Fearless Females: March 9 ~ Hilda's Declaration of Intention

Lisa Alzo, author of The Accidental Genealogist blog, has once again presented us with the opportunity to honor our "fearless female" ancestors by providing 31 blogging prompts for the month of March.

Blogging Prompt for March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

Hilda Maria Carlsson Gillberg

On August 12, 1939 in Los Angeles, California, my great-grandmother, Hilda Maria (Carlsson) Gillberg, signed a Declaration of Intention¹ to become a United States citizen.  According to this document, Hilda was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden on February 17, 1878.  She and her husband, Carl Albert Gillberg, were married on April 3, 1901 in Eskilstuna, Sweden.  Carl was born in Stockholm, Sweden on January 8, 1882.

Hilda Gillberg's Declaration of Intention
From Ancestry.com
(See Footnote)

Hilda and her mother, Karin Johnsson Carlsson joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sweden.  They decided to come to America.  Carl agreed.  Karen emigrated from Sweden to the United States several years before Carl and Hilda.  The 1910 census states Karen's year of immigration as 1891.

Carl, along with two of Hilda and Carl's three daughters, emigrated from Sweden to the United States next.  Hilda and Naomi, the youngest daughter, stayed behind in Sweden.  Carl entered the United States at Chicago, Illinois on September 18, 1909.  Karen, Hilda, and Carl all worked to earn the money needed for Hilda and Naomi to immigrate to America.

This document states that Hilda entered the United States at Sault St. Marie, Michigan on July 4, 1910 on the Canadian Pacific Railway.  At last, the family could be together again!

On the date this Declaration was signed, Hilda was residing in Los Angeles, California.  The document also states that Hilda had eight children and provides the names, birth dates and birthplaces for each of them.  Also mentioned is that these children were all residing in Los Angeles, California at the time this document was signed by Hilda in 1939.

1. Margaret Gillberg –  Born July 20, 1902 in Sweden
2. Naomi Gillberg – Born October 4, 1907 in Sweden
3. Ruth Gillberg – Born June 17, 1911 in Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Ingrid Gillberg – Born November 5, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah (my grandmother)
5. Helen – Born September 4, 1915 in Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Ida – Born October 26, 1916 in Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Edith – Born October 26, 1916 in Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Ruby – Born July 15, 1910 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Hilda actually had ten children.  She didn't list the other two, Judith Maria and Carl Martin.  Judith was the oldest child and died in 1914 in Salt Lake City, Utah and Carl died in Sweden when he was only a little over a year old.  Hilda must have only listed her eight surviving children.

Hilda became a United States citizen on November 20, 1942.  I have her Certificate of Naturalization which is contained in one of my Grandma Ingrid's Books of Remembrance.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last 
 

---

1 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940; Microfilm Serial: M1524; Microfilm Roll: 55. Ancestry.com. U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.^↩