User:Svenska

Hälsningar (Greetings)!

My name is Paul Theodore Schönström, Jr.

I have been retired from the US Army for some 25 years and had stateside assignments in Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina as well as foreign assignments in Germany, Bolivia, Afghanistan and El Salvador.

I have been delving into the histories of my family since the mid 1960’s as the result of a bundle of almost 30 letters that my mother had kept in her cedar chest; letters that were written primarily by her maternal grandmother dating from the mid 1800’s. These letters came into my possession shortly after my mother’s death. Her families origins were in early Virginia and North Carolina and my having had military assignments in those states facilitated my ability to do some research in the towns and counties in which they had lived. These family names are:

Center-Senter-Senters. This is the surname of my mother’s father. Their early migration pattern was from Virginia to eastern and central North Carolina about the time of the Revolutionary War. Later they went on to Tennessee and Illinois. My specific branch then came to Texas following the close of the Civil War.

West. This is the surname of my mother’s mother. They appear to have arrived in North Carolina directly from England prior to the Revolutionary War and were members of the Society of Friends. Eventually they settled in the area of Asheville, North Carolina as early settlers in Buncombe County. Some family members may have married with members of the Cherokee Nation prior to these Native Americans being forced from their tribal lands in the Carolina’s and Georgia to west of the Mississippi by Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren beginning in the 1830’s. My specific branch came west from North Carolina to Texas following the close of the Civil War.

Later I added research into my wife’s families. My wife’s family names being researched are:

Mendenhall. This is the surname of my wife’s mother. Their origins have been traced back to the area of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, England in about 1536 when the family name was spelled Mildenhall and Minall. The first Mendenhall immigrants to the American Colonies were members of the Society of Friends who were acquainted with William Penn in England from whom they purchased parcels of land in Pennsylvania in 1681. These first Mendenhall immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania around 1683. The direct ancestors of my wife migrated to Virginia and then central North Carolina where, as pioneers, they established several towns and colleges. Later they migrated to Illinois and Iowa. I am also researching the surnames James and Boyer in relation to this family name.

Leavitt. This is the surname of my wife’s father. The earliest Livit or Levett (Leavitt) in my wife’s line lived in Bolton Percy, York, England about 1474. The word "livit" is a Norman/French word meaning little yew tree which coincides with documentation that has been found going back to 1066 and the invasion of England by Duke William of Normandy – better known as William the Conqueror. Livit or Levett is reportedly among those named as knights who came from Normandy with William. The earliest Leavitt immigrant to the American Colonies came to Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts from York, England around 1624. My wife’s direct ancestors migrated from Massachusetts to Vermont then to New York. Seeming to be always following the early frontier, they then went into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and eventually arrived in Kansas around the time of the Civil War. I am also researching the surname McDaniel in relation to this family name.

My half-sister's name was Clova Joy Jones and my research into her father’s family has not been very extensive. I began in earnest 3 – 4 years ago when she passed away. My intent has been to do enough to provide a start for my sister’s six surviving children and/or their descendants.

Jones. My mother’s first marriage was to Teddy Ester Jones who was born in Indian Territory to William H. and Angeline Algerine Elizabeth BEAUCHAMP Jones. Ted was of Choctaw descent but I have never determined through which parent. They had a daughter they named Clova Joy. Ted died when their daughter was but a few months old. My mother remarried about four years later to my father – also called Ted – thus my half-sister Clova Joy JONES.

It has not been until recent years that I have made efforts to delve into my Swedish ancestry. Had I known that the Scandinavian countries are so well organized to support Internet research (much better than here in the US), I would have started with my Swedish roots years ago.

I am a descendant through my father, Ted Schönström, of the Vikings. Dad’s parents both came to the United States from Sweden in the 1880’s. Grandma Hanna PETERSON arrived August 4, 1881 from Malmö, Sweden with her parents and her siblings. Grandpa Solomon (Salomon, in Swedish) SCHONSTROM arrived November 20, 1886 traveling alone having left his mother and half-sister in Sweden.

I have been able to trace part of grandma’s ancestry back to the mid 1700’s in Skåne, Sweden and grandpa’s ancestry on his mother’s side back to the early 1600’s in Småland, Sweden.

Because patronymics were used instead of traditional surnames in Sweden up until the 20th century, I do not include a list of surnames being researched in this profile because it would be too confusing.

In case you are not familiar with the patronymic naming concept, the following is a very detailed explanation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patronymic.

The tracking of family members by the use of the patronymic becomes nearly impossible. Over time, this naming convention was officially dropped by first one European country after another, the English speaking countries probably being the first to adopt the use of the surname (sir name) in the 1500’s. Patronymics continued to be used in some countries up until the First World War.

Med Vänlig Hälsning (Best Regards),

Paul Schönström