Justus Henry Frisk ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8}

   Cause of his death was acute peritonitis.

   Another name for Justus was Justus Henric Frisk.

  General Notes:

The marriage record from Boston in 1902 shows his name as "Justin Henrick Frisk" which may have been the original Swedish spelling or close American pronunciation. It may have been changed to "Justus Henry" just to further conform to traditional American spelling.
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Email received 19 Nov 2013 from Christoffer Lööf Ljunglund :

Hello again!

It's nice that we've been able to get in contact with each other after more than 100 years since Justus went to America.

When it comes to more information about Justus I'm afraid that I don't personally have it. I haven't done the research but I have a deep interest in my family's history and my knowledge of the English language has led to me leading the contacts with you. I will ask my grandmother about further information about Justus, Ottiliana and Hilda, but I'm afraid we might be falling short there as well. My grandmother recalls her mother seldom speaking about her brothers that went to America. This is maybe a reason why we thought that the genealogy had ended in America.

Yes, I said brothers earlier. According to the information that I have the younger brother of Justus - Gustaf Arthur Frisk - also went to America (but perhaps a couple of years later). We do not know what happened to him and if there would be any possible descendants.

Västergötland is a province of Sweden and it's where the Frisk family is coming from. In this sense the information is correct, but I will ask my grandmother about Justus city or village of birth. For information about the wedding I'm afraid I'll need to get back to you about that as well.

Under the photo of Märta and Ottiliana you first have a name "Bror Malmqvist" this is probably the name of the photographer which took the photo. The other word "Skillingaryd" is the name of a town located in the province of Småland. This is probably the place where the photograph was taken. So apparently a man named Bror Malmqvist had a photography store in Skillingaryd.

We've been able to trace the ancestors of Justus (and us) to the mid-18th century. Do you want all of these names? We can at least start with Justus closest family.

Johan Frisk (1849-1922) and Maria Larsdotter-Ahlin (1852-1922) were the parents of Justus Henric Frisk (1877-1949) the first child of six.

- Their first daughter, Anna Serafina Sundin Frisk (1881-1938), had seven children and I'm sure there are plenty of descendants of her in Sweden but as far as I know we do not have contact with them.

- Their second son, Gustaf Arthur Frisk (1884-1947), is the one who's supposed to have gone to America as well.

- Their third son, Karl Gideon Frisk (1888-1889), only lived to be 11 months.

- Their fourth son, Nils Sixtus Gideon Frisk (1891-1892), only lived to be 10 months.

- Their second daughter, Nanny Alma Dorothea Ahlin (born frisk, 1893-1959) is my great-grandmother.

I will try to get a hold of more information and I know that my grandmother has more pictures of Justus. Let me know if there's anything else you, or the Rentons, would like to know.

In case you already didn't know the meaning of it I can explain the name Frisk for you. "Frisk" is a Swedish word which means "Healthy" this is a typical soldier name. Soldiers often got new names when they were recruited. The names were short and described something about the person. Other examples of solider names are Tapper (Brave), Stark (Strong) and Lustig (Funny).

I'll get back to you when I've spoken with my grandmother. Till then I would find it very interesting to find out where the family is located at the moment. I know that Rockford might have been Justus' first place of resident but what happened with the family after that?

Best regards

Christoffer Lööf Ljunglund
Uppsala, Sweden.
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  Death Notes:

Illinois State Archives: Online Death Certificates 1916-1950:
Name: Frisk, Justus Henry
Sex: M/W
Age: Y-72
Certificate #: 0039445
Date: 1949-09-10
County: Winnebago
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The Death Certificate indicates that Justus' "usual occupation" was "Operator - Service Station". After his failed milk dairy delivery business, Justus later owned or operated a typical "gas station".

The Death Certificate also indicates that his father's and mother's names are "unknown" but both were born in Sweden. As with all Death Certificates, this type of information is provided by a surviving informant, who may or may not know all of the details. In this case, the informant was his son, Walter, who lived in nearby Durand, Illinois.

