52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 15: Peder Faltinson (abt 1804-1864), My 3rd Great Grandfather

Fister kyrkje (this is the 1867 replacement of the original building)

I don't have much information about Peder Faltinson* so far except for what I've received from the family:

Peder Fallentinsen, according to Bjarne Sandvik, was from a family who owned their farm in Fister.  However, he fell in love with a woman who was from a 'hussman'--a sharecropper/tenant farmer--a step lower in the class level of society.  Peder F.'s father refused to allow the marriage, so they lived together anyway, and had two children out of wedlock with a third one on the way when Peder F.'s father finally gave in and allowed the marriage.  As a result, Peder F. lost the right to the farm, and himself became a huusman.  Rasmus was one of the 'uaegte' (out of marriage) children, but the bright note is that the reason Peder F. did it was Randi was the most beautiful girl in the area....

Berdines and Fallentin are Ben and Frank Fister, who changed their names when they came over to America.  martha Ovrebo has several photos of Frank, as a boy and his wedding photo, taken in Chicago.  There is also a photo of Berdines and Per, probably taken about 1896, in Stavanger, when he returned with his wife Mary and two of the boys, Roy and Lyle.

He was born about 1804 in Rogaland, Norway, possibly to Faltin Faltinson and Kari Asgautsdottar.  He married Randi Pedersdotter Folsvig (1804-1871) on December 29, 1834 in Fister kyrkje, Fister, Rogaland, when he was about 30  They had at least 8 children, including Rasmus Pederson (my 2nd great grandfather), who was born before they married, when Peder was about 23:
Rasmus Pederson (1827-1876)
Peder Pedersen (1832-?)
Kari Pedersdottar (1837-?)
Karn Serine Pedersdottar (1838-1839)
Valentin Pederson (1840-?)
Kasper Pederson (1843-?)
Karn Serine Pedersdottar (1846-?)
Jonas Pederson (1849-?)

According to family information, Peder Faltinson died in Rogaland on February 8, 1864.




*I am not sure what the "official" spelling of Faltin would be.  It seems to be a version of Valentine, and I've seen Fallentin, Faltin, and Valentin as variations.




© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 14: Lisbet Samuelsdotter (b. abt 1789), My Fourth Great Grandmother

Note that Sand, Saude, and Suldal parishes are all in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. Rogaland County. user NishimotoSR, 18 May 2009 Digital image. FamilySearch wiki. https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/File:Rogaland_County.jpg 

Lisbet* Samuelsdotter, daughter of Samuel Toreson Risvold (1759-1827) and Sissel Torkjelsdotter (1765-1843), was christened on 1 January 1790 in Sand, Rogaland, Norway. She was born about 1789.

In the 1801 Folketelling Elisabet was 10 and living with her parents Samuel Torsen and Sissel Torcelsdatter, and brother Torcel (7), sister Jyri (6), and sister Ragnil (2) in Risvold, Søvde local parish, Saledahl/Suldal parish, Norway.

Unfortunately Norway did not conduct another broad census until 1865.  I don't know when she married Halvor Ingemundsen (b abt 1793).  The first record of a child for them was the birth of Mette Halvorsdatter on 8 December 1819, who was christened in Sand, Rogaland, Norway a week later on 16 December 1819, but tragically she died on the same day she was christened.  I wonder if she was christened as she was dying?  Lisbet was about 30.

Lisbet's next child was son Ingemund Halvorsen, born on 28 January 1821 and christened in Sand, Rogaland, Norway.  Lisbet was about 31.  Lisbet was about 33 when her son Samuel Halvorsen, born 15 April 1823 and christened in Sand, Rogaland, Norway on 11 May 1823.  Lisbet had her daughter, the second Mette Halvorsdotter, my 3rd great grandmother on 17 Oct 1825.  Mette was christened 6 November 1825 in Sand, Rogaland, Norway, when Lisbet was about 35.  According to family story Mette received her smallpox vaccination on 28 October 1827 (Lisbet was about 37).  In the early 1800's all couples in Norway who wished to marry had to have a smallpox vaccination certificate.  I don't know when she got hers, or when her other children were vaccinated, although each child was probably vaccinated as soon as they were 2 years old.

Her last known child was Halvard Halvardsen (or Halvorsen), born on 8 April 1828 and christened on 18 May 1828 in Sand, Rogaland, Norway.  Lisbet was about 38/39.

I have no other record on Lisbet until the 1865 Folketelling, in Rod lille, Saude, Sand, Rogaland, when she was about 76.  She was still married to Halvor, 73, a Føderaadsmand:

When a farmer gives his farm to the next generation, it is (was) usual that he gets an official contract with the next owner (usually his son) specifiying which rights he continues to have at the farm for the rest of his and his wife's life. House to live in, food, firewood, money, help in the house, right to farm some land, etc. Such a contract was called a "føerds contract", and the old farmer is then a føerdsmann". This contract was valid, even if the next owner sold the farm, i.e., the obligations followed the farm. The practice continues today, but modified by the existence of pensions. You can also find other words with the same meaning, e.g. krmann or aftegtsmand (Danish). I.e. you may translate foerdsmann to "retired farmer" but with his "pension" "paid" by the next owner of his farm. 

[info from] Per B. Lilje

 They lived with Østein Samuelsen, 40, born in Suldal, who was a farmer who owned the farm, and his family (his Ingeborg Nilsdatter and daughter Britha Østeinsdatter were both born in Roldal) .  I do not know the nature of Halvor and Lisbet's relationship/kinship to Østein, but since he was also a Samuelsen I wonder if maybe he is a (much younger) brother of Lisbet?  I have to do more research on this.

I do not know when and where she died, but it happened possibly before the 1875 Folketelling, as I can't find her in it.



*Lisbet's name changed from the early spelling of Lisbet, to Lisbeth, to Elisabet in the later record.  I don't know her the "official" spelling of name.



© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 13: Mette Halvorsdottar (1825-1904), My 3rd Great Grandmother

Mette Halvorsdottar was born on 17 Oct 1825 in Hagen, Sauda, Rogaland, Norway, to Halvor Ingemundsen (b. 1793) and Lisbet Samuelsdotter (b. 1789).  She was christened several weeks later on 6 November 1825 in Sand, Rogaland, Norway.  She had at least one other sister and 3 brothers.

My family information has Lillerod after her last name and I don't know if that is a location where the family farm was?  I see a mention of Lillerød as one of the farms owned by a man in Rogaland in the 1600's, and that might possibly be the area.  Her parents were living in Rød lille, Sauda, Sand, Rogaland, Norway in the 1865 Folketelling, so maybe the name just got transposed?

