Jonas     Edwin      Sophia Photo taken August 14, 1884 Clay Center, Kansas	David  Arthur  Sophia  Eskel  George

Jonas and Sophia Sholin

By Virginia Sholin Smallwood

Jonas Sholin was born 11 July 1851 in Alfta, Hälsingland, Gävleborg län, Sweden^.  He was the second child of Johan Jonsson Sjölin and his wife, Kerstin Jansdotter Roberg.  When he was a child he was known as Jonas Jonsson.  Jonas' surname, Jonsson, meant he was Jonas, son of Johan (or John, which is the English form of Johan).

When Jonas was older, he served in the Swedish army and was given the surname, "Skold."  In Sweden, with many men using common names, such as, Jonas Jonsson, it was the practice, while they were in the army, to be given a "soldier name."  That solved a basic problem: if the sergeant shouted, "Skold!" only one man snapped to attention instead of ten or fifteen. 

Starting in 1850, a lot of Swedes were leaving for "Amerika," as they spelled it.  Times were hard there.  In March, 1881, Jonas and his brother, Peter, followed their older brother, Johan Johansson, and his uncle, Anders, to the United States. Johan and his Uncle Andrew had made the voyage in 1869, quite a long time before.  It is not known if Jonas spent any time in America with his older brother or with his Uncle Andrew, who lived in Clay county, Kansas.  However, Jonas is known to have lived for several years in Kansas - in Scandia and Republic Counties - after he was married.

In early 1883, Jonas was living in Randolph County, Missouri, which may well be where he met his future bride. On April 6, 1883, he  and Sophia were married in Renic, where she, too, had been living.  Renic is said to be about 80 miles from St. Lewis. Sophia Hanson was the daughter of John Hansen, who is listed on the marriage certificate, though his daughter was of legal age.  Sophia was born 27 Jan 1865, most likely in Baggbo, St. Tuna (Stora Tuna), Dalarna (Kopparberg län), Sweden, but possibly in nearby, Helsingland, Gavleborg län, Sweden. Probably the more precisely given location is the correct one, though she may have lived for a time in Helsingland.

Surprisingly, the certificate shows James Siolin and Johanna S. Hanson, but there is not doubt this is Jonas and Sophia.  The certificate was tracked down from information in the passport of their son, Frank David, highlighting the value of seemingly small bits of information in genealogical research. The passport listed the exact place and date of the wedding for Frank's parents. On that very date and place, this is the one certificate anywhere close. People often decide to use a middle name later in life. Such was the case with Sophia.  As for Jonas, he is a good example of the Swedish habit of using different forms of a name, or upon coming to America, even using a totally different name, for example, to make it more American.  Family names for Swedes back then just did not have the importance as in our American, English-oriented tradition.  Jonas has been found in records variously as James, Jonas, John, and Johannes.  He also experimented with different forms of his father's soldier-name, Sjölin.  His surname had been found as Sjoline, Siolin, Sjolin, Sholine, and finally, as Sholin - long after his brothers had adopted that spelling. 

Right now, this is what we have on the rest of their story:

Jonas and Sophia's first child was Edwin Emanuel Sholin, born on the 19^th of August, 1884 in Scandia, Republic County, Kansas. Their second child, Frank David Sholin, was born January 10, 1887 in Russell City, Russell County, Kansas.  Gladys Sholin Burton says her father had this story: Jonas and Sophia traveled from Kansas to Oregon via the Oregon Trail in a horse and buggy.  The buggy was sold someplace and Jonas worked on the railroad to get enough money so they could continue to Oregon.

Stanford Arthur was the next child born to Jonas and Sophia, on September 5, 1889.  This was in either in Nebraska or in Portland, Oregon. Like his mother, Arthur, became known by his middle name. About 1889, Jonas was found in Oregon, working as a stonemason, so one suspects the family left for Oregon after the birth of Frank David and that Authur was born in Portland.

A boy, Jessie, was born on July 14, 1891 in Oregon City, Clackamas County, Oregon.  Very soon after - perhaps premature - Eskel was born March 2, 1892, also in Clackamas County.  In March of 1894, a little girl was born to the family, Sadie May, in Hillsdale, Oregon.

That same year, Jonas acquired land in Home Valley, Washington, and there he built a home.  His neighbors were Olof and Edward Sholin. On Jan 24, 1896, little Jessie died from unknown causes. He was buried in Home Valley, Washington.  Jessie's little sister, Sadie May, passed away from diphtheria in Portland. Her family had only lived in their Portland residence three weeks before she died on December 6, 1896. Perhaps the family had brought her to Portland for medical care.

A few weeks later, on December 28, 1896, George Everett was born, and the family was back at Home Valley, Skamina County, Washington.  Not long after, the family seems to have moved back to Portland to stay.  In July, 1898, a little girl, Ester, was born, also in Home Valley. She, too, only lived two years, and died November 11, 1900 in Portland. Ester was buried at Lone Pine Cemetery in the same plot as was her sister, Sadie, back in 1896.  The years between 1896 and 1901 must have been years of unimagined sadness.

Son, Frank David, said later that Jonas obtained U.S. citizenship from Multnomah County Court, Portland, Oregon on May 1, 1900, though a certificate has not yet been found. The 1900 Federal Census finds Jonas on a ship to Nome, Alaska, and, indeed, Gladys Sholin Burton has sent me a picture of what looks like a sod and wood hut. Standing in front is Edwin E. Sholin, his Uncles, Andrew and Edward, and his dad, Jonas Sholin.  The enterprise was tin mining. 

But Jonas did not stay long.  Back in Portland, Burnam Mark was the next child, born May 24, 1904.  Finally, the last of Jonas and Sophia's large family, Elmer Theodore, was born in Portland in 1909.

A family portrait was taken 15 Apr 1910. Jonas died only a few years later, on June 13, 1913.  He was buried in the Hillsdale Section of Lincoln Memorial Park. 

Sophia stayed on for a long time in Portland. William Sholin said she used to spear salmon with a fork at the end of a pole, presumably her form of fishing. In 1925, the Portland City Directory lists her as a laundress.  On January 29, 1932, Sophia Sholin died in the Oregon State Hospital in Salem.  She lies beside her husband at Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Oregon. The following survivors were listed by the funeral home: Edwin E., David, Stanford A., Eskel, George, Burnum, Elmer T.; ten grandchildren; three brothers and one sister.

The children of Jonas and Sophia will be told in other installments.  Their family was the largest family of any of the children of Jonas' parents, Johan Jonsson Sjölin and Kerstin Jansdotter Roberg.  Certainly, though two died in childhood, and some didn't have children, this family has produced the largest number of descendants of the original Sholin brothers and one sister.

Note: Please let the author know if you have any questions or contradictions to what she has found. Certainly there is more to find, and decisions as to what is printed here were made according to the preponderance of what evidence has been found to date.