Public ancestry research summary

Jerry Lohr's Family Trail

A visual summary of the public, non-paywalled records found so far, following the Lohr, Greene, Hanson, and Johnson families from South Dakota back into Germany, Ireland, and Sweden.

Compiled from public record images Strongest: German and Swedish record images Still open: Irish Callaghan details
4 Main family names
3 European origin areas
12+ Saved source receipts
1691 Earliest tree clue
Historic St. Ansgar Lutheran Church near Lily, South Dakota
St. Ansgar Lutheran Church near Lily, South Dakota. Family-source note says Nels A. Hanson donated land for the church and cemetery.

The Short Version

Jerry's public family trail is a South Dakota story with older roots in Germany, Ireland, and Sweden. The records are uneven, so the page separates what is strongly backed from what is still a clue.

What the records say so far

Jerry Lohr's direct public line runs through Walter Marcus Lohr and Frances Elizabeth Hanson in South Dakota. Walter's Lohr side reaches German Catholic and civil records around Butzheim, Nettesheim, Anstel, and Stommeln. Frances's Hanson and Johnson side reaches Swedish church books in Malmöhus and Älvsborg. The Greene/Green side points to New York, Iowa, South Dakota, and likely Ireland, but the Callaghan details still need the most caution.

How the families moved

These routes are simplified, but they show the shape of the family story.

Lohr Rhineland Germany -> Wisconsin / Illinois route -> South Dakota farming family
Green Ireland clue -> New York City marriage -> Iowa -> Clark County, South Dakota
Hanson Sweden -> Midwest settlement -> Lily / Day County, South Dakota
Johnson Eggvena and Fölene, Sweden -> Minnesota / Day County land and family records

The Main Line We Can Show

This is the simplified display tree. It focuses on the direct line and marks the branches by family: Lohr in red, Greene/Green in gold, and Hanson/Johnson/Swedish lines in blue and green.

Jerry
Jerome Julian "Jerry" Lohr Born 1937, Clark, South Dakota. Public bios connect him to SDSU and Stanford.
Parents
Walter Marcus Lohr 1907-1992. Son of Jacob Lohr and Agnes Greene; married Frances Hanson in 1935.
Frances Elizabeth Hanson 1913-1998. Public obituaries for siblings connect her to Nels Hanson and Anna Mathilda Johnson.
Grandparents
Jacob Julian Lohr 1875-1952. Public tree and snippets connect him to Mathias Lohr and Helena Lellman.
Agnes Anna Greene 1875-1936. Listed as daughter of Patrick Green and a Callaghan woman; direct parent proof still needs stronger records.
Nels A. Hanson / Nils Andersson 1858-1916. Swedish immigrant; family-source note ties him to St. Ansgar church and cemetery near Lily.
Anna Mathilda Johnson 1868-1932. Daughter of John B. Johnson and Johanna Johansdotter; exact death date is still unresolved.
Older roots
Mathias Löhr and Helena Lellman Mathias was born in Butzheim in 1845. His birth certificate image is saved locally.
Jacob Löhr and Barbara Meurer German civil death images support this couple in the Nettesheim / Anstel / Stommeln area.
Patrick Green / Greene and Elizabeth or Margaret Callaghan NYC official marriage index says Elizabeth Callaghan; family trees say Margaret. This is the biggest name conflict.
John B. Johnson / Johan Johansson and Johanna Johansdotter Johan's Eggvena birth family is backed by Swedish church-book images; U.S. death and Civil War details remain open.

A Timeline You Can Read Across the Table

This is not every date in the research file. It is the clean storyline version: the moments that best explain how the family trail fits together.

1691

Earliest Lohr-side tree clue points to Heinrich Löhr in the Stommeln / Nettesheim region. This older part is still tree-backed and needs more church-book image checks.

1836

Johan Johansson, later John B. Johnson in family records, is born in Eggvena, Sweden. This is backed by Swedish church-book images.

1845

Mathias Löhr is born in Butzheim. His public German civil birth certificate image is one of the strongest records in the whole packet.

1870

Patrick Green and Elizabeth Callaghan appear together in the official New York City marriage index. This is strong for the event, but the Elizabeth/Margaret name question remains open.

1893-1898

Public land records place John B. Johnson in Day County and Patrick Green in Clark County, South Dakota. These records support the South Dakota settlement story.

1907

Walter Marcus Lohr is born near Raymond, South Dakota, according to public biographical material.

1935

Walter Lohr marries Frances Elizabeth Hanson, bringing the Lohr/Greene and Hanson/Johnson branches together.

1937

Jerry Lohr is born in Clark, South Dakota. Public biographies later connect him to SDSU, Stanford, and the founding of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines.

Source Receipts Worth Showing

These are saved local copies of public records or source images. In plain English: the page tells the story, and these are the receipts behind the story.

Preview of Mathias Löhr 1845 birth certificate

Mathias Löhr birth, 1845

Public German civil birth image for Mathias Löhr of Butzheim. This is one of the strongest Lohr-side records.

