Last but not least...

Dear family,

Göran's daughter # 3 - Maria Johansson.

And now, the story of Maria, my youngest daughter. As I told you earlier on back in April 2008 she married 120 years ago...12th May 1888. The man she married was called Carl-Petter and had his home in Rydaholm, where Maria probably worked for a while. We know that she moved from her home in the parish of Angelstad to Rydaholm. She was 24 years old and he was 27. No wedding photo to find. But as I remember they looked very solemn saying yes to one another, but I can be wrong. I told you earlier that they married in the parish of Angelstad. I have to check that up and might correct myself.

Soon they were to be blessed with their first son. He arrived as a New Years gift on the very first day of the year of 1889. The family then lived in the parish of Berga, about 15 km from Hovdinge. The little baby was given the name Gideon, 15 years later shortened to Gid in his new homeland. He was the young boy I just recently told you about, leaving Sweden to try to earn some money to send home. His picture to the right.



Together with him far away from home went his sister Ellen. She was born shortly after him, in July 1890. The family then lived in Bjärnaryd, in the parish of Angelstad. They went back with their uncle Oscar, my oldest son, in 1904 and stayed with his family in White Rock in South Dakota. They came back to Sweden for a visit later but returned to live their lives in the States. Her picture to the left.




In 1892 another son was born. His was given the name Simon. The priest in the Lutheran Church had to write a special note about him in the ministry books: "has not received the Christian baptism".







Some of you might wonder why as you remember me telling you that Carl Petter, the father of the children, was especially eager to serve his Lord. Well, he also believed in following his Master's words about first believing and then as a sign of turning to God being baptized. Carl-Petter did probably object to the customs of the Lutheran Church, baptizing children. The older children might not have been baptized either, but not all priests were as good as this one concerning making notes for secretaries to read a hundred years later. In all the younger sibling's birthbooks the same notes are to be found.


So, Maria, my daughter was busy. In 1894 Edith was born. Her picture to the left. She emigrated at the age of 18 and lived her life in Illionios.







In 1896 Hanna was born. Her picture to the right. Hanna lived a long life, being almost 100 years and was one reason why my secretary got involved in my family. Hanna talked about her sisters and brothers being in heaven, wondering why she should be sitting there in the old-people's home when she wanted to see Jesus. While waiting, she told my secretary many stories about life, like when she lived in the parish of Angelstad when she was a little girl. She went to school there, but only for four semesters. She could start a little later as she already knew how to read. "I had heard my sisters and brothers read. They thought I just knew it all by heart, but I could read. So I did not need to go to beginners class."

Hanna also told the following to my secretary in 1988: "I was not at home much between semesters. I stayed with other families and looked after their children. I was not more than five years old when I was in Bjärnaryd. The mother in the family had to set the fire going in the tiled stove because it would be too cold in the house while she was milking the cows in the barn. So they were afraid that the children would touch the charcole. So that's why I was to be there. I remember getting some wool leaving for home. I suppose they thought I should have something to bring home and did not really have anything else to give me. I was not at home much. I wanted to help, because I saw that they needed it." In 1898 when Hanna was three years old the family moved to Bolmaryd in the parish of Nöttja. I guess she was about 20 km away from her home taking care of the children in Bjärnaryd.


In 1889 Ruth was born in Bolmaryd, Nöttja. Her life was to be shorter than Hanna's, she died only 37 years old. Her picture to the left.


















And then there were two more siblings, Caleb, born in 1901 in the same place as his older sister. At Oscar's visit he must have looked just like he does on the picture to the right.



And finally, Hulda, born in 1903 at Björkedal, under the north farm in Angelstad. So she was a baby when Oscar returned to see his mother, sisters and brothers and their little ones. Her picture above.





I was richly blessed with grandkids! Will love to tell you more about their lives later, with rich blessings from above,

Göran Danielsson.

Dear folks,

Göran's daughter #1 - Emma Johannesson


Back in April 2008 I told my secretary on earth to tell you about "Life in Rataryd in 1887". That was the place were my daughter Emma raised her family together with her husband Bengt Johan Johannesson. By that time she had had four kids: Frida, being six years old, Hjalmar, a boy of five, Karl Wilhelm who was then two years old but would not live to be a grown man and finally David, newborn by the time.

