D'accord. Like a lot of Janssons, Jonssons, Jensens and Johanssons originally from Scandinavia did after they settled in America, it is possible that August Johansson anglicized his surname to Johnson. On the
Titanic for example, there were 2 separate Swedish survivors named Carl Jansson and Karl Jonsson from Malmo and Orebro respectively. Both were strappling young men in their early 20s and travelling as 3rd Class passengers, but not together. Carl Jansson definitely was one of the bedraggled survivors of the waterlogged Collapsible A; Karl Jonsson's lifeboat is less certain but thought to be #15. Both men gave accounts of their survival to newspapers, which while being different, were close enough to get mixed-up. Carl Jansson settled down in Nebraska and Karl Jonsson eventually in Oregon; completely unbeknown to each other, at some stage both men changed their names to Carl Johnson.
Arun I like the sound of your narrative on the focal point of Anglicizing. To push the boundaries further I am forced to make radical changes as one researcher has already made the claimant that the Johnson family suffered a major lost of losing three children before the arrival of the 1911 Census. If this is the set course of the masters-crafting a little fantasy world of catching me out, leading to orchestrate the temptation of letting loss a few more of the home secrets, then the attempt I’m afraid has failed miserably. I can, with all the evidence I possess, quite cartographically confirm that the Johnson family didn’t loss three before the arrival of the 1911 Census, they as a family actually lost two. One died randomly in infancy before the 1911 Census, whilst the youngest born in 1912 died as a teenager shortly after the 1911 Census. One is buried at Southampton whilst the other is buried at Portsmouth.
A word of warning – I am eagerly awaiting for more of the global correspondence to anxiously arrive that could lead to a much greater chance of uniting the families on both side of the pond. Leave well alone please, standing as a frontage, is the virtual of patience.
That said I can now give you Arun the full attention.
One of them - it is not certain which - contacted Walter Lord about circumstances of his survival and this is described in the book A Night To Remember. I hastily smiled at your wisdom
– it is not certain which – very wise, and very sensible, and to follow the best line of advise, if the interpretation is doubtful, then leave well alone.
It is possible that August Johansson anglicized his surname to Johnson. I am forced to intervene with a correction and public announce “not Johansson” but the correct spelling on the marriage certificate clearly states “
Johanson” spelt with an “A” and not a double “SS” revealing (Johanson).
August’s nationality seems to be pointing more at Denmark or possibly Sweden. A slight fault becomes highly noticeable with the marriage certificate and later becomes a juxtaposition, on one side we are spared by the availability of the fathers name: Henry Johanson (Deceased). Where exactly his place of burial is registered remains a close book as I haven’t got the foggiest ideal on where to look either with one of the Scandinavian counties or possibly with the United States.
On the other side of the spectrum brings a slight hesitation of using the gambit of decoding, or else as I did searching the forums of Ancestry for any birth leads for August. The giveaway turns at the British Census for 1910 as August along with the rest of the family are all found at Southampton. Here comes the twist – August’s place of birth is registered at New York City of New York State. Equally I’ve now abandon any chance of rapidly gaining the upper-hand of ever knowing August’s rightful date of birth. He remains a bit of a mystery like a few of the others but one day that mystery will come-forth and be answered.
Meanwhile the marriage certificate does formulate your suggestion of Anglicization. Both August and Blanche were married at the Southampton registry Office, and this is where the surname of Johanson is crossed out and replaced with Johnson. The unit of this married couple found them both co-habiting at the same place of abode in Southampton. This area of the nineteen thirties underwent a racial form of new developments with new housing along with a small sector of flats (apartment in the U. S). During the heavily air raids of 1940 this are was badly hit by the full fury of Hitler’s bombs’.
All I all I hope I’ve answered some of your questions, if you’re tempted to ask for more then fell free to ask with the tactful mind of exceptions please.
