The
Almquist History
by
Rhoda Almquist Leavitt
(April
2000)
The Almquist Story
In 1876 Lars John Almquist (he went by the name John) immigrated to the United States with his parents and younger siblings. He was born in Kalmar, Sweden (Smoland) on August 5, 1853. His mother died when he was 10 years old. He was raised by his stepmother Maria.
Surnames of this family have always been confusing. Sweden had a confusing way of passing on family names. It was customary (no longer) that for example – Nels Swanson’s son would be Lars Nelson – and his grandson Peter Larson and so on. The daughter of Nels Swanson would be Olga Nelsdotter.
Jim Kinman traced the family back to the late 1700’s and the great grandfather of my grandfather John. He was Sven Svenson born in 1781 – so his son was Peter Svenson born in 1802. Further confusion resulted when Andreas Peterson Rabock (Peter’s son, born out of wedlock) came on the scene in 1826. Peter and Andrea’s mother married but his name remained Rabock.
An interesting sidelight is that both Andreas and his wife had to pay a fine to the local parish for their mistake. Once my mother told me a couple at Bethany who had to get up before the congregation and ask forgiveness for the same reason.
So the next generations were Andersons. So from whence comes Almquist? One can only surmise. Maybe they thought there were too many Andersons. I think that Peter Almquist was my grandfather John’s maternal grandfather. The older brother who had come to America a few years earlier met them as they docked in New York. "Our new name is Miller," they announced. All the other children accepted this name. I like the story that my grandfather said, "If Almquist isn’t good enough for this country I’ll go back to Sweden." Maybe that’s where some of us got our stubborn nature.
The parents were sometimes Miller – sometimes Almquist. They were with the Millers in Leadville CO at the time they were naturalized so Miller was their legal name. However their tombstone at Bethany Cemetery is under the name Almquist. Maria died in 1903 and Andreas in 1907.
If you are confused at this point don’t give up. The name Almquist lives on, John’s four sons sired many sons.
The new immigrants and family all went to Calumet, Michigan to work in the copper mines. Here in 1877 John married Hannah Olson.
Hannah Lydia Olafdotter had immigrated two years earlier. She and her two sisters settled in Chicago and changed their name to Olson. It is presumed that she and John knew one another in Sweden. They were from the same parish.
The Almquist/Miller clan lived in Michigan 6 years. Albert, Olga, and Lydia were born to John and Hannah.
While working in the mines John developed lead poisoning and his doctor recommended leaving mines and finding an outdoor life. About this time a land promoter from Nebraska appeared on the scene. He sold John 160 acres of virgin land for $2.65 an acre. Uncle Albert once told me the man tried to talk him into buying 320 acres but Grandpa John couldn’t fathom taking care of that much land. [The salesman was Frank Beiyon. Click here for map of land purchased.]
Here John regained his health. One story says black coffee, herring and cold boiled potatoes was his diet as his stomach healed.
They built a sod house with a plank floor. Some of the older children remembered their mother sitting in the bed under a large black umbrella holding the baby, as the rain came through the sod roof.
In Franklin County Joseph, Martin (who lived only a month), Roselia, Alma, and Martha were born. Some of John’s siblings as well as his parents were neighbors. However most of the neighbors were Germans, as basically Germans settled Franklin County. MoveToKearneyCounty
It was 16 miles to the Swedish Church (Bethany) near Axtell. So in 1893 when John heard of a place to buy northeast of Axtell in Kearney County, he sold his land in Franklin Co.
Not only were they now four miles from Bethany, surrounded by Swedish families and they moved to a nice frame house. This was a 240-acre farm.
Some of the Miller brothers had gone to Leadville, Colorado to work in the thriving silver mines. My father told me that when Kearney County was experiencing a bad drought, his father decided he’d have to go to Leadville, too. He had his truck packed and ready to leave in the morning. That night it rained. FinancialNotes
Here in Kearney County the last three Almquist children were born – Victor, Walter, and Alice. The children attended school at District 52 which had been organized years earlier. John served on the school board.
Several improvements were made to the farm house and farm buildings. I have an early picture of the farmstead. The two-story house was gray lap siding. As I remember it was painted white. There was a big hall and two big bedrooms upstairs. Downstairs was a bedroom, front room. dining room, and long narrow kitchen with a small pantry on one side and a bathroom on the other. The bathroom had a stand for a washbasin and a bathtub – No water.
The west porch off the kitchen served as a summer kitchen, the porch to the north served as a refrigerator room in the winter. The south porch had a door on the floor – entry to the cellar. It also served as a laundry room when it wasn’t favorable weather outdoors. The east porch was an open porch off the front room. The house was later (1932) moved to Kearney. This was after the farm left the family.
Hannah and John moved to a three-acre plot with a house, barn and chicken house in Keene. The year was 1906.
John kept a milk cow, some pigs and a stud horse. Hannah raised bantie chickens. As a child I was fascinated with the little evergreen trees in the front yard. A neighbor kept them shaped – One was like a water pitcher.
Here in 1912 John bought his first car – a Model T. Alice grew up here. The other children came and went; often living with the married siblings.
The three oldest children all married in 1900 – January, February, and June.
John died in August of 1920. It was said he had a tumor. Could it have been cancer? Did it have any relationship to his earlier illness? ObitLarsJohanAlmquist
Grandma and Alice continued to live in Keene until Grandma’s health deteriorated. Then they moved to Lincoln where Rose was living. They lived there until Grandma’s death in 1928.
My memories of Grandma include her apron pocket were she carried lemon drops, and of her giving Wanda and me each a nickel to go about 200 feet away to the Keene Store to buy candy. Also she gave Wanda and me very grown up Christmas gifts - perfume, atomizers, shoetrees (mine were pink), and glass baskets, which I still, treasure. Somewhere in the far reaches of my memory is Grandma with a bunch of little kids going to a merry-go-round. She bought tickets for all of us. We were on a picnic – where this was I wish I knew.
