Bjorkgren Genealogy Page

Welcome to the Bjorkgren genealogy page! We are trying to make contact with Bjorkgren's across the planet, and would love to hear from you! If you or an ancestor has this name, please send us an e-mail if you would like to participate in helping us to find our common link. You don't need to know anything about genealogy ... just be a little curious! Please drop in and let me share a little of my family history with you ...

Summary of Family History and Research Notes

[Captain Svante Leonard Bjorkgren] [Georgiana Kirk Wells]

Our sea captain, Svante Leonard Bjorkgren (1852-1930), is a bit of a mystery. He arrived in the port of New Orleans in 1880 as captain / owner of the Swedish Bark Excelsior, a sailing merchant vessel. It is said he could speak 11 languages! He gave up the sea upon marrying in 1882 to Georgiana Kirk Wells (1856-1948), and settled in Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. There he became a respected banker, strawberry farmer, and community leader. He had three sons (including our grandfather, William Wells Bjorkgren (1887-1982) ) and a daughter Mertie Lavina Bjorkgren (1888-?). The other two sons died as young men as the result of tragic accidents. After the captain's death, our grandmother BURNED all of his papers, including his ship's log! Apparently the family was estranged; our grandfather and his sister and mother fought (legal battles!) and after their mother's death, the two siblings didn't have much else to do with one another.

We would like to know how to go about finding information on the ship Excelsior which was of Swedish registry. The captain retired from the sea, but we have no knowledge of what happened to the ship. We understand that he sold the ship, but don't know anything beyond that. We have heard that a painting was made of the Excelsior, but have been unable to determine what happened to it.

We are aware of about two dozen families across the U.S. with the Bjorkgren name, and would like to know if any of them might be related. We understand there are some families whose name was changed after arriving in the U.S. There is also interest in discovering more about the origin of the family name.

We are also deeply interested in discovering if there are any living descendants of Mertie Lavina Bjorkgren, who moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana with her husband A. Luther Hawkins. Mertie had a daughter who married a Craig; the daughter had a daughter (born before 1948, but we don't know how much earlier). Mertie's daughter later married a Spinks.

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Svante Leonard Bjorkgren & Georgiana Kirk Wells




HUSBAND: Svante Leonard BJORKGREN


WIFE: Georgiana Kirk WELLS - married 1882, Ponchatoula,
Tangipahoa Ph., LA



    
CHILDREN:
    
  1. Svante Johanna BJORKGREN;
    born 27 Sep 1883, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    died 14 Jan 1914, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    buried Wetmore Cem., Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA

    
  2. Alfred Leonard BJORKGREN;
    born 3 Oct 1885, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    died 17 Dec 1925, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    buried Wetmore Cem., Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA

    
  3. William Wells BJORKGREN;
    born 25 Mar 1887, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    died 16 Jul 1982, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    buried Wetmore Cem., Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA

    
  4. Mertie Lavina BJORKGREN;
    born Jul 1888, Ponchatoula, Tangipahoa Ph., LA;
    died poss. Lake Charles, LA







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