OLOFSON PHOTOS

 I have so many photos of the Olofson family. From my great-great grandfather Olof and his second wife and family to William Olofson, his wife Olivia, and their children, and more. Today, I'll pick a few that I'm not sure I've shared before. I hope there are some new ones in here for you to enjoy.

Olof Olofson married Brita Rask in 1880 and together they raised William who was the son of Olof, Anna Sophia Charlotta who was the daughter of Brita, and the 7 children they had together. Below is a picture of this handsome group:

Taken around 1904, they are (back row) Charlie, Lottie (Anna Sophia Charlotta), William Edward, Hannah, Gilbert; (front row) Bada, Olof, Delbert, Brita, Leon, Alice.

Great-great grandfather Olof Olofson was one of 6 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood. The following picture shows Anna, Greta, and Kerstin in the back with Olof, who was blind by this time, and Lars.

William Edward Olofson and Olivia Rask, my great-grandparents, were married on October 17, 1889, and below is their wedding photo:

Next are two of my favorite photos of William and Olivia. Both show them in a buggy pulled by horses. One in the summertime dressed to impress. The other was in the winter, dressed for the very cold Iowa winters.

Olof Olofson with his dog and his cane:

Next is a photo of Olivia Rask Olofson and her son Vernie, my great uncle.

And finally, pictures of my grandmother Maude Edith Olofson Linn and her sister Lilly Sophy Olofson Lundgren.

I hope you've enjoyed these few picture of our Olofson ancestors. I love seeing their clothes and the glimpses into their lives before any of us were here.

Next week I'll post photos of other relatives: Lundgrens, Barquists, Rasks, and others.

 

Age Differences

 

It’s not unusual to be attracted to and marry someone who is several years older OR several years younger than we are. It is true today and was true hundreds of years ago when our ancestors were alive and making their arrangements to marry.

In Sweden, all couples, starting in the late 1600’s, needed to meet with the local priest, go through the banns (3 weeks of announcing their intention to marry in the church), and arrange for the traditional gift giving. During these meetings, the priest often entered his “notes” about the couple including who was vouching for each person.

A widow or widower could not remarry until the assessment and divisions of their previous “estate” were legally resolved. But that was normally done within about 3 months of someone’s death.

The gift giving sometimes included the man’s commitment to a morgongåva, a gift that was similar to a dowry and compensation for the bride's commitment to the marriage and household improvement. The wife would receive the morgongåva after the death of her husband. It was a way to help the widow continue for some time until she could find another man to marry or a stable household with a relative. This practice ended sometime around the early 1800's. 

As you might guess, a widower was more able and likely to marry again and to marry a much younger woman, both for the stability it brought to her life, but also her ability to give birth to additional children. An older widow, unless economically stable, might have more difficulty remarrying. It's why I see many of our widowed female ancestors living in the poor house or living with one of their children, but not remarried.

Let's look at a few of these May-September marriages in our family line.

Olaus Fredricsson is my 3rd great grandfather, father to Gus and John Linn. Olaus' family had been well off, and Olaus, his wife Catharina Johansdotter, and their 8 children, lived very comfortably at Dodringshult in Ingatorp Parish, Jonkoping County.

Dodringshult Farm in Ingatorp Parish

At some point, Dodringshult was for sale. Some of the description includes: Forest property in Northern Småland. The property is located about 20 km from Eksjö and about 10 km North of Bruzaholm. The area has about 572 hectars of which 533 are productive forest land.  Well-developed forest road network. Good hunting opportunities.

When Olaus died at the age of 44, Catharina was forced to move from her beautiful home down a dirt road to a small shack called Vastra Lund. She had her youngest 3 with her, while the older children had gone out working as drangs or pigans on other farms. How would Catharina live and provide for her children long term? We don’t know if she was bequeathed a morgongåva. We do know that she would have received half of the net proceeds from Olaus’ estate. But how long that would last is unknown. One way to assure she had food on the table and a roof over her head was to remarry.  Catherina was almost 45 years old when she married Johannes Jonsson who was 28 years old. He moved to Vastra Lund after his marriage to Catharina. While this is confusing, it does lend support to their probably not knowing each other well, or at all, when they married.

