Matson Project
Ancestor MK-009
By Don Taylor

What’s in a name?

Names are often confounding and confusing, and Christine’s name is a great example.

She is Christina, Christine, Cristin, and Stina in various documents. I’ve decided to settle on Christine as my preferred name for her because it is the name on her grave marker and likely what she was known by in her later life, even though I believe she was known as “Stina” when she was younger.

Likewise, her surname changed somewhat. Depending upon the document you see, it goes from Ericsdotter to Ericson. She then married Lars Mattson, and again, the various surname spellings show as Mattson, Mattsen, and Matson, depending upon what clerk wrote the information down.

Christine can be found in my Matson Project-2023 family tree, 72 Ancestry Public Trees [1], and is in the Family Search profile LDQL-2B6.

List of Grandparents

Grandfather: Edward William Mattson (1898-1977)
1^st Great-grand: Christine Ericsdotter (1863-1942)
2^nd Great-grandfather: Eric Matsson (1839-1907)

Birth

Stena was born on 19 September 1863 in the Skålö settlement in Järna parish, Dalarna, Sweden. Her parents were Eric Matsson and Stina Jansdotter. Järna is a locality in Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden.

Photo of Jarma Parish Church (Today) — Stina was likely baptized at Järna parish, Dalarna, Sweden.
Photo by Taxelson, (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.

She probably grew up speaking Dalecarlian, a dialect of the Svealand dialect group[2]. She has a younger brother, Johan Ersson (Ericson?) Mattson, who was about nine years younger.

Between 1850 and 1950, some 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States. Eric, Stina, little Stina, and Johan were four of the 330,000 people who left Sweden during the 1880s[3].

Emigration

Swedish emigration records[4] indicate the family left for North America on 24 May 1880. They must have come straight to Minnesota. Although the 1880 Census date is 1 June, the enumerator recorded the Mattson family in Cokato, Wright County, Minnesota. Erik and his family lived with his brother, Matt Mattson, his family (wife Lisa and three daughters, Mare, Anna, & Lisa), and Matt & Erik’s mother, Christin.

Marriage

Christine married Lars Mattson on 4 February 1881, about eight months after immigration at the Albion Free River Church, and quickly began a family. Their first child, Carl, was born 14 months after their marriage. Christine & Lars had 13 children:

The Children of Lars & Christine Mattson

Name	Birth	Marriage	Death
Carl August	1882	Gina Syverson Elizabeth Guintire	1963
Gertie Caroline	1883	Alfred Hill (FNU) Guintire	1965
Emma Christine	1885	Desire Gerard	1967
John Emil	1886	Annie Utterberg	1962
David Lauretsius	1888	?	1963
Minni Sofia	1890	O. August Nyholm	1968
Hanna Elizabeth	1892	?	1938
Anna Maria Mary	1894	Chell Peterson	1962
Louis Osker	1896	?	1962
Edward William	1898	Hildur Krafve	1977
Edith Elvina Emelia	1900	–	1902
Rudolph Martin	1902	Florence Bringen	1982
[Unnamed Baby]	Bet. 1900 & 1902	–	1902

1885 Minnesota Census

Lars & Stina live in French Lake (the post office is Cokato) with their two oldest children. Living with them are also Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson.

1895 Minnesota Census

Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer and had been in Minnesota for 25 years.

1900 U.S. Census

Lars & Christine are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer who arrived in the United States in 1869; he was naturalized. Christina has been in the United States since 1880 (20 years). They owned their farm, although it was mortgaged. Christine had ten children, and all ten were living and were at home.

1910 U.S. Census

The 1910 Census reports sadness in the family. In the ten years since 1900, Christine had had three more children, but two of them, Edith Elvina and an unnamed baby had died. Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Five of the children were no longer at home.

Carl was probably married.
Gertie married {FNU} Guintire; they had their daughter, Helen, in 1908.
Emma married Desire Gerard in 1903.
John’s location is unknown and should be further researched.
Hannah was not in the household. I should research her possible marriages.

Still living at home were:

David Matson Son M 21 Minnesota
Minnie Matson Dau. F 20 Minnesota
Mary Matson Dau. F 16 Minnesota
Louis Matson Son M 14 Minnesota
Eddie Matson Son M 13 Minnesota
Rudolph Matson Son M 7 Minnesota

1920 U.S. Census

The 1920 Census reported Hannah, Louis, and Eddie were laboring “away from home.” Christine did housework.