Mette got her smallpox vaccination a day after her second birthday on 28 Oct 1827.

Shortly before she was 21 she married Od Knudsen (1824-1890) in Sauda, Rogaland, Norway on 10 October 1847.  According to family information the witnesses were Halvor Lillerod (I'm assuming her father) & Orm Risvold, with reading of proclamations September 3, 20, 26.  Their first child, Anna, was born 21 March 1847, only 6 1/2 months after they married, meaning she was either premature or was conceived before marriage.  Two years later their twin girls, Ingeborg and Lisabeth, wereborn 2 years later on 23 May 1849.  I am assuming that Lisabeth died soon after, as my 2nd great grandmother, also Lisabeth, was born a year later, on 20 June 1850.  Next came sons Halvor (1852) and Knut (1855), followed by Ingeborg (1856) (I'm assuming the first Ingeborg died?) and Berte Oline (1859).  Their son Od, was born in 1863, and Tore Martin Odson was their last child, born in 1867, when Mette was about 41.

In the Folketelling 1865 Mette, 40, and her family were in Hinderåa Parish, Nerstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  Husband Od and children Halvor, Knud, Od, Anne, Ingeborg, and Berte Oline were also there.  Lisabeth was working as a servant in Hinderåafor another man named Knud Knudsen, 30 (relation?).

Daughter Lisbeth Odsdatter in later years

In the Folketelling 1875 Mette, 50, and her family were in Askedalen, Nedstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  Husband Od and children Halvor, Od, Tore Martin, and Anne were living with her, as well as son-in-law ("svigers.") Jakob Torgersen (Anne's husband), and their son Torger Olaus Jakobsen (b 1873) (Od's grandson), and Mette's own father, Halvor Ingemundsen.  Her father was referred to as a "Folgemand, which "is a man who has "handed" over his farm to the next generation, and has made an agreement on what his rights are, for instance that he can stay at the farm as long as he lives."

The following year her daughter Lisabeth had her first child, Mette Karine, my great grandmother, out of wedlock.  I am not sure how out-of-wedlock births were viewed in that time and place, but Mette and Od helped raise Mette Karine some time after Lisabeth married Martin Anderson in 1880.

Mette with husband Od and granddaughter Mette Karine

According to family records, Od died on 24 February 1890and was buried 8 days later on 4 March 1890.  Granddaughter Mette Karine immigrated to the United States a few years later, in 1892 or 1893.  Family information has Lisbeth going to America for a brief period of time but I am not sure when that happened.

In the Folketelling 1900 Mette, 75, was living with Siri Olsdatter, about 70 (b. 1830) in Askedalen, Nedstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  Mette is listed as a "Bruger af Husmandsplads m J" which means "uses cotter's place."  Siri was a "Gaards arbeider og uldspinder" but I don't know what that means yet, unfortunately (maybe a spinner or spinster worker?).  I don't know what Siri's relationship to Mette was.

According to family records Mette died on 23 April 1904, aged 78, in Askedalen, Nedstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  She was buried 7 days later on 30 April 1904, under the name Mette Halvorsdtr Klungtvedt (?).

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 12: Od Knudsen (1824-1890), My 3rd Great Grandfather

Odde (or Od) Knudsen was born 27 November 1824, in Bakke, Sauda, Rogaland, Norway, to Knud Knudsen (b. 1795) and Anna Sjursdatter (b. 1800).  He was christened in Sand, Rogaland, Norway 6 months later.  He had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.

According to family records, Od was given the smallpox vaccine on 8 November 1836, when he was almost 12.  By then, as John Follesdal explains in his article on Norwegian parish registers, Norwegians had been vaccinating against smallpox since the first decade of the 1800's (everyone 1 year old and up had to vaccinate, and couples had to present their vaccination certificates to get married).  I'm sure Od enjoyed the getting the vaccine as much as the child below.

[Od and his fellow countrymen would have had to have gone through a similar ordeal as James Phipps, who got his smallpox vaccination in 1796 from Edward Jenner, as imagined by artist Robert Thom in this 1950's painting, Jenner, Edward: inoculating a young boy, 1796. Photograph. Britannica Online for Kids.]

On 10 October 1846 Od, 21 years old, married 20 year old Mette Halvorsdottar (1825-1904) in Sauda, Rogaland, Norway.  Their first child, Anna, was born 21 March 1847, only 6 1/2 months after they married, meaning she was either premature or was conceived before marriage.  Two years later their twin girls, Ingeborg and Lisabeth, wereborn 2 years later on 23 May 1849.  I am assuming that Lisabeth died soon after, as my 2nd great grandmother, also Lisabeth, was born a year later, on 20 June 1850.  Next came sons Halvor (1852) and Knut (1855), followed by Ingeborg (1856) (I'm assuming the first Ingeborg died?) and Berte Oline (1859).  Their son Od, was born in 1863, and Tore Martin Odson was their last child, born in 1867, when Od was about 43.

In the Folketelling 1865 Od, 41, and his family were in Hinderåa Parish, Nerstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  Wife Mette and children Halvor, Knud, Od, Anne, Ingeborg, and Berte Oline were also there.  Lisabeth was working as a servant in Hinderåafor another man named Knud Knudsen, 30 (relation?).   Od was listed as "Husm. m. Jord" (husmann med jord), which was a cottager, tenant farmer, crofter, smallholder, or person who rented a house with small plot of land on a larger farm.  A 65 year old "Spinderske" (female spinner) named Ranveg Hendriksdatter was also living with them.  I do not know her relation to Od.

In the Folketelling 1875 Od, 51, and his family were in Askedalen, Nedstrand, Rogaland, Norway.  Wife Mette and children Halvor, Od, Tore Martin, and Anne were living with him, as well as son-in-law ("svigers.") Jakob Torgersen (Anne's husband), and their son Torger Olaus Jakobsen (b 1873) (Od's grandson), and wife Mette's father, Halvor Ingemundsen (Od's father-in-law).  His father-in-law was referred to as a "Folgemand, which "is a man who has "handed" over his farm to the next generation, and has made an agreement on what his rights are, for instance that he can stay at the farm as long as he lives."

The following year his daughter Lisabeth had her first child, Mette Karine, my great grandmother, out of wedlock.  I am not sure how out-of-wedlock births were viewed in that time and place, but Od and wife Mette helped raise Mette Karine some time after Lisabeth married Martin Anderson in 1880.

[Od Knudsen with wife Mette and granddaughter Mette Karine, in the 1880's]

According to family records, Od died on 24 February 1890, at age 65, and was buried 8 days later on 4 March 1890.  Granddaughter Mette Karine immigrated to the United States a few years later, in 1892 or 1893.  His wife Mette remained in Norway for the rest of her life, as far as I know.


