More Swedes to the list

I am still searching through some digital sources when searching for those Swedish born soldiers who fought and fell at the Western Front in World War 1.

Right now I am looking through casualty cards from the American Expeditionary Force. I have done this a couple of times, but I am still finding individuals to put in my database, that fulfills my criterias in my research.

During the last two days I have found the two individuals below, with some interesting notes. They are noted as number 356 and 357 in my database.

Albin Fingal

Albin Fingal was born as Albin Erik Fingal in Klara parish, Stockholm, Sweden, in June 21, 1892, and raised by his parents Sofia Wilhelmina Ersdotter and Per Erik Fingal at the farm in Stora Sjögetorp south of Vingåker.

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He went to North Amerika in 1913, and landed in Canada before passing the border to US. He is settled down in Chicago, in the city region Evanston, at Church street, at the same address where his next to kin, Anna Fingal, lives. Anna is mentioned to be his mother, but I assume that Anna may be his wife. it is mentioned in the Swedish church books that Albin worked as a bookbinder, and is noted as abcent from year 1913 to 1916.

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In the Registration card for the American forces, he is mentioned as an alien, and I am not sure if he joins the army as a US citizen or as a individual who still is a Swedish citizen. He joins the 131st Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Brigade, 33rd US Division which is put up from the National Guard in Illinois, and he went to France with his activated unit in May 18.

Albin probably fell in the area of Bois de Chaume in Argonne region in France, after the unit has withdrawn after some successful counterattacks from the enemy. Albin is now buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.

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Maurice Friedstrom

The other Swede that I found is the soldier called Maurice Friedstrom in the casualty card, and he was born in Fristad parish just north of Borås in Sweden as Mauritz Fondelius Johansson Fridström in October 13th, 1890. In the church book and at some other places in some archives it is also mentioned October 30th as his date of birth. He was raised by his parents Anna Karolina Johansdotter and Johan Petter Andersson at the farm Fristads Klockarebol.

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His brother Carl Friedstrom is mentioned as Next of Kin at the casualty card, and the address of the brother is South 17th Street, Fort Dodge. You can see the map in the gallery above. I dont know if Mauritz lived there as well, but it is probable that they tried to stay together.

In the Swedish page at Ancestry it is mentioned by the relatives that he fell in battle, but he became sick and died of that and was initially buried at the American Cemetery in Libourne, Gironde, France, just two days after the Armistice, November 13th, 1918.

Mauritz is today buried at the American Cemetery in Suresnes, France.

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I will now continue to check the material and it is always interesting to find individuals and try to find facts and make a little story about them, they come alive to me in a way, and I think it is important to remember and highlight what our Swedish ancestors did.