Son of Jonas Jonsson and Anna Christina Mahl, youngest of seven children, born on Stora Motel Farm in Lilla Malma Parish, Sodermanland Province, Sweden. Lilla Malma parish is a small area measuring about 6 x 12 mi. Maternal grandfather was a solider, a drummer, in the Sodermanland Regiment. At the time of Grandpa;s birth his mother and father, three brothers and three sisters were ilving near Malmkoping. Grandpas father Jonas, was tenant farmer a "torpare" . A torpare was a farmer who had the use of a very small farm in exchange for a number of days labor during the year. The houses availabe to tenant farmers were small amd crude, they were alled "stugan". Some housed were of stone and timber construction tohers wer hillside dugouts called "bachstugan". Torpare and backstugusittare were called "the people in the forest", in some cases the backsstugusittare were squatters. Laarsberg Stugan was the famly home from 1867 to 1887 until Granpa's mother and sister Johanna emigrated to America. Accounts written about that period indicate the peasant class were very ppor and endured a hard life. The father, Jonas Jonsson died 1874. Prior to the death of their father the brother of Anders Gustaf and Johan August and sisters Emilie and Christina had gone out on their own. They worked at various farms in the area as "drang", farm hands and piga, maid servants. Anders emigrated to America in 1872, Brother Eric Fredrik remained with his mother and sister Johanna. Eric was listed as deaf and dumb. I am unable to determine whether Erics disability ws congenital. Eric was a tailor in the U.S., he owned a tailor shop in Ogema, Wis. upon his death in 1930. It is fari assumption that he learned the trad as an apprentice in Sweden, possibly while he was at The Insitute for the Blind and Deaf. Grandpa left home in 1877, when he was 13, and worked on 2 farms until he left sodermanland on 10 24 1881 to travel to the US. His first job was at Riddarstugan farm, where he was employed from 11 1877 to 10 1879. His employer was tenant farmer Karl Erick Malm who lived there with his wife, 2 sons and 2 workers, including grandpa. An older woman Anna Maria Mal was also listed, she may have been a sister. Granpa's next job was on Lilla Pikcet farm where he worked for Karl August Petersson, whose family was his wife, two daughters, and a son and another farm worker. Granpa's duties could have been plowing the fields, planting and reaping barley, rye or wheat, tending livestock clearing land of trees and rocks, chopping logs,etc. Oxen were usually used to pull the plows, milk cows were important part of farm life to provide milk and cheese. Since the tenant houses were small its possible the hired hands slept in the stable. Grandpa left Lilla Picket farm on 10 25 1881 with his sister to Goteberg, a seaport on the sea coast of Sweden, 10 28 they sailed for New York City, arrived 11 17 1881. The trip across the ocean on an emigrant ship was not a pleasant experience, according to Grandpa, he told me that he did not see the sky for 3 wks during the crossing and many persons were seasick. The voyage was on the steam ship Helvetia, they were steerage passengers, (down under). Emilie was lised as grandpas wife, this was probably to keep them together as single passsengers were segregated. Helvetia carried 527 steerage and 27 cabin passengers. The steel hull ship was 419ft x 41 ft and top speed of 12 knots, most of the passengers were Russian. Granpa and sister arr nov 1881, he lived first in Ill and later moved to Nebr (to come from Ny to Ill, they had to go down the canal, Chicago is just near where they lived.) He lived in Ill for a short time and then came to Nebr. where he worked for Andrew his brother then known as Anders until 1888 when he began farming for himself. He m. 1890. He became a US citizen later on in life 1926 at 61 yrs in York co.
This was written by Dean Mitchell
11 children nat Penn 1880 or 1881 taken from 1920 1920 1930 census Arborville census gave they came in 1880-81 to Penn where they were naturalized
in stromsburg cem sw1/4 sw 1/4 5 13 2
charles J. 1848 1927 1861 1923 1863 1945 3 of them
More About Charles Jonas Johnson: Burial: Stromsburg Ne.
More About Charles Jonas Johnson and Emma Sophia Johnson: Marriage: June 12, 1890, Stromsburg NE.
Children of Charles Jonas Johnson and Emma Sophia Johnson are:
Esther Elnora Johnson, b. February 24, 1891, Osceola Polk co Ne, d. January 20, 1982, Smith center Ks.
Charles Jonas Johnson (b. June 03, 1864, d. December 13, 1945)
Notes for Charles Jonas Johnson: