Inga Larsdotter Anderson Her Story from Sweden to America

Ingar Larsdotter Anderson
family archives

Inga Anderson, born Ingar Larsdotter, was born and lived the first part of her life in Skåne, Sweden, a province in the southern part of the country. Skåne was part of Denmark until 1658 and the area retains ties to Denmark to this day. Skåne is a fertile area, known as the breadbasket of Sweden, and it is full of farms and castles. But Ingar’s life was far away from castles. Her father was a peasant farmer who did not own his own land but farmed it for someone else. It was a hard life, living close to the land.

Church in Bollerup

Inga Anderson was born Ingar Larsdotter on December 18, 1848 in the parish of Bollerup, Skåne province, Sweden. Bollerup is about 9 kilometers southwest of Tomelilla. She was baptized with the name Ingar in the church at Bollerup.

Ingar’s parents were Lars Perssons and Elna Ericsdotter. Ingar was the fourth of seven daughters who were all born to Lars and Elna over a 15-year period. (Hanna b. 19 January 1841; Elna b. 25 November 1843; Eljena b. 2 July 1846; Ingar b. 18 December 1848; Cecilia b. 21 November 1851 d. 26 February 1852; Cecilia b. 2 January 1853; Agda b. 4 April 1856) Ingar’s father Lars died in 1864, when Ingar was 16.

In 1866, when Ingar was 18, she went out on her own. She worked on farms in Bollerup, then in the neighboring parishes of Ullstorp and Smedstorp. While in Smedstorp, Ingar met a young man (younger than she!) named Nils Andersson and they married in the Smedstorp church on December 31, 1874.

Church in Smedstorp

Ingar was 26 years old when she married. Nils was a cotter, a farm laborer; he worked on a farm but owned no land of his own, a common situation during the 1800s. Their first daughter Johanna was born May 28, 1875 and their son August was born December 2, 1878.

Nils and Ingar lived somewhat of an itinerant life, moving every few years and usually leaving in the fall after the harvest. Whether this was because of the availability of work or due to some other reason is not known. At this time in Sweden inherited land was divided evenly between all the sons, causing the size of farms to become smaller and smaller. For the peasant farmer, then, this meant less and less land to work on.

Church in Vanstad

In 1880 Nils and Ingar moved with Johanna and August to Vanstad, in Malmohus province. Their youngest daughter Cecilia was born on 10 June 1881. Vanstad is known for its windmills and wheat fields, so Nils may have worked on a wheat farm to support his young family. 

In 1883 the family moved to Glumsöv. They only stayed two years before they moved to Kvistofta in 1885, and then moved again in 1889 to Hässlunda. They were working their way (perhaps literally, for Nils) northwest to the coast. One more move in 1890 brought them to Gustafslund, a place outside of the city of Helsingborg (population 4000 in 1850, Wikipedia). Nils’ occupation is listed as “Statdrång,” a state servant. During this time Joanna, now about 15 years old, struck out on her own and lived and worked on a farm in Välluv. She returned to the family in 1891.

Swedish household examination record from Helsingsborg, 1892

The 1892 Helsingborg household examination record for the Anderson family has an important notation: Amerika, 12 May 1892. (See images below) The time had come for Nils and his family to leave Sweden for America. When the family left Sweden they were Nils Anderson, his wife Ingar Larsdotter, Johanna Anderson, and August and Cecilia. Johanna had a last name but August and Cecilia did not because in Sweden children did not usually take a last name until they lived on their own. Johanna had lived on her own for several years but for unknown reasons decided to emigrate with her family rather than remain in Sweden.

Port of Malmö before 1900

Records indicate that the family went down the coast to Malmö where they registered with the police (which was part of the emigration process). Then they boarded a ship that would take them to England

There was no direct route from Sweden to America, so emigrants from Sweden would sail to the city of Hull on the east coast of England. In Hull there were places for the emigrants to stay until they boarded a take a train that took them west across the country. Then they would sail from Liverpool or Southampton. The Andersons most probably took this route and left from Liverpool. Inga was 45 and her husband was 41 when they left Sweden for America; their children were 17, 14, and 11.