1926 – Death of Lars

Lars died on 13 October 1926. Christine was 63 years old.

The 1930s

The 1930 Census reported three of Christine’s children, David, Minnie, and Hannah, were at home. Sadly, Hannah died on 28 December 1938.

1940 U.S. Census

The 1940 Census reported two of Christine’s children, David & Minnie, were still at home.

Death of Christine

Christine died on 17 January 1942. She was buried in North Crow River (aka Crow River Mission Cemetery and later the Elim Birch Lake Cemetery). She was buried with:

Mattson, Baby 1902-1902
Mattson, Elvina 1900-1902
Mattson, Lars 1859-1926
Mattson, Hannah E. 1892-1938
Mattson, Christine 1863-1942

David L Mattson was also buried there in 1963.

Photo of Christine Mattson grave marker (photo by Terri Matson Ryan via Find-a-Grave — Christine Mattson marker (photo by Terri Matson Ryan via Find-a-Grave.)

Events by Location

Photo of the Mattson Family Marker - photo by amy4nier via Find-a-Grave — Mattson Family Marker (photo by amy4nier via Find-a-Grave).

Minnesota, Wright County, Albion Township 1881 (Marriage).

Minnesota, Wright County, Cokato Township 1880.

Minnesota, Wright County, French Lake Township 1885-1942 (Includes Death & Burial).

Sweden, Dalarna, Järna – 1863-1880 (Includes Birth & Emigration)

Actions / Follow-up

I need to research the lives of Lars & Christine’s children, including:

Determine the first name of Gertie’s Guintire husband.
Determine if David, Hanna, or Louis ever married.
Determine who Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson are. They lived with Lars and Stina Mattson during the 1885 Census.
Determine where Carl August was in 1910 and when he married.
Determine when Gertie married {FNU} Guintire and what his given name was.
Determine where Desire and Emma(Mattson) Gerard were in 1910.
Determine where John Emil Mattson was in 1910.

Determine if and when Hannah married and where she was in 1910.

Sources

1880 Census, Family Search, Matts Mattson – Cokato, Wright, Minnesota.
1900 Census, Family Search, 1900 – Lars Matson – French Lake Township, Wright, Minnesota.
1910 Census, 1910 – Lars Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1920 Census, 1920 – Lais (Lars) Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1930 Census, Family Search, Christine Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota, USA.
1940 Census, Family Search, Christine Mattson, “United States Census, 1940”.
Ancestry.com, Geneanet Community Trees Index (Lehi, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022), Ancestry.com, Profile: Christine Ericson (1863-1942).
Annandale Online, Account: Swedish Free Church of North Crow River (No image).
Find a Grave, Find-a-Grave, Christine Mattson – Memorial 61784114.
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Christina Matson – Death 17 January 1942 (No Image).
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Hannah Mattson (1892-1938)
Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955, Family Search, Elmina Mattsen – Death 3 July 1902 (No image).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1885 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson & Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, Minnesota, Page 15 (340).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1895 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1905 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863.
Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930, Family Search, Eric Matsson – Skålö.
Sweden, Indexed Birth Records, 1859-1947, Ancestry.com, Stina – 19 September 1863.
Terri [Private], Terri’s Tales: Views to the Past, (www.territales.com), #5 John Emil Matson (1886-1962).
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990”, database, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDQD-6L2 : 16 January 2020), Christine A. Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 1926.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CG84-F7T2 : 1 June 2020), Christina Mattson in the entry for Hannah Mattson, 28 December 1938; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CT3B-3SMM : 1 June 2020), Christine A Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 13 October 1926; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZX95-FV3Z : 7 July 2020), Christina Matson, 17 January 1942; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955”, database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDM6-3SZ : 29 October 2020), Christina Mattsen in the entry for Elmina Mattsen, 1902.

Endnotes

[1] Ancestry Public Trees – This number changes. It is the number of trees on the day I was writing this sketch.

[2] Internet – Wikipedia – Dalecarlian Language.

[3] Internet – Minnesota Historical Society – Swedish Immigration to the U.S. (Over 7% of the population during the decade of the 1880s left the country.)

[4] Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863. Ancestry.com. Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. AND “Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930”, database with images, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLGD-TSVH : 30 March 2021), Stina in entry for Eric Matsson, 1889.

Ancestor Sketch – Christine “Stena” (Eriksdotter) Mattson.

Matson Project

Ancestor MK-009

By Don Taylor