For the sister that died at two days I have used the same Last Name as for her sister, rather than inventing a -dotter name for her. Had they adhered to the patronymic system she would have been Alfredsdotter - but I think this family had entered the free-for-all era of the Swedish naming system trending strongly in the last quarter of the 1800s." Eva Ekeblad

Sources

1. ↑ Älvestads kyrkoarkiv, Födelse- och dopböcker, SE/VALA/00471/C/6 (1861-1878), bildid: A0009221_00022, sida 37 Riksarkivet SVAR
2. ↑ Ljungs kyrkoarkiv, Husförhörslängder, SE/VALA/00226/A I/11 (1866-1870), bildid: C0016928_00188, sida 204 Riksarkivet SVAR
3. ↑ Ljungs kyrkoarkiv, Husförhörslängder, SE/VALA/00226/A I/15 (1885-1889), bildid: C0016932_00018, sida 6 Riksarkivet SVAR
4. ↑ Fornåsa kyrkoarkiv, Husförhörslängder, SE/VALA/00082/A I/17 (1886-1893), bildid: C0015611_00031, sida 22, rad 19 Riksarkivet SVAR
5. ↑ Fornåsa kyrkoarkiv, Husförhörslängder, SE/VALA/00082/A I/17 (1886-1893), bildid: C0015611_00014, sida 5 Riksarkivet SVAR
6. ↑ Göteborgs poliskammare (-1900) (O) EIX:36 (1888) Bild 2320 / sid 461 (AID: v479760.b2320.s461, NAD: SE/GLA/12703)
7. ↑ "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVPN-TK4B : 12 March 2018), Ard Or Aed Horald, 1888; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,027,760.
8. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X258-RZL : 6 November 2017), Axel August Ahlsen and Ida M Totz, 1892; citing Boone, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,914,104.
9. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X258-5HS : 6 November 2017), MM9.1.1/X258-5HS: and Ida M Totz, 1892; citing Boone, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,914,104.
10. ↑ "Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index, 1840-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XKLZ-N82 : 6 March 2020), Axel Ahlsen, 1906; citing Belvidere, Illinois, NARA microfilm publication M1285 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 3; FHL microfilm 1,432,003.
11. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MK-XXGK : 18 March 2018), Axel Ahlsen, 22 Sep 1937; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference , record number , Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm.
12. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 12 June 2020), memorial page for Axel August Ahlsen (23 Feb 1868–22 Sep 1937), Find A Grave: Memorial #211265265, citing Irving Park Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by M P (contributor 50427611) .

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