Herman was born 12 Jul 1853 in Takene, a small village in Värmland County. He was baptized on the following day in the parish church in Brunskog. See this link for a photograph of the area (the church depicted was built in the 1870s).
Värmland County, Sweden locator map, FamilySearch,
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Värmland_County,_Sweden_Genealogy : downloaded 23 Aug 2023
Herman Liljestrand
(1853-1940)
1853: Birth in Sweden
Brunskog, Sweden, with annotation, screenshot from Mapcarta, https://mapcarta.com/28611622/Map :
downloaded 23 Aug 2023
Present-day Brunskog parish church, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10436493 : downloaded 23 Aug 2023
The household of Jonas Olsson, MyHeritage (image provided by ArkivDigital), Swedish Household Examination Books, Värmlands County, Brunskog, AI27, 1856 - 1860, Ö. Takene, p. 136. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10180-63483106/jonas-olsson-in-sweden-household-examination-books: downloaded 17 Sep 2024.
According to this birth record from the Swedish Archives, Herman’s parents were Jonas Olsson and Kajsa Månsdotter.
Herman in Brunskog Parish birth records on ArchivDigital, Brunskog (S) CI:4 (1841-1860) Image 85 / Page 161 (AID: v5047.b85.s161, NAD: SE/VA/13065) : downloaded 23 Aug 2023
1884: Emigration to America
On 9 May 1884, Herman (now with surname Liljestrand) embarked from Sweden, sailing to New York via England on the ship Romeo.
Herman Liljestrand in Gothenburg, Sweden, Passenger Lists, 1869-1951 on Ancestry.com, 1884 > 05 > Romeo, image 3 of 46 : downloaded 24 Aug 2023.
1885: Marriage to Hannah Swenson in Brooklyn, NY
Sven Liljestrand's parents Herman Liljestrand and Hannah Swenson were married on 21 Jun 1885 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York. They were both immigrants from Sweden, with Herman arriving in 1884 and Hannah in 1881. See scans of their original marriage certificate below, held in the New York City Archives, with a transcription following.
NYC Municipal Archives Historical Vital Records, Marriage Certificate #2044, Kings, 21 Jun 1885, downloaded 4 Aug 2023 from https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/digital-vital-records
Transcription
Front
Form C. Jan 1, 1880
Certificate of Marriage, Brooklyn - 2044
I hereby certify that Herman Liljestrand and
Hanna Swenson were joined in marriage
by me, in accordance with the Laws of the State of New York, in the City of Brooklyn, this
(21st) Twenty-first day of June 1885. [Purple stamp: Department of Health, Office of Register, June 22 1885]
Attest, Official Station and Residence [all illegible]
Witnesses: G. Hedlund and Edla Hedlund
Back
All the following blanks are required to be
filled.
OF THE GROOM
Name, Herman Liljestrand
Residence, 640 Atlantic Av.
Age, 31 Color, __
No. of Marriage, 1st
Occupation, Shoemaker
Place of Birth, Sweden
Father's Name, Herman Liljestrand (?)
Mother's Maiden Name, Maria H. Månson (?)
- Note that the parents' names on the marriage certificate differ from those in the Swedish records, which we believe to be correct.
OF THE BRIDE
Name, Hanna Swenson
Maiden Name if a Widow, __
Residence, 640 Atlantic Av.
Age, 32 Color, __
No. of Marriage, 1st
Place of Birth, Sweden
Father's Name, Sven Erickson
Mother's Maiden Name, Katrina Johnson
We the Groom and Bride named in the above certificate, hereby
certify that the information given is correct to the best of our
knowledge and belief.
[Signatures of Groom and Bride]
This Swedish Household Examination Book from the 1855-60 shows Herman’s family, including his parents and siblings.
1900 Census: Liljestrand Household in Pawling, New York
By 1900, Herman and his family had settled in the village of Pawling, in Dutchess County, New York. The image below shows information about the household members on lines 89-93.
OldNews.com. Patterson Weekly News, Patterson, New York, Thursday, 15 Apr 1915, p. 1 : downloaded 17 Dec 2025.
1900 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, New York, Dutchess, Pawling, District 0016, image 20 of 52, downloaded 22 Jul 2026.
Transcription
Location: Pawling Village, Pawling, New York
Household members:
Liljestrand, Herman - Head of household, white male, age 46, shoemaker
Hannah - Wife, white female, age 46
Harry - Son, white male, age 14
Hulda M - Daughter, white female, age 5
Swanson, Amandus - Boarder, white male, age 18, shoemaker
Is he related to Hannah (Swenson)?
1915: Death of his wife Hannah
The loss of his wife Hannah in 1915 after 30 years of marriage must have been devastating. Herman was 62 years old and still had his shoe business to attend. His son Harry was about to embark to China and his daughter Hulda was still in school at Syracuse University.
OldNews.com. Patterson Weekly News, Patterson, New York, Thursday, 15 Apr 1915, p. 1 : downloaded 17 Dec 2025.