The cause of death was listed as acute peritonitis following a perforation of the rectum by carcinoma following a four day hospital stay in Swedish American hospital. The carcinoma was diagnosed two months previous. He also suffered from chronic myocarditis and chronic bronchitis.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Wilbur-Christenson Funeral Home in Rockford.
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  Burial Notes:

Justus, his wife Ottiliana, and other members of the Frisk family are all buried near each other in Arlington Cemetery in Rockford. There is one large family headstone with the word FRISK on it and buried in front of that stone are Justus, Otilliana, their son, and other Frisk family members that I have yet to identify.

According to the cemetery office in June 2013, the following Frisks are buried at Arlington:
- Justus Frisk (husband)
- Ottiliana Frisk (wife)
- Walter John (son)
- Fred (aka Henry, son of Walter Frisk)
- Frieda (wife of Walter Frisk)
- Frisk Infant (probably the stillborn baby of Walter and Frieda Frisk born in 1931)
- Gustav Arthur
- Joseph
- Kenneth Joseph
- Linne T.
- Mae E.
- Nona H.
- Pearl M.
- Thomas
- Bertha L.
- Charles
- Donald
- Esther O.

It is not known if any of these others are related to Justus.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He immigrated in 1901.
^{1 3}

• He was naturalized on 5 September 1906 in Rockford, IL.
¹ Name: Justus Frisk
Event: Naturalization
Event Place: Rockford, Illinois
Event Date: 1906
Birthplace: Sweden
NARA Publication Title: Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for U.S. District & Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950
NARA Publication Number: M1285
NARA Roll Number: 57
Film Number: 1432057
Digital Folder Number: 004641001
Image Number: 06565
Source Citation
"Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index, 1840-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XKLR-MNL : accessed 26 July 2012), Justus Frisk, 1906.
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.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in New Milford Township, Winnebago, IL on 28 April 1910. ¹

1910 US Census
Sheet 6B, District 149, Family 134, Roll 336
New Milford Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
North Norence (?) Street; Farm rented
married 9 years
Justus H. Frisk..Self..33..SWEDEN..Immig.1901..Naturalized..General Farming
(Living with wife and 2 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 13 Jul 1877, then his age should have been 32 instead of 33.
.

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Rockford, IL on 8 January 1920. ²

1920 US Census
Sheet 9A, District 183, Family 225, Roll 416, Ward 2
Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
809 First Avenue; home owned, with mortgage
Justice H. Frisk..Self..42..SWEDEN..Immig. 1901..Nat. 1906..Milk dealer, dairy
(Living with wife and 2 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Rockford Township, Winnebago County, IL on 19 April 1930. ³

1930 US Census
Sheet 6B, District 62, Dwelling 121, Family 124, Roll 572
Rockford Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
Prairie Road; home owed, $8000
Gustus H. Frisk..Head..52..Västergötland, SWEDEN..Immig 1901..Naturalized..Carpenter, Building
(Living with wife and 1 son.)
.

• He appeared on the 1940 US Census in Rockford Township, Winnebago County, IL on 26 April 1940. ⁶

1940 US Census
Sheet 13B, District 101-82, Family 233, Roll 915
Rockford Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
RR 7; house rented $5
Residence in 1935: Same House
Justus Frisk..Head..62..SWEDEN..Widowed..8th grade..Attendant, Oil station, own station..Naturalized..worked 52 weeks in 1939

(Justus was widowed and living alone.)
.

• He resided at South Main Road (Route #7) in 1942 in Rockford, IL.
⁵

• Justus Henry Frisk registered for WW II Draft: 1942, Rockford, IL.

⁵

• Photo: Justus Frisk Gas Station on Sourth Main Street, Abt 1945, Rockford, IL. This undated photograph shows an un-identified woman with a dog at the front door. In the back of the station is what appears to be a very small residence which is probably where Justus was living by himself at the time.
.

• He worked as an Operator Service Station in 1949. ⁴

• He resided in Shirland, IL in 1949.
⁴

• He was buried on 12 September 1949 in the Arlington Memorial Park Cemetery in Rockford, IL.

