Maja Greta

This wonderful picture is of our Mom and her Grandmother Marie Larson. Maja Greta is the way it is spelled on the certificate signed at the time of leaving Sweden. Great Grandmother Larson came from Sweden in 1871 with her husband Magnus and three children ages, five, nine and eleven. Another son, Albert Frank was born in Illinois, in 1875. Marie was born March 11, 1830 and died Sept 9, 1923. According to stories heard as a child, Marie was blind when this picture was taken. She could see the difference between light and dark and loved the outside with the sunshine on her face because it was so light. We have no knowledge of what caused the blindness. It occurred later in life as the story is told of her sitting with books she brought from Sweden on her lap and "reading" them from memory. I wish I could remember the songs and rhymes repeated by Mom and her siblings that were heard from Marie, some in Swedish. I remember one story that Great Grandmother Marie only wanted either jam or butter on her bread as having both was "doobles"

I hope someday to locate the name of the ship that brought Marie, Magnus, Grandma Adla, age 5, Lars Johann, age 11 and Emma Kristina age 9, to America. I'd like to know where, for sure they lived in Sweden, where they landed, how they traveled west and perhaps traveled with whom. I have a piece of paper handwritten, that appears to read "Skara, Sweden" but have not been able to locate such a place. However there is a Spara, Sweden which might be the place. What a long arduous journey that must have been as Marie was no doubt pregnant on part of the journey and moving with a baby in a covered wagon doesn't sound easy.. Magnus received his naturalization papers from Morgan Co., Illinois in October 1878 but there is no record of Marie having such papers. Nor is there a record of Grandma Adla being a naturalized citizen. At that time it didn't seem to matter as women couldn't vote or need a social security card. We know they traveled by covered wagon from Illinois in 1879 settling in Hendley, Furnas Co., NE. Magnus was listed as a farmer in the census of NE. Did he work at farming in Illinois when they lived there and was that his occupation in Sweden? Though Magnus died in Illinois in 1908, they both are buried in Riverview Cemetery in Hendley. I have many questions of whether relatives traveled with them from Sweden. why was Magnus in Illinois in 1908 and more.

Mom always spoke very highly of Great Grandmother Maja Greta. As I'm remembering Grandma Adla's soft and caring ways I can only imagine that these traits came from Marie as well.