Oct 23, 2024

Three Immigrant Sisters


Anna, Lydia & Ruth


 This photo was taken about 1958/9 in front of my grandmothers home on Hollywood ave. in Chicago. I always remember Aunt Anna as a tall gal but my grandmother Lydia was right below her. The long skirt hides it just a bit. Grandma had rickets as a child and severe arthritis in her later years so her legs were quite bent. A cousin used to say "Grandma's legs are so bowed you can drive a truck between them!"

All gone many years now but still fondly remembered,



Oct 7, 2024

1950 Census Andrew and Ruth Soderstrom



1408 9th Street, Moline, Rock Island, Illinois
not a farm, less than 3 acres


#18 - Soderstrom, Andrew, Head, white, male, 61 yrs old, married, born in Sweden, naturalized citizen, worked 40 hrs in last week, as a toolmaker, in a farm implement factory, private business

#19 - Soderstrom, Ruth, wife, white, female, 55 yrs old, married, born in Sweden, naturalized citizen, at home, does not work outside of home 

#20 - Soderstrom, Evelyn, daughter, white, female, 15 yrs old, never married, born in Illinois, OT, not working outside of home  (OT refers to as other, 14 yrs and under considered to be at school. Evelyn is at school but many over 14 are working at this point.)

my great uncle
Andrew Olof Soderstrom
1888-1960

my great Aunt
Ruth Abrahamsson Soderstrom
1894-1969

my first cousin once removed
Evelyn Ruth Soderstrom Eckberg 
1935 -

Andrew and Ruth's older 3 children are all pretty newly married. So far they have 1 grandaughter.


Oct 1, 2024

An Anniversary to Remember

Seventy five years ago today my parents, 
Melvin Kallman and Grace Sevald, became husband and wife.
75th is the diamond anniversary.




The happy young couple
Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Kallman
married: October 1, 1949





**click on photo or document to enlarge for easier viewing**

Sep 25, 2024

Another Lovely Baby Cousin

 Another lovely baby photo of a long ago cousin, found on Ancestry.com. 


my second cousin once removed
Nanna Ragnhild Arvida Landen
b. May 23, 1891 Göteborg och Bohus, Sweden
d. February 21, 1960 Stockholm, Sweden



Sep 17, 2024

Swedish Covenant Hospital

 The Swedish Covenant Hospital, on Foster Avenue, is on the north side of Chicago. The hospital was established in 1885 in an area heavily populated with newly immigrant Swedes. It was Swedes, more specifically members of the Swedish Mission Covenant church that founded this great hospital.  I was born there and both of my Swedish grandparents died there. I found an interesting article on the history of Swedes and the Swedish Covenant Hospital that continues to serve the now ethnically diverse area. I enjoyed the read and thought perhaps you would also?

click here →   A NEW SHIFT FOR SWEDISH



Sep 10, 2024

Birth of my Great Grandfather Carl Theodor Källman on this day

 


From the Riksarkivet in Sweden

My great grqndfather Carl Theodor (alternately spelled Karl Teodor) was born on the farm Nystugan in Tjellmo, Östergötland, Sweden September 10, 1853 to Anders Larsson and his wife Stina Caisa Jaensdotter who had wed in 1843. He was baptised into the church of Sweden (Lutheran) the next day. The names of his sponsors or godparents are not legible to me. He would be known as Carl Theodor Andersson until as an adult he adopted the name Källman.

Like many of my grandfather's ancestors, Carl most likely had a hard life and died far too young of Tuberculosis. My father Carl Melvin, was named for him.