Ancestors In Living Color! (#2): Fredrick Joseph Meagher

Today's post features a portrait of my great-great-grandfather Fredrick Joseph Meagher (1876 - 1933). I asked the members of the Random Acts of Kindness Photo Restoration Group if they could colorize the portrait. According to Fredrick's World War I Draft Registration Card, his eyes were blue and his hair was gray. 

Here is the original:

And here is the finished result: (I quite like it.) 

Photo Credit: Andrew Heaps

Copyright © 2016, David J. McRae

Ancestors In Living Color! (#1): Martin & Augusta

Many of the photographs I have of my ancestors are in black and white. I recently joined Random Acts of Kindness Photo Restoration Group on Facebook in the hopes of getting seeing what some of my photos would look like colorized. The first photograph I submitted to the group for colorization was one of my 3rd-great-grandparents, Martin (Andreasson) Anderson (1841 - 1915) and Augusta Andersdotter (1848 - 1903) from Sweden. 

For their eyes and hair, I don't have any specifics on what color they might have been while they were alive. When asked, I instead gave the colors for Martin and Augusta's sons August and Aaron, thinking along the lines of genetics and that August and Aaron might have inherited some of their features from their parents. According to their World War I Draft Registration Cards. According to August's, his eye color was "blue" while his hair was "lt brown" (light brown). Aaron's eye color was given as "dark" while the color of his hair was said to be "brown." 

Below are the finished results:

Photo Credit: Melanie Bevill Arrowood

Photo Credit: Dick Williams

The next one is not colorized but rather a cleaned up and slightly darkened version of the original that a member of the group did. I felt it should be included.  

Photo Credit: Melanie Bevill Arrowood

Copyright © 2016, David J. McRae

The Ancestry of Martin (Andreasson) Anderson & Augusta Andersdotter

This post was written for Dorothy Grube, Julia Marvel, Andrea King Wells, Julie Anderson as well as others who descend from Martin and Augusta or are interested in their ancestry. This post is a basic write-up of verified information I currently have regarding the ancestry of Martin and Augusta. After reading this post, if there are questions regarding the information provided in this post or the sources used to find the information, please do not hesitate to ask. 

Martin's Ancestry:

Prior to his arrival in the United States, Martin Anderson's surname was Andreasson. Martin was born on October 28, 1841 in Lärje Månsgården, Angered församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden. He was both the third child and son of Andreas Andersson & Maja Helena Börjesdotter.

Paternal Side:

Andreas Andersson was born on December 12, 1805 in Kullen, Östad församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden. He was the sixth and final child as well as third son of Anders Petersson & Catharina Jonsdotter.  He married Maja Helena Börjesdotter in the mid-1830's and had seven children, Adolph Viktor (1835-1919), Johannes Edvard (1838-1907), Martin (1841-1915), Augusta Mathilda (1845-1847), Carl Bernhard (1849-1854), August (1854-1884), and Carl Bernhard (1857-1915). Andreas died on October 3, 1892 in Angered Stom, Angered församling from Ålderdom (old age).

Anders Pettersson was born on March 14, 1762. He married Catharina Jonsdotter on January 3, 1793. They had six children, Karin (1793-1860), Kjerstin (1796-?), Anders (1799-?), Johannes (1802-1804) and Anna Brita (1802-?) (twins), and Andreas (1805-1892). Anders Pettersson died on May 18, 1851 in Kullen, Östad församling.

Catharina Jonsdotter was born on November 22, 1768 in Östad församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden. She was the first child of Jon Andersson & Kjerstin Bengtsdotter. She died on September 21, 1816 in Kullen, Östad församling.

Jon Andersson and Kjerstin Bengtsdotter were married on January 6, 1768. They had four children, Catharina (1768-1816), Anna (1771-1846), Britta (1774-?), and Andreas (1777-1780). Kjerstin died April 11, 1779 in Kullen, Östad församling from Kallbrand. Jon died on February 12, 1809 in Kullen.


Maternal Side:

Maja Helena Börjesdotter was born on October 28, 1810 in Angered församling. She was both the second child and daughter of Börje Andersson & Annicka Jacobsdotter. She married Andreas Andersson in the mid-1830's and had seven children, Adolph Viktor (1835-1919), Johannes Edvard (1838-1907), Martin (1841-1915), Augusta Mathilda (1845-1847), Carl Bernhard (1849-1854), August (1854-1884), and Carl Bernhard (1857-1915). She died on April 12, 1869 in Angered Stom, Angered församling.

Börje Andersson was born on January 1, 1773. He married Annicka Jacobsdotter and had four children, Anna Britta (1807-1883), Maja Helena (1810-1869), Nils (1815-1856), and Andreas (1820-1896). Börje died on April 25, 1839 in Bergsgården, Angered församling.

Annicka Jacobsdotter was born in 1783 to Jacob Nilsson. She died on January 19, 1849 in Bergsgården, Angered församling.

Jacob Nilsson was born in 1755. He had two children, Annicka (1783-1849) and Britta Catherina (1790-1853). He died on April 25, 1823 in Bergsgården, Angered församling.


Augusta's Ancestry:

Augusta Andersdotter was born on April 15, 1848 in Angered Storegården, Angered församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden. She was the fifth and final child of Anders Jonsson and Catharina Olsdotter. 

Paternal Side:

Anders Jonsson was born on May 1, 1816. He was the second child and first son of Jon Olofsson & Annicka Ambjörnsdotter. He married Catharina Olsdotter on January 12, 1840 in Angered församling. They had five children, Anna Maria (1840-1840), Johan (1841-1854), Albertina (1843-1925), Aron (1846-1847), and Augusta (1848-1903). He died on November 22, 1849 as a result of freezing to death. 

Jon Olofsson was born on April 21, 1780 to Maja Arfvidsdotter. He married Annicka Ambjörnsdotter and had three children, Johanna (1803-1857), Anders (1816-1849), and Andreas (1819-?).

Annicka Ambjörnsdotter was born on April 12, 1775 in Hjällsnäs Gategården, Stora Lundby församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden. She was the daughter of Ambjörn Andersson & Marit Olofsdotter. She died on April 20, 1848 in Angered Stom, Angered församling.

Maja Arfvidsdotter was born on March 13, 1752 and died on September 23, 1834.

Maternal Side:

Catharina Olsdotter was born on April 10, 1806 in Angered församling to Olof Olsson & Britta Larsdotter. She married Anders Jonsson on January 12, 1840 in Angered församling. They had five children, Anna Maria (1840-1840), Johan (1841-1854), Albertina (1843-1925), Aron (1846-1847), and Augusta (1848-1903). Catharina died on October 4, 1882 from dropsy.

Olof Olsson was born June 14, 1777. He married Britta Larsdotter and had five children, Ingeborg (1804-1843), Catharina (1806-1882), Ingrid Lena (1808-1856), Olaus (1811-1847), and Anna Sophia (1815-1868). Olof died on October 23, 1842 in Linnarhult Nedergården, Angered församling.

Britta Larsdotter was born in 1780. She died on October 13, 1852 in Linnarhult Nedergården, Angered församling from Ålderdom (old age).

Copyright © 2016, David J. McRae

On This Day In Family History (February 6):

1960:     Uncle Raymond Allan Anderson was born in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Raymond Allan Anderson (June 1964) 

Raymond Allan Anderson

2014:     3^rd cousin 1x removed Henrik Adler was born in New York City, New York.

Copyright © 2016, David J. McRae