Visited in 2002
    By Curtiss("Curt") and Sharon Wikstrom

     Below are charts showing the relationships of the people we visited in Sweden in 2002. Those in Red are people we saw while in Sweden.  Those in Bold Red are 4th Cousins.  2nd Cousins are listed under the Heading of second Cousins.  We saw 47 relatives,  including 7 second cousins and/or spouses on the trip.  That means our Grandfathers were brothers, or our first common ancestor was our Great Grandfather.  We saw 8 fourth cousins, meaning our first common ancestor was a Great Great Great Grandfather or Grandmother, which is five generations up starting with father, grandfather, Great grandfather, GG grandfather, GGG grandfather.  I am sure that we met a lot of people who were somehow related but we didn't know it.  Avaträsk and the surrounding area was settled by those who sometimes did or did not call themselves Vikström for many generations.  In fact most did not use the name.
     We saw many more than we expected to see.  There were only a few that we attempted to see, but could not make work in our busy schedule.
     We must first thank Patrik Wikström for giving us all of the leads to find so many people that we did not know before.  Next we must Thank Eli Näslund, a fourth cousin once removed for showing us all of the relationships, and for showing us where our Grandfather was born, and where our Great Great Grandfather and Great Grandfather settled.  He also showed us where to get documentation and the history of Avaträsk and Dorotea.   We must thank Jonas for sharing all of his knowledge of the past.  We must then thank Håkan Wikstrom, a fourth cousin, for showing us a whole new line of the family, and taking us around the country where they lived.  He also showed us the magnificent radio transmitting facility where he works.
     We must thank Göran Vikstrom for all of his help in arranging to see many of our second cousins, and several of our second cousins once removed (third cousins to our children).  We began our quest in earnest at his house, and revisited again on our way south to Malmo and Copenhagen.  We simply could not have seen so many people without his considerable help in contacting and arranging for visits.  But all of the others were also very helpful in getting things arranged within their families, and were very gracious hosts.

Petrus Jönsson Wikstrom had Three Brothers and a sister:  Anders Jönsson Vikström 1846, Erik Jönsson 1849-1921, Jöns Jönsson Vikström 1853-1935, Brita Matilda Jönsdotter 1856-62  We are most familiar with his brother Jöns because he and Petrus came to America together.  Jöns returned to Sweden, however, because he had not brought his wife, and they had a son Jöns Viktor on the way. [*An early settler of Avaträsk Village]

     In the charts below for Jonas, Thorsten, Eli, Håkan, Kjell, Staffan, and Birgitta, and Patrik brothers and sister have been placed in Blue to show how the lineage gets back to the common ancestor.

     If you click on the following hyperlink you can see a list of the descendants of Peter Wikstrom that we are aware of in America.