Anders Fogelqvist is my 4^th great grandfather on the Linn side. He was born in Uppsala county in 1744 and married Anna Marie Lundeberger in 1775. His bride was born in 1730, making their age difference 14 years. This couple had no children, and when Anna Marie died in 1790, Anders married my 4^th great grandmother, Lisa Lagerstrom, who was 21 years his junior. He liked being with women both much older AND much younger! But Anders himself was a great catch. He was a master hatmaker who also worked for the king’s artillery.

When my second great-grandfather, Olof Olofson, remarried, his new wife, Brita Rask, was 20 years younger. Olof was born in 1837; Brita in 1857. In an earlier post, we saw how this couple probably did not know each other before their marriage in Iowa in 1880.

The few options available in these very small, rural parishes, the need for stability, additional children, comfort, and yes, love, found our ancestors remarrying soon after the loss of a spouse. And, in many cases, these remarriages were between two people who might be separated by many years. Selfishly, I’m so glad they did remarry as I’m a descendent, in many cases, of a second marriage.

 

A Mail Order Bride?

Most of us have options when we are looking for a serious partner. Dating apps, church, school, a bar, a blind date, a person we see at the local Starbucks. But, many of our ancestors came from the smallest of parishes in Sweden, rural areas where options to find a mate were slim. Thus, we often see marriages between people who lived on the same farm, a huge age gap in the couple, or marriages that were arranged or designed to provide stability and shelter. And, there were many births out of wedlock in our family tree.

Brita Margrite Rask was born in Bollnas Parish in Gavleborg County and is the step grandmother to our Maude Edith Olofson Linn. She was born on December 24, 1857, the second of five children born to Olof Rask and his wife Sophia Margrite Kjellander. Olof and Sophia didn’t marry until 1861, when they already had 3 children.

I wouldn’t call Olof Rask a particularly good catch. He was poor, moved a great deal as a laborer, and in one clerical survey is noted as being “defenseless, but basically honest”.

Bringing 5 children into a rather unstable environment must have been difficult for everyone.

•   Eldest daughter Anna Stina, who worked as a servant/pigan, died at the age of 22 of an unknown illness.
•   Second daughter Brita Margrite, who also worked at various farms as a pigan, became pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to a daughter, Anna Charlotta, when she was just 22 years of age. She and her daughter immigrated to the United States in July 1880.
•   Third daughter Olivia was also a servant girl who followed her sister to the United States in 1881.
•   Fourth child Johanna Marie died at the age of 2 of an unknown illness.
•   The baby of the family was Karl Olof Rask. Karl came to the United States in 1884, lived in Iowa for a short time, married and moved to Yankton, South Dakota, and eventually to North Dakota, where he died in 1930.

We see that the three surviving Rask children all immigrated to the United States. But why? In Karl’s case, he was able to be an independent farmer, owning his own farm by 1910. He married another Swedish immigrant, and raised 8 children. Compared to what his life would have been like in Sweden, the son of two poor parents and no option to be a landowner, he certainly carved out a much better life for himself.

Olivia Rask followed Brita from Sweden to Iowa in 1881 and eventually married my great grandfather, William Edward Olofson. This makes Olivia our great-grandmother but also our step-great-great aunt. Confusing?

Brita’s immigration is interesting. She was living with her parents and raising a daughter in Sweden. How would she have learned about Olof Olofson in Iowa? How could she have met him to know if he would make a suitable life partner? While I have no definitive answer, it is my belief that this was an arranged marriage or a mail order situation for Olof and Brita.

Olof had been widowed sometime between 1871 and 1880, when Maria Barquist Olofson died. He was raising his son William Edward Olofson with the help of his mother Christine, as shown in the 1880 census taken in June of 1880.

Brita and her daughter sailed from Sweden to the United States sometime after July 5, 1880, when we see that they are moving out of Bollnas Parish. The ocean part of the trip would have taken approximately 3 weeks. That puts their arrival on the Eastern shore of the United States around the first part of August 1880. From there, Brita and Anna Charlotta would have taken a train, perhaps a boat and other transportation to Iowa and eventually to Hardin Township in Webster County. Maybe that would have added another month to their trip.

