Poking around in the past: Olaf Johan Carlström

Also known as: Jack, Olof, Olaf John and John Olaf.

Jack Carlstrom was born Olaf Johan Carlström on the 22^nd of April 1891 at Qvarnen 11, Helsingborg, Skåne, Sweden, son of Nils Olasson Karlström and Anna Elisabet Karlström nee Hauk. Jack had two older siblings;

Emmy Karlström born 11^th February 1883 in Halmstad, Halland, Sweden and,

Eleonora Anna Catharina Karlström born 22^nd June 1884 in Halmstad, Halland, Sweden.

http://www.helsingborg.se/wpcontent/uploads/2015/02/Bevprogram_HBG_Stadskarna_KtillP_2002_sbf.pdf

The family lived at Qvarnen 11 until 1893 when, following the untimely death of Nils in the previous year, they moved to Fiskaren 13, in Helsingborg.

It is within this time that the records show the family briefly visiting Belgium during 1895.

An interesting occurrence of this period is the birth of a half sibling, John Erik Karlström. This child is born to Anna Elisbet Karlström on the 5^th of October 1897 in Charlottensburg, Germany, no Father’s name is given in the birth record and there is no record of Anna travelling to Germany in this period. The child is not seen on the 1900 Swedish census nor does he appear to have been bought up as part of the family. John Erik shows up in Stockholm records in 1922 and has some military history in Sweden from about 1917.

In 1898 the family move to Kristinehall 8 in Helsingborg. It is during this period that Anna marries for a second time to Jöns Assarsson on 22^nd April 1900. This marriage produces a daughter and another half sibling for Jack, Sonja Assarsson, born 3^rd of October 1900.

Being one of the largest Port cities in Sweden it is not surprising that , in 1907 at the age of sixteen Jack joined the Helsingborgs sjömanshus (sailors house) beginning his life long association with the sea and maritime pursuits.

Household records of the Helsingborg Maria Parish indicate that at some time between 1908 and 1913, Jack disappears, as he is listed as being absent from the Helsingborgs sjömanshus for those years and he is eventually placed in the parish Bök of Obef (book of the missing) in 1925. There are subsequent entries right up until 1950 that still need translation.

The first record of Jack in Australia is to be found in a newspaper article published in the Adelaide Register on the 1^st of September 1913. According to this article the ketch Capella, whilst berthed at the Port Canal, caught fire. Olaff Carlstrom, the cook was the only person on board at the time.

FIRE ON A KETCH. (1913, September 1). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), p. 7. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article591146

Documents submitted by Jack in 1939 in support of his application for British Naturalization state that during WW1 he was working on ships plying trade along the coast of South Australia.

The same documents reveal that during both world wars , Jack was compelled to register as an alien, however the National Archives of Australia cannot locate those particular documents and believe they may have been recycled during a paper shortage.

Jack married Florence Lillian Sanders (nee Reubenicht) on the 11th of March 1920 at the Registry Office in Adelaide, South Australia. Their first child, Marjorie Carlstrom had been born on the 18th November 1918 at Largs Bay, South Australia, an event that would prove the catalyst for Lillians divorce from her first husband Albert Joseph Sanders. Another six children followed in subsequent years;

Robert Archibald Carlstrom born 19th June 1920 at Largs Bay,South Australia,
Patricia Mary Carlstrom born 6th September 1922 at Largs Bay, South Australia,
Beatrice Carlstrom, born 10th June 1924 at Largs Bay, South Australia,
Josephine Carlstrom born 22nd September 1925 at Largs Bay, South Australia

Peter Carlstrom born 30th August 1928 at largs Bay, South Australia, and
John Carlstrom born 14th March 1930 at Outer Harbour, South Australia.

The close knit family also included four children from Lillian's first marriage, Stella, William, Vera and Rae, although it is unclear if the family always resided together given the acrimonious circumstances of the divorce of their parents.

The family took up residence in a cottage at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squardon in 1929 when Jack was appointed as caretaker, a position he held until his death on the 21st July 1959.