I found the Norwegian/American dictionary online to be quite helpful in figuring out some terms on the Norwegian censuses.


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 11: My 2nd Great Grandfather James Chappell Warren Sr. (1854-1924)

James Chappell Warren was born 9 May 1854 in Cass County, Texas, in the "Piney Woods" region, to Jesse T. S. Warren (1825-1894) and Martha Heath Hardy (1834-1886).  His middle name Chappell was a reference to his mother's mother, Sarah Heath (Chappell) Hardy. He was the third of nine children.  His oldest brother Alfred Hardy Warren died as a toddler in 1852  back in Cotton Valley, Alabama, before James' parents even came to Texas.

James was a farmer most of his life.  I am not sure what his education was like but I do believe he was a Methodist.

He grew up in Douglassville, which according to the TexasEscapes.com website was started the same year he was born:

First settled in the 1850s, settler John Douglass is the community’s namesake.
First settlers migrated from Alabama and Georgia and modeled their Red River community after the plantations they left behind.
A post office was opened in 1854 and only closed in 1990 – a run of 136 years. In 1884 it had a population around 150 which slowly increased to 176 by 1900.
Most of the 20th Century history of Douglassville is unavailable. The population in 1980 was given as 228 and the 1990 population was 192.

His grandmother Sarah Heath Chappell Hardy died about 1876, when James was about 22.

On 29 August 1877, when James was 23, his sister Martha Timmie Warren died at age 19.

He started appearing on the Cass County tax assessment rolls for state and county taxes as "J C Warren" in 1877 and subsequently appeared on the county's 1878, 1880, 1881, 1882, and 1883 rolls.  He was taxed for land, horses, carriages/buggies, and some miscellaneous items.  The 1880 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules reveals more specifics about his farming:

[Non-Population Census, Census Year: 1880; Census Place: Precinct 6, Cass, Texas]

Looking at the record above, it shows James Warren was the owner and rents for shares of products:
80 acres tilled, including fallow and grass in rotation (whether pasture of meadows)
90 unimproved acres, woodland and forest
$1500 farm value, including land, fences, and buildings
$100 value of farming implements and machinery
$400 value of live stock
$50 cost of building and repairing fences in 1879
$1200 estimated value of all farm productions (sold, consumed, or on hand) for 1879
2 horses of all ages on hand June 1, 1880
3 mules and asses, all ages, on hand June 1, 1879
4 milch cows on hand June 1, 1880
10 other meat cattle on hand, June 1, 1880
4 calves dropped, 1879
1 cattle slaughtered, all ages, 1879
1 cattle died, strayed, and stolen, and not recovered, all ages, 1879
100lbs cheese made on the farm in 1879
25 swine on hand June 1, 1880
50 barnyard poultry on hand June 1st, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching
10 other poultry on hand June 1st, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching
100 dozen eggs produced in 1879
40 acres of Indian corn, 1879
500 bushels of Indian corn, 1879
40 acres of cotton, 1879
20 bales of cotton, 1879
50 bushels of Canada peas (dry), in 1879
1 acre potatoes (Sweet), 1879
100 bushels of potatoes (Irish), 1879
100 cords of wood cut in 1879
$100 value of all forest products sold or consumed in 1879


James married Nancy Elizabeth "Nannie" Freeman (1857-1934) on 15 December 1885 in Johnson County, Texas, when he was 31.  I don't know how they met but I suspect that since both of their families had lived some time in Cotton Valley, Macon, Alabama, the families had likely kept in touch, even though they lived in different parts of Texas.

1886 was an eventful year.  I am not quite sure where they lived at first.  James' mother Mattie died on his 32nd birthday, 9 May 1886.  His first daughter, Mattie Lizzie Warren was born 6 months later on 1 November 1886.  Tragically she died before the age of 3 on 10 September 1889, when James was 35.  James then appeared on the 1889 and 1893 Cass County tax assessment rolls again.

James and Nannie must have had a terrible time in 1889 and 1890, having lost their only child.  They finally had a second child, Henry H Warren, born about 1891, when James was about 37.  James had further losses with his father Jesse T.S. Warren dying on 26 January 1894 and sister Fannie Warren McGee on 17 September 1895.

They were definitely living in Cleburne, Johnson, Texas by the time their third child, James Chappell Warren Jr (my great grandfather), was born on 8 April 1897.  James Sr was then almost 43.  James and Nannie's last child, Mary Anna Warren, was born 11 Dec 1899.

Cleburne was one of the stops on the Santa Fe railroad line, below both Ft Worth and Dallas.  Unlike Douglassville, Cleburne was a growing city with quick access to a big city like Dallas, which would have likely opened up more opportunities for James' children.

[An Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Route Map from the 1891 (title Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer), from Wikipedia]

In the 1900 Federal Census he was 46, a farmer, and owned a farm with a mortgage.  By the 1910 Census he was 56, a general farmer, and owned the home/farm free and clear on Waxahachie Road in Johnson County (not sure if this is the same place as 1900).   His son Henry was not on the 1910 Census but Nannie counted him as still living.  I am unsure of Henry's fate as I don't find him after the 1900 Census.

They appeared to live in a different place by the time the 1917 Cleburne City directory was published, as they were living at 709 W Chambers St, Cleburne, Texas (the original home appears to still be there if you look at Google maps).  Son James Jr. was also living with them, as he appeared at the same address on the following page.

[James and Nannie in the 1917 Cleburne city directory: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Title : Cleburne, Texas, City Directory, 1917]

Two of James' brothers, Bill Warren and Pomp Warren, died in 1917.  Bill died three days before James' 63rd birthday on 6 May 1917, and Pomp died 21 December 1917.

James and Nannie must have moved the following year, or purchased another property, as James Jr. indicated on his World War I Draft Registration Card on 5 June 1918 as living and working for his father at #4 Alvarado, Johnson, Texas, almost 13 miles east of the Chambers address.

[James Chappell Jr.'s WWI Draft Registration Card showing address, Registration State: Texas; Registration County: Johnson; Roll: 1983267]

 In the 1920 Federal Census James (now 66), Nannie, James Jr., and Mary Anna were living in Cleburne.  James Sr. and Jr. were both farmers (Jr. had just come back from serving as a fireman working in the engine room in a ship in the Naval Reserve during World War I), and Mary Anna was a college student.

