Family History of Olivia Sophia Johansdotter (Johnson) Anderson Fergus Co., Cascade Co., Stanford Co., MT USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. "List transcribed and organized by Jana Sanders, HBsundae@aol.com All rights reserved." Copyright, 1998 by Jana Sanders. This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. b. 1 Oct 1869 Långås, Halland, Sweden m. 1890 or 1891 Punxsutawney, Jefferson Co, PA d. Mar 1939 Geyser, Judith Basin Co., MT March 19 1983 Family History of Olivia Sophia Johansdotter (Johnson) Anderson Quotation from a letter recieved from Annie Moller, neice of Olivia Anderson. " Well you have asked for your family tree and I have tried to get in facts about it. I have begun with Olivia and found Great Grand Parents from 1763. If you wish you can complete it with your children, so it will be many links back. Olivias parents were Johan August Anderson and Emma Sophia Anderson, born Johansdotter. Johan family tree I have not long back in time. The church in it parish where Johan was born, burned up in the middle of 1800 with all registers. Johan's parents were croffers on a big farm. In old time it was like being a slave. Work with no salary, but they get small bad house and a piece of earth where they could cultivate potatoes and corn for flour. We have much poor people in Sweden at the beginning of 1800. Sometimes it was famine and the people got sickle bark from the trees and mix it with flour for bread, and pick berries and fruit to eat. The coffers as were happy to have a cow for they had little milk for children. Mother in family must often go to cow-house and help the milkmaid. Four o'clock in the morning she had to milk 18-20 cows and the same procedure on evenings. She got sometimes little milk by home. It was often 10-12 children in families on old time an it was hard job to give them all food. When they were 10-12 years old they had to help the parents work. In 1845 there was generally law of school duty, but is took long time before all parish had teachers. They had no school houses, so the teachers had to go from home to home and teach children to read. Johan was hardly able to write thier names, but I remember that he is old days read the newspapers and prayer-book. Emma did not know to write, but read the bible and prayer-book. They were both religious and also frightened of priest and mortality, but it detered not Johan to very pretty oaths sometimes. Johan was in young years gettig out working on farms. He was big and strong, cheerful, but had hot temper. Johan was born 3 Swedish miles from Emmas home. Her parents lived in a mall farm at Sotared, Morup ( I'm not sure if I interpeted this right). I don't know when Johan and Emma were married, but they lived first time in Emma's home. According to documents I have, I see they loan on security d. 5 March 1878, 838 Kroner and 33 ore as payment for a little piece of untill-abl earth. The little farm called 'Nils-Bongts or Nils Bengtsgard' Johan quarried stones and culitvated the earth. Emma certainly too had a hard job, because of that all they were living from is little farm. All hard working, web of flax as theyselves see, knit of wool from own sheep, baked bread of own corn. I don't know how they lived first time, but certainly it was very simple, later they build up house and barn. Johan with Emma had 8 children, as you know Josefina (Josephine) Olivia, Gerda, Adolf, Algot (Annies father) Emil, Ida and Agda. They had one great bereavement when Emil was drowned in mossgrave, only 6 years old. Johan worked some days for payment in kind for other farmers, they had to struggle hard for money in old tme. It was difficult to food the families. He tenant a windmill where he milled flour for people and animals. One day he should reefed sails on mill and he fall down from the wings and broke his leg. He after that get stiff leg. Emma was very careful and always would have the home fine. When the children had grown up they everyone must help the parents with work. It was still very poor in Swedn and the big immigration had begun. Josefina ( Josephine), Olivia, Gerda and Adolf were gone living Sweden, it was certainly difficult to say goodby. They never knew if they ever would be meeting again. Olivia never came back home. My father Algot married Jennie 1912. They come to stay on the farm and work and take over 1917. They payed 6000 Kroners for it. Johan and Emma stayed on the farm helpng them with the sort of working they were able to. For that became food, lodging and some clothes. They had no pension until their last living time. Then I remember they got 2 kroners a month. They were old when they died Johan 95, Emma 90 years old. When Johan was 92 years old he was interviewed by journalist. He told them he himself in the middle of the 1800 century had seen a pack of wolves in Halland (area). They were going on a frozen sea by his home. My father sold the farm in 1947, he got 31000 krs for it. Now the price is much higher and most thngs is good in Sweden" Written my Anna ( a niece to Oliva )