A few months ago, I looked into the life story of my great-grandfather’s sister, Emma Christina Petersdotter and it turned into a wonderful adventure and the chance to meet a cousin in out in California! This time I turn my attention to Emma’s older sister, Hilda Maria.
Hilda Maria Petersdotter was born July 24, 1857 at Eket farm in Marbäck parish in Jönköping län, Sweden. She was the second child born to Peter Anders Johansson and Anna Greta Magnidotter. Her godparents were Carl Johan Israelsson and Stina Carlsdotter (Stina was Peter Ander’s first cousin), and siblings Robert and Charlotte Åkerstrom (children of the former valet at the Katrineholm estate).1
The oldest child was Anders Gustaf, my great-grandfather. Later, three younger siblings were added to the family: Anna Charlotta, Emma Christina, and Carl August. Of these five children, three emigrated to America: Anders Gustaf and Emma Christina emigrated in 1882, and Anna Charlotta followed in 1883. Hilda Maria and Carl August stayed in Sweden. Carl August inherited Eket farm, while Hilda Maria worked as a maid for a few years before marrying coachman Sven Oskar Eriksson in 1879.
Hilda was confirmed at the Marbäck church in 1872, where her demeanor was noted as “proper” (whereas some student were considered “unruly”). Her grades were A’s and B’s, except for a C in “skrifning” (writing).2
At age 18, Hilda left home to work elsewhere – as was typical for young people at the time. She left Marbäck in October of 1875 in the company of two other young women also from Marbäck.3 They traveled 75 miles, probably by train, to the Rosendal manor near Vånga parish in Östergötland län. The three of them worked at Rosendal for just one year. One of her friends had an illegitimate child during this time, hinting that maybe things weren’t so great at Rosendal. In October of 1875, the three girls go their separate ways, with Hilda getting a job at the Åkerby manor in nearby Kimstad parish.
Hilda stayed only 6 months at Kimstad before moving on to employment in Östra Ryd parish, a few miles south of Kimstad. She stayed there for about a year and a half. While there, she must have met up-and-coming farmhand Sven Oskar Eriksson. She returned to her home parish of Marbäck in the fall of 1878. Her return to Marbäck sadly coincided with the death of her mother, Anna Greta Magnidotter. She worked as a chambermaid at the Herrestad estate for the next 12 months.
Banns were first read in the Marbäck church on August 31, 1879, and she was married Sven Oskar on November 1.4 She was the first of her siblings to marry, and the wedding took place before any of them had emigrated. We can assume that her father and siblings were all present for the celebration, perhaps the last time they were all together as a family.
The couple immediately moved to the Maurtitsholm estate in Örtomta parish (close to Sven Oskar’s home parish of Östra Ryd).5 Sven Oskar was hired on as “kusk” (coachman), a job he would hold at Mauritsholm for almost 20 years. Sven Oskar’s new job coincided with the new owner of Mauritsholm, Count Otto de Maré. Mauritsholm was a pretty big agriculture operation and, in fact, continues to be so today.6 During the late 1800s, the main focus of the operation was its dairy, with some 50 cows in milk production.
The couple welcomed three children to their family: son Arvid Oscar in August 1880, daughter Elin Maria in March 1885, and son Henning Emanuel in February 1889.
A downward spiral begins for this family in 1895. Daughter Elin succumbed to diabetes (sockersjuka or “sugar sickness”) in October 1895.7 She was only 10 years old. To my knowledge, this is the first known instance of juvenile diabetes in the Rudeen family. I wrote previously about Harry Rudeen’s death at age 25 due to diabetes. And I know there are other descendants, some now living, afflicted with this disease. As I mentioned when writing about Harry, untreated diabetes is an awful way to die, and I can’t imagine the anguish of a parent watching their child suffer and die.
In 1899, the family left Mauritsholm and moved to the nearby city of Norrköping.8 The reasons behind the move aren’t clear. Has Sven Oskar been discharged from his position at Mauritsholm? Or are there new opportunities for the family in the big city?
