The Larson Mystery

Did you know we descend from Swedes? Maybe that's where our blonde hair and fair skin comes from:  

Note: These are not our ancestors although it would be cool if they were! Source

One of my top priorities in family history is eliminating the dead-end of the Larson line - the Swedes. This is Grandpa Raleigh's mom's line and it's the most sparse in my tree. It goes: 

Ken Raleigh Sr. --> 

Leona May Larson --> 

Oscar Nephi Larson --> 

John L. Larson --> 

??

It just stops cold. This is what we do know for certain about John L. Larson, our mystery man:

He was born in Sweden and was married to Caroline Ramstrom Larson. We have proof of their LDS sealing. This proof came from an Endowment House sealing record which was only accessible by me going to the Church History Library in SLC and after showing my temple recommend, getting to look at microfilm of very old temple records. Very fascinating stuff. This temple record is the ONLY place I've found a birth date and birth city/county for John (29 Aug 1833, Pester, Jutland, Sweden). Unfortunately, when I've searched the Swedish records for an individual with this birth date and place, nothing comes up.There's always the chance too that the temple recorder didn't write down some of those details right, especially as they came from an immigrant with an accent.

John Larson and Caroline Ramstrom got divorced in 1876, dropping John out of the family records.Want some 19th century drama? Their divorce court record reports that John stopped providing for his wife and children and Caroline had to take over. She also reports cruel treatment by him and requests custody of the children. The same month the divorce was filed, their youngest baby Samuel dies at two months old. Two years later John is listed as a witness in a warrant against Caroline and her sister for selling liquor illegally out of their home. Wow.

So to back up, John L. Larson and Caroline Ramstrom are both from Sweden, immigrated to America, sealed in an LDS ceremony in Utah, had kids (including our ancestor Oscar Nephi Larson), and divorced. That's about all I know for sure about him so far. In contrast, his ex-wife Caroline Ramstrom's story is laid out pretty nicely. She has quite a few records which lay out the rest of her life and helped me find her Swedish ancestors.

Want another twist to the story that may solve the puzzle? John Larson may have been a polygamist. There was a woman named Mary Laurena Larson or "Rena" for short. Her parents are listed in censuses as John L. Larson (wait, that sounds familiar...) and Caroline/Carolina Molander. Did Caroline Ramstrom's daughter, Rose, and Caroline Molander's daughter, Rena, share the same father? If they did and we can prove it, we will have a link to John L. Larson's lineage because Rena's father John L. is potentially more well-documented. Clear as mud?

Here is a table that lists five different John Larsons I've found that could be the same person. If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, this will give you an overview. So many similarities between the Johns in their vital data, yet differences which complicate things.

Where to go from here to solve this puzzle? Here are some questions and clues to start with:

• Was John Larson was a polygamist? Was he married to two different wives: Carolina Molander and Carolina Ramstrom?
• John had assets that were probably subject to probate. A will and probate records may document family relationships.
• Caroline Ramstrom held property in her own name, likely transferred to her by John in either a divorce, or in anticipation of persecution (perhaps even prosecution) for polygamy, when he would not be allowed to support her. Land transfer records might contain information supporting a relationship.
• Rena predeceased Rose. Perhaps her obituary shows she was survived by a half-sister. 
• Perhaps Rose's obituary shows she was predeceased by a half-sister.
• Other descendants of John Larson and Caroline Ramstrom or Caroline Molander could have more info.
• An obituary for John L. Larson could tell us a lot.

(Thanks to the volunteer consultants who helped me so much in research and ideas about next steps).

At the very least, we now know that family dysfunction goes up through the generations, all the way to our Mormon Swedish immigrant ancestors. If you're interested in this mystery and have more questions, please let me know! Their story is still unfolding and hopefully we can figure it out together!