Albert, the oldest child, married Anna Carlson in 1900. She lived across the road from the Almquist farm. After the wedding ceremony in the Almquist’s front room, Alice who was two and one half weeks old was baptized. First Albert and Anna lived in Keene awhile, then from 1908 to 1919 they lived on the farm. At that time they bought a farm southwest of Keene, where they lived until retiring to Axtell sometime in the mid 40’s. MovesOfAlbert
My memories of Aunt Anna and Uncle Albert include the relaxed atmosphere of their home. Aunt Anna was a large woman – a kind woman.
Uncle Albert was slight. He was not overly ambitious. He had a keen sense of humor. Ambition
Diabetes ran in Aunt Anna’s
family. Late in life she had to have a leg amputated. Her brother Jack, in a
wheelchair, lived with them many years Diabetes
When I first started teaching school he loved telling this story.
"What do they do with people in mental institutions in Sweden?"
"They send them to America to teach school."
Uncle Albert died in 1957
and Aunt Anna in 1964. They had raised five sons. Health
Paul was born in 1904. He was 10 years younger than my Dad. Once when Dad was staying with the boys while their parents were gone, Dad decided they needed haircuts so he cut the four older boys’ hair. (Maybe that was when he started his barbering career.)
An aside – Dad always cut all the hair in our family – I was told that when I was about two and one half years old he took me to the barber in Funk. I cried so he took me home and for the next ten years, he was my barber.
Paul married Grace Anderson, a neighbor girl. The story goes that one morning after the boys come down to breakfast, Aunt Anna heard someone upstairs.
"Who is that?" she asked.
Paul replied, "My wife."
They had gone down to Kansas the previous day and got married (Lots of southern Nebraskans did this – no waiting period in Kansas)
Paul and Grace lived south of Wilcox. Paul was a neighborhood vet. They had two boys Gerald and Dean. A daughter, Betty Jean, was born when the boys were 21 and 19.
Paul died in 1961 and Grace lived in Holdrege for 30 more years. When my mother died she couldn’t get up the steps at Bethany to come to her funeral. She called to see if there were steps to the mortuary. Her son Dean took her there. One month later she died. Paul & Grace memories
Aldin was the next son. He was the all time favorite cousin. He had a deep voice and a dry sense of humor. He kept track of all of us. To him, each of us was special. Aldin lived with his parents, helping farm.
When Aunt Anna’s second foot developed gangrene, the doctor said she would have to have a second amputation.
She said, "No."
Aldin faithfully dressed and cared for his mother’s foot. It healed. The doctor called it a miracle.
Aldin was a great kidder, but he was kind. A neighbor Gus Magnuson, who was a little short mentally, considered Aldin his friend. Aldin teased him a lot but I remember how angry Aldin was when some kids put firecrackers in Gus’ car motor out in front of church. It frightened the poor man.
Aldin loved lapidary work and stamp collecting. He died in 1985.
Ernest was a wiry, good-looking fellow. He was born in 1908 and married his high school sweetheart, Pearl (Peg) Glandon in 1930.
For a while Peg and Ernest lived in Holdrege. He worked for Phelps County Cold Storage. He used to come to our place and pick up egg crates. They were in the basement. We were always so glad to see him come.
Later he worked for the railroad. He was stationed in McCook. Then he was drafted into the army where his railroad skills were used. He developed rheumatoid arthritis, which eventually crippled him.
After some hospitalization, they built a home in Denver to accommodate his disability. He died in 1969. Peg continues to live in McCook.
Their children were Marilyn, Karen, Jim, and Jon. The girls have both died. Jim lives in Denver and Jon lives in Utah. update
Martin was born in 1910. He married Pearl McNamera, another Wilcox girl. At different times they lived on each of their parents’ farms. They had two sons Dale and Carl. Later they moved to Denver where they spent the rest of their years. Martin died in 1984 and Pearl died in 1997. Dale also died in 1997. Carl is retired and lives in Denver. All of Martin’s grandchildren were girls so no Almquist offspring from this branch.
Harold was born in 1915. He
was very close to his mother and a great help to her. He was an excellent cook.
I recall once he was selling Wear Ever cookware. The folks scheduled a party.
Wanda and I helped Harold and had a great time. When I was in Kearney in
college, Harold worked in a malt shop – Great place to go. (Blue Bell
Dairy?)
Later he moved to Denver and worked for years at Gates Rubber Company. He married Marion Hansen from Minden. They had two sons Marshal (Charlie) and Randy (Rad). Through the years a visit to Denver always included a stop at Harold’s for coffee and sweet rolls. Harold suffered for many years with Parkinson’s Disease, but he was always cheerful and a great joy to visit. He died in 1985 and Marion in 1987. Marshal was handed the diabetic gene. He died in 1995. Marshal and Cheryl adopted two girls. Randy has one son Eric. He lives in Denver.
Olga was born in Calumet, Michigan in 1880. She married Godfrey Wadhams in 1900. They had seven children. Two died at birth. The Wadhams lived near Axtell for many years. Later they moved to Seward, Nebraska. All the children were born in the Axtell, Keene area. Godfrey died in 1935.
I did not know Aunt Olga very well, but she did come and visit occasionally. She always seemed so sad. Three of her five children gave her much grief. Olga died in 1973. She lived a longer life than any of her siblings.