James Jr. married Letta Estella Porter on 3 June 1922, and the following year James Sr. became a grandfather to James Jr.'s one and only son.  Unfortunately James Jr. died 8 August 1923 from complications of appendicitis and James Sr.'s daughter-in-law Letta Estella appeared to go live in Dallas with the baby.  This must have been a terrible blow for James Sr.  He died a mere 6 months later, on 15 February 1924 in Sand Flat, Johnson, Texas (not sure why here) from lobar pneumonia stemming from influenza.  One his death certificate it indicated that his wife's address was in Alvarado, so maybe they were visiting Sand Flat when he died?

[James Chappell Warren Sr.'s death certificate, from Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. iArchives, Orem, Utah]

He was buried the next day at Cleburne Cemetery.





© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 10: My 2nd Great Grandfather, Gustav Andersson (b abt 1850)

Gustav Andersson is my most modern brick wall.  According to another Fister family researcher, my great grandmother Mette Karine's father was listed as "Gustav Andersen Bergehoin," a Swedish roadworker.  My understanding is that Mette thought that her father was a sailor and had died at sea when she was an infant, and only later discovered that she had been born out of wedlock.  Gustav has been a mystery ever since.

There is a Gustav Andersen in the Norwegian 1875 Census in Kvål, Høyland, Rogaland, Norway  who might the same guy.  He is listed as a railway worker, born in 1850 in Lidkjøbing, Sverige (Lidköping, Sweden).  This seems to be my most promising lead.

[Lidköping circa 1700, from Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna, from Wikipedia]

I have found a Gustav Andersson, born 1 August 1850 in Gösslunda, about 4 miles away from the center of Lidköping, in Ancestry.com's "Sweden, Births from the Swedish Death Index, 1901-2006" database.  I don't know if it is the same guy, but if it is it means that he went back to Sweden after working in Norway, as the database contains birth information on people who died in Sweden.




© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 9: Mette Karine (1876-1935), My Great Grandmother

Mette Karine was born November 25, 1876, in Askedalen, Nedstrand, Rogaland, Norway, to Lisabet Odsdottar (b 1850).  She was born "uaegte", out of wedlock.  My understanding is that her father was Gustav Andersson (Bergehuin?), a Swedish roadworker, possibly the "railway worker" Gustav Andersson from Lidköping, Sweden, who was living in Kvål, Høyland, Rogaland, Norway, as found in the Norwegian 1875 Folketelling.

My understanding is that Lisabet had another child out of wedlock, Laura, 1879 (I've been told that she also had the "uaegte" designation when she was born), and then Lisabet married Martin Anderson, a watchmaker, in 1880 (Mette was 3).  I am not sure but Martin might be Laura's biological father?  After Lisabet was married to Martin she sent Mette to live with her mother's parents, Od Knudsen Bakke (1824-1890) and Mette Halvorsdottar Lillerod (1825-1904), I think in Askedalen.

[Mette with her grandparents, Odd and Mette, probably in the 1880's]

Lisabet had 5 children with Martin Anderson.  At least 2 of them, Matilda "Tillie" and Magnus Loritz, came to the Kendall/LaSalle county area, and along with Laura have descendants in the US.  I would like to know the relationship between them, Laura, and Mette Karine.

[Mette (left), Tillie (in back), and Laura (right), in an undated photo]

[A later picture of Lisbet Oddsdotter, Mette's (Mary's) mother]

According to Census records Mette came to the US in either 1892 or 1893, when she was 16 or 17.  I cannot find her immigration record.

At this point I will call her Mary, as she was known in the US.

[Mette/Mary about the time she got married]

When she was 17 (almost 18) she married Berdines Rasmussen aka Benjamin Fister, October 18, 1894, in Norway, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.

[Wedding photo for Berdines "Ben" and Mette "Mary" Fister]

[Mary (bottom right), with Ben (bottom left) and Ben's brother Frank Fister and Frank's wife Olive, probably about 1895]

Her first child, Roy Alexander Fiester (1895-1972) (notice that he was the only child who used this spelling), was born September 6, 1895 (Mary was 18).

[Ben, Mary, and little Roy]

Until recently we had thought that Ben and Mary had only 12 children, but another Fister researcher recently uncovered a baptism date for both Myren and a Gladys Fister at the Fox River Church in 1905 in Norway, LaSalle, Illinois.  The researcher believes that Gladys was subsequently adopted by relatives, John Duvick and Randa Svelland Nelson, apparently relations of Ben and Mary, although a relative/descendant of John and Randa's son refutes her being adopted (comment section on Glady's profile on Ancestry has this discussion).  Either I'm barking up the wrong tree or Gladys was adopted, and I am not sure why she was given up, although maybe it was just too much for Mary?  This is still up for speculation.  At any rate, Mary did not count Gladys toward her children in the 1910 Census.

Mary was 19 when her son Lyle Fister was born June 28, 1897.

In late 1897, possibly early 1898, Ben went back to Norway.  He came back in early March 1898.  I wonder who Mary stayed with during his trip, as it seems unlikely that a 20 year old woman with 2 small children under 2 was living on her own.  Her sister Laura (abt 18) was likely in the US already, but was yet unmarried.  Mary's younger siblings Tillie and Magnus did not come to the US until the early 1900's.  I think it is likely Mary was staying with Ben's widowed brother Faltin "Frank" Fister.  Tragedy had struck Frank's young family, with his wife Olive dying November 24, 1896, and their young son Corvin Orville Fister, who died on his 2nd birthday, November 1, 1897.  I have a picture of Ben and Mary and Frank and Olive around the time they all married, and I have to wonder that the tragedy was also felt strongly by Ben and Mary.  Frank's surviving daughter, Ruby, was living with her grandparents, Ole and Caroline Paulson, and Frank was nowhere to be found, until his death record in 1938 in Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois.

Alvin Reginald Fister was born July 12, 1899, when Mary was 22.

In the 1900 Census 23 year old Mary was living with Ben and their 3 children in Sheridan village, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, in a rented home.

[Roy, Lyle, and Alvin Fister]

Lyla Marie Fister was born June 29, 1901, when Mary was 24.

Tragedy struck when her 2nd child, Lyle, died a few months later, August 18, 1901, when he was 4 and she was 24.  Now she had 3 children, Roy (5), Alvin (2) and Lyla (2 months).

Russell Gayhardt Fister was born August 14, 1903, when Mary was 26.

Myren Benjamin Fister and Gladys Mae Fister were born August 20, 1905, in LaSalle County, Illinois.  3 months later, and 5 days after Mary's 29th birthday, the twins were baptized in the Fox River Church in Norway, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.  She now had 6 children: Roy (10), Alvin (6), Lyla (4), Russell (2), and the twins Myren and Gladys (3 months).  As mentioned above, there is a possibility that Gladys was adopted out to relations.   Alternately she may have died before 1910, but it is interesting to note that Mary did not count Gladys toward total children born in the 1910 Census (has had 8 children, 7 still living).  I am not sure why they would adopt out a child, although I speculate that the twins put too much of a burden on Mary.

