Then I got some excited e-mails from Chris. I'll let her finish today's post:
As so often happens in my genealogy research, I go searching for one thing and find another. It’s happened again!! My Swedish Great-grandfather, Carl Johan Augustinius Carlsson, aka John C. Carlson, somehow found his way as a 14 year-old boy to Gaylordsville, CT from Ödeshög, Sweden in the late fall of 1858. He knocks on the door of the tanner Eric Helsten, himself a Swede. According to my family records John is then bonded to Eric for 7 years and learns tanning and shoemaking.
After an unsuccessful attempt to find a family connection between young John and Eric, I posted the “tree” I had created on Eric’s family on Ancestry.com and I was soon contacted by Eric’s great-great-granddaughter, Erica. This ultimately led to the most fascinating discovery to date as far as my genealogy. Erica discovered deposition testimony of John and Eric over some as yet undetermined dispute between them. The insight into my John’s 7 years in Connecticut is priceless!
Now to the most unusual discovery of all. At some point during the dispute between John and Eric, John runs away and ends up at the door of Rufus Beeman near Gaylordsville. According to Beeman’s testimony in the deposition, John then stays with him for 4 years.
In trying to determine what Rufus’s occupation was, I decided to research his family tree a little. I ended up on Roots Web and printed out his ahnentafel. I immediately began recognizing names!! Turns out Rufus is my 4th cousin 4X removed!! Good grief!! Rufus and I are both descended from Nathaniel Parke and Sarah Geer. This is through my dad’s mother’s side – the Quaker connection in my tree. I amazingly report my unbelievable discovery to Erica – who then relates that she, too, is descended from the very same line of Parke’s!! We are distant cousins!!!
I just love genealogy!!!!
Christine Cross Finland
August 25, 2011
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