At this point in the story, the genealogical records from Sweden can be supplemented by correspondence that has been preserved by our family for over 100 years. We have three letters written by Carl August Petersson (who as an adult went by his middle name August) in Sweden to his brother Anders Gustaf Rudeen (my great-grandfather, who went by Gustaf or Gust) in Nebraska. Photocopies of these letters were given to me by my dad’s cousin, Warren Rudeen. I have had these for literally decades and couldn’t make much sense of them. But now, thanks to artificial intelligence (Google Gemini in particular), I’ve been able to transcribe and translate the letters. It turns out that the letters mostly concern the affairs of Hilda and her family.
Letter Number 1 The first letter is dated March 9, 1903. It was written at Sidkälla, which is where Hilda and Sven Oskar were living in Norrköping. I wonder if perhaps August had brought Peter Anders, their father, with him to visit Hilda and her family.
This letter opens with August thanking Gustaf for a Christmas portrait (I am sure it was this photo). He said he found it difficult to recognize Gustaf but he hadn’t seen him in over 20 years! He mentions that Hilda’s sons Arvid and Hänning are involved with milk delivery. It seems like the boys had learned the dairy business while growing up at Mauritsholm. The letter then shifts to discuss Hilda’s husband Sven Oskar, who has been trying to buy property in town and is considering moving to “Oringe.” August mentions that Sven Oskar is being asked by his employer to stay on at the brickworks. August has spoken with Sven Oskar, who sends his regards to Gustaf. The letter concludes with news about “morbror Claës” and “moster” (Uncle Claës and his wife, on their mother’s side of the family – I have not researched this family!) settling down, with their son taking over their farm and buying out the livestock, avoiding an auction. August believes the nephew got a good deal but might face challenges as he’s unmarried.
Letter Number 2 The second letter is dated October 6, 1903. This letter is also written at Sikdälla.
This letter begins with August thanking Gustaf for a letter from May 12th, noting their health. The main news is the “stora song” (great sorrow) of Sven Oskar Eriksson’s death from stomach cancer on September 19, 1903. August states there was no hope, despite three doctors, and he suffered terribly for 10 weeks. He was buried on September 27th. He then discusses Arvid, who is still involved with milk, and Henning, who comes in to help daily. He mentions a financial arrangement for Arvid in which he is paid wages plus he receives a share of the milk. August mentions meeting an unnamed man (possibly a relative or acquaintance) who is healthy and strong, and sends greetings to Anderson and Emma. He concludes by saying he must stop for now and sends greetings from everyone to Gustaf and his family. A little postscript on the letter states, “Far tåckar så mycket för glaset han fick af eder” which translates as “Father thanks you so much for the glass he received from you.” (I wonder what kind of “glass” Gust sent to his father in 1903?)
Letter Number 3 This letter is undated, and was either an enclosure with Letter Number 2 or was sent a short time after Letter Number 2.
This letter starts with a poetic, somewhat flowery opening, wishing Gustaf well, celebrating his journey, and invoking memories of childhood and home. It then abruptly shifts to a formal legal document titled “Fullmakt” (Power of Attorney). It appears that August is asking Carl to use the document as a template for delegating his power of attorney in the matter of Sven Oskar’s estate. This document authorizes an individual to represent him in legal matters concerning the estate inventory and division of inheritance after someone’s death. The document states that the appointed person is to safeguard their rights and take necessary actions that would otherwise require their personal presence. Presumably, August is implying that he should be granted Gustaf’s power of attorney.
So why are August and Gustaf concerning themselves with their brother-in-law’s affairs? Sven Oskar’s estate inventory discloses the reason.9 Sven Oskar had borrowed 1,000 kronor from his father-in-law, Augusts’ and Gustaf’s father. This was a huge amount of money at this time and probably represented a big chunk of their father’s net worth. It may have been used to help purchase Sidkälla, which is listed on the inventory as an asset worth 3,300 kronor. Or perhaps these were funds intended to help Hilda’s sons in their dairy business. It’s hard to say. But clearly August and Gustaf want to see the money repaid to their father. The inventory does not disclose exactly how the estate was settled, but I presume the debt was repaid.
From 1903 to 1910, the family continues on Sidkälla. In 1907, Arvid marries Anna Kristina. In 1908, they have a son Erik Oskar Emanuel but he dies at the age of two months. In 1909, another son is born, Evert Oskar, but he died at age 6 months.10 They never have children after this. Henning went to Visby for a year for military training and returned home as a “former” corporal. I don’t know enough about Swedish military service at this time to make any inferences. Perhaps a one year tour of duty fulfilled the requirements of conscription.