Fern Evelyn Fister was born December 4, 1907, when Mary was 31.  It is believed Mary's mother Lisabet came over around this time and lived a few blocks away from Mary's sister Tillie in Sheridan, LaSalle, Illinois.  It is then thought that she moved back to Norway, remarried (this husband's name is unknown to me) and never returned.  I would like to know when she died.

Sometime between December 1907 and February 1910, Mary and Ben moved to Emerald Township, Fairbault, Minnesota.  Daughter Edith Olina Fister was born there February 20, 1910, when Mary was 33.  The April 15, 1910 Census reveals that they were living in a mortgaged farm, and Ben was listed as a farmer.  He had worked as a carpenter but perhaps thought he's make a go of being a farmer.  My understanding is that that house tragically burned down after one of the boys accidentally set fire to it.  By the time my grandmother, Margaret Alvira Fister was born, May 12, 1912, they had moved to Kendall County, Illinois.  Mary was 35 when Margaret was born.

Ival Sven Ingvald Leonard Fister (not entirely sure about all those names), was born April 4, 1915.  Mary was 38.

[Ival and Margaret (my grandmother) toddle about while Mary looks on, about 1916]

Alvira Ruth Fister was born January 29, 1918, when Mary was 41.

By the 1920 Census they were living in Newark, Big Grove Township, Kendall County, Illinois.  The census taker was uncertain if the house was owned or rented.  Mary was 43.  The census taker was also unable to determine if she was a naturalized citizen.  I'm starting to think she may never have gone through with the process.  A month after the census her oldest son Roy married Marie Erath (1901-1997).

Her first grandchild, Roy's daughter Carolyn, was born in Feb 1921.  7 months later her last child, Doris, was born September 12, 1921.  Mary was 44.

[Mary with her youngest child, Doris, probably about 1930]

Tragedy struck again on July 9, 1924, when her second youngest daughter, Alvira Ruth, 6, died of whooping cough in Plano.  Either my father or my grandmother mentioned her a few times while I was growing up, and I remember how sad I felt when I was told she said she was ready to go to Heaven when she died.  This must have been a terrible blow for the family.  Mary was 47.

By the 1930 Census Mary, 53, and Ben owned a house on 207 Center Ave in Little Rock Township, Kendall County, Illinois, worth $3800 (no radio though) (address number derived from his later death record).  He worked as a carpenter for buildings.  I'm not totally sure, but I think it is possibly the same property as today's 207 S Center Ave, Plano, which was built in 1900 and was a TV and appliance store for a while.

[Mary and Ben, 1930's]

[Ben and Mary, 1930's]

Ben Fister, her husband for almost 40 years, died May 2, 1934, age 69, in Plano, Kendall, Illinois.  He was buried in the Little Rock Township Cemetery 2 days later.  Mary was 57.

Mary died 7 months later, at age 58, on January 7, 1935.  Her Illinois death record has "11 years of this place, 50 years in U.S."  She is buried with her husband in the Little Rock Township Cemetery, where they share a headstone.

A big Thank You to my cousin Tom Cairns for the all the images.


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 8: Anna Pedersdotter (born 1830)

[I believe this is a picture of Anna, probably about 1900]

Anna Pedersdatter Dahl(?), my 2nd great grandmother, was born in Rogaland, Norway, on September 13, 1830, to Peder Jonsson (?-?) and Britha Clausdatter (born about 1804), likely in Hjelmeland Parish (she was baptised there on September 26 of the same year).  She had at least one sibling, a sister, Susanne Pedersdatter (born 1827).

Anna married Rasmus Pedersen (1827-1876) sometime around 1850, when Anna was about 20.  They had at least 8 children:

Rakel Karine Fister (1851-1873), an opera singer who died of consumption.

Peder Fister (1856-1860)

Peder "Per"R Fister (1857-1913), a farmer and fisherman who stayed in Norway

Peder Olaus Fister (1859-1861)

Peder Olaus Fister (born 1861), a seaman

Berdines Rasmussen Fister (1864-1934), my great grandfather

Falentin "Frank' R Fister (1867-1938), who came to Illinois at the same time as Berdines

Ivar J Fister (1874-1926), who also came to Illinois originally but then settled down as a farmer in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Anna, 35, and her family appear in the 1865 Census ("Folketelling") in Sandvik, Hjelmeland Parish, Rogaland, Norway.

Anna, 45, and her family were in the same place ten years later in the 1875 Folketelling.

Unfortunately, Anna's husband died the following year on May 6, 1876, when Anna was about 45.

By the 1900 Folketelling Anna, about 70 was listed as "Anna Sandvig," a "husmandsenke" (cotter's widow, as her husband had been a "Husmand med Jord") and was living with her son Peder "Per" and his young family.  He has "Fister herred" as his birthplace, so maybe Sandvik became Fister?  I am not clear on that point.

I do not know if Anna ever sailed to America to visit some of her children there.

Anna died about 1915, most likely in Norway.




© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 7: Rasmus Pedersen Fister (1827-1876)

Rasmus Pedersen Fister, my 2nd great grandfather, was born in Fister, Rogaland, Norway on Jun 19, 1827, to Peder Faltinson (1804-1864) and Randi Pedersdottar Folsvig (1804-1871).  He was baptized seven days later on June 26 in the Lutheran church in Folsvig, Fister, Rogaland, Norway ("Norway, Baptisms, 1634-1927," index, FamilySearch).  He was the oldest of eight children.

In early 1839, when Rasmus was almost 12, one of his younger sisters, Karn Serine Pedersdottar, died at about 2 1/2 months old.