Find A Grave Memorial #107626824. ^{4 8}

Justus married Ottiliana Ruckman, daughter of Gustaf Ruckman and Josefina Bald, on 9 October 1902 in Boston, MA.^{1 2 3} (Ottiliana Ruckman was born on 19 February 1879 in Elsboogo, Lan, SWEDEN,⁹ died on 21 May 1934 in Rockford, IL ^{9 10} and was buried on 23 May 1934 in Rockford, IL ⁹.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in New Milford Township, Winnebago, IL on 28 April 1910. ¹

1910 US Census
Sheet 6B, District 149, Family 134, Roll 336
New Milford Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
North Norence (?) Street; Farm rented
married 9 years
Justus H. Frisk..Self..33..SWE..Immig.1901..Naturalized..General Farming
Otillie Frisk..Wife..30..SWE..Immig. 1902..4/2
Hilda Frisk..Dau..7..IL
Walter Frisk..Son..7m..IL
.

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Rockford, IL on 8 January 1920. ²

1920 US Census
Sheet 9A, District 183, Family 225, Roll 416, Ward 2
Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
809 First Avenue; home owned, with mortgage
Justice H. Frisk..Self..42..SWE..Immig. 1901..Nat. 1906..Milk dealer, dairy
Ottilliana Frisk..Wife..39..SWE..Immig. 1902..Nat. 1906
Hilda Frisk..Dau..18..SWE..Immig. 1902..Packer, knitting factory
Walter Frisk..Son..10..IL
.

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Rockford Township, Winnebago County, IL on 19 April 1930. ³

1930 US Census
Sheet 6B, District 62, Dwelling 121, Family 124, Roll 572
Rockford Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
Prairie Road; home owed, $8000
Gustus H. Frisk..Head..52..Västergötland, SWE..Immig 1901..Naturalized..Carpenter, Building
Ottihiana Frisk..Wife..50..Västergötland, SWE..Immig 1902.. Naturalized
Walter J. G. Frisk..Son..20..IL..Meter Man, Electric Co.
.

  Marriage Notes:

Some relatives have suggested that Hilda Frisk was born in Sweden to an apparently unwed mother, Ottiliana Ruckman. They also allege that church records in Sweden indicate that the name of the father is unknown. They further state that Hilda was about three years old when she was accompanied by her mother to the U.S. and that her unmarried mother was accompanied by Justus Frisk on the voyage. Others have thought that the mother didn't meet Justus until after she arrived in the US. However, no copies of any such documents have ever been produced.

The 1910 US Census record for Otilliana and Justus Frisk clearly indicate that they were married in 1901 and that Justus emigrated to the U.S. by himself in 1901. Ottiliana and young baby Hilda in her arms, followed Justus to the U.S. less than one year later, arriving in 1902.

There is a marriage record in Boston, Massachusetts dated 9 Oct 1902 for Justus Henry Frisk and Ottiliana Ruckman thus it appears that as soon as she arrived in the US they were wed not long after. So maybe they were never married in Sweden but as soon as Ottiliana came over to the US with the baby Hilda, they were almost immediately married here in the US. Thus, when the 1910 US Census was taken in Illinois, they showed that they were married for 9 years (technically it was only 8 years but sometimes those numbers got rounded up or down a little).

The 1910 Census incorrectly shows the birth location of Hilda to be in Illinois and not Sweden. However, the 1920 and 1930 Census shows the birth location of Hilda to be Sweden so a little bit of the controversy still remains.

Finally, there is a Baptism document from Sweden which provides the mother's name as Ottiliana Ruckman and the daughter as Hilda Cecilia Ruckman, born 22 Nov 1901 in Älvsborg, SWEDEN. This document would seem to prove that although Hilda's birth was illegitimate, her mother came almost immediately to the US to join Justus Frisk where they were married in Massachusetts in 1902.
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Name: Justus H. Frisk
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 09 Oct 1902
Event Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Birth Year (Estimated): 1877
Father's Name: Johan Frisk
Mother's Name: Maria Ahlin
Spouse's Name: Otiliana Ruckman
Spouse's Father's Name: Gustaf Ruckman
Spouse's Mother's Name: Josefina Bald
Certificate Number: 64
GS Film number: 2057587

Digital Folder Number: 4267381
Image Number: 00105
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