Updates on Andrew Lundwall Sr. Family

From a photocopy of a letter Cathy found from my mother Margaret to Aunt Nancy dated only May 14, and telling about how my mother and her cousin Maite Guth had gone to Falun in Sweden and the church vault to go through records, it was discovered that the first child born to Anders Andersson and Margareta Tagstrom, Johan, was born 10/5/1871 and died two months later on 12/17/1871.

Anders Andersson left for America on May 13, 1881, and changed his name to Andrew Lundwall on the ship coming to America because there were so many Anders Andersson's on the ship that their trunks kept getting mixed up.

Margareta followed with three children, Anders 10 (Andrew Jr.), Carin 7 (Carrie), and Johan 4 (John) on August 16, 1882. When they left Sweden, the children also took the last name Lundwall.

I was unaware of John Lundwall. After some searching online, discovered that a John Lundwall had died in 1927 in Chisholm, with the same birthdate. Looking through copies of obituaries that Aunt Nan had kept through the years, further discovered he had been a well known and highly respected man in Chisholm, and a policeman for the Oliver Iron Mining Company. He had just returned from seeing doctors in Rochester, Minnesota, having had a stroke. He was despondent over his poor health and had little hopes of recovery. He went into his basement in the middle of the night and hung himself from the basement rafters. He left his wife, a daughter living in Duluth and an 11 year old son.

By this time, Carrie Lundwall Rudstrom and her husband John Rudstrom had moved back to Commonwealth, but their children and their families were still living in Chisholm. Father Andrew may have been living with Carrie as well since his residence is also listed as Commonwealth in John's obituary. John died April 26, 1927. Carrie died on August 13, 1927 in Commonwealth. After Carrie died, Andrew went to Seattle, Washington, to be with Clara and he died there before the end of the year. Andrew is also buried in the Commonwealth Cemetery, as are John and Carrie Rudstrom.

1927 must have been a very sad year for the Lundwall families.

The following are photos taken at a Rudstrom cabin on Side Lake, outside Chisholm. The cabin was beautiful with a large fireplace, a huge toy sailboat that I was allowed to sail in the lake, and the most stunning thing to a little girl -- a crystal chandelier in a cabin! I decided there and then that someday I was going to own a crystal chandelier!

On one photo, I am sitting in front with my dad in back of me (my mother probably took the photo), and Grandma on the right side standing. In the other one, I am sitting in front next to Grandma and my mother in back of me (dad probably took that photo). Photo was taken in 1947-48 time period.