Genealogy Hans Högman
Copyright © Hans Högman 2020-01-22

The Nordlander Family

The Nordlander family originates from the Graninge parish in the county of Västernorrland (province of Ångermanland). Graninge is located about 30 km (20 miles) southwest of Sollefteå City och is a part of Sollefteå municipality. Graninge is also the name of the parish. Population: 66 (in 2005). In the middle of Graninge we have Lake Graningesjön. An iron works, Graninge Bruk, was founded in the 1670's Graninge by the County Governor of Västernorrland, General and Baron Carl Larsson Sparre. The map below shows the county of Västernorrland in Sweden with the town of Sollefteå. Västernorrland is in mid Sweden and Sollefteå is about 550 km north of Stockholm. The county code of Västernorrland is "Y". For example Graninge (Y). My ancestors in Graninge have been farmers at this place since the beginning of the 1600's. The farm was located in the part of Graninge called Östergraninge. When my ancestors in Graninge (my father’s mother’s line) have married they done so with partners from the parish, so this line of the family really is located to Graninge.

The Nordlander Name

In Sweden we started to use family names at the end of the 1800-hundreds, that is the children inherited the same surname as their father. In the year 1901 a law was passed stating that we had to use family names. Before that we used patronymic names. That means that the children were given a last name ending with -son or -dotter (daughter) and started with the father’s first name. For example, if a man called Anders Nilsson had a son named Peter and a daughter named Anna, the children’s full name would be: Peter Andersson and Anna Anderssdotter. That is Peter son of Anders and Anna daughter of Anders. If Peter had a son called Nils, then Nils’s full name would be Nils Petersson. Normally the "-son" surnames are spelt with two "s", i.e. Karl's son becomes Karlsson. These ways of giving surnames (patronymic) are still used on Iceland. At the end of the 1800's when people started to change their patronymic surnames to family names they often took a family name with a local association to nature, farm name, village name etc. But most people kept their "-son" name as a family name. The patronymics were mostly used in the rural areas. Among nobility, clergy, the military, etc they started much earlier with family names. Priests often spelt their names in Latin way, for example Laurentius Hornaues (Lars from Horn). The different groups had different patterns of names.

What about the Nordlander name?

There are many Nordlander families in Sweden that is not related and this is the story of "my" Nordlander family. We have to go back to the middle of the 1800's. My father's mother's father Nils Jonsson (1854-1951), was born in a Östergraninge. In 1880 he got married to Anna Erika Söderholm (1855-1951). According to one source he adopted the family name Nordlander at the time of the marriage. Another source says he adopted the family name when he drafted for the National Military Service. All of the children of Nils and Anna Erika carried the family name Nordlander. In the middle of Graninge we have Lake Graningesjön. Just north of Lake Graningesjön we have Lake Hultsjön. The Church i Graninge is located near the northwest shores of Lake Hultsjön. See map of Graninge to the right. A more detailed map of Graninge.

My Father's Mother's Father, Nils Jonsson Nordlander

A short presentation of my paternal grandmother and her parents: My paternal grandmother was Gerda. Nils Nordlander, mentioned above, was the father of Gerda. Nils Nordlander was born September 27 1854 in Östergraninge, Graninge parish. The mother of Gerda was Anna Erika Söderholm, born June 2 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish. Nils and Anna Erika got married on April 13 1880 in Graninge. The photo to the right shows Nils and Anna Erika Nordlander, Östergraninge, Graninge (Y). Nils and Anna Erika had 10 children: 1. William (1880-1971) 2. Helena (1883–1970) 3. Albin (1885–1946) 4. Ester (1888-1924) 5. Gerda (1890-1977) (my grandmother)) 6. Erik Johan (1892-1976) 7. Elida (1893-1895) 8. Elida (1896-1980) 9. Harald (1898-1975) 10. Ferdinand (1900-1995) All of the children were born in Östergraninge, Graninge parish. The photo to the right shows Nils Nordlander in the barn, Östergraninge, Graninge (Y). William, the oldest son, took over the family farm.