In October of 1910, the whole family moves to the nearby suburb of Styrstad.11 They live together at Södra Mellangården Berga. Tragedy continues to stalk the family. Henning died in March of 1923 – also from diabetes.12 He was only 34 years old. He was probably sickly for many years prior to his death. This may explain why he never married and why his work history seemed spotty.
Amazingly, I have two photos of Henning. These were in the collection of photos belonging to August Petersson’s descendants which I’ve written about previously. The photo on the left is undated. The photo on the right is dated 1910 and shows Henning in his corporal’s uniform. Henning was a first cousin to Gust’s children Lawrence, Walt and Edith – and Emma’s son Carl Anderson. Does anyone see a resemblance? I would like to think that because August’s family had pictures of Henning, there must not have been hard feelings about the settlement of Sven Oskar’s estate. But curiously, there are no photos of Hilda or Arvid in this collection. So who knows.
Arvid, his wife Anna, and his mother Hilda lived together at Södra Mellangården Berga until 1946, when they moved to a nearby property called Stenbrostugan.13 Hilda died there a few months later, on March 2, 1947.14 She was 89 years old.
Arvid Oskar Ericksson died July 27, 1963. His wife Anna Kristina died February 25, 1965.15
There are no living descendants from Hilda’s branch of the family.
I think I’ll continue the “whatever happened to…” theme with closer looks at the other siblings – Anna Charlotta and August.
(Special thanks to Annika Ekström and the fantastic work she has done with the August Petersson photograph collection and the associated family tree.)
1 Marbäck Födde (Births), Marbäck (F) C:7 (1856-1860) Image 9 / Page 11 (AID: v35415.b9.s11, NAD: SE/VALA/00244)
2 Marbäck Catechetical Records, Marbäck (F) HI:1 (1816-1854) Image 490 (AID: v320595.b490, NAD: SE/VALA/00244)
3 Marbäck Flyttning (Moving), Marbäck (F) F:1 (1856-1890) Image 80 / Page 155 (AID: v35589.b80.s155, NAD: SE/VALA/00244)
4 Marbäck Vigsel (Marriages), Marbäck (F) EI:2 (1876-1894) Image 8 (AID: v35580.b8, NAD: SE/VALA/00244)
5 Örtomta Husförhör (Household Exam), Örtomta (E) AI:21 (1876-1880) Image 355 / Page 322 (AID: v26607.b355.s322, NAD: SE/VALA/00483
6 Mauritzholm history, https://www.hembygd.se/ortomta-hembygdsforening/plats/176976/file/3048925
7 Örtomta Död (Deaths), Örtomta (E) C:8 (1895-1928) Image 211 / Page 2 (AID: v182325.b211.s2, NAD: SE/VALA/00483).
Serial number 18
8 Norrköping Församlingsböcker (Congregation Records), Norrköpings S:t Johannes (E) AIIa:6 (1901-1905) Image 3430 / Page 335 (AID: v177983.b3430.s335, NAD: SE/VALA/00272).
9 Sven Oskar Eriksson Estate Inventory, Lösing, Bråbo och Memmings domsaga (E) FIIIa:9 (1901-1903) Image 685 / Page 1329 (AID: v77122.b685.s1329, NAD: SE/VALA/01562)
10 Norrköping Församlingsböcker (Congregation Records), Norrköpings S:t Johannes (E) AIIa:8 (1906-1910) Image 3790 / Page 626 (AID: v177985.b3790.s626, NAD: SE/VALA/00272)
11 Styrstad Församlingsböcker (Congregation Records), Styrstad (E) AIIa:2 (1905-1912) Image 125 / Page 111 (AID: v179288.b125.s111, NAD: SE/VALA/00354)
12 Västra Vingåker Död (Deaths), Västra Vingåker (D, T) F:7 (1910-1926) Image 1700 / Page 166 (AID: v165580.b1700.s166, NAD: SE/ULA/11076)
13 Västra Vingåker Husförhör (Household Exam), Västra Vingåker (D, T) AIIa:8h (1938-1947) Image 420 / Page 2132 (AID: v230038.b420.s2132, NAD: SE/ULA/11076)
14 Ancestry Family Tree, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/189996773/person/232471836100/facts
15 Ancestry Family Tree, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/189996773/person/232472597027/facts
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