S. S. Germanic

Nils and Inga and their family sailed from Liverpool aboard the S. S. Germanic, which was owned by the White Star Line, the same shipping company that would build and sail the S. S. Titanic in 1912. The Germanic stopped in Queenstown, Ireland and then headed west across the Atlantic. On May 28 the ship landed in New York City, America.

Ellis Island, 1892

Before being able to set foot in New York, however, the family had to pass through immigrant processing at Ellis Island. Ellis Island was relatively new when the Anderson family arrived; it had just opened on January of 1892. Each immigrant was examined to determine whether or not they were physically and mentally fit to enter the United States.

They left New York and traveled to Kewanee, Illinois. Soon they were known as Nels, Inga, Anna, August and Cecilia Anderson.

Immigration always brings up questions about our ancestors. Why did the Anderson family go directly to Kewanee and settle there? Most immigrants either traveled with family or friends, or they had family or friends in the place they settled. This may have been true for the Andersons but as of yet no definitive answer to this question has been found.

In addition, a settlement called Bishop Hill was located near Kewanee. Since about 1850 many Swedes had immigrated to Bishop Hill in search of religious freedom, so the area was well known to Swedish immigrants in later years.

And why did this family leave Sweden? Over 1 million people left Sweden for America between 1821 and 1930. Land was becoming scarcer for farmers and their laborers. Some left to avoid military service. Most immigrants left their home country in search of a better life in America. Nels and Inga were old enough that they probably emigrated for the welfare of their children rather than for themselves.

Kewanee, in Henry County, Illinois, was founded in 1854. The name “Kewanee” is believed to be the word used by the Winnebago for “prairie chicken,” which were plentiful in 1854. In 1890 the population of Kewanee was 4569. The largest company in Kewanee in 1890 was the Haxtun Steam Heating Company. In 1892 it split into two companies, the Kewanee Boiler Company and the Western Tube Company.

Nels found employment, perhaps through the friends or family that were already in Kewanee. He worked in an iron machine shop as a tool grinder. Life in America was hard for Inga. Her oldest daughter died about 1895. In 1900 her husband died in a tragic accident on the train tracks near the depot as he walked home from work at the Western Tube Company.

Western Tube Company, Kewanee

In 1901 her youngest daughter Cecilia married another Swedish immigrant, Herman Peterson. Family lore says that Herman knew Cecilia’s brother August and that’s how Cecilia and Herman met. They were married on the 12^th of October, 1901, at 7 p.m. at Inga’s house on Fourth Street in Kewanee by Rev. J. M. Rydman, the pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Cecilia’s attendants were Bessie Peterson and Alma Nordquist and groomsmen were Andrew Peterson and August Anderson, Cecilia’s brother.

Cecilia and Herman’s wedding might have been somewhat of a bittersweet occasion for Inga, as she saw her daughter married and off to start a home of her own, leaving Inga behind. If Inga felt this way, however, she probably didn’t for long. Cecilia and Herman’s first child Hildur was born in June of 1902 and 8 children followed. 

Inga attended the Swedish Lutheran church in Kewanee and was active in several groups there. Hopefully she found community and support, not only from her fellow Swedes but also from her faith. Several pictures of Inga with her children and grandchildren suggest that the family bonds were strong and that they stayed close together.

Inga lived with her son August until her death in 1926. She was 78 years old. Her health had declined for two years, to the point of her being confined to her bed for four weeks prior to her death. Two weeks before she died Inga had a stroke. She is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery in Kewanee, Illinois.

So often the names on our family tree are just that, names and dates. Inga was like that for me until I started to research her life and the places she lived. I have come to understand that she lived a life of hard work and tragic events, but I would like to believe that she found joy in ordinary events such as seeing a rainbow after a storm, feeding her family well, worshipping her God, or hearing her grandbaby laugh. From Sweden to Kewanee, Illinois, sadness to blessings, this was the life of Inga Larsdotter Anderson.