Hilding (Dean) was born in 1903. He married in 1943. They made their home in California. They had two boys and a girl. Dean died but the date is unknown. [07/02/1989]
Lillian was born in 1907. She was a "ringer". She was married twice before she married Herb Ludwig. They adopted a boy, Douglas, in 1936. Herb died in 1951. Then Lillian married Frank Knoll. They lived in Littleton, Colorado. Lillian became her mother’s caretaker. I recall being in Lillian’s home in 1952 when she hosted a mini Almquist reunion. Aunt Alice was visiting. We happened to be in Denver. I recall several of the Exstroms, Harold and Marion, and Marilyn Wendell being there. Lillian died in 1990 and Frank followed her six months later.
LaVerne Wadhams was born in 1908. He had numerous scrapes with the law. He was incarcerated in Boys School at Kearney for a time. He used to come and stay with Grandma in Keene from time to time. She tried to help him. He married and had four children. Aunt Alice used to see the family. LaVerne died in San Jose, California. The date is unknown. …………..
Larry Wadhams was born in 1912. He was a nice fellow. He married Agatha. They adopted a girl and later had a son. In 1954 Larry was killed in a car/train accident in Nebraska.
Virgil was his mother’s delight. He was born in 1916. He married Helen. They live in Lincoln. They have two children. Virgil sold N. Y. Life Insurance.
Virgil always called my mother on her birthday. When he called on April 12, 1991 I had to tell him she had died that morning.
Lydia was born in Michigan in 1881. She was married in June of 1900. Albert had been married in January and Olga in February of that year, and of course, Alice was born that year. Lydia’s groom was Victor Kinman from Keen. They lived in Keene for the first twenty years of their marriage. They moved to Illinois for a short time and then moved to Omaha. Victor ran a grain elevator in Keene.
After her parents moved to Keene in 1906 they rigged up a telephone line between their homes using tin cans and wire.
They had eight children. All of them except the youngest, Alyce, were born in Keene.
Aunt Lydia was a sweet lady. She nearly always had some of her married children living with her. Always until her death, the first birthday card I received each year was from Aunt Lydia. Victor died in 1933. Until her death in 1948 she lived with her children, mostly in California.
Hilder, the oldest of the Almquist cousins, was born in 1901. She married Melvin Carlson just after World War I. He was a veteran. He committed suicide five months before his daughter Melva was born. I was told that he suffered what was called "shell shock". (Recently I saw a documentary about that war and the great number of men who couldn’t cope with the horrors of combat.)
Next Hilder married Pete Miller. They had a son Albert. They were divorced.
Hilder’s next husband was Amos Moore. He was a linotype operator for Omaha World Herald. They truly had a blended family, Hilder’s two children, Amos’ two daughters and Aunt Lydia, Dubby and Alyce, but there was always room for one more I found when I’d drop in once in a while. Hilder died in 1980 and Amos (Dear) six months later.
Edla was born in 1903. She married Henry Sandburg in 1924. They had one son, Donald. Henry was a disabled veteran. He had an auto upholstering business.
Henry died in 1935 when Donald was ten years old. I recall Donald coming out to the farm to stay with us shortly after his father’s death. Edla was so worried that he would be homesick but Earl and Lee kept him busy and he got along fine.
Nine years later Edla married Victor Trybom who was eighteen years her senior. They had lived in California as Donald settled there after World War II. (He also had been injured in the war.) Trybom died in 1960 and Edla lived twenty-seven more years. She was a lively lady. I became reacquainted with her in 1975 when we visited California.
Donald died in 1995.
Emerald was born in 1905. He married Marie in 1925. They had two children Eleanor and Willard. They lived in Omaha and Columbus Ohio. After Marie'’ death in 1972, Emerald married Dorothy. Less than two years after visiting with Emerald at the Keene Reunion, he died in 1989.
Eveline was born in 1906. She married Max Denman, another World Herald employee, in 1928. They had two children Ann and George. Max died in 1961 and Ev in 1969. The children still live in Omaha. George followed his father’s footsteps and worked at Omaha World Herald.
Orrin was born in 1911. He followed his father’s interests, working with grain companies from the time he was twenty until his retirement. He married Violet. They had three boys. They lived in Omaha and later were transferred to Kansas City. Violet died in 1995 and Orrin in 1997.
Iola was born in 1915. She married Don Halgren in 1935. I recall Aunt Lydia, Dubby, and Alyce were visiting in Nebraska. A letter came for Aunt Lydia – She was at Uncle Ed’s and the kids were at our house. They opened the letter. It was from Iola telling her mother that she had gotten married. She wrote, "Don’t breathe a word to the kids." That became a saying at our house.
Once about three years later I was in Omaha visiting. (Wanda was working there) I spent some time with Iola. I recall her asking me if I believed in open marriages. (Country girl that I was I didn’t know what she meant.)
She and Don had two children. They divorced. Later she was married to Tom Ehler. He died in 1975 and Iola in 1989.
Wallace, better known as Dubby, was born in 1920. He was a year older than I was. When I would go to Omaha he often got a date for me.
One of my favorite stories about Dubby was one I heard. Once Wanda fell in the stock tank. I was out playing with her. I ran in and told Mom. (I was too young to remember the incident) Anyway Dubby heard about it. Several months later Wanda had pneumonia. Dubby told Aunt Lydia, "I knew she’d get sick when she fell in that tank."
Dubby worked for the World Herald too. He married Doris Edquist. They had three children. I was visiting Mom in Minden in 1981. The name Wallace Kinman popped out to my eyes in the obituary column.
Alyce was born in Omaha in 1922. She was always called little Alyce to distinguish her from Aunt Alice. In 1941 in route to Buffalo, New York, I stopped and visited in Omaha. Alyce told me she didn’t plan to marry for a while. Less than a month later, Aunt Lydia told me that Alyce married Don Grote. Don’s younger brother Herb and Alyce’s niece Melva married the following year.
Alyce spent most of her married life in California. She and Don had one son and three daughters. Don died of cancer in 1979. Alyce continues to live near her children in California. We correspond and visit on the telephone regularly.