Brita and Olof Olofson married in Boone County on September 9, 1880. It would certainly appear that this couple did not know each other before marrying; or, if they did, it was for a very few days. Looks like an arranged marriage, a mail-order bride, or something practical, if not romantic.

When Brita and Olof married, Olof was going blind. As we saw from a post on July 1, 2018, Olof spent the last 40 years of his life blind. He died in 1924, so he would have been blind around 1884, just 4 years after Brita and Olof married.

Brita Rask Olofson is my step-second great grandmother and also my second great aunt, Maude Edith Olofson’s step grandmother and also her aunt.

Take a look back at the March 11 and March 18 blog posts and also the July 1 post, all from my 2018 year of 52 ancestors in 52 weeks, for more on the Rask family. And then weigh in. An arranged marriage? Or ….

Two photos of Brita Rask Olofson; lower photo is of Olof and Brita Olofson. Olof is blind in this photograph. Love his beard and wish we had that cane and his very cool hat!

Brita Rask Olofson

A few weeks ago, I posted about Brita Rask Olofson, my step great-great grandmother, and her sister, Olivia Rask Olofson, my great-grandmother. But while looking through news articles recently, I came across the following that I found a bit humorous. But then, I guess that's how people were described then:

The Stratford Courier, October 8, 1914, page 4

How do you like that description of step great-great grandmother Brita as a "very large woman"? I decided to look in local newspapers of the time under those three words and, amazingly, many women were described that way, and especially in terms of falling or hurting themselves or breaking a chair.

Here's a picture of Brita. What do you think?

And here's one more photo, this one of Olof Olofson, who we know was blind for 40 years, and wife Brita Rask Olofson.

Olof Olofson...blind.   Brita Rask Olofson...a very large woman.

Olof Olofson - How did no one know THIS?

Olof Olofson was my second great grandfather, the grandfather to Maude Edith Olofson Linn. Today's post is about his life, but first, when you look at the picture below, does anything stand out to you? The answer will be at the end of this post.

Olof Olofson. 

Olof Olofson was born in Farila Parish in Gavleborg County on October 5, 1837, the second of 6 children born to Olof Olsson and Kirstin Larsdotter. In 1850, Olof and Kirstin brought their 6 children to the United States, which was rather early for Swedish immigration. They settled in Manitowac County, Wisconsin, having lost their infant daughter along the way. Olof Olsson died in Wisconsin, and the family story is that Kirstin walked with her 5 surviving children to Iowa where she settled near Stratford and raised her family.

In 1865 Olof married Maria Barquist. Their son William Edward Olofson was born in 1866, and three years later, their daughter Mathilda was born. Sadly, Mathilda died in February 1870. The story becomes blurry about Maria at this point, but by 1880, we know that Olof had remarried to Brita Rask. In one record, Olof is listed as a widower; in another census he is listed as divorced. To this date, no one has been able to learn what happened to Maria Barquist Olofson.

Olof and Brita had 7 children together in addition to Olof's William Edward Olofson and Brita's Anna Sophia Charlotta. They lived very modestly in Hardin Township, on 30 improved acres and 40 unimproved woodland or forest acres and 19 unimproved "old fields" not growing wood, according to the 1880 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedule (Agriculture). The value of the farm was $1600; value of livestock $450.

According to the regular US Federal Census data, Olof did not own his own farm until the 1920 census, just 4 years before he died. Until then, they were renters and also had boarders living with them. Imagine all of those people in a small, modest farm house!

The children were

• William Edward Olofson, 1866-1924, married to Olivia Rask;
• Anna Sophia Charlotta Olofson (Lottie), 1879-1931, married to Oscar Emil Larson;
• Hannah Margurite Olofson, 1881-1965, married to William Leon Brundien;
• Alice Olofson, 1883-1963, married to Henry V. Larson;
• Gilbert Olofson, 1886-1976, married to Iva Pearl Woolsey;
• Charles Olofson, 1889-1911, died working in Chicago;
• Delbert Olofson, 1891-1920, married to Golda Mae Snyder;
• Bada Olofson, 1893-1971, married to Clement Lincoln Johnson;
• Leon Olofson, 1896-1967, no information on a marriage.