Preview of Jacob Löhr 1895 death record

Jacob Löhr death, 1895

German death-register image names Jacob Löhr, born in Stommeln, widower of Barbara born Meurer.

Preview of Johan Johansson 1836 Swedish birth entry

Johan Johansson birth, 1836

Swedish church-book image supports John B. Johnson's Eggvena birth family before the move to America.

Preview of Eggvena household record

Eggvena household page

Household record places Johan with parents Johannes Bryngelsson and Elin Andersdotter.

Family photo from WikiTree profile page

Hanson family route

Saved public profile material helps connect Frances Hanson Lohr to the Nels Hanson family cluster.

Tombstone photo for John B. and Johanna Johnson

John and Johanna Johnson

Family-source tombstone photo supports the Lily-area burial route, though we still want an independent cemetery transcription.

St. Ansgar memorial stone near Lily, South Dakota

St. Ansgar place clue

Saved church and memorial images help explain the Hanson family's Lily-area church and cemetery setting.

Preview of Johannes Bryngelsson 1794 Fölene birth entry

Johannes Bryngelsson, 1794

Swedish birth/baptism image supports the older Fölene/Rakåsa Johnson-side clue.

Preview of Stommeln church book page from 1766

Stommeln church-book search

Saved church-book pages document the search for the older Lohr line, including a careful unresolved 1766 Peter Löhr clue.

Branch-by-Branch Takeaway

A summary of the current research status for each branch: what is confirmed by primary records versus what remains an active lead.

Lohr / Löhr

The German side is the best record-image story.

  • Mathias Löhr's 1845 birth image is saved.
  • Jacob Löhr and Barbara Meurer death images are saved.
  • Older pre-1800 Löhr links remain careful clues, not final proof.

Green / Greene

The Irish side is promising, but still the least settled.

  • Patrick Green and Elizabeth Callaghan appear in the NYC marriage index.
  • Patrick's South Dakota land patent is public and saved.
  • The Margaret-vs-Elizabeth Callaghan question remains the big gap.

Hanson / Johnson

The Swedish side is strong for the immediate ancestors.

  • Frances Hanson is tied to Nels and Anna Mathilda through public family records and sibling obituaries.
  • Johan/John B. Johnson's Eggvena birth family is image-backed.
  • John's U.S. death year and Civil War service still need better proof.

How Confident Are We?

Not every source is equally strong. A scanned record image is stronger than a public family tree; a family blog photo is useful, but it is not the same as an official death record.

Strong

Record-image backed

Mathias Löhr's birth, Jacob Löhr and Barbara Meurer's German death records, and Johan/John B. Johnson's Swedish birth family are backed by saved public images.

Good, but needs care

Obituaries and public indexes

Walter and Frances's family, Nels and Anna Mathilda's child cluster, Patrick Green's land patent, and the NYC Green/Callaghan marriage index are useful public evidence.

Still open

Tree clues and blocked images

The Callaghan given name, Anna Mathilda's exact death date, John B. Johnson's death year, and his Civil War service still need stronger independent proof.

The Honest Open Questions

These are not failures; they are the places where a careful family history should say "not proven yet."

Was Patrick Green's wife Elizabeth, Margaret, or both?

The official NYC marriage index says Patrick Green married Elizabeth Callaghan in Manhattan on October 19, 1870. Public family trees call her Margaret Callaghan. The actual certificate image is the next best proof target.

What was Anna Mathilda Johnson Hanson's exact death date?

Public trees disagree between August 23 and September 23, 1932. We have not yet found an independent death record, obituary, or cemetery transcription.

Which death year belongs to John B. Johnson?

One compiled source gives June 1, 1896; another gives June 1, 1898. The Swedish birth family is strong, but the South Dakota death event is not fully settled.

Can we prove the Civil War service claim?

Family sources say John B. Johnson served in Company B, Third Minnesota Infantry. A public roster has common-name John Johnson rows, but none yet clearly tie to the Eggvena-born John B. Johnson.

Best Public Source Links

A short list of the most useful public pages behind this research summary.

Evidence & Source Document Library

Here is the complete catalog of primary source files, transcriptions, and research extracts collected for each branch. Click any link to open and explore the document directly.

German Records (Lohr Branch)

Parish and civil records from Butzheim, Nettesheim, Anstel, and Stommeln.


Swedish Records (Hanson/Johnson)

Parish registers, household books, and tombstone photos from Älvsborg.

Irish Records (Greene Branch)

Limerick and Cork parish searches and Griffiths Valuation records.


U.S. Vital Record Indexes

New York City birth and marriage index searches (1860-1905).


U.S. Land Patents & Claims

Bureau of Land Management patent certificates for South Dakota.

Profiles & Biographies

Jerry Lohr SDSU citation and Walter Lohr Basin Electric bio.


Detail Crops & Enhanced Views

Cropped signatures, enhanced text bands, and contact sheets.


County & Military Records

Rosters, birth transcripts, and state death certificate extracts.


Research Extracts & Summaries

Full text summaries and parish-book transcript notes.

Show 36 Transcripts