Nation-wide Search for Granath Relatives

I am trying to collect and compile any information that I can find about the various Granath/Granat families in the United States.   This project started trying to figure out all the points on the life timeline of my great-grandfather, Alfred Granath and also trying to keep track of my cousins by the dozens!   There are lots of us!

A few notes about the mysteries of Alfred:

1) Aunt Ruth mentioned several times that she thought his name was either Oscar Alfred or Alfred Oscar.   I didn't ever hear her say why she thought that was the case, she did not elaborate on the statement and I'm sorry to say I didn't ask.   In my research, I have not ever found any document to support this.   Please if you have some ideas, let me know!  I do have a document that his son, Walter Edward Granath, made with his son, Patrick Ivan Granath in 1960, that clearly says, "Alfred G. Granath".    It is my speculation (without any proof whatsover!!) that if his middle initial *was* G, it might have been George, because George is a Granath family name.   At one point, I thought it might be Gene, because it, too, is found in our family, but I believe it came from another family line.)

2) His death and burial place are still unknown.   There is an "A. Granath" who is the right age, who was buried in a pauper's grave in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 14, 1913.   I have collected the death certificate, sexton's report (burial) and death notice (no obituary), published record books and city burial cards.  I have searched for hospital records, doctor records, coroner's reports, city directories, funeral home records and any kind of notice in the Colorado newspapers.   His death certificate is marked "state pauper" and "non-resident".   I have emails from the Genealogy librarian, Joe Slattery at the Shreveport Library, where he and I have talked through every other method of finding any records.  I've looked for coroner's reports at the LSU Shreveport Archives.   I have researched his cause of death.   There is no informant listed on the death certificate, other than the doctor, so who knew his name and age?  It did have "Arcadia, LA", what did that mean?   Why was he there, if this is our Alfred?   There are NO other Granaths that I have found in Louisiana at that time, although there were a few "Granat"s in New Orleans.

If you have any thoughts or want to see any of these records (or hear about the search) drop me an email.   Or I will consider a followup blog post and just post them here. :)