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This is the story of two brothers who married two sisters. The brothers, AJ and Willie Schold, married two sisters, Hanna and Emma Johanson and homesteaded the Clear Creek Valley nr Silverdale in Kitsap County, Washington Territory. As was the case with most Americans, they came to the United States in search of land. They settled in Clear Creek Valley because it reminded them of their homes in Dalsland, Sweden.
Willie Schold and Emma Johanson were born in the same region of Sweden. As young adults, they both followed their relatives to the United States.
At the end of the 1860s, Sweden was struck by the last of a series of severe hunger catastrophes. The agriculture which was still only partially modernized had been struggling with difficult times. Now came a series of crop failures. 1867 thus became "the wet year" of rotting grain, 1868 became the "dry year" of burned fields, and 1869 became "the severe year" of epidemics and begging children. Sixty thousand people left Sweden during these three "starvation years".
There was no direct connection between Sweden and America. Swedish railroads took emigrants to Gothenberg where they travelled to Hull in the UK and cross country to Liverpool or Glasgow. The entire journey from Gothenberg to New York took about 3 weeks. Good time!
Minnesota was the first stop for many Swedes. Most of the unmarried men worked as lumberjacks or on the railroads. The railroad king James Hill is quoted: "Give me snuff, whiskey and Swedes, and I will build a railroad to hell."
Schold (Anderson) story
After living in Minnesota and Denver, Willie joined his brother, Jacob Schold in Washington Territory in 1888, a year before Washington joined the union.
Johanson story
Emma first emigrated to Plattsburg Missouri and came to Washington Territory in 1887 via Vliets, Kansas, and Central City, Colorado
Willie and Emma and their children
On December 31 1894, Willie purchased 40 acres of land from his brother AJ Schold for $200. He built a house and started a family.
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He and Emma had 4 children:
- Daughter stillborn in 1895,
- Twins: Lawrence and Nettie, born 28 November1896
- Son, Carl Ernest b. 1900. Carl died at 6 months in 1901.
Willie became a naturalised citizen at Kitsap county Superior Court on September 2 1896. He renounced his allegiance to Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway. Willie worked for Suniman logging company and homesteaded. Willie farmed until his death at home, Wednesday December 28, 1921 of stomach cancer.
Today the Schold homestead has been sold and the family scattered to the winds. Lawrence died without issue in April 1971. His widow, Thelma died 29 July 1991. Nettie left 5 children, 24 grandchildren and a continuing growing family. All that remains of Willie and Emma Schold is their name. The Schold road now hosts a bicycle trail from Silverdale to Bangor.
Hanna and AJ Schold had many descendents. Some still live in the Silverdale area. The Schold clan still has renunions every other year.
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This page was created by Cheryl Morgan, Last updated, 19 December 2008