One of the interesting features of this family, unusual at the time, is that, several of the children had moved far away from Iowa. Alice died in Tacoma, Washington; Delbert in Truman, Minnesota; Bada in Long Beach, California; and Leon in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.

And so, back to the question I asked at the beginning of this post. Here's another photo for you to examine:

Olof is in the lower left.

Is there anything you might be noticing now? No, it's not the beard, although it's pretty fantastic! I have to admit that I didn't notice something about Olof for all of the years I've had these photos. If you have a guess, take a look at this obituary for Olof that I just found a couple of weeks ago.

Notice halfway down where the article mentions his being blind for 40 YEARS!

Webster City Journal, July 24, 1924, page 5

This is the first time I've heard or read of his being blind. And Olof was blind for nearly half his life!! How did he farm? Did any of my readers know this? Please comment on the blog if you have any insight.

I love genealogy research. I find out something new every time I look at a new record, read a news article, exchange information with other descendants, read about the history of the time. I hope you're enjoying these posts as much as I enjoy writing them.

More About Sophia Margrite Kjellander

My great-great grandmother, Sophia, had started her life in Stockholm with two loving parents and three sisters, a normal, happy life. But by the time she was 8 years old, both parents and one sister had died. She was separated from her other two sisters and sent to northern Sweden to live with strangers. As she started her adult life, she moved often and at one point was "a person without a permanent residence."

Sophia's first daughter, Anna Margretha Jacobsdotteer, born on December 23, 1845 in Stugu By, Stugun Parish in Jamtland County, was listed as oakta (illegitimate) in the birth record. Another illegitimate daughter, Carolina Josephina Carlsdotter, was born on July 1, 1848; and a third illegitimate daughter, Stina Sophia (no last name listed) was born on February 20, 1852, in Stromsnas, Stugun Parish.

On April 27, 1852, Sophia's first-born child, Anna Margretha Jacobsdotter, died and was buried on May 24. Sophia had moved several times in 6 years, had given birth to 3 daughters by 3 different men, was listed as a person without a permanent residence, and now had lost her six-year old daughter. Her life just seems so sad, filled with instability.

At some point after the death of her daughter, Sophia met Olof Rask in Stugun Parish, and he became part of the picture with Sophia and her daughters. In the 1853-1861 clerical survey for Stugun Parish, Sophia is listed with five illegitimate children: Carolina Josephina Carlsdotter, Stina Sophia, Anna Christina Rask (born October 24, 1855), Berta Margreta Rask (born December 24, 1857), and Olivia Rask (born November 18, 1859). Sophia and her five "illegitimate" children are listed with the heading "people without a permanent residence".  The three younger children all have the last name "Rask" indicating that Olof Rask fathered these three girls. On that same page, Sophia and her daughters are listed again with Olof Rask after the marriage of Olof and Sophia on February 23, 1861. A note next to Sophia's information in which she was introduced back into the church says in part "The laborer Olof Rask acknowledges her as his wife to be."

Being introduced back to the church could mean that the parishioner would stand up in front of the priest and congregation, confess to her sins and then be forgiven. Another explanation for being reintroduced into the church was that women in Sweden at that time who had given birth were thought to be "unclean" until six weeks after the birth of their child. Being introduced indicated that this six-week period had ended. Because Sophia had given birth in late October 1855 to Anna Christina, her reintroduction on December 2 coincides with this six-week period.

Olof Rask didn't seem to be a great catch. He was born on March 16, 1824, in Heden in Bollans Gavleborg, the 4th of 8 children of Olof Rask and Stina Lindberg. Olof came from a long line of military men, but Olof himself had lived a nomadic life, moving around several times and, at one point, was listed as defenseless but honest and of good character. Olof was missing papers proving his movements from March 10, 1845 to January 1851, a serious offense at that time.

Why did this couple move so often? Was Olof trying to find work? Was he running from something in his past since he didn't have the proper papers to move? Was there a stigma to the number of children Sophia had out of wedlock? I have had to meticulously track Olof and Sophia individually and together as they moved so often it would have been easy to have lost them in the clerical surveys.

