jean explored the land of her roots
TRANSCRIPT
Swedish American Genealogist
Volume 33 | Number 4 Article 11
12-1-2013
Jean explored the land of her rootsYlva Samuelsson
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsagPart of the Genealogy Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swedish AmericanGenealogist by an authorized editor of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Recommended CitationSamuelsson, Ylva (2013) "Jean explored the land of her roots," Swedish American Genealogist: Vol. 33 : No. 4 , Article 11.Available at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag/vol33/iss4/11
Jean explored the land of her roots in 2013
A Swedish descendant from America visiting Virestad parish
BY YLVA SAMUELSSON
During Midsummer 2013 a very nicelady by the name of Jean Larson ofDallas, Texas, visited Virestad parish.She made a trip of more than 8000kilometers across the world in herancestral tracks, to see with her owneyes places where her roots arefirmly planted in the soil of Smaland.
Jean's great-grandfather's namewas Sven Larsson, and he was bornin 1848 in Kateboda (then associatedwith Virestad parish). On 31 Jan.1870 Sven emigrated, like so manyothers, from small poor Smaland tothe great rich land of America, whereopportunities to earn a living was soinfinitely greater.
Sven went first to Rockford, Illi-nois, and the following year hissiblings also came. Peter (b. 18 July1851) and Nilla (b. 26 Feb.1845)joined him in Rockford. Sven andPeter earned their living as farmlaborers for eight years in Illinois.They saved their wages to eventuallybe able to buy their own separatefarms in Maple Valley township,Buena Vista County, Iowa.
Marriage and familyOn 4 Sep. 1881 Kristina Jonsdotter(in the U.S.: Christina Johnson), born9 Oct. 1856 in Finnanas, VastraTors-
~rPereemeroas naran, stind, enibele, yrke och nSrings&ag,
fltaek-sfusjti-, inlij-ses- ovh faltighjon), iialionnlitet (omframniande;. !}(«». (svag»int!!, blimla, dSfatanima).
Ffidclse-
1 »«'•'"' ;,x«,i:lcrui
/ • • >:
,/'•-
'
/:, T'
Virestad AI:18, p. 192 (1866-1870). Picture fromArkiv Digital.
as, migrated to Buena Vista County,Iowa. She and Sven found each otherand married shortly thereafter. Svensold his first farm and bought,together with Christina, a new farmin Diamond township, CherokeeCounty, Iowa. At about the same timehe renounced his allegiance to theSwedish king and became a UnitedStates citizen.
Sven and Christina had four child-ren, three sons and a daughter. Theeldest son, George, became a farmerlike his father. He had a farm inAurelia, and he married Lydia Lydell,a widow originally from Hestra(Smal.). She already had two child-ren, and together they had threemore. Their son Orville abandonedhis father's occupation and becamean accountant for the government.His only child was his daughter Jean,who is now an avid genealogist andthus a third generation Swedish de-scendant.
Plans for Sweden!After actively researching her familyfor over 18 years, Jean decided shewanted to visit the places where herancestors had been born and wherethey experienced their childhood. Soshe went on a week-long guidedgroup tour in Denmark and Swedenand remained in Scandinavia a fewextra days for personal travel. Priorto leaving she researched heritage as-sociation web pages for parisheswhere her ancestors lived. She alsocontacted the Kronoberg Genealogi-cal Association (KGF) and asked forinformation about Virestad and Vas-tra Torsas. Ingegerd Johansson, fromKGF, and Ylva Samuelsson fromVirestad heritage society responded.
18 Swedish American Genealogist 2013:4
Kateboda farm in 1942, then owned byLars Gustaf Nilsson, b. 1883, son ofJohannes Nilsson and his wife IngridLarsdotter. Picture from Svenska Godsoch Gardar (1942).She sought assistance for the addi-tional days that she wanted to spendvisiting Virestad and Vastra Torsas.And since Ingegerd and Ylva them-selves are dedicated genealogists,there was of course no doubt that thiswas something that we very muchwanted to help with.
A detailed plan was made up forthe three days that were available.All were aimed so Jean would seeboth as much as possible of herancestral home, but also that shewould get a glimpse of the "Smalandof Today."
Ylva Samuelsson and Ingegerd Jo-hansson.
Arrival in SmalandAt noon on Midsummer Eve Jeanarrived at Pensionat Bjorkelund inStenbrohult. There she met Ingegerdand Ylva and the first item on theagenda was a visit to the Midsummercelebrations in Virestads CommunityPark. In America midsummer is notcelebrated, so it was especially satis-fying to see how Swedes celebratethis event, with the midsummer pole,
folk dance team dances and cos-tumes, girls with garlands in theirhair, etc. She visited the cabins in thepark and saw what her ancestralhomes may have looked like.
