Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Nils Widing: Branch tracked 1796 or 1797 - 1947

Where does Nils Widing fit with our Philadelphia Widings? 
Photos from files, Philip Wilhelm Widing born 1867 m. Anna Matilda Osterlund in 1892, other Widings

Is that Anna Osterlund?

Who has time for all the ancestry sites?  We found a letter dated 1994, in our family miscellany file, from a Widing in Norwood, Massachusetts who was asking if we were related. The letter does not have a notation of a response, and her phone number is not in service.  Pending information after a letter to her old address, this is what she wrote: all dates have a question mark after.

1.  Nils Widing, born 1797; or perhaps June 7, 1793, in Kola, Varmland, Sweden

Nils married Johanna Maria Widerberg, born 1796 in Lysekil, Sweden

2.  Their son was Johannes (Johan) August Widing, born October 28, 1828 in Uddevalle, Sweden

Son Johannes married Maria Lovisa Nilsson, born 1842 in Karlstad, Sweden.  Johannes had a prior wife who died, and that first wife had a daughter, Ellen, before she died.  Maria Lovisa (see below) helped to raise this child.  Ellen migrated to California. She married a Norwegian, Gustav Thone, and had four children.

Johannes and Maria had four children:

3.1  Johan August Mauritz Widing, born 1866 in Goteborg, died 1910

3.2  Elin Maria Widing born 1870 in Goteborg, died 1958

3.3  Anna Amalia Lovisa Widing born 1873, or February 5, 1874,  in Goteborg, died 1961

3.4  Nils Gustav August Mauritz Widing born in Goteborg 1884, died 1947

She says she has all the descendants of the 3's in her data base.  She also notes that generation #8 of the descendants of Nils Widing began on May 25, 1993, with the birth of one Jennifer Emma in Boras, Sweden.

Start now with Anna Amalia:

Child Amalia married Per Albin or Alvin (Carlsson) Johnson, and he was born in 1871, died 1950

4  Amalia and Per had two children

4.1  Carl August Henry Johnson, born 1897 in Boston MA, died 1974

4.2  Elin Maria Alvina Johnson born 1899 in Boston MA, died 1983

Elin married Clarence Arnold Nathanael Johnson born 1901 in Seekonk MA, died 1973

5.  Elin and Clarence had one child Doris Louise Johnson born 1934 in Boston MA ______________

Dot dot dot

How did she reach us?  Jon Widing was listed either in the Swedish-American newspaper, Nordestjernan; or The New England Lutheran.  His birthdate is near hers, she being three years older.  "My grandmother (Anna Amalia Lovisa Widing Johnson)  told me that if I ever met anyone named Widing, it would have to be a relative."  A Widings slakt.  Another Widing from Illinois had told our source that her husband's grandparent had told him the same thing.

Naming:  Surnames change.  Here is one who took the name Widing when he "joined the army."  Why? Who was he before?

Other Widings are in Worcester/Holden area in MA, Manchester NH,
Widings' Sweden Roots, reverse side notations, Swedish Roots