Joseph was the first Almquist child born in Nebraska. The year was 1883. So he was ten when his family moved to Kearney County. At a very early age he joined Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. It was evidently just a local group and he never saw action.
Joe married Esther Peterson from near Motala. Joe and Esther were the first children who lived on the farm when Grandpa and Grandma moved to Keene. They lived there while the new house and farm buildings were being constructed on their farm near Motala. Victor, my dad, lived with them and continued going to school at district 52 until he finished eighth grade.
Joe and Esther had four children. They continued living in Nebraska until the late twenties. Then they moved to New York state. Joe died in 1942 (I had visited them the previous year) Esther died in 1955.
Elliot was the oldest son. He and Gladys Jones married after they completed high school at Minden. They moved up on the sandhills (I do not know exactly where). One summer they invited Wanda, Wilma, and me to stay with them for a week. We had fun. Gladys ran a tight ship. I liked her. You ate what was put before you.
Later they moved to Alexandria, Indiana. Elliot worked for his uncle Kurt Davis in his manufacturing business. Davis invented the Alladin lamp. I did a lot of homework by the light of the Alladin.
Elliot and Gladys had three boys. Elliot died in 1950. His widow lived forty-six more years.
Lucille had graduated from Minden High School just before the family moved. She went to work at the bank in Alden, New York. She worked there until she retired. She married Al Hamann in 1937. (Told her folks one-year later.) They had no children. They were great gardeners and interested in antiques. At this writing Lucille is "matriarch" of the family. She lives in a retirement home near Buffalo.
The twins Rueben (Dobe), and Roland (Babe), were six years older that I was. I recall them playing with us when they’d come visiting on a Sunday afternoon. Once we were playing "I Spy" and Rueben said the initials were "R.G." No one could guess. There was a picture of a movie star on a calendar. He said it was Roland’s girl – such a silly thing for a little girl to remember.
Reuben married Ruth. They had two children. I met Leonard, their son at Wanda’s memorial service. Their daughter Cleo called a few months ago for her Aunt Lucille. Reuben died in 1974.
Ronald married Geraldine. They had one daughter and adopted their son William, who died at age twenty-one. Roland died in 1986.
Carl Martin Almquist was born July 12, 1885. He died five weeks later. It was undoubtedly a sad time, but in that era losing one out of eleven children was beating the odds.
Rosalia (Rose) was born in Franklin, Co. in 1887. She married Melvin Johnson, a Holdrege boy. Rose and Alma had a double wedding at grandpa’s house in Keene.
They began their married life in Holdrege then decided to go to Hotchkiss, Colorado; their daughter Leona was about three years old. Dad (Victor) was a teenager. He accompanied them, riding in the railroad car taking care of the livestock. He remembered his sister crying over the undercooked food. (I learned after moving to New Mexico that you can’t cook potatoes in twenty minutes like you can in Nebraska.) The altitude in Hotchkiss was even higher. So after a short sojourn, they moved back to Holdrege. Later they moved to Lincoln.
Aunt Rose was not very well. She died in 1930. I recall the little white apron with a "R" monogram that she gave me. It was hers from childhood and I was the niece with an "R" name.
Leona married Mel Skoog. They had two boys and one girl, John, James, and Rose Ann. During the depression when Leona was a career girl she sent clothes that mom remodeled for me. I especially remember a coral dress trimmed in black velvet.
Mel was a schoolteacher and administrator. They lived in Minnesota. Uncle Melvin lived with them for many years. He loved fishing the Minnesota lakes.
Leona died in 1995, four years after Mel’s death. For many years they sent a Skoog-o-Gram at Christmas. (Long before those form letters became popular)
Born in Franklin County in 1889 was Alma. (So many girls. My dad remembered the girls used to line up and braid the hair of the sister in front of her.) Of course, they made their own clothes, and they were quite elaborate. (Wouldn’t today’s styles have been a breeze for them?)
Aunt Alma married Ed Wendell in that double wedding with her sister Rose. They farmed near Keene. They built a new home – must have been in the early 20’s. It was the nicest house I ever visited as I was growing up.
Alma and Ed had three children. Oliver was 17 and Adeline 13 when Marilyn was born. Alma died in childbirth. If siblings have favorites, Alma was Dad’s. I remember he cried – the first time that I had ever seen him cry. Alma was such a kind, loving person. She was very fond of children and made each of us feel special. Earl was a favorite of hers. She kept him a week when Lee was born. This was just three months before her death.
Uncle Ed died in 1965. He’d been a widower 37 years.
Oliver went to Hastings College. Here he met and married Esther Helms. They had no children but adopted Esther’s niece when both her parents died.
One summer Wanda and I were invited to spend a week with Oliver and Esther. We had a great time – playing croquet, going to the park and all those things that didn’t take money – mid depression days. Esther was a real cut-up. Later she suffered with M.S., but she always kept her bubbling personality. She died in 1974 – (as I reminisce, I realize how good some of my older cousins were to me.)
Oliver married Irene later. They did a lot of motor home traveling. For several years they would come by here every spring. (They were here to go to our 25th wedding anniversary party.) We always enjoyed them. Oliver reminded me of Dad. He became a mega-farmer. A street in Hastings, Nebraska is named for him. He died in 1996. Irene continues to live in their home near Juanieta.
Adeline was seven years older than I was. I recall one time at their house when she put on Uncle Ed’s coon skin coat and crawled on all fours out of the closet and scared Earl. (Wanda and I were in on the prank.) We were severely reprimanded. She liked to tease. She was going to read to us from the new Andersen Fairy-Tale book we received for Christmas (I still have it.) The story was The Fir Tree. Anyway she’d just read the first sentence over and over again like a broken record.
