How to start search in the US

[siplax]

Your question is the main driver for this search and has been that for at least 70 years! Something must have happaned to Jan Petter in Finland. Why would a married man with a family vanish just like that by immigrating to US. No one has ever talked about Jan Petter. No one. He did not exist any more. One of Jan Petter's daughters was married to an important person in Finland. This person tried also with his connections to find out. The information that I have been able to provide now is many times from this person's enquiries. Now with today's networking, huge databases and fuzzy seach logic engines we may get a hit.

Thanks for that. It still begs the question: why did Jan Petter go to Clinton Mass. to visit the niece of his wife?

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Siplax, have any of the family seeking information searched in the archives of Finnish and/or Swedish newspapers for the relevant decades? (The old UK newspapers archive is often one of my research avenues when faced with an apparent "mystery/disappearance." People disappeared for lots of reasons - crime, scandal, family break up, financial disaster etc)

Jay

[siplax]

No newspaper search has been done so far. Before that we must get all the church documents about Jan Petter. When our team approached Jan Petter's ex. parish in Björneborg they were surprisingly reluctant to give any information. After some pressing they gave something. We must see the files by our very own eyes. There might be something that explains Jan Petter's move to the US.
We are working on this .
/Seppo

Siplax, have any of the family seeking information searched in the archives of Finnish and/or Swedish newspapers for the relevant decades? (The old UK newspapers archive is often one of my research avenues when faced with an apparent "mystery/disappearance." People disappeared for lots of reasons - crime, scandal, family break up, financial disaster etc)

Jay

[Janet in Yorkshire]

I asked because there is an indexed online UK newspaper archive available on two subscription sites. So, with a subscription, it is possible to bring up and search images of some old newspapers alongside of other sources, such as parish records, criminal records, military records etc. However, I know nothing about Scandinavian research, nor what types of records are available.

Jay

[siplax]

Thanks Jay. Good suggestion. I made a quick search if we had something similar in Finland. And to my surprise we have. Some 4,5 million pages have been digitized. Also search engine from exact to fuzzy logic seaches. The digiarchive covers time from the 19th century. I can limit the search to e.g. 1900-1901, Björneborg area, with string "Jan Petter Andersson". Not yet done while writing this. Later today.

I asked because there is an indexed online UK newspaper archive available on two subscription sites. So, with a subscription, it is possible to bring up and search images of some old newspapers alongside of other sources, such as parish records, criminal records, military records etc. However, I know nothing about Scandinavian research, nor what types of records are available.

Jay

[Bertie]

When our team approached Jan Petter's ex. parish in Björneborg they were surprisingly reluctant to give any information. After some pressing they gave something. We must see the files by our very own eyes. There might be something that explains Jan Petter's move to the US.
We are working on this .
/Seppo

Very interesting! I hope you can get what they know as it could be vital information.

For the sake of travel completeness Findmypast has Jan Petter's outward travel record: Jan P Andersen born 1843 leaving UK in 1901 for NY - unfortunately I don't have a current subscription but perhaps a fellow FTFer can help. It might jut add a little more information.

[Bertie]

There is another researcher of Maja Greta MATTFOLK at the following...

https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=sv&sp=nmt4&u=http://www.malax.org/westside/forum/index.php%3Ftopic%3D1836.0&usg=ALkJrhh3vNL-CCbeFl5myZL1THuxkvNu-Q

Perhaps it might help

[Bertie]

There are two Swedish newspaper archives I've found - see below - together with a search for Jan Petter Andersson. My Swedish is non-existent but perhaps someone else can make some sense of them...

http://magasin.kb.se:8080/searchinterface/hitlist.jsp?type_limit=newspaper&word_search=%22jan+petter+andersson%22&limit_title=all&date_search=&pages=3&search_button=S%C3%B6k

http://tidningar.kb.se/?q=%22jan%20petter%20andersson%22

[Bertie]

Here also the National Library of Finland newspaper archive...same comments apply:

http://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/sanomalehti/search?query=%22jan%20petter%20andersson%22&requireAllKeywords=true&fuzzy=false&hasIllustrations=false&orderBy=RELEVANCE&pages=&page=1

[margaretmarch]

Very interesting! I hope you can get what they know as it could be vital information.

