Willie (Anderson) Schold
Schold family, Lawrence, Emma, Nettie and Willie
Clear Creek Valley, Wa. About 1910
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Name: SCHOLD, Jonas Vilhelm
Born: 2 January 1847, Dalskog, Dahlsland, Sweden
Died: 29 December 1921, Silverdale, Kitsap, WA, USA
Father: LARSSON, Anders (1818-1882)
Mother: ANDERSDOTER, Christina (1819-1854)
Marriage: ca 1890 Clear Creek Valley, Silverdale, Kitsap, WA,
USA to JOHANSON, Emma (1858-1956)
Willie (Jonas Vilhelm) Schold was born 2 January 1847 in Dalskog, Dahlsland, Sweden the third child of Anders Larsson (b. 4 May 1818, Dalskog, Dahlsland, Sweden) and Christina Andersdotter (b. 13 June 1819, Wassanda, Dahlsland, Sweden). They had a small farm in Dalskog and probably experienced difficulty when Sweden suffered three severe crop failures in 1866 - 1868. Other concerns were explosive population growth and sluggish land development.
In the 1860's emigration to the US became possible. AJ Schold (Willie's elder brother) emigrated to New York on April 30 1869 probably following the common route for Swedish emigrants. This was from Gothenburg to the English port city of Hull, then by railroad from Hull to Liverpool and by sea from Liverpool to New York, Boston or Quebec. The trip took from one and a half to two months.
The family story is that when AJ Schold came through emigration in New York, the officer became confused when enquiring as to his surname. AJ thought he meant occupation and said, "Schold" (Soldier) rather than Anderson (son of Anders). Thus, the American family is known as Schold to this day.
AJ may have become a subagent for a steamship line and was given a round trip ticket to return to Sweden and encourage emigration in his home town. We know that AJ Schold returned to the US in 1874 along with his brother Willie (my great grandfather) and his sister Maria-Maja.
Willie, AJ and Maria first arrived in Mankato Minnesotain 1874. Willie was 27 years old. Maria spent the remainder of her life in Mankato. Five years later, in 1879, the youngest brother, Jacob Schold emigrated from Sweden to Mankato, Minnesota. The three brothers soon left Mankato and moved to Denver in 1880 possibly following the railroad. Undoubtedly they were attracted by that fact that Swedish immigrants were the fourth most comon foreign born group in Denver. They would feel at home and gain employment there. By 1890, the Denver boasted the eighth largest Swedish population in the States
In 1870, The Denver Pacific, Kansas Pacific and Colorado Central Railroads all reached Denver, ending the town's isolation and stagnation. A few years later, in 1876: Colorado became the 38th State of the Union. Just as the three Schold brothers moved to Denver, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was constructed. The 1880s were wild ones in Denver. It had its first great boom, propelled by mining.
In Denver, AJ took up work as a carpenter and built the Swedish Lutheran Church. He met and married Hanna Johanson. Jacob Schold took up cabinet making and piano finishing. He married Augusta Swanson and they had a daughter Selma. Jacob contracted emphysema while working as a piano finisher. He had to change his occupation and decided to homestead in Port Orchard, Washington Territory on the advice of a friend, Alfred Larson. So just after his daughter Selma was born, Jacob, Alfred and Ida Swanson (sister of his wife Augusta) travelled to Seattle by train from Denver and obtained territorial deeds to homestead in Port Orchard. Sadly, Jacob died around the turn of the century leaving a wife and two children.
Meanwhile AJ Schold and his wife, Hanna had moved to San Francisco in 1884. AJ built the Swedish Lutheran Church in San Francisco but soon followed Jacob to Washington Territory in the Spring of 1886. They homesteaded in Clear Creek Valley near Silverdale, Washington. He was soon joined by brother Willie Schold in 1888. Willie and AJ built the Pearson Church in 1888 and in July 1891 Willie purchased some land near Poulsbo for $500 but apparently never built on it. It was in Silverdale that Willie met and fell in love with his sister-in-law, Emma Johanson.
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This page was created by Cheryl Morgan, Last updated, 19 December 2008