Rasmus married Anna Pedersdottar Sandvig (or Dahl?) (1830-abt 1915) sometime around 1850 when Rasmus was about 23.  They had at least 8 children:

• Rakel Karine Fister (1851-1873), an opera singer who died of consumption.
• Peder Fister (1856-1860)
• Peder "Per"R Fister (1857-1913), a farmer and fisherman who stayed in Norway
• Peder Olaus Fister (1859-1861)
• Peder Olaus Fister (born 1861), a seaman
• Berdines Rasmussen Fister (1864-1934), my great grandfather
• Falentin "Frank' R Fister (1867-1938), who came to Illinois at the same time as Berdines
• Ivar J Fister (1874-1926), who also came to Illinois originally but then settled down as a farmer in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Rasmus, 38, and his family appear in the 1865 Census ("Folketelling") in Sandvik, Hjelmeland Parish, Rogaland, Norway.  He is listed as a "Husmand med Jord":

A "husmand" or "cotter"  provided farm labor without owning the farm or having a lease.  A "husmand med jord" was a renter who also had a small plot of land where he might grow a few crops or maintain some livestock of his own.  The husmand's duties to the land owner always came before any responsibilities related to his own pursuits.  Some renters also learned a trade - lumberman, blacksmith, even tailoring - and used the additional income to purchase a few comforts, or saved in order to purchase a farm or, in later years, establish themselves in America.  http://www.hadelandlag.org/resources/resbasics.htm

Rasmus and his family were in the same place ten years later in the 1875 Folketelling, and he was still a husmand med Jord.

Rasmus died in Sandvik the following year, May 6, 1876, age 48.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 6: Mary Jane "Jennie" Tibbetts

Mary Jane "Jennie" Tibbetts, my 2nd great grandmother, was born on April 30, 1852, near Waverly, Bremer, Iowa, to Henry Charles Tibbetts (1826-1902) and Catherine Messinger (1827-1862).

She was listed in both the Iowa State Census of 1856 and in the 1860 Federal Census as living in Jefferson Township, Bremer, Iowa.  Her parents, grandparents, and extended family moved to the area in 1846.  Jennie's mother Catherine died in January 1862, when Jennie was 12.  Her father married Catherine's niece Sarah Ellen Messinger (Jennie's first cousin on her mother's side) the following year.  I wonder how the dynamics of that worked out?  My impression from what I've read is that Jennie and her siblings embraced Sarah, as she was already family.

[A young Mary Jane Tibbetts, date unknown. From Ancestry user marsch37 from the Frady Family Tree: "Photo scanned from an album from the home of Chap. Charles Henry Frady"]

[Jennie Tibbetts, probably about 1870.  From Ancestry user HermitInTheValley on the Beckley/St Clair Family Tree]

Her future husband, James Monroe "Jimmie" Hartley was a young teacher at a local business college in Cedar Falls (about 15 miles south of Jefferson) and possibly already an insurance agent when Jennie met him.  It is unclear exactly how they met, possibly when he was going door-to-door selling insurance.  This most likely happened in 1868 or 1869, as Henry Tibbetts moved his entire family south to Labette, Oswego, Kansas in 1869.  The romance endured the distance, as Jennie and Jimmie married at her father's home in Labette on August 11, 1871, when she was 19.  Then she and Jimmie lived with his parents (George W Hartley and Rebecca Paul) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for two years, and her first two children (Mary and Delia) were born there.

In November 1873 they moved to Waverly (near where she was born) and leased a farm.  Her younger brothers Wellie and Worthy lived with them for a while.  Jennie's next two children, Jack and George, were born near Waverly.  Sometime before the 1880 Census they left that farm and lived temporarily with Jimmie's older brother, George Hartley and his family in Marcus, Cherokee, Iowa.  Jennie's daughter Maud was born in Marcus in September 1880.

Jennie's father Henry Tibbetts was still in Labette, Kansas, and Jennie and Jimmie had originally planned to live in a house there in 1881, but by 1882 the pull to go to California was too great for everyone.  According to family sources Jimmie bought 10 acres of land in Nestor, San Diego, California in January 1882.  I suspect Jimmie was not a country boy, and wanted to figure out how to make a living without being a farmer.  By January 1883 Jimmie and Jennie went way up north about 460 miles to Soquel, California, and bought a large house with the intention to rent to roomers, but the endeavor didn't pan out.  Jennie had her son Joey, born in March 1883, in either Soquel or back in San Diego.  By June 1883 the family was back in San Diego, living at 19th and J near downtown, and the children all contracted measles and whooping cough. Tragically Joey died when he was three months old, due to complications from these diseases.  The family lived for in the area for about 4 more years.

In September 1889 Jimmie bought 372 acres of land out in Dehesa (right by where Sycuan Casino is now).  I believe they lived out there for about a year.  After moving around a bit more, with a brief stint in Los Angeles, Jimmie made the fateful decision to buy land in 1892 in the area that is now North Park in San Diego, and area at one time referred to as Hartley's North Park.

[Jennie with husband James Monroe Harltey and their family, probably about 1890]

Jennie, 42, had her last child, Paul in 1894.

Jennie and Jimmie lived in San Diego until about 1901, when Jimmie was offered a job up in Tacoma, Washington.  They moved up there and Jennie had numerous family from her mother's side (the Messingers).  But at this time Jimmie become more and more sick.

Jimmie died on July 23, 1904, likely from cancer.  Jennie's father, Henry, had died two years before.  But despite these losses her children were doing quite well, and between her Civil War widow's pension and her children's frequent monetary contributions Jennie lived comfortably for the rest of her life, for many years with her widowed sister, Delia.

[With my grandfather, her grandson, about 1910]

She died in San Diego on December 9, 1940.  She was 88.


© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks: Week 5: Tracy Darrow Porter

*I had to change from "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" to "52 Ancestors in 54 Weeks" because I fell off the wagon.

Tracy Darrow Porter, my 2nd great grandfather, was born on August 30, 1863, in Oregon (either Portland or Albany). He was the first child of Orville Tracy Porter (1838-1916), a newspaperman and later U.S. Marshall, District of Alaska, and Matilda Biddle (1846-1927), daughter of businessman B.R. Biddle.

Tracy was to spend most of his working life as a printer. At least as early as 1880, when he was 17, he was living away from home in Junction, Oregon, and working as a compositor.

Tracy registered to vote in Sacramento, California, on 11 Sep 1886.  After this point his trail goes cold for a while.  Sometime between 1886 and 1895 Tracy apparently got work down in the South.  I do not know the circumstances and would like to figure out at some point what prompted him to go to Mississippi.  Whatever the cause, though, family information indicates Tracy married Caroline "Carrie" Celestine Avery, daughter of John Warren Avery and Celestine Herrod (daughter of Barnabas Herrod and Susan Grubb), about 1895 in Mississippi and the following year their first child was born in Lyons, Coahoma, Mississippi (basically in the Clarksdale, Mississippi area).  I haven't found records with that information, but I have found Tracy on an 1896 tax record in Lyons:

["Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951," index and images, FamilySearch ( https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22155-20679-60?cc=1919687&wc=M6JS-YZ9:211897901,212018101 : accessed 22 Jul 2014), Coahoma, County tax rolls 1896-1898, Box 3915, image 134 of 548; citing Government Records, Jackson.]