Adeline married Gordon Lynn from Minden. They had one child, David. They lived in McCook and Hastings. Gordon died in 1990. Adeline continues to live in Hastings near her son, grandchildren, and great grands.
Marilyn grew up motherless. She was shifted from place to place. Sometimes they fought over who would get her.
She married John Cougar, her Hastings high school sweetheart. They had three children and then divorced. She married Roy Minter – they had one child and then divorced.
One time Marilyn told me she never felt a part of our extended family.
Marilyn worked in the office at the hospital in Loveland, Colorado for years. One time my daughter, Jill, met her at a meeting there. She is now retired and enjoys bridge, golf and visiting her offspring.
Martha was the last Almquist born near Hildreth. The year was 1892. She was the beauty in the family – she once won a beauty contest.
She married Walter Exstrom in 1912, and what a family they had – 14 that lived.
They lived many places including Minden, Grandpa’s farm, Kimball County and Keene. Aunt Martha was given the Keene place when Grandma’s estate was settled. She never had much to do with, but she always smiled and didn’t complain. Each child was sent to school and Sunday School in clean, nicely ironed clothes and hair combed just so.
Aunt Martha died in 1937 – Walter in 1940. Just a few days before his heart attack I was driving my 28 Chevy Coupe home from school (I was teaching.) Walter was walking toward Keene. I picked him up and took him home.
When Aunt Martha died, Walter placed the five youngest children in Christian Children’s Home in Holdrege – (not to be adopted.) The rest of the family managed. When Walter died, the three children at home who had not finished high school went to live with two brothers and a sister of Walter’s.
Gene married Merinda Danielson. They had four children. He worked at Bethpage farm for some time. Then they moved to Holdrege. Gene died at age 53. Merinda continues to live in Holdrege and drives out to Bethany to church.
Jerome went to Denver. He married Fern. They had a boy and a set of twins – boy and girl. Jerome still lives in Denver. He is quite crippled.
Wilma was at our house quite a lot. She was two years older than Wanda was. I remember once when Dad had to send Wilma, Wanda and me away from the table because we couldn’t stop giggling.
When she first got her driver’s license, she took Wanda and me to Luther League one night. She completely stopped the car whenever we met another car.
Wilma was a second mother to her younger siblings. She married Wallace Matson a year after her mother died. They had seven children. Their second child was killed in a farm mishap when he was two. Later they moved to Denver. Wilma and Wallace divorced. Wilma died in 1998.
Lloyd was born on March 29th, two years before my birth on that date. Once we had a birthday party together when we lived by Keene. We always exchanged birthday cards as long as he lived.
He married Jean. They had two children, Janice and Russell. They were living in Denver when I taught there. Lloyd and the kids used to take me home after church sometimes.
Lloyd worked for Gates Rubber Company. He was transferred to Galesburg, Illinois. Upon retirement they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. Lloyd died in 1994. Jean continues to live in Grand Junction near her daughter.
Warren was a month older than I was. He went out to California. He was married twice and had four children. He died at age 49. I never saw Warren after we grew up.
Maynard was a favorite. He was often at our home. He and Earl were good friends as well as cousins. I remember he used to walk in his sleep.
He joined the marines as soon as he graduated from high school. He was at Pearl Harbor that fateful day. The U.S. Nevada was bombed. He swam to shore and lived on sugar cane from the field he hid in. The extreme noise impaired his hearing. He saw action at Attu and the Solomon Islands.
He was sent home and told that he would not have to see action again because of his hearing. He was an instructor for a short time. Then the Pacific Front was looking bleak so he was assigned to active duty again in 1944.
On May 19th 1944 he was killed during the battle at Okinawa.
He had married Mary [Holderness] in California. I wonder what happened to the Marine button that he gave me.
Norma Lee was born February 29, 1924 so she celebrated her real birthday only once in four years. My outgrown clothes went to her. (I recall the sadness I felt when I had to give up my "bird" dress – probably size three. It was red checked with a bird applique.)
She went to Colorado and lived with her uncle Rudy after her father died.
She married Jim Hammer in Sidney, Nebraska. When I went there to teach they were just leaving. He had been stationed at ordinance depot there. I didn’t meet Jim, but he called and talked with me.
They moved to his home state Wisconsin where they still live. They have six children.
August (Gus) went to Colorado and lived with his aunt Elsie. Here he learned the banking business from his uncle. He married Joanne. They had four children. They divorced. His present wife is Elda.
Kenny was an extra special kid. I think "sweet" covers it. He was another one who was at our house frequently, as he was Lee’s buddy. Kenny lived with his Uncle Paul in North Platte for a while. He married Ruth Peterson. They had three girls.
Kenny was a career army man. Upon retirement they lived in Holdrege where Kenny still lives. Ruth died in 1994.
Dwight and Duane were eight when their mother died so they grew up in Holdrege. Dwight married LaVern Svenson. They have no children. They live in Richfield, Minnesota. Duane married Ruth Keith. They live in Ohio. They have no children.
Robert (Squeak) also grew up in Holdrege. He went to Denver. Here he married Donna. They have three children.
LaGrant (Bud) graduated from Holdrege High School and went to Kearney State Teachers College. He married Elaine Carlson. Bud taught in Minden for several years. He then moved to York and sold insurance. He and Elaine had three sons.
Delores (Dee) was only four when her mother died. After graduating from Holdrege High, she married Larry Cavanaugh. They lived near and in Minden. They had six children. One died in infancy.
Larry was killed in a plane accident when he was crop-dusting. The children were all under fifteen years of age.
The boys all have vocation or avocation in flying. Matt flew the first plane into enemy territory during the Desert Storm war. His brother flew cargo planes into the territory. Once they met there in the desert.
