Part 1 - Genealogy for Vilhelm Friman, our grandfather, (William Freeman in his naturalization papers)
Compiled from documents found by Bill Freeman and his family when they went to Escanaba, Michigan (in the late 80s?) Also, subscribed to Ancestry.com and accessed census records.
William Freeman’s parents were:
Karl Johansson Pira (Sjölund)
Born: November 17, 1847, died February 22, 1937
Anna Greta Andersdotter
Born: January 13, 1854; Died July 23, 1915
Karl and Anna lived in Korsnäs, Finland, according to a copy of the parish record for the family. They had 6 children who lived to adulthood, married, and had children:
1. Johannes Karlsson Friman
Born April 1, 1879, Died November 11, 1954
Married on October 12, 1902 to
Emma Ulrika Johannesdotter Berg
Born April 1, 1875; Died January 22, 1952
Johannes and Emma came to America on May 7, 1900, but returned on March 5, 1914 to Korsnäs and became farmers. In William’s papers was a receipt from Mrs. Charles Peterson, widow of the proprietor of the North Western Hotel – Fine Liquers and Cigars to John C. Freeman dated 1905. There is also an inventory of liquor. It appears that John C. Freeman is Johannes Karlsson Friman and he ran a bar/hotel in Escanaba. Then his younger brother, Vihelm, unmarried, came in 1909 to help. (Family lore has it that our grandfather was a bartender. Brother Bob recalls that dad said the name Freeman came from the first one in the family to immigrate who seems to be John C. Freeman. The other siblings that followed took the name Freeman established by their oldest brother. The 1910 census shows that John Friman and his wife Emma and daughter Elin lived in Escanaba, Michigan. John was the head of a household that included his brother William (Feeman) and a servant, Julia Berg (listed as age 4 but the record looks like 21). A number of additional servants and boarders are listed, lending credence to the possibility that John owned or managed a hotel, that his brother, William, worked for him as did Julia Berg. Andrew Anderson is one of the boarders listed; he was listed on William & Julia’s marriage license.
Two of the letters found in William’s papers were from Emma, his sister-in-law and John’s wife, dated 1944-45.
Johannes and Emma had three children:
i. Elsa Irene, [Johannesdotter Berg] born November 14, 1903, died November 9, 1968. She married Johannes Edvin Björkqvist on November 8, 1925 and they had 6 children as detailed in the genealogy chart and text pages. It was one of her sons, Rune Björkqvist, who came to the U.S. to look for American relatives about the time Bill and his family went to Escanaba. Rune’s address at that time: SF-66210 Molpe, Suomi [Finland]. [Molpe is a village in Korsnas; Suomi is Finnish for Finland]
ii. Edit Linnea, [Johannesdotter Friman] born January 18, 1915, died ?? She married Birger Gideon Ribacka on Mary 29, 1919 and they had one child.
iii. Alli Ragnhild, born March 23, 1917; died November 17, 1933. She never married and was childless.
2. Karl Karlsson Burling, born March 6, 1881; died ? He married (2x?) and had 10 children. There is no indication that he immigrated to America.
3. Christina (Greta Stina [Karlsdottor]) Hellman, born October 10, 1883; died December 16, 1931. She came to the America in 1903. She married (1908 or 1909?) and had three children:
i. Edit ; born ?
ii. Violet; born 1917
iii. Harald, born ?
William and his sons, Sigfred and Willard, lived with the Hellmans briefly after Julia’s death.
The 1910 census shows Christina, age 26, and Henry, age 34, (born 1876 in Finland?)living in Felch, Dickman County, Michigan. Henry is listed as a laborer at odd jobs. They have a daughter, Edith, age 1 year.
The 1920 census shows the Hellmans living in Escanaba Michigan. Henry is described as immigrating in 1899. (Note: different dates are quoted for Henry’ s immigration year in different records.)
They have three children:
Edith age 10
Harold age 5
Violet age 2+
The 1930 census shows the Helmans still in Escanaba with the 3 children 10 years older. Edith is described as working as a saleswoman in a grocery shop. Henry is described as a decker man in a paper mill.
Sigfried, age 18 when Greta died, went to Oklahoma. It is not clear whether Sig went to Oklahoma at a younger age. [Note: the 1930 census has Sig, age 16, living in Blaine, OK.] Willard, 16 when Greta died, was taken in by the pastor (Lund) and his family until Willard went to Augustana. Julia Freeman met pastor Lund’s grandson in her church. His father remembered Willard.
4. Albertina [Karlsdottorr] Anderson; born 1887, died ? She came to America in 1909. She married Gust Anderson and had three children:
i. Edvin
ii. Agnes (Rose) Jenkins
iii. Leslie
There are many references to Aunt Tina in the Swedish letters and in Sig and Willard’s letters.
