Where do you start a family history story? With yourself? With an early ancestor? Let me begin by associating to the name - Forsman. My great grandfather introduced the name in our family. His first name was Anders and he was born Januari 8, 1856 in Högsäter, Skillingmark, western Värmland, Sweden, The family had lived there for generations.
He was son to Jon Andersson and Karin Larsdotter, grew up with several brothers and sisters in the Hångstad village near the rapids in Skillingmark.This is probably the rapids (swedish: Fors) he had in mind when he took the name some time after 1878.
As ordinary in those days, as a child Anders got his last name according to the fathers first name, i.e. Anders Jonsson.The father later added yet another last name, Stolpe, and was nick-named "Stolpe-Jo". Some of Anders brothers and sisters also got the Stolpe name, amongst them the eccentric Emanuel Stolpe, often called "Manvell". He was very successful with clay pipe production, a business that several people in the district pursued for a living.
7/11/1876, Anders Jonsson emigrated to North America. This is issued in the parish register for Skillingmark. The year after, he is issued as moved in, i.e. he came back. Yet a year later, June 22 1878, he is once again registered in the parish register as emigrated to North America. Why he came back to leave again, the story doesn't tell, buth it seems that he went at the same time as Ida Eriksdotter. Just as Anders, she lived in Hångstad. Did he return to take her with him?
He seems to have gone to Sioux City, Iowa. A wedding picture I have access to is taken there. I do not know who the bride by his side is, but she is probably the mother to the children I do know he had, Anna, Emilia and Oscar.
After living in the USA for about 24 years, Anders came back to Scandinavia in 1901, together with the second whife Klara and their son Adolf, my grandfather.They first went to Vestmarka in Norway, Klaras home country, and moved on to Sandsgården in Köla parish, western Värmland, Sweden. They bought a house with some wooded ground, very nicely situated at the lake Ränken. My grandfather grew up there.
In Januari 1913 Anders died, only 57 years old. Klara stayed at Sandsgården for a while with the son Adolf, and then moved to a little house in Arvika. They lived there until Adolf had married Elin, my grandmother. Adolf bought a small farm in Kärsmossen near Arvika. Adolf and Elin had the children Bertil, Bror och Britta - my mother, and they grew up there.
Unfortunately, both Adolf and Elin passed away early. Bertil bought the house in Kärsmossen and lived there with his whife Anna-Lisa and the children, Sten, Kajsa, Ulf and Bo. Bertil died in 1988. Bror did not marry or have any children. He died in 1996. My mother Britta married and bought a house in Arvika, where I - Thomas, and my elder sister and brother, Anita and Björn, grew up. Today, my mother, sister amd brother live with their families in Arvika and I live with mine in Västra Frölunda, Gothenburg.
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