This week's theme is "On the Farm" so I decided to write about the Henrickson farm.
Carl Johan Anderson lived in Sweden and worked for a railroad company. He was able to save $400 for his wife, Ulrika and himself to come to America.in 1870. The couple first settled in LaPorte, Indiana. While in LaPorte Carl heard about a railroad that was going to be built in the Watson Township area. Since he had worked on railroads in Sweden he decided to move to Michigan to work on this one. The name of the railroad was to be the Lake Shore Railway Company. Carl first bought 80 acres of land on section 31 of Watson Township. He later sold that land and bought 80 acres of land on section 32 of Watson Township. The land was cleared and cultivated. He later sold 40 acres to his brother-in-law Nils Johansson. Later, he bought an additional 80 acres to make a 120 acre farm. He was engaged in general agriculture.
Carl and Ulrika raised their 3 children there. Carl liked the area so much he wrote letters to friends in Indiana and Sweden encouraging them to come to Michigan to live. Many took him up on it and a large Swedish community developed.
On February 21, 1900 Carl and Ulrika's daughter Malvina married Sven Goren Henrik Johansson. Sven was a Swedish immigrant who was now going by the Americanized name of George S. Henrickson. He met Malvina when she was an organist at the Swedish Lutheran Church and he visited as a student minister. After marrying they moved north so George could work in the copper mines. Some time after 1913 George and Malvina moved back to the farm so Malvina could help take care of her aging parents. Carl died in 1915 and Ulrika died in 1918, at the home of her son Frank. After Carl and Ulrika's deaths the farm was equally divided between their 3 children, with each child getting 40 acres. George and Malvina were given the 40 acres with the house on it. At some time George and Malvina purchased 40 acres from her brother Frank, giving them an 80 acre farm. George and Malvina lived on the farm the rest of their lives, raising their 11 surviving children there.
George and Malvina's son, Ray, stayed on the farm to help his father. He married Viola Strand and they raised their 8 children there. Ray grew crops and raised cattle. He stayed on the farm until his death in 2006. The farm is now farmed by Ray and Viola's descendants. Still in the Henrickson family.
In 1978 a plaque was presented to Ray and Viola to certify that the farm had remained in the same family for over 100 years. I think Carl and Ulrika would be proud to know that their investment was still in their family after all these years.
I have or had a copy of the newspaper article about dad. I remember he was pretty happy that someone was interested in his life. Both Mom and Dad were proud of the 100 year plaque.
ReplyDeleteI have that newspaper article about Grandpa. It's really good. That, and the information in the Henrickson book really helped.
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