The 1920 census shows the Andersons living in Escanaba, Delta, Michigan with 2 children. Gust is described as age 27 years, (born 12-9-1891, draft registration card) immigrating from Finland in 1908. He is listed as a laborer on the ore docks. His father may have been Herman Anderson – the 1910 census shows a 16 year old Gust and a 39 year old Herman Anderson as boarders. In the 1920 census, Tina is described as age 32 years. Children:
Edwin August age 5
Agnes Ingrid age 3
The 1930 census shows the family still in Escanaba:
August , age 37 - husband
Albertine, age 40 – wife
Edwin A age 16
Agnes I age 14
Leslie C age 8
5. Vilhelm Freman- aka Vilhelm Karlsson Sjölund, and by naturalization on January 8, 1917, William Freeman, born May 17, 1889, died March 13, 1954. He came to America in 1909. He married Julia Berg on February 3, 1911, and had four sons; two survived to adulthood:
i. Sigfrid
ii. Willard
6. Hilma Sofia [Karlsdottor] Viksjö, born September 21, 1895; died ? She married in 1918 and had 9 children. There is no indication that she ever came to America. Her children:
i. Igmar
ii. Nelitza (Viksjö) Holmstrom
iii. Einar – known children Peter, Deby
iv. Villrad - known children Sabina
v. Marie (Viksjö) Andersson
vi. Volmar – known children Dan
vii. Rosemaj (Viksjö) Vaahtonium – known children Jako
viii. Edvin
ix. Brita (Viksjö) Louve – known children Mikael
After WWII, beginning in 1946, there are several letters from Hilma to her brother William and her sister Tina in America. From Sig’s comments, they were not only catching up but asking for help. There are also a number of photographs of Hilma and some of her children, taken in the early to mid 40’s. In particular, there are two photos of her son Einar in military uniform. Einar is the author of one of the Swedish letters.
Details for William Freeman:
Born, Vassa Finland, May 17, 1889
Father: Carl Johan Freeman; Mother: Anna Greta (Ute) Freeman
Died, Escanaba Michigan, March 13, 1954 (age 64 years) of status ashmaticus Buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Escanaba, Michigan
Married Julia Berg on February 3, 1911, in Escanaba, Michigan
Children of William and Julia:
March 14, 1911: William Harold Freeman – Died April 15, 1911
Leslie William Freeman – Died February 2, 1915
May 21, 1913 Seyfred Freeman (died March 1987) aka Sigfred
August 17, 1915 Leslie Freeman (died July 1969) aka Leslie Willard
The 1920 census shows that William and Julia were married and lived in Escanaba with two sons:
Sigfred age 6
Willard age 4 years 4 months
The 1930 census shows William (age 40) and Willard (14) living as boarders with Josephine Osmundsen (Osmundson) divorced, age 41, in Escanaba. Also listed are her son and daughter: son La Verne age 14 and daughter Sylvia age 11. [The 1910 census shows Josephine Osmondson, age 32 and husband Arthur Osmundson, age 28. The children are listed as La Verne Wagner, age 3 years 7 mo and daughter Merrian Wagner age 1 ½. Her father, Peter Wagner, age 74, born in Germany lives with them in Ford River, Delta, Michigan.]
The 1930 census shows Sig Freeman, age 16, living with his Aunt Christina (Julia’s sister) in Blaine, Oklahoma.
Details for Julia Berg Freeman
Born in January, 1889 in Liberty Grove, Door County, Wisconsin. Died April 13, 1920 (31 years) in Escanaba, Michigan.
Father – Andrew Berg, born September 1846 in Sweden. (Sister Leslie remembers dad saying that his mother’s family came from southern Sweden.) He is listed as a farmer on the census lists of 1905 and 1910. After his wife, Martha, died sometime between 1905 and 1910, Andrew appears in his daughter Christina’s home in Rolla, Phelps, MO in the 1910 census. He does not appear in the 1920 census.
Mother – Martha Berg, born June 1849 in Sweden. From the 1900 census, she had 2 living siblings.
Andrew and Martha were married in 1869 and immigrated to America in 1872. Two daughters are documented: Christina (or Christine), born in 1871 in Sweden, and Julia, born in 1889 in Wisconsin; there was a wide spread in their ages. On a picture of Julia as a young woman there is written on the back, “To Brother Ed from Sister Julia” so there may have been a brother as well.
Christina married Adolph T. Dahl, probably in 1899 or 1900. The 1910 census shows that they lived in Rolla, Phelps, Missouri at the time with 4 children and her father, Andrew. Adolph is listed as 39 years old (same age as Christina) and born in Sweden, immigrating in 1884. The children:
Edwin H age 9, born in 1901 in Michigan
Harold J age 7, born in 1903 in Michigan
Carl W age 6, born in 1904 in Michigan
Anna M age 4, born 1906 in Michigan
The 1920 census shows the family living in Dixon, Blaine, Oklahoma. Christine is listed as age 50 and a widow. Living with her are 3 children. Apparently she lost her husband, her father, and one son, Harold.
Edmond H age 19
Carl H age 15
Annie M age 14
The 1930 census shows the family still in Dixon, Blaine, Oklahoma. Christine is listed as age 60 and a widow. Living with her are 3 children and a nephew:
Edwin H age 29
Charlie H age 26
Anna M age 24
Sigfred Freeman age 16, nephew
