Unsolved Mysteries
David Julius Carlson was a very talented engraver.  He originally emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, but later moved to Florida.  We were told many stories about how he became quite wealthy.  He became involved in illegal activities that involved forging documents.  It is known that he was sent to prison in Georgia and died after being in prison less than one month.  I was told that his prison records had been detroyed.

He married, Ella Valentine Pollard in 1912 in Florida.   David did not have  any children.
Anna Gustava Carlson emigrated to New York city, New York.  She married Franz Lindquist in 1897  and had two children.  My grandmother remembers visiting the family, but cannot remember the names of the children.  It is thought that this is a picture of Anna's daughter.

I have found the family in the 1900, 1910, 1920 & 1930 census records.  Carl Lindquist was born in 1900 in Connecticutt  & Anna was born in 1904 in Conecticutt.  Sometime after 1904 they moved to Bronx, New York.
Front row: Johan Wilhelm Nyman (John William "Bill" Nyman) & Karl August ( Charles A "Charley" Nye)  Back Row:  Mrs Anderson, her son Paul Anderson & Karl August's daughter, Anna Mae.
Uncle Bill never married.  My grandmother always said that Paul Anderson was Uncle Bill's son.  The two brothers, Bill & Charley,  seem to have visited each other once a year and  Mrs Anderson and her son are in every picture.  In the 1910, 1920 & 1930 U S Federal Census, Bill is living as a boarder in the house of Peter and Anna Anderson and their sons, Charles, Arthur and Paul.  It seems odd that Mrs Anderson and Paul are in every picture because  Mr Anderson and two other sons are also living in the home.

It is difficult to trace the immigrants because of the inability of Americans to understand the names of the immgrants.   The following is how Uncle Bill's name appeared in the US Federal Census records:

1900  William Newman
1910   William Nyman
1920   John Niman
1930   John W Nyman

Uncle Bill was born Johan Wilhelm Karl's son.  He moved to Stockholm and began using the name of Johan Wilhelm Nyman.  In the U. S.  he used the name "Bill", but he usually signed his name as J W Nyman.  The Swedish pronounceiation of Nyman is Newman.











David Carlson engraved this watch.  It says Memoires to Adolph from Brother David.
There are many mysteries about David's life.  He married Ella Valentine (Pollard) Grooms in 1912 in Florida.  She was the widow of Benjamin Grooms.  Benjamin had been the Mayor of Palatka, Florida.  In the 1915 Palatka City Directory Ella is listed as Mrs. D.J. Carlson, but David is not listed.  In the 1920 Federal Census for Palatka, Florida Ella is recorded as Ella Carlson, widow.  

Where was David?  Was he traveling about spreading his forged obligations or was in spending time in jail?  I have never found David in any census records.

It is interesting to note that David died of stomach cancer when he age 54.  His brother, Charles Nye, also died of stomach cancer at the age of 54.
This is the Grooms lot in the Palatka Cemetery.  The picture above shows Ella's grave and that of  her first husband Benjamin.  The  picture to the left  shows a very large empty lot on the right of Benjamin's grave.  The cemetery records show that there is a body buried here that has no marker.  The cemetery records state that David J Carlson is buried in this cemetery. 
David J. Carlson age 40 married Mrs. Ella V. Grooms age 59 in Duval, Florida on 28 November 1912.  They seem to have had a strange marriage, but Ella paid to have David's body shipped back to Palatka and buried in the Grooms family lot.
Mary Murphy is the Putnam County Archivist.  She went to the Westview Cemetery in Palatka, Florida and took the pictures of the Grooms Lot.   I really appreciate all the trouble she went through.
Paul W. Anderson Jr.  
This is the son of Paul W. Anderson.  There is a marked resemblance between him and some of our Swedish cousins.  John William Nyman returned to Sweden.  Paul W. Anderson Sr. was notified of his death by the Swedish consulate.  They referred to Paul as a friend.
Carl Alfred Lindquist was born 24 July 1900 in Stamford, Connecticut.  
This is a postcard that Paul Anderson sent to my grandmother.  He is always referred to as a friend.  He calls Ellen friend and not cousin.  I believe he was never acknowledged as being the son of Johan Vilhelm,