The Question of the Two Mabels

I have not been working on the family database or blog for a long long time. I got some information from Dave Vangsness about a year ago, and still I did not write anything up about this. Sorry Dave. I hope I can get it straight today! And today, as I write, it is July 3rd, the day that one of the Mabels died in 1947!

We had not answered the question of the two Mabels. The Mabel who is Rueben's sister, who married Adolph and the gravestone marked Mabel that Dave Vangsness found in near the Vangsness family plot.

Mabel #1

The unknown Mabel. Dave Vangsness found a gave stone near the Vangsness family plot only market Mabel. Her birth date was 1903 and her death date was 1983. She is Mabel #1.

Who is this first Mabel???  We could not find any record of her, but there she was near the Vangsness family plot. It was a mystery!

a) According to the grave stone was born 1903 and died 1983

    http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=80803099

Mabel #2

Mabel Reuben Agnes Arthur Ester Ellen Mom Dad Sjoquist

Then there is the Mabel we know all about. Reuben Sjoquist Married Lydia Vangsness in 1927. Reuben had a sister named Mabel Elizabeth Sjoquist, born born May 13, 1896 and died July 3rd, 1947 at the age of 51. She had married Adolph B. Vangsness in September 1925. She is Mabel #2.

b) Here is a link the Sjoquist-Vansness Family Tree on the Blog:

    http://minfamilien.blogspot.jp/2012/06/sjoquist-vangsness-family-tree.html

c) You can zoom this link to see the family tree better:

    http://www.etown.co.jp/SjoquistVangsnessFamily.jpeg

d) Here  is a link to the family tree database showing Mabel Elizabeth:

    http://www.etown.co.jp/Vangsness/wc01/wc01_022.htm

We all wondered about this for some time.

Then....

On July 21, 2013 Dave Vangsness solved the mystery!

Here he speaks in his own words:

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June 21, 2013

Hi, 

I figured out the mystery of the two Mabels. And it only took a year!

Mabel #1 (1903-1983) is actually Mabel Sjoblom.  The Sjoblom and Sjoquist plots are right next to each other with Mabel's marker closer to the Sjoquist family marker so that's where the confusion came about.  I confirmed it with the directory at the cemetery.  What's interesting is that Mabel #1's mother (Anna Sophis Olivia Sjoquist Sjoblom 1871-1930) and Mabel #2's father (Carl Oscar Sjoquist 1861-1939) are siblings so the Mabels are first cousins. 

Dave

June 22, 2013 

The original problem was that there were two Mabel's at the cemetery that both seemed to be in the Sjoquist plot.  We knew that one was Mabel Sjoquist Vangsness who was married to Adolph Vangsness but we didn't know who the other one was. The other Mabel turns out to be a Sjoblom, not a Sjoquist. The confusion was that the plots are right next to each other and it looked like she was a Sjoquist. I've corrected her name on Find A Grave. I was at the cemetery the other day taking some photos and checked the directory  and noticed where I had gotten it wrong originally.

Dave

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So, there you have it. Mabel #1 is really Mabel Sjobelom. Her father was Claus O. Sjoblom and her mother was Anna Sophia Sjoquist Sjoblom. But the two Mabels are first cousins! So she is family after all!

The Sjoquist - Vangsness Family Tree

Thanks to all the work by Dave Vangsness on Find a Grave, I have input all the Sjoquist Family data that is listed there. I had not really noticed that he had so much information available online until recently. I will update the Vangsness Family Tree Database too.

You can see the chart online here. Sometimes it is easier to zoom in on these charts via these links:
Sjoquist-Vangsness Family Tree Chart.

You can see the start of the Sjoquist Family Data here at this link.

Two Grandpas

I wonder what Grandpa Sjoquist's full name is? And who is Sarah below?? Don't you just love these old photos. They speak for themselves!!

Grandpa Sjoquist, Phillis, Dolly, Grandpa John E Vangsness

Olga and Sarah

Some New Photos

The daughter of Dolly and John Olson, Sue Olson, has kindly sent me some more photos.

Back left: Mabel, Rueben, Agnes, Arthur

Front: Esther, Ellen, Mom, Dad Sjoquist

Adolph Vangsness

Adolph, 1925

New wedding photo of Adolph and Mabel

Adolph Vangsness 1955

Dolly Vangsness, High School Graduation, 1944

Adolph and Dolly, 1962

Some Photos of Alfred and Sally Vangsness at Family Functions

Alfred and Sally's Wedding Photo

Alfred and Sally attend Adolph & Mabel's Wedding

Alfred and Sally with their children: John, Stanley and David.

Alfred and Sally at Lydia and Reuben's Wedding

Sally, Lydia, Reuben and Alfred at Lydia's 50th Wedding Anniversary

Lydia Vangsness as a young woman

Lydia was raised as a daughter of John E. Vangness, but she is actually the daughter of Ida, who died in 1903 in child birth. Lydia was, of course, that child.
Here are some photos of Lydia as a young girl and woman.

Could this be Lydia's Confirmation Photo?

Lydia & Unni, who raised the Vangsness children

Lydia as a grown woman.

Lydia loved those round eye glasses!

Formal photo of Lydia

My mother told me that Lydia did not know about the circumstances of her birth or what happened to her real mother. She must have thought it odd, that everyone else's mother, Synneve Berge, John E.'s wife, had died in 1891. My mother said she was told some time before her wedding to Reuben Sjoquist. Lydia immediately told Reuben. Reuben is reported to have said something like this: "Oh that! I have known that for years. It makes no difference to me! Everyone knows."

Here is the Sjoquist Farm in Goodhue, Minnesota, where Lydia and Reuben lived. Phyllis, Robert and Don were raised here.

Sjoquist Farm

Lydia Vangsness

Lydia

Lydia is the daughter of Ida Vangness and was raised as one of the sisters by her grandfather John Vangsness. She was born 5.26.1903, the same year her mother died and she died 5.12.1974. Reuben Sjoquist, her husband, was born 1898 and died 1974.

Lydia as a young girl

Lydia is married to Reuben Sjoquist in September 24, 1927

Group wedding photo

Lydia Sjoquist, her husband, Reuben, and Unni Vangsness

Ida Vangsness

Ida Vangsness

Ida died as a young woman, perhaps around 23. She was survived by her daughter, Lydia. She was born 1880 and died 1903.

Ida at 15

Ida, at 15, looked very mature and grown up.

Does anyone have any other photos of Ida, perhaps when she was older or much younger?

Unni Vangsness

Unni

She was born 6.12.1877 and died 3.30.1976.

Unni as a young woman

Lydia, Reuben, Unni

Unni and Nellie

Adolph B. Vangsness Wedding Photos

As I know more about our relatives, I will add stories, but right  now, for the most part, all I have is photos.

John Vangsness and his wife, Synnova Berge Vangsness, had ten children, three having died in infancy and two older daughters, Severina and Ida, who died as young adults. His five surviving children were; Alfred, Adolph, Unnie, Olga, and Nellie. He also raised Lydia, the daughter of Ida.

Adolph

Adolph lived in St. Paul. He was the youngest of John and Synnova's surviving children.
He was born 2.10.1890, died 9.9.1978.
Mabel Sjoquist Vangsness was born 5.13.1896 and died 7.3.1947.

Adolph & Mabel Sjoquist Vangsness Wedding Photo

Group photo

If you know any of the people in this photo, please let me know.

Where were they married and when?