Delores’ oldest son farms the Cavanaugh place near Minden.
Now comes Victor, the first of the three children born north of Axtell. He arrived on February 16, 1894 on sister Olga’s fourteenth birthday. Since her mother had promised her a birthday party, she had it. The guests were her Bethany confirmation class. One who attended was Harry Anderson who lived near Hildreth. Through the years he always reminded Dad that he’d known him a long time. (Excuse me but I find it difficult to write about Victor)
Dad attended school at District 52. He was twelve when his folks moved to Keene. The next years he lived with several of his siblings Joe, Rose, Alma. Occasionally, he would stay in Keene with his parents. He also worked for Frank Danielson for some time.
He decided to go to York to business school. There he got a good grounding in arithmetic, bookkeeping, and grammar.
His younger brother Walter joined him here for a while. Victor applied for a job at the bank in Wilcox but wasn’t hired because he couldn’t speak German.
Later he and Walter rented the Pierson place. (This was just north of where Bessie Anderson lived.) They farmed. Sister Alice came out once in a while to cook and clean for them. World War I was looming. One of the boys would have to go to service. Dad always kept the letter Walter wrote him. In it Walter said he would join the Navy because he knew Dad was sweet on that Anderson girl.
So in October of 1918 Victor and Bessie were married. Until spring they lived in Victors "batching" headquarters. Then they moved to a place north of Funk in Phelps County. Three children were born here.
In 1925 they moved to the Almquist farm north of Axtell. Lee was born here in the same bedroom that Victor had arrived in 33 years earlier.
After Grandma Almquist’s death, the farm was sold to settle the estate. The family moved south to Keene. Wayne was born there in 1935.
Dad and Mom bought a farm near Norman in the mid forties. They lived there until Dad’s death in 1965. Then Mom moved to an apartment in Minden. She lived there twenty-eight years. She died on her 93rd birthday.
Wanda was born in 1919 (I write this on what would have been her 80th birthday.) She graduated from Wilcox High School. After short sojourns in Lincoln and Omaha, she accompanied her Uncle Walter who was visiting in Nebraska back to New York state. She received her nursing degree from Deaconess Hospital in Buffalo.
She married Harris Wilcox and lived in the Bergen area the rest of her life. She died in 1995. She and Harris had two children. Craig lives in the same area and continues in the Wilcox Auction business. He has two sons who are also in the family business. Lenore married a minister. They serve in Vero Beach, Florida. They have three daughters.
Rhoda (that’s me) was born in 1921. Graduated from Wilcox High School. Attended Kearney State Teacher’s College and graduated from Colorado State College of Education at Greeley. (Both colleges have changed names and are at the University status.) She taught in two rural schools in Kearney County, Paxton and Sidney, Nebraska, and in Denver Colorado.
After marrying Jay Leavitt, they moved to Clayton. Jay was a building contractor and built 50 custom homes in the area. They bought a ranch in 1952 and still live there.
They have two daughters. Daphne lives in Lubbock. She is a microbiologist. She and Larry Sowers have two daughters. Jill lives near Clayton. She has three children. She is married to Tom Swagerty. (I’ll spare you the bragging about my grandchildren.)
Earl was born in 1923. He joined the Merchant Marines after graduating from Wilcox High. After leaving the Merchant Marines, he was drafted and served a short time in the army.
One day I introduced him to my friend Tally. They married and farmed near North Platte for a time. Then moved to Bergen, N. Y. They have five children. Vickie works for a magazine publishing company in New York City. Joel is an attorney in Boston. He has two sons. Rob and his wife Perry are doctors in Charlotte, N.C. They have three sons. Eric is in investment business. He has one son. Rebecca and her husband Peter live in Rochester, N.Y. Earl died in 1998 after an illness.
Lee was born on Halloween 1927. He graduated from Axtell High School. He served in the U.S. Army of Occupation in Japan. Later he attended business school in Lincoln. He married Grace and fathered four children. Mary Beth lives in Ft. Collins, CO. She is a dental hygienist. She and Dave have two sons. Brent lives in Phoenix. He owns a business that constructs small buildings. He and Jody have a son and a daughter. Sharon and Alan live in Dearborn, Michigan. Alan is a Ford man. They have Joshua. Gary and Julie also live in Phoenix. Gary has a career in the computer world.
Lee went to work for Strauss Brothers in Lincoln right out of business school. They built homes. He continued working for them as a part of the ownership until his retirement. They lived in Lincoln, Nebraska and Longmont, Colorado and wintered in Mesa, Arizona. Lee died in 1996.
Wayne was the only one of Victor’s children born in a hospital. He arrived in 1935. He graduated from Minden High School and the University of Nebraska. He taught at Iowa State College in Ames. He served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. Wayne went to school and worked in Louisiana, Kansas and Missouri. He died in 1987.
Walter was born in 1896. He was only 10 when his parents moved to Keene. He also spent considerable time with his older siblings. He lived with his sister Alma much of the time.
During World War I, Walter was stationed in Ireland. He helped assemble planes to fly to the mainland. After the war he Amy in Buffalo. They were married in Kansas City and lived in Kearney County on the family farm for a short time. Then they returned to New York state where they bought a farm near Alden. Walter was employed by the Federal Land Bank. He was also active in Dairyman’s Association. He collected antiques. Later they sold the farm, lived in East Aurora, Kent, and Bradenton, Florida. Amy died in 1968. Walter married Gladys. In 1982 Walter died.
John graduated from Cornell, did graduate work at Purdue, received his doctorate in 1941, from Penn State. Here he spent his entire career in the Agriculture Department. He worked with artificial insemination of cattle. In 1981, with 2 other men he received the Wolf Award. He went to Israel to receive it. Just this year (1999) the research center at Penn State was renamed the Almquist Research Center. His wife is Norma. They divide their time between Florida and College Station since retirement. They lost their older daughter Joan when her 3rd child was born. Daughter Judy lives in Texas and son Johnny in Maryland.
