The Family Tree
Karl Johan Johansson
Pedigree Chart

As you look through the Pedigree you will notice that there were no family names in historic Swedish culture.  I vaguely remember being told a long time ago that at birth Swedish children received a "given  name" but their last name was a concatenation of the father's given name and either son or dotter, as the case maybe.  (Roger Russellsson would have had a nice ring to it!)  

In addition, our family folklore had said that when great-granddad Karl immigrated he took the name of a farm (Olander) that he had worked on in Sweden as his last name because there were so many Johanssons in the Chicago area.  However, the research  furnished by Judy Olander did not mention an " Olander farm" in Sweden and in-addition, the research indicates that Maria and her siblings all used the same sire name of Elfblad.  

The Chicago Olander folklore has been that Karl had spent some time on the Island of Oland, which is just off the Southeast coast of Sweden and the island was the inspiration for the Olander name.  Judy enlisted the help of a contemporary Swedish cousin to do the research to see if great granddad Karl had a connection with the island.  No connection was found.

We are deeply indebted to Judy Olander (and the Swedish cousin) for all of the historical information down to our father's generation and her tireless proof-reading of this modest effort.  Judith Ann Berthelsen Olander is the wife of Timler Ray Olander, who is the son of one of my father's cousins.  They live in Milwaukee - tolander@wi.rr.com