Nils Nordlander

Nils was, as mentioned above, born on September 27th 1854 in Östergraninge, dead September 19th 1951 in Graninge. Nils's nickname was Nicke. On April 13th 1880 he got married to Anna Erika Söderholm. She was born on June 2nd 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish and dead December 13th 1951 in Graninge. Nils and Anna celebrated their 70th wedding day in 1950. There were several articles on Nils Nordlander in the local newspapers on his 90th birthday in 1944. He was then the oldest inhabitant in Graninge. In 1947 the old couple moved to a home for elderly people in Graningebruk. Both are buried at the Graninge Cemetery. The gravestone is marked "Nils Nordlanders familjegrav". (Nils Nordlander Family Grave). The photo to the right shows the Nils Nordlander family grav at Graninge Cemetery (Y). Photo Hans Högman.

Nils Nordlander’s Wife Anna Söderholm

Anna Erika Söderholm, born on June 2 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish, dead December 13th 1951 in Graninge. Anna was a talented tailor. Anna's father was Jon Söderholm (1819 - 1897). He first carried the patnonomic surname of Isaksson but adopted the family name Söderholm. Jon had a brother, Isac Isaksson (1815 - 1907). There is an interesting story about Isac: At the age of 19, Isac participated in a bear hunt in the Graninge forest. During the hunt Isac was nearly killed. A bear attacked him and during the wrestling with the bear he was both scalped and badly bitten by the bear. However his life was saved due to brave intervene by his hunting friends. Ivarsson, one of the present hunters, well know for his physical strength, drove his hand into the mouth of the bear and got a firm grip of the tongue, a grip he didn't let go of until the bear was dead. Isac was only armed with a bear spear. There is a similar bear spear at the local history museum Murberget at the city of Härnösand, province of Ångermanland.

My Grandmother Gerda Högman (nee Nordlander)

Gerda Elisabeth was born on May 6 1890 in Östergraninge. Gerda did meet her future husband Karl Högman, Högsjö (Y) between 1914 and 1915. Gerda had the daughter Ingegerd in December 1915 and the son Torsten in January 1918. Gerda stayed at the family farm in Östergraninge until 1920 when she moved to the childrens father in Utansjö, Högsjö parish in the province of Ångermanland. Karl and Gerda got married on November 13 1920 in Högsjö parish. Gerda and Karl had 5 children. Unfortunately Karls died young. In 1927 he passed away due to blood poisoning. The photo to the right shows Karl och Gerda Högman, Utansjö, Högsjö (Y).

My Grandmother’s Sister, Helena Söderlund (nee Nordlander)

Kristina Helena Nordlander, born June 15 1883, dead December 9 1970. Helena moved to Viksjö parish, province of Ångermanland in 1904. On June 23 1904 she got married to Erik Söderlund, born October 14 1879, dead November 5 1955. Helena, Erik and their children immigrated to Oberá, Misiones, Argentina in 1927. They had 3 children: 1. Erik (1905–1986) 2. Emil (1906-1996) 3. Sylvia (1917- 2004) Together with the Söderlund family on the trip to Argentina was Sally Sundin (born August 5 1910 in Viksjö, dead May 22, 2007), fiancée to the son Erik. More about Helena and her family in Argentina. The photo to the right shows Helena Söderlund with her husband Erik, their son Erik and daughter-in-law Sally (to the far left). Descendant chart, Helena Söderlund.

