Greetings,

I am a Swedish Janson, no relation to the 15th century captain.

Structurally the name is a patronymic - it presupposes a man by the  name of Jan who then begat a son. In Sweden this naming custom froze  at some point and patronymics became surnames as we know them. In  Iceland however, this usage is alive and well. They would still say:  Jóhannesson is not what I am called, it's what I am. So their last names vary from generation to generation as they used to do in the Swedish countryside, making genealogy harder.

The name Jan is a variant of John as is Johannes, Johan, Jens, Jöns,  Jehan, Jean and maybe Ian. In Holland and Estonia I have noted the  spelling Jaan.

The surname exists in France - there is a famous Paris lycée, 
academy, named after the donor Alexandre Janson de Sailly. I think he  probably had a Flemish connection, for the name makes no sense in French.

In Sweden the name is usually spelled Jansson with two s's since it 
means Jan's son. My grandfather, Captain Carl Janson dropped an s, to  make it more international, I imagine. Then my father, Captain Patric Janson continued the practice as do I and my children.

Jansson is not the most common name in Sweden but there are over 52,000, mostly unrelated for the reasons given above. What we have in  common is that we have all these ancestors called Jan. "Janson"  spellers are some 700.

Regards,

Anders Patric Janson, Gothenburg, Sweden
 

Dear Maureen,

I was hoping that you could display this letter  on your website.
I  have been able to trace and CONNECT to one of the letters from a lady called Irene McCartney of England,dated 27 November 1999.

This family that Irene speaks of  is MOST CERTAINLY my family line.  I descend from James I'Anson abt 1813, who married Elizabeth Rayner  in 1873 in Stockton on Tees Co Durham.  Irene's great grandfather John I"Anson, who married Elizabeth Taylor, is the brother of my James. 

I have been lucky enough (with a little help from my friends) to have been able to trace my I"Anson family line as far back  James I'Anson abt 1798 and his wife Ann Long Longstaff.  I have also been able to trace James and John and their descendants to today.

We are scattered all over this wonderful world.  We live in Australia, myself and my new found long distant cousin Joyce.  I am also connected to Christine in Wales, family still in Stockton, just to name a few.

I like most people would love to hear from new found family.

I am more than happy to share my research with new family.
You can contact me at : nitramnagirroc@bigpond.com 

Thank you .   Best wishes to all.

Heather from Oz.
 

Hi 

I have been reading your website and I believe I have some information to update you with regarding the children of William I'anson and Caroline Hutchinson.

The information was found in a letter to Caroline I'anson born 1850, written in 1887 providing the names of all the children and some more details about William and Caroline. 

The transcript reads as follows:
William Ianson and Caroline Hutchinson were married in the year of 1834. 

Dear Carrey I send you all your ages out of the Bible and I send you when they were married and when they died.  I thort that you like them to see them you can put them in your own Bible. 

Dear Carrey it make you 37 years old on the 17 of April. 

From 1835 

Mary born August 29 1835
Peter born May 9 1837
Thomas born August 7 1839
Elizabeth born December 22 1841
William born July 1 1843
Jane born January 2 1846
John born March 19 1848
Caroline born April 17 1850
Maria born July 16 1852
Fanny born August 25 1855
Miles born April 17 1861 

Mother died September 17 1882 aged 68 years
Father died August 17 1883 aged 74 years

I hope it is of some help to you
Regards
Rebecca