For the sake of travel completeness Findmypast has Jan Petter's outward travel record: Jan P Andersen born 1843 leaving UK in 1901 for NY - unfortunately I don't have a current subscription but perhaps a fellow FTFer can help. It might jut add a little more information.

Here you go:-
First name(s) Jan Petter
Last name Andersson
Sex Male
Age 58y
Birth year 1843
Nationality Svenskundersite
Residence Bjornsborg
Departure port Liverpool
Arrival year 1901
Arrival place New York
Ship name Celtic
Country United States
NARA publication number M237 and T715
Record set New York Passenger Lists & Arrivals
Category Travel & migration
Subcategory Passenger lists
Collections from United States & Canada

Nothing more than we already know.
Margaret

[Bertie]

Here you go:-
First name(s) Jan Petter
Last name Andersson
Sex Male
Age 58y
Birth year 1843
Nationality Svenskundersite
Residence Bjornsborg
Departure port Liverpool
Arrival year 1901
Arrival place New York
Ship name Celtic
Country United States
NARA publication number M237 and T715
Record set New York Passenger Lists & Arrivals
Category Travel & migration
Subcategory Passenger lists
Collections from United States & Canada

Nothing more than we already know.
Margaret

Thanks Margaret - it was worth a try!

[siplax]

Interesting . This pice of news is the annluncement of the death of Jan Petter's daughter Lilli. She was the twin sister of my grandmother. The child died in the age of about 11 months. This child and the death is in the church books.

Here also the National Library of Finland newspaper archive...same comments apply:


http://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/san...&pages=&page=1

[siplax]

Thanks Margaret. It is amazing how much information was gathered already at that time!

I will now concentrate to the cemetary link about JP Andersson you gave me. I try to contact that cemetery to get the actual date of birth of that Andersson. If match then we know his last resting place.
/Seppo

[siplax]

The year of death and country of origin (Sweden) do match. But we still miss the birth date of this Andersson.

[margaretmarch]

Thanks Margaret. It is amazing how much information was gathered already at that time!

I will now concentrate to the cemetary link about JP Andersson you gave me. I try to contact that cemetery to get the actual date of birth of that Andersson. If match then we know his last resting place.
/Seppo

If you could also get the death certificate you would see who reported it and maybe other useful information.

Margaret

[Bertie]

If this person's death is the right one the death cert can be bought at http://cookcountygenealogy.com for $18.75 for immediate download. The death was [American date order] 7/5/1902 and the record is for J P ANDERSEN

[Bertie]

Clinton MA to Chicago IL is about 960 miles. Is there any known [e.g. family] connection to Chicago for Jan Petter?

[margaretmarch]

Clinton MA to Chicago IL is about 960 miles. Is there any known [e.g. family] connection to Chicago for Jan Petter?

That's a good point Bertie.
Margaret

[PhotoFamily]

If this person's death is the right one the death cert can be bought at http://cookcountygenealogy.com for $18.75 for immediate download. The death was [American date order] 7/5/1902 and the record is for J P ANDERSEN

Chicago/Cook Co DC's are transcribed (almost fully) on familysearch (and Ancestry).
Large Swedish community in the Chicago area.

[PhotoFamily]

Should have added: Cook Co DC's of that period did not have parents' names.
I have one from 1908: there are blanks for the deceased's and the parents' birthplaces, the deceased's age (in years, months and days), place of death (address, which I don't think is transcribed on FS), pronouncing MD (but no informant), undertaker, and cemetery.

Of course - they didn't have to fill in all those blanks...