My husband, Dave, and his sister Pat, remembered going to an "Aunt's candy store as a child and being offered free candy" so I began to reconstruct the family story.
Olof Hansen (born 1824) left Sweden sometime before 1860. I know he was married and living in Michigan City, Indiana at the time of the 1860 census. He was married to Mary (Hepke?) and they had their first child Emilee. His occupation was fisherman and so described on many census forms.
By 1880 they lived in Chicago and had eight children. Olof served in the Union Army for three years with the Indiana Cavalry. How did this man become the father of the owner of a famous Chicago candy company? Where in Sweden did he come from? Why did he come? Who was Mary from Hanover (his wife)? the candy company, by the way was Mrs. Snyder's Candies and was family owned until the 1960's.
Still left to uncover: Olof's birthplaqce and immigration date, as well as the info for Mary/Maria Hepke (?) from Hanover, Germany.
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