Carl attended Cornell where he married Betty Neufang. They had three boys and a girl. In 1953 Carl was stricken with Polio. This was before his last son was born. He lived 25 years with the help of God, a loving wife, an iron lung and frog breathing. They lived in Watertown, New York, Bergen, New York, and York, Pennsylvania.
Calvin (Gov.) was born in 1925. I got to know him one summer when I visited. I remember one day we went and picked blueberries. Following his father’s footsteps he joined the Navy. On July 10, 1943 during the invasion of Sicily his ship went down. He was nineteen years old.
Amy Ruth joined the family in 1929. She grew up on the Alden farm. She married George Ruby on March 24, 1951. (Same day Jay and I were married) They adopted a boy and later had Carol. They were divorced. Amy married Herbert Gilman. He died. Now her husband is Ray Thompson. They live in Fort Myers, Florida. (What a great visit I had with her, John, and niece Lenore in the spring of 1999)
Alice the youngest of the Almquist children arrived just at the beginning of the new century, the fourth day in fact. She was born on the farm but moved to Keene with her parents when she was six. She played the organ, piano, and accordion. She lived with her mother in Keene after her father’s death in 1920.
When she was in her mid twenties she was engaged to marry Arvid Hedstrom (I barely remember a bridal shower.) Anyway, Arvid was in Chicago and some how Uncle Albert heard that Alice’s intended was "running around with another woman." So the wedding was off. (I never did understand why the Almquists and Hedstroms had a picnic at this time, but I was there.)
When Grandma’s health began to fail, she and Alice moved to Lincoln to Aunt Rose’s home. They lived there until Grandma’s death in 1928.
Alice worked in Omaha. We always looked forward to her visits. Sometimes she brought a boy friend.
Aunt Alice was quite an aunt. She kept in touch with her nieces and nephews. She knew all their children’s names, birthdays, and so forth.
I recall that when she was with us on the farm, she always referred to the bull as the gentleman cow.
Also when Wanda and I came home from church we’d put on our "everyday clothes" and she thought we ought to have something a little better to wear since it was Sunday.
Then in the late thirties she moved to Buffalo, NY. She lived and worked there awhile and in 1944 she married Roy Block.
They lived there two or three years and then moved to Long Beach, California. Roy was hurt in a construction accident and Alice did a lot of catering. In 1975 Jay and I were visiting in their home and Roy had a massive heart attack. He did not recover. (I always felt we were meant to be with Aunt Alice that morning when she found him as he had gone out to get the paper.)
Alice died in 1986. She lived her last years in a Baptist Retirement Home.
What a Family! Some I did not know very well but I had contact with each of them at sometime. Please excuse any errors. Writing this has been a joy remembering many happy and some sad times.
I am grateful to my Dad for sharing his memories. Also I took some information from Aunt Amy’s family booklet and Jim Kinman’s genealogy book. I hope you’ll enjoy my prattling.
With love,
Rhoda Almquist Leavitt
Comments, additions by Jim
Almquist
Rabok Oops – He
was Born/Christened as Andreas Petersson. Anders was born a Petersson,
but assumed the name Råbock as his "military name" when he joined the
navy. At this point in time, a huge percentage of the Swedish population was
named Larsson, Svensson, Andersson, Petersson, etc; hence the need for
"military names" to differentiate between the people with the same
surname. (more discussion below on "Almquist" name) Råbock was
probably taken from the name of the area, Råbäcksmåla, Kalmar län, for which he
was the military representative. Råbock means "male deer",
Råbäcksmåla probably means "border waters".
Peter Almquist This is correct, except
that he was born/Christened as Peter Larsson and took the Almquist name as his
"military name". It is my idea/theory that Anders adopted the
Almquist name to honor his maternal grandfather. I have intentions to find
Peter Larsson/Almquist’s military records to see if he possibly had some sort
of "claim to fame".
The Military. At the end of the 17th century the military system of Sweden was completely reorganized and the system was to remain in effect for over 200 years. Simplified it specified that four farms (there were exceptions) were to join forces and equip a soldier and provide him with a house (soldattorp). The soldier was to attend military drills and in time of war was to report for duty, wherever that might be. Since he had a rural background he had a patronymic name, which might be very common, such as Andersson, Eriksson, Olsson or Petersson. When he appeared before the military scribe he was given a soldier's name, which he kept during his service and which he often retained when he was pensioned or left the service.
Alm = elm; Qvist = twig, thus Almquist = elm twig J
Move to Kearney County This would have
been another reason that they moved to Kearney County. J Eileen Schrock sent me photo copies of 3
land deeds. I'm guessing that the 3 deeds were conveying 10 acres of land to
the Swedish Lutheran Church - Salem, on 26 May 1884. Looks like Lars John
Almquist gave 2 1/2 acres to August Carlson, who in turn gave 5 acres to August
Anderson, trustee of Salem Church. Also looks like Andrew Ahlstrom gave 5 acres
to August Anderson, Peter Miller & Peter Holt/Hult trustees. Everything
that I can find on this church says that it was German Lutheran, but no
longer exists and I have not been able to learn where the records are located.
FinancialNotes Mining must have been better than farming. Think that Lars Johann borrowed from the miners quite often. I have photo copies of Notes & Deeds as follows: (originals were in possession of Charles Marshall Almquist, Denver - Jan/93)
Note signed by John Almquist & Peter A Miller dtd 27 Aug 1887 for
$29.60, payable to Charles Shields, signed @ & payable @ Hildreth, NE.
Note signed by John Almquist, dtd 1 November 1894, amt $100, payable to P
A Miller, signed at Axtell, NE, payable at the Bank of Axtell.