My Grandmother’s other siblings

William Nordlander, born on December 28 1880, dead January 14 1971 in Graninge. He got married on August 6 1905 to Maria Margareta Persdotter born on June 3 1883 in Hällesjö, province of Jämtland, dead December 17 1957 in Norrtälje. Both are burried in Norrtälja, County of Uppsala. William took over as a farmer after the father. They had 7 children. Albin Norlander, born October 29, 1885, dead May 5, 1946. Construction worker, lived in Östergraninge (1930). He got married to Elin Maria Visén, born on December 2 1890 in Viksjö. They had one child. Erik Johan "Janne" Nordlander, born on July 25 1892, dead January 18 1976 i Frösve fs (R). Construction worker, lived in Östergraninge (1930). He got married on August 26 1917 to Hildur Katharina Ledin, born May 6 1896, dead October 28 1961. The family moded to Skövde, province of Västergötland. They had 8 children. Elida Nordlander, född 7/3 1896, dead October 31 1980 i Helgums fs (Y). Elida got married on June 23 1917 to Per Johan Enok Abrahamsson, born on December 19 1887 in Lövsjöbäcken, Helgum, dead den October 9 1959 i Helgum. They had 5 children. Harald Emanuel Nordlander, born on March 14 1898, dead 1975 i Sörberge. He was a forestry worker. Moved to Timrå, province of Medelpad in 1928. He got married to Hedda Ledin, born May 31 1899 in Graninge, dead February 7 1950 in Laggarberg, Timrå. They had 6 children. Ferdinand Nordlander, född July 7 1900, dead May 13 1995 in Väja (Y). Lineman at Edsele Kraft AB (Electrical Power Company), later he worked for Båkab. He got married on September 13 1931 to Elsa Lindstöm, born on October 14 1907 in Österforsa, Province of Ångermanland, dead on January 3 1993 in Väja, Kramfors (Ångermanland). Ferdinand and Elsa first lived in Björknäset, Graninge but moved to the town of Kramfors in 1938. They had 2 children.

Links

Decendant Nils Nordlander Ancestor Chart Gerda Högman (maiden name Nordlander) Relationship Chart Gerda Högman Photo Gallery the Nordlander Family (Y) The charts are in Swedish but are easy to understand. Click on "s * " in the charts to navigate. Descendant charts are family charts beginning with an ancestor back in times, a progenitor, and shows all descendants down to present times. Ancestor charts are family charts beginning with a person in present times and show ancestors back in times.

A short dictionary for the charts:

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Genealogy Hans Högman
Copyright © Hans Högman 2020-01-22

The Nordlander

Family

The Nordlander family originates from the Graninge parish in the county of Västernorrland (province of Ångermanland). Graninge is located about 30 km (20 miles) southwest of Sollefteå City och is a part of Sollefteå municipality. Graninge is also the name of the parish. Population: 66 (in 2005). In the middle of Graninge we have Lake Graningesjön. An iron works, Graninge Bruk, was founded in the 1670's Graninge by the County Governor of Västernorrland, General and Baron Carl Larsson Sparre. The map below shows the county of Västernorrland in Sweden with the town of Sollefteå. Västernorrland is in mid Sweden and Sollefteå is about 550 km north of Stockholm. The county code of Västernorrland is "Y". For example Graninge (Y). My ancestors in Graninge have been farmers at this place since the beginning of the 1600's. The farm was located in the part of Graninge called Östergraninge. When my ancestors in Graninge (my father’s mother’s line) have married they done so with partners from the parish, so this line of the family really is located to Graninge.

The Nordlander Name

In Sweden we started to use family names at the end of the 1800-hundreds, that is the children inherited the same surname as their father. In the year 1901 a law was passed stating that we had to use family names. Before that we used patronymic names. That means that the children were given a last name ending with -son or -dotter (daughter) and started with the father’s first name. For example, if a man called Anders Nilsson had a son named Peter and a daughter named Anna, the children’s full name would be: Peter Andersson and Anna Anderssdotter. That is Peter son of Anders and Anna daughter of Anders. If Peter had a son called Nils, then Nils’s full name would be Nils Petersson. Normally the "-son" surnames are spelt with two "s", i.e. Karl's son becomes Karlsson. These ways of giving surnames (patronymic) are still used on Iceland. At the end of the 1800's when people started to change their patronymic surnames to family names they often took a family name with a local association to nature, farm name, village name etc. But most people kept their "-son" name as a family name. The patronymics were mostly used in the rural areas. Among nobility, clergy, the military, etc they started much earlier with family names. Priests often spelt their names in Latin way, for example Laurentius Hornaues (Lars from Horn). The different groups had different patterns of names.

