At sometime in his youth, Elias lost his lower right arm in a farm accident in Sweden and later wore a hook prosthesis. This was a story I first heard from Grandpa (Clinton James) Christopher [2497], but which was confirmed in the original Swedish records [71] ("Lost the right arm through accident occurrence"). The record also labeled him a “cripple” and incredibly, the same record also revealed that his sister, Bengta, lost her left arm in an accident (she remained in Sweden and never married).

Elias Jönsson, at the age of 18, obtained a work certificate (Arbetsbetyg) and left Mjällby, Blekinge, Sweden, on May 6, 1885. He first traveled to the Swedish port of Malmö and on 18 May 1885 [8529], boarded an unidentified ship bound for Copenhagen (it is not known whether he traveled to Malmö by land or sea). There he boarded the ship Thingvalla, under Captain Laub, which made additional stops in Norway before heading to New York. It is not clear what date the ship left Copenhagen, but it left Christiania (Oslo), Norway, May 19, 1885. He arrived at Castle Garden immigration center on June 2, 1885 [134] (this was before Ellis Island opened); today it is known as Castle Clinton and is the place where you buy tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. He almost got sent back to Sweden because of the prosthetic on his right arm. But somehow Elias was able to demonstrate to the immigration officials his ability to work. Grandpa's story was that his father grabbed a horse-drawn cart and showed that he could drive it. Elias made his way from New York to Minneapolis, where he changed his name to Eli Christopher. Eli's oldest brother, Christoffer Jönsson, had been the first of that family to arrive in Minneapolis (1873) and it is believed he was responsible for setting the precedent of using "Christopher" as the family name and thereby he became John Christopher. "Christopher" first appeared in our family as the first name of my GGG-Grandfather, Christopher Jönsson (b.1806). In addition to John and Eli, their brother, Knut, and sister, Pella, also emigrated to the U.S. and adopted the surname, Christopher. Eli worked in Minneapolis for three years to earn passage for his fiancée, Annette Lång. She was from the village of Näsum, Kristianstad, Sweden. By modern roads, this is a distance of about 26 km (16 miles) from Mjällby. On August 17, 1888, she left home and made her way to the port of Malmö and traveled by an unknown ship to England, where she transferred to the S.S. Arizona. One common route in those days was from Sweden to the British port of Kingston upon Hull and from there by train to Liverpool, which is in fact the port from which the S.S. Arizona departed. She arrived at Castle Garden on September 18, 1888, having just turned 21 three days before. Eli & Annette were married in Minneapolis on December 15, 1888. Although Annette did not change her name the way Eli had, she had a habit of spelling her name as "Anneth" ("Annath" on the marriage certificate), though since it appears that way in the passenger list of the S.S. Arizona, it may be that was a tradition she brought with her. Annette's brother, Carl Wilhem Lång also left Sweden, becoming Charles Lang in California (I first met the descendants of Charles in 1976 in Turlock, California).

An interesting (and illustrated) story about the immigrant experience at Castle Garden, transcribed from an original 1890 periodical, can be found at this website:

https://norwayheritage.com/castle-garden.htm

See also this illustration of Castle Garden and Manhattan in 1880:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Clinton#/media/File:Castle_Garden_aerial_view_ca1880.jpg

And an illustrated history of Castle Garden at:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/before-ellis-island-existed-castle-garden-welcomed-houdini-and-typhoid-mary

His application for citizenship dated 18-OCT-1888 [1395], gives the arrival date as 11-MAY-1885 which obviously conflicts with the arrival date of the Thingvalla. Perhaps it was the date he boarded the ship.

An interesting footnote to the story of Eli’s emigration is the discovery that his departure from Mjällby, in 1885, had not been officially recorded in the parish’s “moving out” register. The details of his departure on a work certificate are only mentioned as a comment in the Household Examination records. Those same records though do include a cross-reference to the moving-out register for the year 1893, eight years after he actually emigrated. However on closer inspection, it turns out that this was actually a clerical procedure for dealing with persons who left the parish without announcing their destination, and therefore were declared “absent.” That moving out register listed a total of nine persons who were “moved” to the “Absent List” on the same day, November 9, 1893. There apparently was a provision for amending that register if they ever found out the destination of anyone declared absent. In this case they only learned the destination of one of the nine (not Elias), which was scribbled in later. [2977], [2979]

Eli worked for Glenwood Water and Fuel Co. in Minneapolis [3453, p.20 & 348], as a teamster, driving horse-drawn vehicles. He was killed when his horse kicked him in the head. [30]

The 1900 census [802], shows a “Malinda JOHNSON” (born Jan. 1886, Minnesota), living with the Christopher family, but with no relationship recorded. She was, as I was told, a foster child and was about 12 years older than Clinton J. CHRISTOPHER. The 1895 Minnesota State Census lists her as Melinda, daughter of C. A. JOHNSON, in Crystal Lake Twp., Hennepin Co., Minnesota. She later married Alexander “Aleck” SNELLMAN. The Minnesota marriage index [1468], lists a Hennepin County marriage, 10-JUN-1914, between Alexander SNELLMAN and Victoria JOHNSON (certificate # 01740144). She died in 1973, and her gravestone bears the name “Melinda V. Snellman” [1498, MEMORIAL# 151443862] and the Minnesota Death Index gives her middle name as “Victoria.” A 1934 photo of the couple also has her name spelled “Melinda.” In 1910, she was no longer in the Christopher household, but the 1920 census shows Aleck & Melinda living in Minneapolis, and Clinton Christopher was a boarder in their household. [7968] Melinda had a younger sister named Sigred or Sigrid Hanson (“Sigra JOHNSON” in the 1895 census). It is not known if Sigrid ever was part of the CHRISTOPHER household, as she never appears with them in the census. But I took a photo of them together in 1967. The 1950 census [8654] shows that Melinda and Sigrid were living together in Minneapolis, along with Melinda’s daughter, Marilyn E. SNELLMAN. Melinda at this time was a widow. This census reveals that although Sigrid’s surname at the time was HANSON rather than JOHNSON, she had never married. I would speculate that perhaps she was also a foster or adopted child who took the surname of a family named HANSON.

Possible match in 1910 census: Peter J. PETERSON, age 59, a farmer living in Minnetrista Twp., Hennepin Co., MN (Series: T624  Roll: 699  Page: 230B). Indicates that wife, Marie (age 47), is his 2nd wife. Has a son named “Albin” born Feb 1893 (see 1900 census) in MN (only surviving child of 5). Immigrated in 1882 , also his wife, both are Swedish. Closest match for this marriage in MOMS database, is one for Peter J. PETERSON and Maria JOHNSON, on 14-SEP-1884, in Kandiyohi Co., MN, certificate # C-394. [1468] The 1900 census has this Peter and “Mary” living in Hayes Twp., Swift Co., MN (Series: T623 Roll: 793 Page: 95B). Son Albin was age 7. Peter’s mother, Sigred, age 81, was also living with them. A son, John V(?), born Apr 1883, must be from Peter’s first marriage; only “1/1” children tallied for Mary. In 1920, there was an Albin A. PETERSON, age 28, a boarder, in Minnetrista Twp., (Series: T625 Roll: 839 Page: 130A).

Three sons and three daughters from first marriage. [197]
Official residence at time of death was 3235 16th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN. [198]

Possible match in 1900 census under spelling “Cras Gustofson” in Mamre, Kandiyohi, Minnesota. [907]