Captains of OLOF

Johan Olof Almgren

Johan Olof Almgren was born in Gefle on February 23 in 1795 and became at 48 the first master of the OLOF after it was built in 1843.  Johan Olof Almgren was an experienced skipper and had been the master of the following vessels, all registered in Gefle:

  • Brig “Fortuna” 18

  • Full-rigged ship “Charlotte” 1831 – 32

  • Schooner “Carolina” 1831, 1834 – 36

  • Full-rigged ship “Sophie” 1836 – 42

Johan Olof Almgren and his wife Margareta lived in Gelfe and had 6 children.  In the fall of 1846 Johan fell ill and after returning his ship to Antwerp he died on September 6, 1846 at age 53. His wife, Margareta was 48 years old and was left alone in the old fisherman’s house in Gefle with three children under 15 years of age. She had three more children in the ages between 18 and 24.

Two sons of Johan Olof Almgren also became ship masters.  The oldest son, Johan Gustaf, was born in 1822 and when he was only 23 years old he got his first command.  He died however in Bahia in 1859 at the early age of 37.  Probably he got the yellow fever.  A younger son, Claes Engelbert Almgren (1833 – 1890), also became a master of several ships in Gefle.  Claes Engelbert Almgren was married to a sister of Olof August Brodin, the shipbuilder behind the original brig “Gerda” from 1869 of which we now are building in Gävle as a full scale replica that we will launch on July 9,2000.   Claes Engelbert Almgren had son, Edvard Almgrén (born in Gefle 1878), who became a ship master. The latter figures in Ingvar Henricson’s book”Inte bara en skepparhistoria”.

There seem to be very few descendants of the Almgrens left.  Several years ago Ingvar Henrison found a great granddaughter, Elsa Thelin, of Johan Olof Almgren in southern France. She is the daughter of Edvard Almgrén and used to live on Avenue Félix-Faure in Menton.

print 2 man

Portrait of Captain Johan Almgren – There is an oil painting of Johan Olof Almgren in the local museum of Galve, which Ingvar Henricson has taken a color photo.

Wesstrom

On the “Olof” a man named Wesström, probably the former firstmate, took over the command and made another round trip to Newport and returned to Antwerpen probably in January 1847.

Berndt Johan Bracke

Later in 1847 Berndt Johan Bräcke from Gefle became the master of “Olof”. On Dec8 1847 in Gothenburgh he hired 15 men for the journeyGöteborg – London – Shields – Genua – Torrevieja – Gefle.  Lloyd’s Registry lists “B. Bracke” as the OLOF ship master from 1848 until 1857.

Source: Ingvar Henricson, Lloyd’s Registry

2 thoughts on “Captains of OLOF

  1. I am very interested in your research. My ancestor Conrad Boss came over from Germany to New York on the Voyage of the “Olaf” on Dec 31st, 1846. The captain was “Wesstrom”. Look forward to any collaboration.

    • I am sorry for the delay in responding to your review of my website on the OLOF as emigrant ship carrying the Rauenhorst family in the spring and your Boss family in Dec 1846. I am continue to research a wide variety of topics on the OLOF, why they debarked from Antwerp . the route and means the Rauenhorsts took to Wisconsin after landing in New York. Why and where they emigrated from. I will continue to update this site with new research. Where did you people go from New City . I am particularly trying to find first hand accounts diaries or recollections of the June trip but also any OLOF passagers.
      Sincerely
      Michael Roanhouse

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