Sophia seems to have finally found the relationship and family that she wanted. To recap the children Sophia had, both illegitimate and while married to Olof:

• Anna Margretha Jacobssdotter, born December 23, 1845; died April 27, 1852;
• Carolina Josephina Carlsdotter, born July 1, 1848;
• Stina Sophia (no last name listed), born February 20, 1852

The last five children were fathered by Olof Rask:

• Anna Christina Rask, born October 24, 1855; died July 8, 1878;
• Berta (Brita) Margreta Rask, born December 24, 1857; died April 6, 1930 in Iowa;
• Olivia Rask, born November 18, 1859; died March 18, 1943 in Iowa;
• Johanna Maria Rask, born October 12, 1861; I believe she also came to the US;
• Karl Olof Rask, born April 25, 1864; died on July 30, 1930 in Chaseley, North Dakota.

Olof Rask and Sophia Margrite Kjellander, around 1880

Sophia died of cancer on July 5, 1888, in Bollnas, Gavleborg, at age 66 years, 2 months, 26 days. Olof died six months prior to Sophia's death in Bollnas on January 7, 1888. The cause of death was undetermined. He was 63 years, 9 months, 21 days old.

Sophia's life began quite normally with an intact family consisting of her parents, Carl and Margaretha, and her three sisters. But a series of tragedies and sad events sent Sophia's life in a different direction. Because of these events, it could have been easy to dismiss her life and to dwell on her misfortunes. But, Sophia was a survivor. And, in the end, Sophia found love, had a family, and was able to overcome the twists and turns life threw her way.

*Sophia was Grandma Linn's (Maude Edith Olofson) maternal grandmother. This photo of her grandparents was hers. I imagine that Olivia and Brita brought the photo with them when they came to the US. And I wonder now what Grandma knew of her own grandmother's story.

A Swedish Soldier

Last fall I decided to put together what I know about my military ancestors, those who served in the Czech Republic, Sweden, and the United States. There were over 25 of them, serving their country during times of war and peace. Periodically, I will include one of our Swedish soldiers in my blog.

In Sweden, after 1692, the soldier allotment system worked this way: A number of farms made up a rote, and each rote was responsible for one soldier. The farms had to recruit the soldier, give him and his family a cottage and piece of land, and pay a salary. During peace time, the soldier would do military exercises with his regiment and be called upon to provide other duties. In times of war, his family and farm were taken care of while he was gone. If the soldier died, the soldier’s family had to move to make room for the next soldier. And when the soldier retired, he and his family immediately left the farm.

One of my Swedish military ancestors was my 4^th great grandfather, Martin Hedberg. He was the great-grandfather to Olivia and Brita Rask (Olofson). Martin was born to the soldier Olof Boman and his wife, Anna Martensdotter on February 4, 1745, in Bollnas Parish in Gavleborg County.

Having researched my family history for over 40 years, I know that not every person lives up to the ideals we might hope for or live the kind of life we might imagine. Often, their lives have both positive and negative parts to them, the ups and downs of life. Martin was one of those ancestors.

Without a full history, complete explanations and details, it's difficult to know when the few facts available lead to an accurate assessment of a person. I don’t have exact dates when Martin served as a soldier. It’s my guess that he was discharged or retired by the 1783-1786 clerical survey when we see Martin moving several times, from farm to farm, within Bollnas Parish. He did not have papers that allowed him to move, was not able to pass the yearly clerical examination given by the parish priest, could not read, did not know the Bible or was able to recite anything he was asked. Because of these shortcomings, Martin Hedberg was sent to work at a fortress in 1786, probably Fredriksskans in Gavle to work at hard labor. It would have been similar to a prison.

Fredriksskans Fortress

Fredriksskans fortress was erected on a small island on a fjord and was originally used as a fort for protection of the area, but later became a prison. Martin was there from 1786 but would have been out by 1789 as he fathered a child then.

By 1798, Martin was living with Ella Palsdotter and their illegitimate children. Anna (born 1789) and Olof (born 1792). Martin is noted as being a discharged soldier in the clerical survey. To date, I've never found a marriage record for Martin and Ella, and their children were always listed as oäkta or illegitimate.

Martin’s death record states that he was a retired guard, receiving a pension from the military. He died on April 30, 1807, at the age of 62.

