What happened to my Great-Granmother, Else Marie Thøgersen after she came to America?

Question

My GGrandmother, Else Marie Thogersen emigrated from Norhaa, Hundborg, Thisted Denmark, I believe in 1882 with her daughter Kirstine (Christine) Christensen (my grandmother). Her husband,  Søren Peder Christensen had died and I believe she came here with Thomas Salomonsen, who was a friend of her husband, and also my GGrandfather. Thomas' wife had also died and his son Salomon Thompson was my grandfather. Salomon married my grandmother Christine Christensen, Else's daughter. A Hamburg passenger list from March 1882 shows Thomas and wife Else and their children. So if Else and Thomas were actually married, my grandmother and grandfather were step-siblings! Anyway, I have found no records of either Thomas Salomonsen or Else Marie Thogersen after they came to the U.S. All I have is the picture of my GGrandmother from 1932 taken in Chicago. Interesting that I can trace my Danish ancestors back 300+ years in Denmark, but once they come to America I lose track of them. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

They probably altered their name after coming here, or it was altered in records that's making it difficult to identify them. :(

I did find a death record for Salomon: "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MW-NRCW : 8 March 2018), Solomon Thompson, 31 Mar 1919

and did you see his FamilySearch profile? https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L2LW-WXR

Good luck!

Comments

Yes, that is my grandfather and I wrote that biography on the Family Search site (however I didn't post it there and don't know who did). It is his father, Thomas Salomonsen, that I've lost track of in the U.S. Two of Thomas' brothers, Marten Salomonsen and Peder Salomonsen also emigrated and they lived in Jackson County, Wisconsin, but I've found no record of Thomas there.

Answer 2

Cook County Illinois Deaths 1878-1994

Solomon Thompson,Born Aug 11 1862,Denmark, Died  April 2 1919

age 56.Father Thomas Solomon,Mother, Maria.

signed Christin,Carolin Thompson

Comments

Salomon's wife was Kirstine (Christine) Karoline Christensen and she was the daughter of Else Marie Thøgersen. I have no record of Else in the U.S. other than the photo I have, and I have no record of Else marrying Thomas Salomonsen or where they moved to in the U.S. I do suspect they moved to Wisconsin, as both of Thomas' brothers moved there and Salomon and Christine were married in Crawford, WI on July 24 1885.

Answer 3

If you're right about the 1882 emigration, I found their Ellis Island record:

"New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-RQSZ-J5?cc=1849782&wc=MX6L-538%3A165874601 : 28 July 2014)

Salomon Thompson isn't there, though. Was he on the original Hamburg passenger list?

Do you know if Else had any other children? I found this 1900 census record for an Elsa Marie Christensen. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSQL-FK7 : accessed 9 August 2018)

Good luck!

Comments

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I have that Passenger List. Salomon Thompson came later, in 1885 and went to Wisconsin Rapids, WI. His brother, Niels, who is on the passenger list, settled in Sparta, Wisconsin, and died in EauClaire WI in 1948. Else did have other children who died before she emigrated. This census is not her as she was born in 1843.

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That's too bad.

I would do your best to find her in the 1930 census and work backwards from there, since you know she was in Chicago in 1932. I would also say don't be too hung up on birth dates -- I've found them to be wildly wrong in some records. One of my ancestors has his birth year listed as both 1870 and 1880, in different records of course, but we're sure it's him.