Finding Olaus Andersson

We spent our last preparation day, Saturday, April 16, 2011,  taking a few more steps on the trail toward finding all we can about great grandfather Oliver Anderson.  Most in the family are familiar with the name given for his birth place — Vane Asaka — really it is  Väne Ã…saka –  and the fact that it is somewhere in Sweden.  Well, several weeks ago we met with the ward family history consultant in our ward here in Göteborg to pin point exactly where that place is.  Several local members have told us it is west, or east, or possibly north, of Göteborg.  The ward computers have access to Genline, all the Swedish church records for hundreds of years.  Apparently the local priests were charged with the duty of keeping track of every Swede who lived in their parish boundaries — marriages, births, moves, deaths, literacy,  trade, you name it, they kept track of it.  So, we looked Oliver up in Genline.  The name actually recorded in the book is  Olaus Andersson.

(Both s’s are pronounced, with the accent on the last ‘son’)  Väne Ã…saka (pronounced: ven  oa-saw-caw)  is the name of the church or parish in which he was born.  The town is Lerum (pronounced:  lay- room, with the accent on the last syllable)  and the farm where his family lived at the time (and where he undoubtedly was born) is UppegÃ¥rden (pronounced: oop-a- gor-dun and meaning upper farm).

So, with this new information in hand, Robert and a friend, Marzio De Mari, walked to the Lands Records Office, a government archive with maps of all of Sweden from Then until Now.  Looking at the birth record, the Map Guy pinpointed the location of the parish (Väne Åsaka), the town (Lerum}, and the farm (Uppegården) and allowed Robert to take photos of all the separate maps.  Robert then downloaded them onto the computer and we printed them for our excursion.  We picked up the elders who are serving in Alingsås, a community east of Göteborg about 50K.  We then drove north west from Alingsås toward Trollhättan.

If the maps were right, everything we were looking for would be about 30K from AlingsÃ¥s.  The road was a two lane road through some of the most beautiful countryside I have yet seen in Sweden — forest of pine and deciduous trees on either side of the road with fields of the most fertile farm ground interspersed between.  The farm ground was being readied for spring planting and lay dark and damp in the afternoon sun.  30 minutes or so along the road and there it was — a sign for Väne Ã…saka!!

We quickly turned left and pulled into the first business we could find, a pizza parlor.  Several people were sitting on the front steps and Robert and Elder Alder walked over to ask them where the church was.  (Our Swedish is very limited, but Elder Alder has been in Sweden about 18 months and speaks like a native.)  They gladly pointed out the way to the local Church of Sweden and we happily followed their directions.  The Väne Ã…saka church building is a beautiful edifice dating from the 1700’s.

It looks like it is built out of a cement product,  gleaming white with a green/gray roof and surrounded by a very well kept cemetery.  It looks just like a Swedish country church should look.  We piled out of the car and all 4 of us wandered through the grounds looking at the headstones.  There are many Andersson’s buried there.  And many Gunnarsson’s.

But there wasn’t an Anders Gunnarsson, Oliver’s father, that we could find.  However, we found a plaque that said the cemetery’s warden had moved his office to Trollhättan.  It gave an address and a phone number and we plan on calling to see if there is a record of all who are buried there, and whatever else we can discover.  (Maybe there is another cemetery that is older somewhere else, or maybe some of the other family members are there, or whatever.)  Just as we were heading back to the car, Robert saw an older couple come into the cemetery and he walked up to talk with them to see if they knew where Lerum is.  In just a few minutes he called for Elder Alder and we discovered that indeed he did know.  He gave us detailed instructions which we gladly followed.  Left, over the bridge that spans the creek, about 2K, then left.  There was Lerum!!

We drove down a single lane road that at one time had been paved.  Homes and barns were here and there on either side.  Finally we passed a house with a fellow out front working on his boat.  We parked and the intrepid duo approached him to find out if he knew where UppegÃ¥rden is.  This time he spoke English and he did know –  we had turned left when we should have gone to the round about and turned right.  We piled back into the car and turned around, drove back to the main road, found the round about, and turned right.  On either side of the road were fertile fields while straight ahead was more forest.  About 1K down this lane was a sign for UppegÃ¥rden!!

We turned and drove down the one lane road about 500 meters.  There was the farm!!  A beautiful newer farm house painted bright yellow with stripped yellow and white awnings,  a large lawn with children’s toys,  another dark soiled field, and to the left a barn, part new, part old, with a new roof over the whole of it.  The old part looked just like the church  –  same building material, same white color ( same age?).  The farmer was in the farmyard loading something onto a pick-up truck.  Robert and Elder Alder walked up to him with the maps.  He was friendly (as are all Swedes) and said  that yes, this was the farm UppegÃ¥rden.  No, he wasn’t an Andersson.

His name was Axelsson

and his family had purchased the farm back in the 1880’s.  He couldn’t remember the whole story but Grandpa knew it and why didn’t we come back in a week or two and visit with Grandpa?!!  Come to find out Grandpa is 90 and knows just about everything.  We are going back soon.

So, that is the story of the first few steps on the trail to discovering what we can about Oliver Anderson.  We will keep hunting and asking and will keep you posted.  Hope you like the photos.  If you have anything specific you’d like us to try to do, please let us know.