It's important to note that, in Sweden, under the Lutheran Church, the yearly clerical surveys conducted by the parish priest were taken very seriously. These examinations helped the Lutheran State Church in its responsibility to keep track of its people. They also served as an opportunity to teach church doctrine, reinforce disciplinary authority (thus the punishment for Martin Hedberg), and promote a healthy society through the recording of vaccinations. Anyone who could not meet basic church requirements would have been penalized in some way.

While it's clear that Martin Hedberg honorably served his parish or rote as a soldier, he was unable to maintain a lifestyle that satisfied the state church. Perhaps he was simply poor which led him to move around and to not learn to read or study the Bible; perhaps he was defiant of the church doctrine and rules. I have no answers to the "why's" of Martin's life and the decisions he made. But we are descended from his son Olof, grandson Olof Rask, great-granddaughter Olivia Rask, and great-great granddaughter Maude Edith Olofson. For that I'm thankful.

Two Sisters - Part One

Brita Rask is my second great aunt and also my step great-great grandmother. Her sister Olivia is my great-grandmother and also my second great aunt. Brita is Olivia’s sister and also her mother-in-law.

How did this happen?

The quick answer is that older sister Brita Rask came from Sweden to the United States and became the second wife of our second great-grandfather Olof Olofson. Olof’s first wife, Maria Barquist, had died, leaving Olof with one young son, William Edward, aka Eddie Olofson. Soon after Brita and Olof married, Brita’s younger sister Olivia Rask also immigrated to the United States, and she later married Olof’s son, William Edward Olofson.

Thus, Olivia and Brita were related to each other because of their marriages to father and son as well as their being sisters.

This week, let’s take a closer look at Brita Rask. Next week will be a posting about Olivia Rask.

Brita Margrite Rask was born on December 24, 1857, in Bollnas Parish in Gavleborg County, Sweden. Olof Rask and Sophia Margrite Kjellander had been living together for years but did not marry until well after Brita’s birth, on February 23, 1861. Together, Olof and Sophia had 5 children, two born after they married. Sophia had led a very sad life (one that should be told in a future posting) and had 3 children with different men before she met Olof Rask.

When Brita was 21, she gave birth to a daughter, Sophia Charlotta Rask, born on July 30, 1879. Then on July 5, 1880, Brita and her one-year old daughter Sophia, immigrated to the United States where they went directly to Boone County, Iowa. Within two months of their arrival, Brita and Olof Olofson were married, on September 9, 1880.

I’ve often wondered about this very quick marriage. Olof’s first wife, my great-great grandmother Maria Barquist Olofson, had died shortly after the death of their second child, Matilda, in 1869. Maria appears with husband Olof and son Eddie in the 1870 census, but no state or federal census after that. As of this date, no record has been found for Maria’s death by anyone doing research on this family. But it’s clear that Olof and his son Eddie lived alone or with Olof’s mother Christina for nearly 10 years before Brita arrived in 1880.

Neither Brita and Olof nor their families could have known each other in Sweden. Olof was born in 1837; Brita in 1857. Olof’s family was from Farila Parish in northern Gavleborg County. Brita grew up in Bollnas Parish in the southern part of Gavleborg County. Olof and his family had immigrated to the United States in 1850. Brita hadn’t even been born until 1857, and she immigrated in 1880. I sometimes wonder if this was an arranged marriage that allowed Brita and her daughter to come to the United States and Olof to have companionship and someone to help raise his son Eddie. Could Brita have been a “mail order bride”? This union does seem very curious to me, but whatever the reason, they married on September 9, 1880, and were married until Olof’s death in 1924.

Besides William Edward (Olof’s son) and Sophia Charlotta or Lottie as she was known (Brita’s daughter), Olof and Brita had 7 more children together:

·         Hannah Margurite Olofson (1881-1965)

·         Alice Olofson (1883-1963)

·         Gilbert Olofson (1886-1976)

·         Charles Olofson (1889-1911)

·         Delbert Olofson (1891-1920)

·         Bada Olofson (1893-1971)

·         Leon Olofson (1896-1967)

Brita and Olof Olofson Family: Left to right back row: Delbert, Gilbert, Leon; Left to right front row: Bada, Alice, Hanna, 1/2 sister Lottie

In this picture, seated are the two youngest: Bada and Leon. Behind them are Charles, Gilbert, and Delbert.