1921: Passport Application
Herman applied for and received a United States passport as a naturalized citizen in 1921. Excerpts are shown below - click either image to view the complete 2-page application. Perhaps he thought of returning to Sweden, but we have not found any records indicating that he traveled there.
Excerpt from page 1
Passport photo
Herman Liljestrand in United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 on MyHeritage.com, images 622-23 : downloaded 4 Jul 2026.
1922: A Friend Visits from Sweden
In June of 1922, Philip Goranson, a friend from Sweden came to visit Herman “to learn American business methods.” We do not know the length of his visit, but the passenger list below states he intended to stay about five years.
Ship Passenger List
MyHeritage.com, Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, image 251 of 889, Ship: Stavangerfjord, Arrival: June 20 1922, Line: 28, Anders Filip Geranson, : downloaded 4 Jul 2026.
Partial Transcription
Gøranson, Anders Filip, age 32, Occupation: Grovcer, can read & write, Swedish, from V. Entorvik, father Henrik, traveling to Pawling, NY, visiting his friend Herman Liljestrand in Pawling, planning to stay about 5 years.
A Newspaper Account
FultonHistory.com. Pawling Patterson News, Pawling, New York,
Saturday, 7 Jul 1922, p. 4 : downloaded 4 Jul 2026.
These articles from the local newspapers in the Pawling, New York, area offer a fascinating glimpse into the life of Herman Liljestrand, the village shoemaker.
1915: Shoe Store Ad
OldNews.com. Patterson Weekly News, Patterson, New York, Thursday, 15 Jul 1915, p. 6 : downloaded 21 Nov 2025.
1915-1930: The Shoemaker from Pawling, New York
1926: Retirement
FultonHistory.com. Pawling Chronicle, Pawling, New York, Saturday, 22 May 1926, p. 1 : downloaded 12 Nov 2025.
1929: Back in Business
FultonHistory.com. Pawling Chronicle, Pawling, New York,
Saturday, 17 May 1929, p. 1 : downloaded 4 Jul 2026.
1927: Returning to Visit
FultonHistory.com. Pawling Chronicle, Pawling, New York,
Saturday, 1 Jan 1927, p. 1 : downloaded 12 Nov 2025.
1930: A New Shoe Store
FultonHistory.com. Pawling Chronicle, Pawling, New York,
Saturday, 5 Jul 1930, p. 1 : downloaded 4 Jul 2026.
Gravestone
Herman Liljestrand died 15 Jan 1940 in Utica, New York. He is buried along with his wife Hannah and son Sven Herman in the Pawling Cemetery in Pawling, New York.
FindAGrave.com. Memorial ID, 109774005,
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109774005/herman-liljestrand : accessed 12 Nov 2025.
Reflections from Jim
The information above helps to tell the story of Herman’s life. These, along with stories from Dad (Robert Stratton Liljestrand 1915-2011), show Herman (1853-1940) emigrating to Brooklyn in 1884 at age 31, finding and marrying Hanna (1853-1915) the next year and giving birth to son Sven Herman (1886-1951) a year later. He wasted no time. His early work was shoe making and by 1891 he opened his own shoe store in Pawling NY. That store lasted 35 years. Dad often mentioned that his grandfather knew how to modify shoes to fit feet needing special footwear.
Herman’s son Sven Herman was born in Brooklyn in 1886. It is unknown when and why the young family moved from Brooklyn to Pawling, NY. Hulda Marie was born there in 1894. According to Dad when they sold the shoe store in Pawling in 1926, Herman and Hulda moved to Utica, NY. Hanna died in 1915 the year Robert Stratton Liljestrand was born in Syracuse.. It is likely that Hanna’s grave being in Pawling was the reason that Herman wished to be buried with her there. Ultimately their son Sven Herman (Harry) and his wife (Ethyl Ruth Hardy) were buried there on the same plot but the stone does not reflect that Ethyl was interred there. Her memorial service order of service however states that she will be interred in Pawling. This turns out to be a very sweet family story with many unanswered squestions yet intriguing. This family as can be seen elsewhere was adventurous from the beginnings in Sweden all the way to Pawling cemetery.
We are left with many questions having to do with Hulda and Dick Henshke livng in Utica, such as what did Herman do between retiring in 1926 and moving to Utica until he died in 1940. Did he live with his daughter Hulda all that time? Why did Dad who spent 4 years (1929-1933) at Cazenovia boarding high school not far from Hulda mention his grandfather. Dad lived with Aunt Hulda and Uncle Dick on school breaks but he spent his summers in Woods Hole with his brother Paul Howard who was 4 years older.
1969: Information from Aunt Hulda
The following paper was passed down to Jim through his father Robert during a visit from his Aunt Hulda in September, 1969. It lists information about the Liljestrand family name and a set of cousins on page one, along with some additional info about Herman and his wife’s Hannah Svenson’s families on page two.