After midsummer celebrations, wewere welcomed at the home of HugoMagnusson and his wife Maj-Britt inBrommeshult, Virestad. Hugo wasborn there, and it turned out he is athird cousin to Jean's father!
He showed a photograph he hadof his grandfather's aunt's son andhis family, and Jean was pleased thatshe knew the photograph well. It washer great-grandfather with his fami-ly, and it is a copy of the larger picturethat she has at home in Dallas. An-cestors echo across both centuriesand continents, and we can all un-derstand how clearly she feels bondstied together in this now.
The talk with Hugo and his wifewas both enjoyable and interesting,and Maj-Britt served coffee andhomemade cakes that tasted deli-ciously good on midsummer evening.
On the roadThe next day it was time for a touralong the byways around Virestadand Vastra Torsas. Ingegerd waswell prepared and chose farms whereJean's ancestors resided. First stopwas Gottasa old inn, then we visitedthe Karr, Kull, and Torsas villages.
In Vastra Torsas we visited thefirst church and looked for a head-stone that may be related to Jean.Then we went to Torsas Sjogard,where we were welcomed by Ann-Kristin and Thomas Sjb'strb'm whonow own and occupy the beautiful oldfarm that has been in Ann-Kristin'sfamily for many generations. EvenAnn-Kristin is distantly related toJean, and there was a nice chat withthe family before it was time to rushon to a lunch on Thurs farm in Lb'nas-hult.
After lunch we drove to Finnanaswhere Jean's grandfather's motherChristina was born. Jean had hercamera ready, and took pictures of allthe farms we showed her. Of course,most of the houses are newly built orrenovated since her ancestors in-habited them, but the Smaland corecan always be seen.
The stones of SmalandJean told an anecdote about howSwedes who moved to America feltabout rocks even after they left Swed-en. One of Sven Larsson's sisters,Ingrid, did not move to the UnitedStates, but her daughter Signild did.She married Charles Nelson, fromVastra Torsas and they had fourchildren. One day their two daugh-ters wanted to build a "rock garden",i.e. a garden with rocks, in their yard.
Torsas Sjogard, with the Sjostroms, and Ylva and Ingegerd. Jean stands to the right.
Swedish American Genealogist 2013:4 19
Virestad church.
When Charles Nelson came homethat day he told the girls to put therocks back. He said he was from therocky Vastra Torsas and did not wanthis daughters putting rocks in hisyard. Since childhood he had to workhimself weary removing all thesemiserable stones from the fields inSweden.
Well, via Brommeshult and Hor-meshult we came to Abogen, andthen the day was spent already so weended the tour there.
In Kateboda and moreSunday began with a visit to two ofthe Kateboda farms. In advance, wehad contacted the current residentsthere, Per-Olof Johnsson and StefanSalomonsson, and they had kindlyconsented to let us come and roamaround the yard and take pictures.Unfortunately, the weather was notthe best, but for Jean, it was ob-viously a good experience to finallysee her great-grandfather's birth-place. She turned up the jacket hoodagainst the rain and photographed
The Massa Pettern's dug-out (jordkulaj in Vastra Torsds.
everything of interest. The house inKateboda is certainly not the sameanymore, but there are gateposts, aroot cellar, stone walls, and muchmore that look like it could have beenthere since the late 1800s. Even someolder farm implements, such as ascythe leaning against the barn, wasphotographed and discussed.
From Kateboda we continued thetrek out to Tjurko, in Agunnaryd par-ish, where Ingegerd offered a lunchof smoked sausages cooked the "Sma-land way," in the wonderful environ-ment of the beautiful old farm whereshe grew up.
In the afternoon we visited MassaPettern's dug-out (jordkoja) in Vast-ra Torsas. It is a well preserved poorman's dwelling, which shows visitorshow modern living conditions actual-ly were like for the district's lessfortunate. On the way we stoppedalso, of course, in Grb'nhult and Sta-hult, two farms that often occur in aVastra Torsas researchers ancestry.
The evening ended with a visit toStenbrohult church, where this year'sMusic Week had begun that day. Avisit to one of our beautiful churches,with a taste of our beautiful Swedishmusic, thus rounded off AmericanJean's visit to Smaland.
We hope she has had a fruitful stayin our wonderful countryside, andthat she has taken home many won-derful memories from her ancestralhomeland.
Jean Larson lives in Dallas,Texas.Her e-mail is<[email protected]>
Ylva Samuelsson lives in Liatorp,Sweden.Her e-mail is<[email protected]>
Jean at the Kateboda farm.
20 Swedish American Genealogist 2013:4