 Olof and Brita Olofson were not wealthy. In the 1880 agriculture schedule, Olof is a renter with just 30 improved acres and 40 unimproved woodland or forest acres and 19 unimproved "old fields" not growing wood.

In the 1900 US Federal Census for Hardin Township in Webster County, Olof and Brita, along with 5 of their children and two boarders are sharing a home on a farm that Olof rents.

In the 1910 US Federal Census for Hardin Township in Webster County, they are still renting a farm, living with 4 children and a servant. Olof is now in his 70’s, probably relying on his children to maintain the farm.

In the 1920 US Federal Census for Marion Township in Hamilton County, Olof and Brita own their own place and are living by themselves. In 1924, Olof dies at the age of 86 on July 16. Brita lived her last years with her daughter Alice in Mankato, Minnesota. and died there at the age of 72 on April 6, 1930. Both Olof and Brita are buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Stratford, Iowa.

A couple of interesting details about two of Olof and Brita’s children follow:

Charles Olofson:

In the Stratford Courier, 12 January 1911:

YOUNG MAN IS VICTIM OF FALL

Charley Olofson Meets Death in Chicago as the Result of Falling from a 40-foot Trestle

The people of this community were badly shocked Thursday evening when a report had been circulated around Stratford that Charley Olofson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Olof Olofson of this place, had been accidentally killed at Chicago Thursday afternoon, while performing his duties in the employ of the Western Union Co. He was in the act of removing a pulley and had climbed upon the trestle of an elevated railway, when in some unaccountable manner, which may have been due to the cold weather, or from exhaustion or from the passing of an elevated car, he lost his balance and fell a distance of forty feet. The accident happened about 2:30 o'clock Thursday afternoon and he was taken to St. Bernard's hospital, where he passed away at 5 o'clock without regaining consciousness. W. L. Brundein, a brother-in-law of the deceased, went to Chicago Thursday evening and returned with the remains Sunday morning.

Charley Harry Olofson was born at Stratford, Iowa, July 12, 1889, and died at Chicago, Illinois, January 5, 1911, at the age of 21 years, 5 months, and 24 days. He was baptized in Stratford, August 11, 1889, by Rev. Pearson, pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and was confirmed by Rev. A. P. Martin, May 22, 1904, at the Lutheran church. He leaves to mourn his death, a father and mother, four sisters, four brothers, besides many relatives and a host of friends. The sisters are: Miss Lottie Olofson, Mrs. W. L. Brundein, Mrs. H. V. Larson, Miss Bada Olofson. The brothers are: Ed Olofson, Delbert Olofson, Gilbert Olofson, Leon Olofson, all of Stratford, with the exception of Miss Lottie of Marshalltown and Mrs. Brundein of Dayton.

Funeral services were held at the Swedish Lutheran church Monday afternoon at 1 o'clock, conducted by Rev. N. E. Kron, of Dayton. The church was filled with friends to pay their last respects to the departed one and the casket was banked with beautiful flowers given by relatives and friends. After those present had been permitted to view the remains, the sad cortege moved on to the Swede Bend cemetery, where the remains were interred.

Bada Olofson

Daughter Bada married Clement Lincoln Johnson who worked for several years as a hardware salesman. In 1943, the couple and their daughter Wanda are living in Des Moines, and Clement is seeking work while Bada is working as a beauty operator. In 1945, the family is found in Los Angeles in the city directory there. It appears that they left Iowa so Clement could find work because Clement is shown as an assistant pound master in the city directory, and Bada is no longer working. So, are YOU wondering what I'm wondering? Clement couldn't find work in Iowa, moves his family to California just to find work as an ASSISTANT pound master? I'm a bit confused by this move!

In 1946, Clement dies. After that, we see Bada once again working as a barber or beauty operator until she retires in 1965.

Clement died on June 8, 1946 at age 59; Bada died on September 23, 1971, at age 77.

Brita Rask Olofson

Brita Rask Olofson

Olof and Brita Olofson

Photo taken in 1904:

FRONT ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Bada, Olof, Delbert, Brita, Leon, Alice

BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Charlie, Lottie, Edward, Hannah, Gilbert