David was the one who I told you about just recently, as he was one of the young people going with his uncle Oscar, my oldest son, when he returned to South Dakota after his visit in Sweden in 1903-04. David's kids and grandkids live in Canada and now and then visit this site, so hello to you from my secretary and from myself up here of course!

Well, back to business. Today I wanted to let you know that yet another little baby was born into the family of Emma and Bengt Johan. He was born in 1896 , was given the name Albert and we will hear about his family later. They are to be found not too far from the place of their origin. He grew up to be the handsome young man who you can see on the picture to the right.




Göran's daughter # 2 - Anna Charlotta Johansson

Back in April 2008 I also told you about my second daughter Anna and her "Life in Ingelstad in 1887". She had by then married Sven-Gustav Johansson and had started raising a family. Her first born was called Johan Gottfried and was five years old by then, her second baby was a girl called Karin, three years old by the time. She was the one I told you about recently, going with my son Oscar when he returned after his visit in Sweden 1904. Her name was then changed to Carrie and she stayed in the States all her life. There was also a little boy of a year by that time, born in 1886, called Joseph who stayed in Sweden, being the only one of the siblings doing so.


Today I want to continue with the rest of my grandkids by Anna. In 1889 another girl was born. Her name was Sigrid and I am a little insecure but I think it is her on the picture to the right. You know I do have quite a few grandkids to keep track of by now, being dead does not make it easier to remember.



In 1892 there was another girl arriving to the family. Her name was Hanna. We think she is the girl standing to the very right on the family picture below.

In 1894 Paul was born. He is the boy standing to the very left on the photo above. Some years later, for me unknown, their little boy Ragnar was born. Finally their youngest daughter Vera. These two youngest came to the land of their origin, Sweden, to visit around 1955. But that is to go too far ahead in time - we are trying to tell you the story up to 1903 for all five of my children before we continue.

Your ancestor, still alive up here,

Göran Danielsson.

More about August/John's family up to 1903

Hi again dear descendants,

Göran's son #2 - August Göranson, later calling himself John Goranson (the Goranson's)

Here my secretary would have liked to publish a photo of the siblings Betty, Miriam and Edna, daughters of August/John and Kristina Goranson. Edna tells us in her story Transplanted that their picture was taken, her remembering sitting on a chair, having a seat affair on top of the back rest where she was sitting way up high which was intriguing to her. Anyone who has a copy???

The next move for the family of John/August Goranson was "down the road half a mile north to Whitted's farm - a lovely large square house painted yellow, with white trimmings, the gables, had fancy wood trellis trim's in their peaks, two good sized barns, a good granary with an upstairs in it and an outside stairway leading up, a windmill with large circular wooden tank in the corner of the pasture right by the barn. The farm belonged to a widower who reserved one room upstairs for himself" (E. Goranson). Edna wonderded in later years how he could put up with all of the kids, as they must have been a noisy racketing bunch at times as she expresses it. She also remembers being three years old when they moved into this house, being sat on the top of a piled heap of bedding on the floor to be out of the way while everybody else carried in the furniture.

By now their circumstances were much improved, the three boys were now full grown and working out. Also the girls took jobs of housework. Edna writes "But because we were such a large family we always lived as cheaply as possible, to economize was a daily practice at our house and there never were any large sums left over". Therefore John/August was never able to build on the land he purchased 1st Dec 1903. He had always in mind to buy land and have a home of his own. He bought a quarter east of Whitted's, NE 1/4 of section 13, Township 128 - Range 47 Traverse county, on crop payments (E. Goranson).

Right to Left, back row: Teofil, Charlie, Willie, Gunnar, Bettie and Miriam.

Right to Left, front row: Albin, father John/August, Edgar, Edna, mother Kristina and David.

The oldest son, Gunnar was buying and trading horses and bringing home the loot from his trade-ins. Teofil's interests were guns and Kodaks, always taking pictures to develop and print them himself, baseball was his joy, also hunting. All the young boys were good ball players. Willie and Edgar, became camera fans. Odd musical instruments appeared, first the old accordions, the old zither, the mouth organs which were "cajoled into really beautiful music in many different mouth's. The violin was a horse of a different colour, took a lot of see-sawing to lure any lovely tunes out of it, but as time went on it too responded beautifully" (E. Goranson). There was also an Estey organ were many happy hours were spent by many of them. Edna also tells us about her first movie, a Charlie Chaplin film, silent of course, with written explanations between episodes. Chaplin was chasing a white goose up and down the streets of a town, never quite catching it.

