Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Jakobina Emilia Johansson (John Alfred Sister)
I Jakobina Emilia Johansson declare by own desire according to this will and testament, that when I die will all my possessions I leave behind be divided in this following manner
1. My youngest sister, Signe Fotentia Johansson, will get all furniture, clothes, and household supplies. And she will also get 50% half of the rest of her possessions like property or money.
2. The remaining half of the property and money should be divied on the follwoing way so that 44% will be given to my older sister Jenny Alvida Andersson, ___________
20% should be given to my sister's son Gunnar Edvin Svensson,
36% should be given to my sister's son Gunnar Edvin Svensson's both daughters Anna Viola and Gunberg Evelina Hillevi and be divided so they both get the same amount.
If anyone of those mentioned in this will should pass away before me, so should that person's heirs get it instead.
Breared, Simlangsdalen 17 January 1947,
Emilia Johansson
That Emilia Johansson, who we know personally, with a sound mind and at her own free will has explained that this will and testament is her own wish. And the names below is testifying that Emilia Johansson has signed this herself.
Augusta Hellstrom
Wife
Simlangsdalen
Gosta Hellstrom
Forest Ranger
Simlangsdalen
Halmstad 4 April 1947
Uncle _______-,
I hope that it is you that will receive this letter and that you are still alive and healthy. The thing is that your sister Emilia passed away March 9 because of heart disease. And she wrote a will and testament in January this year. I don't know who did help her to write it, it has not been explained. I have included her will in this letter to you.
Me, Alvida and _________ do not approve this will which is not legally valid. We want that all her possessions to be divided in to 5 equal parts. So I am asking you how we should do this and if you will send me your paper of authorization so will I take care of it so that you get your part.
The thing is that the matter is in a hurry so I want you to reply to me as fast as possible. the reason why it have taken me a while to write this letter to you is because it have been a lot of things to take care of. And if I know that this letter will get to you so will I write and tell you about how we are doing at home in Olof____.
We have a little desk standing in the cottage at tall backed that you did make back in the time, do you want us to send it to you? I don't know what more I should write about tonight so I guess this will be enough until I will get a reply from you. I am waiting for my Uncle Sigfrid to visit us for Eater. He is healthy and are still working, but he is a widower now.
My address is: Gunnar F. Svensson
_________ 36 Halmstad
Kind regards from us all to you and your family
Sincerely,
Gunnar
Translated by Elder Edvinsson and LDS missionary from Sweden
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Josephine Ryberg
Josephine Ryberg Johnson was born on January 8, 1862 in the province of Halland, Sweden. This province is on the west coast of Sweden in the southern part of the country. Her entire family came over to the United States in 1873 with the exception of her eldest brother. in Sweden the family had been quite well-to-do with a family business and even had household help. then the father drank and gambled and lost his money so he decided to come to America where "he could make a lot of money." Not knowing anything about farming they weren't successful at it. The farm they settled on was on the Clermont-Wilcox road, closer to Wilcox.
Josephine Ryberg had three brothers and three sisters in this country. John Ryberg lived in Warren, Pa. and had a large family of 8 or 9, he was next to the oldest. Next was a sister Mrs. Lindberg who lived in Sheffield, Pa. and died rather young. Following her was Mrs. Parks "from the West, a very attractive woman". Next was Josephine and her twin brother Charles, also of Sheffield. Aunt Anna was next; she married Anton Anderson and lived in Wilcox her entire life. (It is thought that Josephine was closes to this sister Annie.) Relations between the Smethport Johnson/Hull and the Wilcox Anderson cousins remained close for years. Aunt Annie had at least three sons and one daughter: Carl, Art, Alice Walters and Harry. The youngest brother of Josephine was Uncle Adolph who lived with is parents and took care of the farm. He got married when he was older.
As a young lady, Josephine Ryberg went to Smethport to work as a domestic for a couple named Ford. Their daughter married Dr. McCoy. She worked for six years before she married Charles Johnson on August 14, 1884. They first lived in what was reputed to be the oldest house in Smethport, a small home on the site of the later property of J. Alfred Johnson. They then bought the adjacent property and built a home. This home was the site of many gatherings of relatives and friends, eg. church socials, visiting ministers, etc. The church members were a homogeneous group to the extent that they were virtually all immigrants from Sweden; services were conducted in Swedish for many years. Therefore, it is natural that their social life was mainly among this group.