Tracy's father-in-law John Warren Avery died about 1899, and by the 1900 Federal Census Tracy and his growing family had moved with his widowed mother-in-law, Celestine, to Meridian, Lauderdale, Mississippi.

[Year: 1900; Census Place: Meridian Ward 3, Lauderdale, Mississippi; Roll: 815; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0018; FHL microfilm: 1240815]

He lived in Mississippi until at least April 1904.  His daughter Violet was born in Louisiana somewhere in April 1906.  Then by August 1907 he started showing up in the Biloxi/Gulfport newspapers.  According to the Daily Herald in Biloxi, Tracy (or T.D.) was part of a typographical union in August 1907, and later became president of the Typographical Union of America in Biloxi/Gulfport by 16 Oct 1909.  He was generally referred as T.D. Porter during the period he spent in Gulfport.

1910 Federal Census reveals Tracy with his family in Mississippi City (which is now part of the greater Gulfport area).  His brother-in-law, Henry Clifton Avery, a boilermaker, was also nearby.  Curiously, Tracy was listed as a house painter.

[Year: 1910; Census Place: Mississippi, Harrison, Mississippi; Roll: T624_741; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 1374754]

It's never easy being a businessman.  Tracy declared bankruptcy by December 1912:

Bankruptcy Petition
A petition in bankruptcy was filed this morning in the United States district court by T. D. Porter, a printer of Gulfport, through his attorneys, Rushing & Guice.  His assets are scheduled at $200, exemption claimed, and his liabilities at $363.
Biloxi Local News Paragraphs of Interest
Date: Wednesday, December 4, 1912   Paper: Gulfport Daily Herald (Gulfport, MS)   Volume: IV   Issue: 53   Page: 8 (from GenealogyBank.com)

But by August 1914 he filed a charter for a printing company.
Tracy was found a few more times in the local newspapers, as a jury member, and as a member of the Home guard (in April 1917).

Sometime before the 1920 Federal Census Tracy, his family, and his mother-in-law Celestine had moved to Shreveport, Louisiana.  Perhaps they had lived there before, since daughter Violet had been born in Louisiana:

[Year: 1920; Census Place: Shreveport Precinct 13, Caddo, Louisiana; Roll: T625_608; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 70; Image: 1072]

Sometime during 1920 they all moved to Dallas, Texas, as they are first found in the Dallas city directory in 1920:

["Porter Tracy D printer Texas Trade Review r 1008 Marion" from Publication Title: City Directories for Dallas, Texas State: Texas City: Dallas Year: 1920 Publisher: John F Worley Directory Co Page Number: 1140]

Tracy and Carrie appeared together in the city directory in Dallas until 1925, when she was listed as "Mrs. Carrie Porter, canvasser," and Tracy was nowhere to be found.  I suspect they divorced (or at least separated) sometime between 1923-1925, I have to see if I can find such a record.

He showed up in the 1927 Gulfport, Mississippi, city director as the the foreman of the Gulfport Printing Company:

[TD Porter in Gulfport about 1927, from Gulfport, Mississippi, City Directory, 1927]

By 1930 he had moved to Cheneyville, Rapides, Louisiana:

[Tracy D Porter in Cheneyville, from Year: 1930; Census Place: Cheneyville, Rapides, Louisiana; Roll: 816; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0020; Image: 687.0; FHL microfilm: 2340551]

In 1940 he was living in Placerville, El Dorado, California, and stated that he had been in Fresno, California, in 1935 (I can't find him in the Fresno city directory in that time, however):

[Tracy D. Porter in Placerville, from Year: 1940; Census Place: Placerville, El Dorado, California; Roll: T627_199; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 9-13]

I found an unexpected record for Tracy and his daughters Annie Sue and Letta Estella.  According to the Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 1943, Tracy and Sue wrote the lyrics to a song called "Down South Pacific Way", some guy named Harry J. Edwards wrote the music, and Letta submitted the work:

Down South Pacific way; w Sue Porter & T. D. Porter, m Harry J. Edwards. © 1 . Sept. 20, 1943; E unp. 347484; Letta Estella Turnbull, Dallas 34457
　
http://books.google.com/books?id=AzZjAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Since Tracy's father Orville Porter had published his poems about Alaska in the work "Poems on "Alaska, the land of the midnight sun," I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Tracy had a literary bent.  I have not seen the actual work, but I am assuming it was written in support of the American military fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II.

By 1944 Tracy had apparently made a circle back to Sacramento, where he was listed in the voter's registration.  He was listed as a retired Democrat:

[Tracy D. Porter, retired, in Sacramento, California, 1944, from State of California, United States. Great Register of Voters. Sacramento, California: California State Library.]

I'm not sure what Tracy was doing in Sacramento.  He did not appear to have any family in the area.  When he died the following year on April 14, 1945, he was buried in the Sacramento County Cemetery (see the attached .PDF file at bottom)(also more here on the cemetery), which was for indigent burials.  It seems sad that he died alone and was buried in a pauper's grave by the coroner.  I'm guessing he was found dead.






© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4: Berdines Rasmussen aka Benjamin "Ben" Fister

My great grandfather, Berdines Rasmussen, known in America as Benjamin Fister, was born September 1, 1864, to Rasmus Pedersen of Fister (1827-1876) and Anna Pedersdottar of Oye (1830-1915), in Nedre Fister, Rogaland, Norway.  Fister is a small village in the fjords east of the city of Stavanger.

He had 6 siblings: 

Rakel Karina (1851-1873), who was an opera singer (or had at least trained as one?) and died of consumption in Norway.

Peder "Per" Rasmussen (1856-1913), who was a farmer and fisherman in Norway.

Peder Olaus (1859-1861) died as a toddler in Norway.
Peder Olaus (1861-1900) (I guess they just moved the name to another child?), a seaman.
Faltin Rasmussen (1866-1938), known as Frank Fister in America.
Ivar J Rasmussen (abt 1874-1926), known in America and Canada as Ivar J Fister, who first came to America, and then moved to Moose Jaw/Beaver, Saskatchewan, Canada with his large family.

He was baptized on October 9, 1864 (Lutheran), and confirmed at 14 on October 13, 1878.  At 4 he received his smallpox vaccination September 16, 1868.

He was 9 when his older sister Rakel died, and 12 years old when his father died.

Berdines arrived in the US about 1884/1885, when he was about 20/21, possibly with his brothers Faltin and Ivar.  At some point he may have gone to Australia with Faltin, but decided to throw in his lot in America instead.

