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Welcome!
välcommen!
You have landed on the genealogy
homepage of Ruth Swanson McGowen. I hope
you find this page informative and helpful.
In the late 1860’s, my grandfather,
Johan Fredrik Svensson (age 4), and my grandmother, Anna Maria Christin Othberg
(also age 4), departed their native Sweden with their parents and siblings and
journeyed to America. Upon their
arrival, the Svensson and Othberg families lived for several years in Illinois
before migrating to the White Rock area of Kansas in the late 1870’s. Johan (John Fredrick Swanson) and Anna were
married on 6 Sep 1887 in Belleville, Kansas.
This genealogy contains information
about John & Anna and their children, as well as ancestors of John and
Anna, dating back as far as 1273. The
pre-1590 ancestry relies on evidence that Pehr Bengtsson Norby (my Gotland ancestor) is a descendant of
Sören Norby, Danish Grand Admiral and governor of Gotland, and his son and grandson
Oluf and Bengt (Bent).
The reader should bear in mind that
proof of Swedish or Danish ancestry prior to 1650 is extremely difficult. Traditional evidence such as birth, marriage,
death, wills, probate and land records are almost non-existent. The genealogy researcher is left with oral
family history handed down from generation to generation, historical accounts,
legend, and circumstantial evidence.
The Norby line (pre-1590) is a matter
about which there are differing opinions among researchers. Those interested in the Norby line and the
issues of whether Danish Admiral Sören Norby left descendants on Gotland may
wish to read the report entitled “Ancestry
of Pehr Bengtsson Norby,” by Darrell McGowen (rev. Aug. 2007).
It is not an overstatement to say
that a genealogy work is never really finished, so it is that this genealogy is
a work in progress. I have verified the
material at every feasible point, however, due to the nature of this type of
research, the possibility of errors remain.
It is hoped that those with additions or corrections to my ancestral
lines will contact me. Of course, I will
be happy to share my source information with those who are willing to
reciprocate in the sharing process.
My sincere thanks to all those who
over the years have shared their information and photographs with me. My thanks, too, to RootsWeb for furnishing
free space on it’s server for this web page.
Note: Images and text may not display (or may not
display properly) in non-Microsoft internet browsers.
This issue will be corrected in the future.
Updated 18 Aug. 2007
Ruth Swanson McGowen