At this time, around 1903, it was almost solid Swedish around White Rock according to Edna Goranson, with a sprinkling of German, Irish, Norwegians and Danes, by this time it was well build up with beautiful big houses and barns. This year, Edna tells us, my son Oscar went to Sweden for Christmas to visit his mother, stepfather, sisters and their families, coming back in June 1904, bringing many young folks back with him, like Edna's cousin Carrie (my daughter Anna's oldest daughter) and her cousin David Johnson (my daughter Emma's son), on the pictures to the right.

My secretary wants to add that also Edna's cousins Gideon and Ellen came at that time (my daughter Maria's oldest children), to stay with their uncle Oscar Goranson. They were as young as they look at this picture below, 14 and 15 years old, leaving their parents to try to earn some money to send home.

With love to you readers from my heavenly resting place,

Goran Danielsson.

Three more kids in the family of August/John Goranson

Hi,

Göran's son #2 - August Göranson, later calling himself John Goranson (the Goranson's)

Time to take you back to the year of 1894, to South Dakota and White Rock. The next place which would be the home for the family of my son August/John was called the John Rose place. Here child #7 was born, a boy called Albin. He was born 18th December 1892 and then had 61 years ahead of him. This is his picture to the right.

The day the family moved away from John Rose's place a near tragedy took place according to the story of Edna Goranson. My oldest son Oscar's daughter Amanda came over to help scrubbin the floors after the furniture was moved out. She wore a bright red dress. My son August/John had a team hitched to a hayrackwagon, with some hay in the bottom, where they laid breakable household articles on the hay. When Amanda came out to deposit some articles, the horses caught sight of her red dress and bolted with fright! As the horses passed by August/John he caught the bridle of the nearest him with one hand, with the other he took the horse by the nostrils and literally shut off his wind so they had to stop. August/John was of short stature, the horse lifted him right off the ground with his head. A wonder he wasn't killed. Had they got away both he and Amanda could have been killed. There would have been no great grandkids like Boyd, no Ian, no Valerie, no Alton...puh, overjoyed our guardian angels were there to save the situation.

"That day they moved north-east to a place called the school land with a house little more than a hovel in the ground, with the roof and windows above ground. The rest was dug out like a cellar in the earth..."(E. Goranson). Here a new little son of August/John and Kristina was born in 1894. His name was David, his picture to the right.

"When on this place they had a promise of a wonderful crop, the heaviest growth since any of the settlers arrived. They were all so happy with anticipation, thinking now they could pay their debts, and get ahead a little, to buy some much needed items. Dad (John/August) had dickered with a friend for a team fo young horses so he could change off with a couple of old ones to keep going steadily as it would be quite an undertaking to cut all that good crop. He had his binder in all readiness, went for the team he had purchased to start cutting on the morrow. That night a terrific hailstorm wiped out the crop, the whole countryside for miles around. The next day he took the team back to the man he bought them from, as now he would be unable to pay for them, he too lost his crop so was very understanding and took them back. That winter there was no money to buy shoes for the smaller children. Mama (Kristina) made shoes of old felt hats, which were both sturdy and warm" (E. Goranson).

Edna also tells us that when on this farm, her Mama Kristina was in bed for six months due to a kidney ailment. "Imagine her predicament with eight small children around her! She had to organize them to help themselves and each other with the help of two kind neighbour ladies, so good to her she called them angels. Every week they came to clean the house, do some baking and cooking for her, washing and ironing and always they brought a treat of something along, a cake, cookies or a pudding." They also made her a pair of feather pillow cases, never in all her life was she so grateful for any gifts as these pillows. Her mattress was a cover filled with fresh straw after threshing (E. Goranson).

The next move for the family was to the Charlie Peterson place - a house build on a small hill or knoll. The house had four rooms and an upstairs, really good buildings and there children #9 and 10 were born. Edgar was born in 1896, his picture to the right.

The little sister Edna, to whom we are so grateful for her story, was born in 1899. Her picture to the left. Edna also tells us about a fire, caused by a train in the midst of harvest. The family helped stopping it, had it got beyond control at least eight to ten farms places would have gone, their included. Another story is about the family's dear horses being shot by the Vet, saying they had glanders, having a drag from the government for each animal shot. August/John was not good enough in the English language to cope with him and the boys were too young to bulldoze him off the farm or demand more proof by another Vet (E. Goranson).

Your ancestor Goran.