Josephine died on April 17, 1923. She appears in pictures to have a stern and serious look, with hair pulled back from the face. (The writer remembers remarking on this to her mother, and Vera said that to the contrary her mother had a good sense of humor. It should also be recognized that people in photographs from this ear always looked serious.)
Charles and Josephine had four children, one of whom, Anna, died in infancy.
Josephine Ryberg had three brothers and three sisters in this country. John Ryberg lived in Warren, Pa. and had a large family of 8 or 9, he was next to the oldest. Next was a sister Mrs. Lindberg who lived in Sheffield, Pa. and died rather young. Following her was Mrs. Parks "from the West, a very attractive woman". Next was Josephine and her twin brother Charles, also of Sheffield. Aunt Anna was next; she married Anton Anderson and lived in Wilcox her entire life. (It is thought that Josephine was closes to this sister Annie.) Relations between the Smethport Johnson/Hull and the Wilcox Anderson cousins remained close for years. Aunt Annie had at least three sons and one daughter: Carl, Art, Alice Walters and Harry. The youngest brother of Josephine was Uncle Adolph who lived with is parents and took care of the farm. He got married when he was older.
As a young lady, Josephine Ryberg went to Smethport to work as a domestic for a couple named Ford. Their daughter married Dr. McCoy. She worked for six years before she married Charles Johnson on August 14, 1884. They first lived in what was reputed to be the oldest house in Smethport, a small home on the site of the later property of J. Alfred Johnson. They then bought the adjacent property and built a home. This home was the site of many gatherings of relatives and friends, eg. church socials, visiting ministers, etc. The church members were a homogeneous group to the extent that they were virtually all immigrants from Sweden; services were conducted in Swedish for many years. Therefore, it is natural that their social life was mainly among this group.
Josephine died on April 17, 1923. She appears in pictures to have a stern and serious look, with hair pulled back from the face. (The writer remembers remarking on this to her mother, and Vera said that to the contrary her mother had a good sense of humor. It should also be recognized that people in photographs from this ear always looked serious.)
Charles and Josephine had four children, one of whom, Anna, died in infancy.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Archibald McPhail
Archibald McPhail emigrated from Scotland to America with his wife and two daughters in 1856. Their overland travel with the Willie Handcart Company also meant sharing a tent which housed about 20 fellow emigrants. Archibald was the captain of this group which included two women who constantly lagged behind the others.
After struggling with his handcart through a blizzard across Rocky Ridge, Archibald reached the camp at Rock Creek Hollow and found that only one of these women had arrived at camp. It was late at night when Archibald went back on the trail and found the missing woman on the other side of a frozen creek. He tried to convince her to come across the ice to him but she refused. She felt she was dying anyway and did not want to risk breaking through the ice. Archibald finally crossed the creek to get her, picked her up and was in the process of bringing her across when the ice broke and Archibald fell through to his waist. With his shoes and clothing frozen to his strained body, Archibald was somehow able to get his charge back to camp, arriving very late at night.
“By the time they returned to camp [Archibald’s] clothing was frozen on him and he was taking heavy chills. The air was cold and wet and the men were so weak and hungry they could not go in search of dry wood to make a fire; so without anything warm to eat or drink, he was placed in a cold bed [under a handcart] . . . Henrietta [his 13-year-old daughter] sat by his bed brushing the snow from his face . . .” (From Henrietta’s biography by her daughter, Rachel Eckersell Minson.)
Archibald somehow survived for two more weeks and on the night of November 6, 1856, his wife, Jane, sat lovingly with his head on her knee and prayed that a small piece of tallow candle she had burning might last until Archibald passed away. Her prayer was answered, for the light of the candle and the life of her husband went out at the same moment. Archibald had made the ultimate sacrifice and brought his loved ones within 3 days of their goal. His family and the other woman he had rescued survived the journey.
Jane worked hard in Zion, cleaning schools and practicing obstetrics for more than 30 years. In later life she stated that she would gladly go through all her trials again for the sake of the Gospel.
The same faithfulness exhibited by Archibald and Jane was later reflected in an incident in Henrietta’s life. Her son, Archibald, and his wife and some of their children fell victims to a criminal act in which they all died. Rachel E. Minson wrote: “In Henrietta’s great sorrow she was asked to drink a cup of tea to quiet her nerves but she refused by saying, ‘I must depend on the Lord for help and not on that which He has forbidden.’ The Lord did bless her. She was privileged to live to see her children enjoy that which she had sacrificed so much for.”
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . .
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