What about the Nordlander name?

There are many Nordlander families in Sweden that is not related and this is the story of "my" Nordlander family. We have to go back to the middle of the 1800's. My father's mother's father Nils Jonsson (1854- 1951), was born in a Östergraninge. In 1880 he got married to Anna Erika Söderholm (1855-1951). According to one source he adopted the family name Nordlander at the time of the marriage. Another source says he adopted the family name when he drafted for the National Military Service. All of the children of Nils and Anna Erika carried the family name Nordlander. In the middle of Graninge we have Lake Graningesjön. Just north of Lake Graningesjön we have Lake Hultsjön. The Church i Graninge is located near the northwest shores of Lake Hultsjön. See map of Graninge to the right. A more detailed map of Graninge.

My Father's Mother's Father, Nils

Jonsson Nordlander

A short presentation of my paternal grandmother and her parents: My paternal grandmother was Gerda. Nils Nordlander, mentioned above, was the father of Gerda. Nils Nordlander was born September 27 1854 in Östergraninge, Graninge parish. The mother of Gerda was Anna Erika Söderholm, born June 2 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish. Nils and Anna Erika got married on April 13 1880 in Graninge. The photo to the right shows Nils and Anna Erika Nordlander, Östergraninge, Graninge (Y). Nils and Anna Erika had 10 children: 1. William (1880-1971) 2. Helena (1883–1970) 3. Albin (1885–1946) 4. Ester (1888-1924) 5. Gerda (1890-1977) (my grandmother)) 6. Erik Johan (1892-1976) 7. Elida (1893-1895) 8. Elida (1896-1980) 9. Harald (1898-1975) 10. Ferdinand (1900-1995) All of the children were born in Östergraninge, Graninge parish. The photo to the right shows Nils Nordlander in the barn, Östergraninge, Graninge (Y). William, the oldest son, took over the family farm.

Nils Nordlander

Nils was, as mentioned above, born on September 27th 1854 in Östergraninge, dead September 19th 1951 in Graninge. Nils's nickname was Nicke. On April 13th 1880 he got married to Anna Erika Söderholm. She was born on June 2nd 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish and dead December 13th 1951 in Graninge. Nils and Anna celebrated their 70th wedding day in 1950. There were several articles on Nils Nordlander in the local newspapers on his 90th birthday in 1944. He was then the oldest inhabitant in Graninge. In 1947 the old couple moved to a home for elderly people in Graningebruk. Both are buried at the Graninge Cemetery. The gravestone is marked "Nils Nordlanders familjegrav". (Nils Nordlander Family Grave). The photo to the right shows the Nils Nordlander family grav at Graninge Cemetery (Y). Photo Hans Högman.

Nils Nordlander’s Wife Anna Söderholm

Anna Erika Söderholm, born on June 2 1855 in Vik, Graninge parish, dead December 13th 1951 in Graninge. Anna was a talented tailor. Anna's father was Jon Söderholm (1819 - 1897). He first carried the patnonomic surname of Isaksson but adopted the family name Söderholm. Jon had a brother, Isac Isaksson (1815 - 1907). There is an interesting story about Isac: At the age of 19, Isac participated in a bear hunt in the Graninge forest. During the hunt Isac was nearly killed. A bear attacked him and during the wrestling with the bear he was both scalped and badly bitten by the bear. However his life was saved due to brave intervene by his hunting friends. Ivarsson, one of the present hunters, well know for his physical strength, drove his hand into the mouth of the bear and got a firm grip of the tongue, a grip he didn't let go of until the bear was dead. Isac was only armed with a bear spear. There is a similar bear spear at the local history museum Murberget at the city of Härnösand, province of Ångermanland.