[A young Ben Fister/Berdines Rasmussen, date unknown]

[Berdines Rasmussen/Ben Fister, standing, with unknown, date unknown]

As Ben Feister he became a naturalized US citizen at age 28, on November 3, 1892, in Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois, with J A Quan(?) and John O. Dall (likely Dahl).  The name Fister did not solidify until later.  His oldest son, Roy, used Fiester instead of Fister.

[National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950 (M1285); Microfilm Serial: M1285; Microfilm Roll: 53]

In 1893, when he was about 23, he worked on the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, most likely as a carpenter.  This is a family story, I have no proof of this, but it certainly seems possible.

At age 30, on October 18, 1894, he married my great grandmother, 17 year-old Mette Karine (1876-1935), known as Mary Corina Anderson in America, in Norway, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.  She had arrived only a year before.

[Benjamin and Mary Fister]

In the US Berdines and his wife would be called Benjamin and Mary, so I'll refer to them that way from here on out.

Ben's brother Falentin/Faltin "Frank" Rasmussen and his wife Olive Bravick posed for this portrait with Ben and Mary sometime before Olive's death in November 1896.

[Olive Bravick and Frank Rasmussen at top, Ben and Mary Fister at bottom]

On September 6, 1895, five days after Ben's 31st birthday, his first child and son, Roy Alexander was born.

[Ben, Mary, and little Roy]

Their second son Lyle Fister was born June 28, 1897.

After Roy and Lyle were born Ben went to Europe, almost certainly to Stavanger/Fister.  He is found departing Liverpool, England in Feb 1898, and arriving at New York City on March 5, 1898 (Ben was 33).  He had traveled on the Lucania.

[The Lucania, from Ancestry.com. Passenger Ships and Images [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.]

According to the Ancestry database "Passenger Ships and Images":

Passengers: 600 first, 400 second, 1,000 third. Maiden voyage: Liverpool-New York, September 2, 1893. Badly gutted by fire at her Liverpool dock, August 14, 1909. Despite the fact that her interior had been burned, she was able to make the shipbreakers yard by her own engines, and at a speed of 17 knots, remarkable for a vessel under such conditions. Broken up at Swansea during 1910. Sister ship: Campania.

Further info on the liner:

RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893. Identical in dimensions and specifications to her sister ship RMS Campania, RMS Lucania was the joint largest passenger liner afloat when she entered service in 1893. On her second voyage, she won the prestigious Blue Riband from her sister to become the fastest passenger liner afloat, a title she kept until 1898.
http://www.ovguide.com/rms-lucania-9202a8c04000641f80000000055b03c5# 

Upon arrival Ben was listed as a citizen going home and a joiner, and was living at Millington, Illinois, which was a village along the Fox River  in both Kendall and LaSalle counties.

["Ben R Fister" on Year: 1898; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0015; Line: 1; Page Number: 86]

Ben's third son, Alvin "Al" Reginald Fister was born July 12, 1899.  Ben and Mary now had three young boys.

[Roy, Alvin, and Lyle Fister, likely about 1900.]

When he was 35 he and his growing family were living in in a rented house in Sheridan village, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois (just a bit down the Fox River from Millington), according to the June 1900 Census.  He was a carpenter who had been unemployed for 3 months.

[Ben and family in the 1900 Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Mission, Lasalle, Illinois; Roll: 316; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1240316]

On August 18, 1901, when Ben was 37, his second oldest son, Lyle, died.

Until recently we had thought that Ben and Mary had only 12 children, but another Fister researcher recently uncovered a baptism date for both Myren and a Gladys Fister at the Fox River Church in 1905 in Norway, LaSalle, Illinois.  Gladys Fister's fate is unknown, as no grave has been found yet, and Mary did not count her in the number of children born.

Ben and Mary were in Minnesota (likely Emerald Township, Fairbault, Minnesota, where they were in the 1910 Census April 15, 1910) by the time Edith Olina was born, on February 20, 1910 (when Ben was 45).  He was a farmer of a general farm and owned a mortgaged home, so presumably he had been saving up over the years.   Unfortunately it is my understanding is that the house accidentally caught fire and burned to the ground, and they went back to Illinois.  They were back in Kendall County, Illinois, where my grandmother Margaret was born May 17, 1912 (Ben was 47).

[Ben R. Fister and family in the 1910 Federal Census, from Year: 1910; Census Place: Emerald, Faribault, Minnesota; Roll: T624_696; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1374709]

About 1913 his brother Per died.

[Ben Fister and brother Peder "Per" Rasmussen, undated photo, but probably 1890's]

Around 1915, when Ben was about 50, his mother died in Norway.

[Ben's mother, Anna Pedersdatter Dahl/Sandvig, undated photo]

By the 1920 Census they were living in Newark, Big Grove Township, Kendall County, Illinois.  The census taker was uncertain if the house was owned or rented.  Ben, 55, was a general farmer.  A month after the census his oldest son Roy married Marie Erath (1901-1997).

[Ben Fister and family in the 1920 Federal Census, from Year: 1920; Census Place: Big Grove, Kendall, Illinois; Roll: T625_380; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 73; Image: 27]

His first grandchild, Roy's daughter Carolyn, was born in Feb 1921.  7 months later his last child, Doris, was born September 12, 1921, 11 days after his 56th birthday.

Tragedy struck again on July 9, 1924, when his second youngest daughter, Alvira Ruth, 6, died of whooping cough in Plano.  Either my father or my grandmother mentioned her a few times while I was growing up, and I remember how sad I felt when I was told she said she was ready to go to Heaven when she died.  This must have been a terrible blow for the family.  Ben was 59.

Ben's brother Ivar died in Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, Canada on May 13, 1926, when Ben was 61.  It is unclear to me if he was in contact with Ivar.  In fact I have no definite idea on his relationship to any of his siblings.

By the 1930 Census Ben, 65, appeared to be doing quite well, owning a house on 207 Center Ave in Little Rock Township, Kendall County, Illinois, worth $3800 (no radio though) (address number derived from his later death record).  He worked as a carpenter for buildings.  I'm not totally sure, but I think it is possibly the same property as today's 207 S Center Ave, Plano, which was built in 1900 and was a TV and appliance store for a while.

[Ben Fister and family in the 1930 Federal Census, from Year: 1930; Census Place: Plano, Kendall, Illinois; Roll: 522; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0012; Image: 862.0; FHL microfilm: 2340257]

[Mary and Ben, undated photo]

[Ben smoked a pipe, apparently.  With Mary, in an undated photo]

[Ben and the family dog, in the 1930's]

Ben Fister died May 2, 1934, age 69, in Plano, Kendall, Illinois.  He was buried in the Little Rock Township Cemetery 2 days later.

*A big Thank You to my cousin Tom Cairns for all the family pictures.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.