Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Ahlvin, Victor ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com September 7, 2007, 10:12 pm Author: Genealogical & Biographical Record VICTOR AHLVIN. Since coming to Joliet in 1884 Mr. Ahlvin has been identified with the building interests of this city, and he is recognized as one of the leading Swedish-American residents of the place. He was born near Boras, in Elfsborg, Sweden, March 27, 1864, and was second in a family consisting of four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living but one daughter. Of the sons, John is connected with Victor in business, and Amandus also assists them in their contracts, while Franz remains on the old homestead. The father, Efraem Ahlvin, was born on the family place, "Aplakulla," on which his father had also lived. He still makes his home there, and is about sixty years of age. He married Christine, daughter of John Johnson, a farmer, and, like himself, a member of the Lutheran Church. In attendance upon common schools and in work upon the home farm our subject passed his boyhood years. In February, 1884, he crossed the ocean, being the first of the family to come to America. At once he proceeded to Joliet, where for almost two years he was employed in a quarry. In the fall of 1885 he began to work at the carpenter's trade with C. Hacker, and worked at the trade until the fall of 1887, when he bought a lot and built a house. This he sold, using the money in the purchase of another lot and the building of another house. In this way he became interested in the building business. Since then he has built many residences and business blocks, among them the Anderson & Flint block, and he also had the contract for the erection of the Swedish Baptist Church in this city. He erected the Ahlvin & Johnson block, a brick structure, 45x100, on the corner of Jackson and Collins streets, in which he still owns one-half interest. Besides his contracts in Joliet he has had many in this and other counties. He also built the residence that he occupies, at No. 1005 Irving street. In political belief Mr. Ahlvin is a true-blue Republican, and an active worker in the Swedish Republican Club. For two years, under Mayor Lagger, he served as city oil inspector of Joliet. He is connected with the Joliet Building Association, and is interested in all matters pertaining to his business. Reared in the Swedish Lutheran faith, he has always adhered to that church and is now a member of the board of trustees of the congregation of Joliet. He was married in this city to Miss Hilda Johnson, who was born in Smaland, in the southeastern part of Sweden. They are the parents of four children: Martin, Ebba, Robert and Reno. Additional Comments: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois Containing Biographies of Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/ahlvin967gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 3.3 Kb