My Grandmother Gerda Högman

(nee Nordlander)

Gerda Elisabeth was born on May 6 1890 in Östergraninge. Gerda did meet her future husband Karl Högman, Högsjö (Y) between 1914 and 1915. Gerda had the daughter Ingegerd in December 1915 and the son Torsten in January 1918. Gerda stayed at the family farm in Östergraninge until 1920 when she moved to the childrens father in Utansjö, Högsjö parish in the province of Ångermanland. Karl and Gerda got married on November 13 1920 in Högsjö parish. Gerda and Karl had 5 children. Unfortunately Karls died young. In 1927 he passed away due to blood poisoning. The photo to the right shows Karl och Gerda Högman, Utansjö, Högsjö (Y).

My Grandmother’s Sister, Helena

Söderlund (nee Nordlander)

Kristina Helena Nordlander, born June 15 1883, dead December 9 1970. Helena moved to Viksjö parish, province of Ångermanland in 1904. On June 23 1904 she got married to Erik Söderlund, born October 14 1879, dead November 5 1955. Helena, Erik and their children immigrated to Oberá, Misiones, Argentina in 1927. They had 3 children: 1. Erik (1905–1986) 2. Emil (1906-1996) 3. Sylvia (1917- 2004) Together with the Söderlund family on the trip to Argentina was Sally Sundin (born August 5 1910 in Viksjö, dead May 22, 2007), fiancée to the son Erik. More about Helena and her family in Argentina. The photo to the right shows Helena Söderlund with her husband Erik, their son Erik and daughter-in- law Sally (to the far left). Descendant chart, Helena Söderlund.

My Grandmother’s other siblings

William Nordlander, born on December 28 1880, dead January 14 1971 in Graninge. He got married on August 6 1905 to Maria Margareta Persdotter born on June 3 1883 in Hällesjö, province of Jämtland, dead December 17 1957 in Norrtälje. Both are burried in Norrtälja, County of Uppsala. William took over as a farmer after the father. They had 7 children. Albin Norlander, born October 29, 1885, dead May 5, 1946. Construction worker, lived in Östergraninge (1930). He got married to Elin Maria Visén, born on December 2 1890 in Viksjö. They had one child. Erik Johan "Janne" Nordlander, born on July 25 1892, dead January 18 1976 i Frösve fs (R). Construction worker, lived in Östergraninge (1930). He got married on August 26 1917 to Hildur Katharina Ledin, born May 6 1896, dead October 28 1961. The family moded to Skövde, province of Västergötland. They had 8 children. Elida Nordlander, född 7/3 1896, dead October 31 1980 i Helgums fs (Y). Elida got married on June 23 1917 to Per Johan Enok Abrahamsson, born on December 19 1887 in Lövsjöbäcken, Helgum, dead den October 9 1959 i Helgum. They had 5 children. Harald Emanuel Nordlander, born on March 14 1898, dead 1975 i Sörberge. He was a forestry worker. Moved to Timrå, province of Medelpad in 1928. He got married to Hedda Ledin, born May 31 1899 in Graninge, dead February 7 1950 in Laggarberg, Timrå. They had 6 children. Ferdinand Nordlander, född July 7 1900, dead May 13 1995 in Väja (Y). Lineman at Edsele Kraft AB (Electrical Power Company), later he worked for Båkab. He got married on September 13 1931 to Elsa Lindstöm, born on October 14 1907 in Österforsa, Province of Ångermanland, dead on January 3 1993 in Väja, Kramfors (Ångermanland). Ferdinand and Elsa first lived in Björknäset, Graninge but moved to the town of Kramfors in 1938. They had 2 children.

Links

Decendant Nils Nordlander Ancestor Chart Gerda Högman (maiden name Nordlander) Relationship Chart Gerda Högman Photo Gallery the Nordlander Family (Y) The charts are in Swedish but are easy to understand. Click on "s * " in the charts to navigate. Descendant charts are family charts beginning with an ancestor back in times, a progenitor, and shows all descendants down to present times. Ancestor charts are family charts beginning with a person in present times and show ancestors back in times.

A short dictionary for the charts: