As indicated on a previous page, the Teslis arrived in Chicago in 1880.
Unfortunately, Petra Tesli(e) died in on 7 March 1881 at age 11, after a 6-week struggle with cerebrospinal meningitis. She had been a student at the time. I am not able to decipher the handwriting of the family's address at the time, but this would be interesting information as it would likely indicate their first location in Chicago.
Unfortunately, Petra Tesli(e) died in on 7 March 1881 at age 11, after a 6-week struggle with cerebrospinal meningitis. She had been a student at the time. I am not able to decipher the handwriting of the family's address at the time, but this would be interesting information as it would likely indicate their first location in Chicago.
Petra's death certificate.
Based on the faint notation at the bottom of the death certificate, I contacted Graceland Cemetery in Chicago to inquire about Petra's burial record. They were able to confirm that "Peter" Teslie was buried on March 8th, 1881, at age 11 years and 6 months, and that "he" was buried in block 3, space 5045.
We visited Graceland in September 2014, and found their caretakers to be extremely gracious. The attendant looked up Petra's record again and indicated that, unfortunately, the grave would be very difficult to find as it was in a section with single graves, many of which were unmarked. A groundskeeper overhearing the conversation laughed "Good luck!" at finding the plot. The attendant provided an extremely specific plot map and suggested we infer the position of space 5045 by looking for headstones in the same vicinity: space 5043 for Mary Famka (1890), and Peter Fulford (1910) in space 4997 at the very edge of block 3. However, she indicated that many of the headstones were sunken, and/or illegible due to deteriorated limestone. As it turned out, we were able to make out very few markers. The majority of graves appeared to be unmarked or had flat headstones that were so sunken as to be buried under the grass. We did not find Petra's grave, but overall found the cemetery to be a serene location which provided a peaceful afternoon of searching.
We visited Graceland in September 2014, and found their caretakers to be extremely gracious. The attendant looked up Petra's record again and indicated that, unfortunately, the grave would be very difficult to find as it was in a section with single graves, many of which were unmarked. A groundskeeper overhearing the conversation laughed "Good luck!" at finding the plot. The attendant provided an extremely specific plot map and suggested we infer the position of space 5045 by looking for headstones in the same vicinity: space 5043 for Mary Famka (1890), and Peter Fulford (1910) in space 4997 at the very edge of block 3. However, she indicated that many of the headstones were sunken, and/or illegible due to deteriorated limestone. As it turned out, we were able to make out very few markers. The majority of graves appeared to be unmarked or had flat headstones that were so sunken as to be buried under the grass. We did not find Petra's grave, but overall found the cemetery to be a serene location which provided a peaceful afternoon of searching.
Historic Graceland Cemetery plot map, courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. Block 3 is located in the upper right portion of the map. This rendering points east. Source
Current Graceland Cemetery plot map. The cemetery is located at 4001 North Clark Street, at the corner of Irving Park Road, in the Lincoln Park / Uptown area of Chicago. Section 3 of the cemetery is noted in the southeast corner.
General view of block 3 in Graceland Cemetery, September 2014. This block is full, but many graves are unmarked and most of the headstones are sunken or deteriorated.
On a happier note, Elen Marie (now “Maria Theslie”) met Iver F. Iverson and they married on 10 December 1882 at a ceremony overseen by Pastor John Z. Torgersen of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Bethania Church in Chicago. (The Iverson lineage in Norway is described on a previous page.) This church was located at the southeast corner of Indiana (now Grand) and Carpenter, and catered to the Norwegian immigrant community in that area of Chicago. The marriage license was dated for 18 November 1882, while it appears that the wedding took place on 10 December.
We examined the microfilm of the parish records of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Bethania Church held at Chicago's Newberry Library, in September 2014. Taking a picture of the microfilm proved difficult, but a blurry copy was obtained. Years later, a cleaner copy had been scanned into Ancestry.com. Record 202 indicates a church marriage date of 10 December 1882. Iver F. Iverson from Christiana and Marie Theslie from Trondhjem are both recorded as being age 25, which is inaccurate. (Elen was born in 1853 and Iver in 1857). The number 67,157 is recorded, which seems to be a mis-transcription of 66157, the license number recorded on the official marriage license. The series "11,8,12" is also included in a column which, based on other marriages recorded, is supposed to indicate the date the marriage was legally granted. I suspect this is an incorrect recording of 11-18-82; the "8" is an error from 18 November, and the "12" resulted from an ink pen problem when trying to write "82." This is certainly a great deal of error for one record, and I am glad to have found other resources to help make sense of the church book!
Church record
Marriage certificate of Elen Marie Tesli and Iver F. Iverson. Scanned from personal family records.
Iver's mother Johanne subsequently emigrated to Chicago, leaving Oslo on 24 January 1883 and arriving in America 15 February 1883 at age 60. In the digital records, the handwriting was mis-transcribed as Johanne "Joersen," making her rather difficult to find!
Johanne Iversen emigration record. Source
Johanne Iversen immigration record.
On 15 June 1883, Elen Marie and Iver F. had son Arthur Louis Iverson at their home at 676 North Hoyne Avenue in Chicago. Present at the christening on 2 September were Elen’s mother Ingeborg “Thestli,” Iver F.’s mother Johanne, and a Claus Sofus Clausen, for whom I cannot find any other record. These three individuals are described as faddere vare, or godparents. The pastor was James I. Welo of St. Paul and St. Petri (/Peter) New Evangelical Lutheran Church. It appears that these were two separate congregations: St. Paul's on North Lincoln at the corner of Park Street, and St. Peter's on Hirsch at the corner of Seymour Avenue. In the future I would like to explore their records.
Baptismal certificate of Arthur Louis Iverson. Scanned from personal family records.
Arthur Louis was the family’s only child. Iver F. continued to work in travel. From 1884-1886 Iver F. Iverson was listed in the Chicago City Directory as a commercial travel agent at 48 Clark. City directories and newspaper ads from the time indicate this was the headquarters for Anchor Line Steamships and another agent for White Star Line. (His later obituary confirmed that he had worked as an agent for Anchor in Chicago.) In 1887 he held the same role at 70 Lasalle, an address which held Allen Line Ocean Steamships as well as a detective agency. During these years the family continued to reside at 676 North Hoyne Avenue.
By 1890 the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where for the next decade Iver thrived as an independent bookstore owner and an engaged member of the community. These stories continue on the next page.
By 1890 the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where for the next decade Iver thrived as an independent bookstore owner and an engaged member of the community. These stories continue on the next page.