John Peter Wennersten, born about 1858 in Sweden

Hi,

I am looking for ANY leads on this person.

--John Peter Wennersten

--born about 1858 in Sweden

--emigrated to U.S. by 1876 or earlier (based on his naturalization under a minor petition, which means he came by age 18)

--married in the U.S. about 1884 to Sara Maja Andersdotter (Sarah Marie Anderson), who was born 12 May 1862 in Tjärtakan, Frändefors, Älvsborg, Sweden). I can find no information on where they married. They are not listed in the Cook County, Illinois, marriage registers.

--naturalized in Chicago 1 April 1886? (index is difficult to read) with misspelled name of John P. Wannerstein.

--found in Chicago City Directories for these years. He didn't seem to continually live in Chicago, so I need some clues as to where he might have lived at other times.

1887: Wennersten, John Peter, machinist, h. rear 44 Hill
1890: Wennersten, John P., machinist, h. 635 W. 19th
1891: Wennersten, I.P., machinist, h. 1904 S. Oakley
1893: Wennersten, John P., machinist, h. 703 W. 14th
1897: Wennersten, John P., machinist, h. 751 W. 22nd

John Peter Wennersten had two children with Sara. According to what my mother told me, they were boys and both died young. By the 1900 U.S. Federal Census in Chicago, Sarah Wennersten was found living with her sister's family in Chicago. She was listed as being married 16 years (but it is possible that she was a widow. The writing was very difficult to read) and she had two children but none were living. There was no sign of John Peter Wennersten.

I found the birth of the second child of Sara in the Cook County (Illinois) Register of Births for June-Nov. 1890. Vennersten is a variation of the name Wennersten.

Vennersten, Gilbert (or Gilberth?), born 20 June 1890, second child of the mother, born at 635 19th, ward 10, father was Swedish, father was 32 years old, father was Peter Vennersten.

I can find no evidence of the birth of the first child in the registries for Cook County, but of course the registrations were not compulsory back then. The deaths of the first child, the second child Gilbert, and the father John Peter Wennersten, are not listed in the Chicago Register of Deaths from 1871-1933 or the Illinois State Death Index, which covers the years from 1916-1950.

His wife, Sarah, remarried to my grandfather in 1905, and my mother was her third and final child.

I wish to learn:

1) where he and the children died and were buried
2) the identity of the first child
3) when and where John Peter and Sarah were married
4) where he came from in Sweden and information about his family

I understand that this board is brand new and I am mainly posting to advertise. :-) His name is relatively uncommon and I am interested also in anyone with Wennerstens who lived in Chicago. There were very few of them, and I have a listing from the directories of every one I can find.

Judy Olson Baouab