Note signed by John Almquist & Peter A Miller, dtd 15 July 1887,
$73.75, payable to The Walter A Wood Mowing & Reaping Machine Co., signed
at Franklin, NE. On the back of the Note, John Almquist certifies that he own
160 acres, section 33, twp 4 Range 15 in Franklin county. Peter A Miller
certifies ownership of 160 acres, section 5, TWP 3 Range 15 in Franklin county.
Note signed by John Almquist, dtd 1 December 1895, $100, payable to Erik
Miller. Signed & Payable at Axtell, NE.
Note signed by John Almquist, dtd 1 March 1896, $300, payable to Erick
Miller. Signed & Payable @ Axtell.
Note signed by John Almquist, dtd 1 October 1895, $400, payable to Erick
Miller. Signed & Payable @ Axtell. On the back side, written in Swedish (I
can't read Swede) $400 + $30 = $430 /s/ Erik Miller, Leadville on 2 Januari
1899.
ObitLarsJohanAlmquist
Announcing to family and friends that the Almighty called home my beloved
spouse LARS JOHAN ALMQUIST
Who quietly fell asleep in the hospital in Omaha on 28 August at the age
of 67 years, and 23 days. He was born in Torsas, Kalmar, Sweden on 5 Aug 1853,
traveled to America in 1875 and was for a long time residing partly in
Michigan, partly in Franklin County, Nebr. before making Kearney County his
permanent home. Here he was a faithful member of the Bethany congregation till
his death. A tender spouse and good father, he left a great void in the
surrounding of his family. Healthy and strong he had no understanding that his
life would be cut short so quickly, but he was ready. Clearly and with fervor
he testified to that. He leaves as the closest bereaved myself, his spouse,
four sons, six daughters, many grandchildren, along with 2 brothers and one
sister. His memory shall live as a blessing. Keene, Nebr. 1 Sep 1920 Hanna
Almquist
Moves Of Albert School census shows Albert
& Anna in School Dist 52, 1910 through 1919, but NOT 1920. Census was taken
each year in June. Census shows Joe & Esther in 1907 (Dist. 52), and John
& Lydia, Martha, Walter, Victor in 1906. School census lists ONLY families
with children who are school age.
Handwritten notes of Aldin Almquist, show Albert & Anna moved into
Axtell on 22 March 1943.
Albert's diary entry for 3/5/40 says "20 yrs ago today we moved to
this house" - at that time they were living on the farm between Wilcox
& Axtell
Ambition The diaries of Albert would lead me to
agree about lack of ambition, BUT after they moved to Axtell, he seemed to
"catch fire" and was a really busy little feller.
Diabetes Dean Almquist told me the following:
"Jack had a stroke while living in Denver and Aldin drove out to bring him
back to Axtell where he lived with Anna & Albert until he died.
Jack was Diabetic, but would not take his insulin, said if the good lord
wanted him to have insulin, HE'd have supplied it! He got a sore on his toe and
had to have the toe removed, and shortly afterward the foot was removed, and
then the leg was taken. He never recovered his health, but his spirits remained
high. After the foot was removed, he told Dean to take that damn shoe home, he
didn't need that one any more - and than laughed. He died the next day."
Health Albert left the farm for a short period
in about 1905 due to illness. It was thought that he had a heart condition. His
diary entry of 6/21/40 mentions seeing the doctor in Holdrege for heart trouble
and having to take "2 kinds of medicine".
Dale Almquist recalls when him & his brother Carl would get to spend
the night with Albert & Anna, they would be very quiet and overhear grandpa
& grandma saying their prayers in Swedish. When they asked about this,
Grandpa/ma would say "they used Swedish so the kids wouldn't know what they
were praying for".
He also recalled Albert as a "tobacco chewer" and leaving
"cuds of tobacco" on every windowsill & corner in the house. Dean
Almquist also remembers this, and recalls that Albert eventually was broken of
the habit of spitting, by taking smaller "chaws" and swallowing
instead of spitting.
Dean also remembers the story of Albert traveling by train (how they
managed to scrape together train fare is a mystery) to Alden, New York, when
brother Joseph L. died on March 8, 1942. Albert had to change trains in
Chicago, and in so doing, was selected for a "man-on-the-street"
interview by Foster May. It came out he had some funny comments and got some
kind of souvenir. When he got home he had a large trunk of kids clothes, which
they had out grown (in New York), so we sure found some dandy clothes.
Another of Deans memories: "I can also remember staying with Grandpa
Alberts when with Harold we would herd cattle with horse and buggy. I guess the
horse was called Tony, well anyway we would see Frances Gummerson coming, we
would hide behind a straw stack, but he would usually find us anyway (he was a
nerd).
From Pearl (McNamara) Almquist 2/3/93: Albert had a real long beard, down
to his chest. One day while in town, he had it shaved off. When he came home,
he almost scared the kids to death! Thinks Harold was just a baby at the time.
Jim Kinman relates that his father Orin enjoyed spending the night with
his cousins, at Albert & Anna’s home, because they didn't have to wash
their feet. Seems as all the kids slept in an upstairs bedroom, and as Anna was
rather "rotund", she didn't like to climb the stairs in order to
inspect for clean feet.
Paul & Grace In the mid-forties, Paul used
to castrate chickens to make Capons – a much larger & more tender chicken.
Grace was a very large woman and one time when flying from California to
Denver, she told Pearl and Ernest about the stewardess needing to bring an
extension for the seat belt, so it would go around her. Grace thought it was
hilarious.
update on Ernest's
family Peg d. 4 Jun 2000,
Marilyn d. 19 May 1999, Karen d. 5 Sep 1994. Jon lives in Sierra Vista, AZ.