Grandfather Charles (Karl Wilhelm) died in 1959 at the age of 89. All of his 13 children have passed and with them all direct memories about life and family growing up on a farm in Homestead, Wisconsin. Some of the second generations are also gone and before we leave, I will attempt to put in writing a few of the stories and mysteries of our family.
EMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES Charles Krans came to the US in 1889 at the age of 19. Charlie, however, was not the first Krans to immigrate to America. The start of the Krans emigration began with his uncle August Krans in 1880. The account of early life of August is taken from a newspaper article printed in the Iron River Reporter in 1971. August, his wife Sofia and son Emil arrived at Ellis Island in 1880. They took a train west and landed in Chicago. As emigrants they arrived in Chicago where they surely heard of the work in the mines, sawmills and logging camps in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. August and his family set out for Norway, MI with a promise of a job at the Vulcan iron ore mine. Wages were low and there were seasonal layoffs so August and three other men decided to explore the possibility of homesteading land in Northern Michigan. The requirement for a homestead claim was staking out land with boundary markers. Government law allowed settlers to claim 160 acres requiring them to build a cabin and live there for 4 years. The 3 men left Norway with a surveyor and walked to the territory known as Bales Township (Iron River, Michigan), where each man claimed a 160 acre parcel. August and Sofia raised 13 children in Bates Township. Sofia died in 1935 in an automobile accident at the age of 76. August died in 1943 at the age of 85.
JOHAN KRANS - CHARLIES FATHER Charlie’s father in Sweden was Johan Krans. August (Iron River) Krans was Johans brother. Johan was born in 1843 and August in 1858. Charlie’s father was feisty to say the least. Johan married Anna-Stina Eliedotter. Together they had 7 children. They were Emil born 1868, Karl Wilhelm (Charles) born 1871, Mathilda (Tilly) born 1873, August (he stayed in Sweden) born 1876, Gustave born 1879, Beda born 1881 and Sam born 1886. Strange things happen which today would cause big problems. In 1894 when Mathilda was 21 she gave birth to a son, Gustave Bertil. Johan was the father!! The child lived only 2 years. Anna-Stina died and Johan married Anna-Maja Larsdottcr in 1902. Anna-Maja had a daughter from a previous marriage Hilma born in 1881. Johan was up to his old tricks and in 1908 when Hilma was 27 she has a child Bertil. The father was Johan. He was 65 years old at the time.
SPONSORSHIP Because emigration to America required sponsorship, August (Iron River) most likely was involved with getting Emil to the US. Emil was Johan’s eldest and Charlie’s brother. As soon as Emil paid his debt to August he probably would have supplied the money for the next family member, Charlie, to come over. There is a little contusion as to when Charlie actually did immigrate to the US. Most references are that Charlie was 19 and came over in 1889. The family history prepared by our Swedish relatives says he emigrated in 1891? We do know for sure that Ellen and Charlie married in 1893.
MYSTERY HOW DID CHARLIE AND ELLEN MEET? Ellen Equist and Charlie were married June 17, 1893 in Marinette. Wisconsin. Ellen was born on June 13, 1877 and immigrated to the US in 1880.Therefore. Ellen had just turned 16 years old only 4 days before getting married. In Ellen’s obituary when she died in 1937 it stated that she lived in Marinette for 3 years. Assuming that's true, she must have been 12 or 13 when she lived there? One theory about how they met was that Charlie came to Northern Wisconsin from Chicago to work in the logging camps. Since Ellen Equist lived in Homestead we can assume Charlie met her there while working in the area logging. The Equist farm was located very close to the Little Popple River. The Popple was used as a tributary to float logs down to the Menonimee River and further to Marinette for sawing into lumber. Another theory about how they met and married is that they met in Marinette. It was common practice for young women to work as housekeepers and child care. Rhoda Hougland told me that her mother Ida Equist left the Equist farm when around 17 years old. She met her husband, Axel Osterberg while working. My guess is that Ellen left home at age 12 or 13, and lived/worked for a family near Marinette. Everything then makes sense about her living in Marinette for 3 years. She met Charlie in Marinette and got married there.
BIRTH OF EVAN KRANS Evan was the first born. He was born on June 14, 1894. Evans birthplace is listed as Homestead Wisconsin. In 1895 Charlie’s father in law Andrew Equist sold to him 40 acres of land for $300. One would assume that Charlie had to wait until the spring of 1895 to start building the farm house. Since Evan was born in June 1894 Ellen probably gave birth at her parents’ house not at the Krans farmhouse. Rose (Olson) Krans was born in April 1896. She was probably the first child actually born on the Krans family farm.
IS IT KRANS OR KRANTZ? Since receiving the Krans family history from our Swedish relatives, we know that “Krans" was used back as far as 1788. A mystery is why did Charlie on his marriage certificate spell his name "Krantz" only later to go back to "Krans"? Charlie’s brother Emil must have been the first to change his last name to “Krantz" The Krans Story.docx - 3 - Printed on 11/2/2013 when he immigrated to the US. Charlie must have followed his brothers lead and used "Krantz" only to change back.
EMILS DAUGHTER ANNA AND OSCAR KRANS An interesting fact concerns Oscar Krans, the fourth child of Ellen and Charlie. Oscar was born in March 1900. The marriage of first cousins was not taboo in those days because Oscar married Anna Krans, daughter of Emil Krantz. Both of Oscar and Annas children were born in lower Michigan near Mears, Michigan. They were Edward (Little Edward) and Raymond Krans. Oscar moved back to Aurora around 1945. In 1946 my father and Oscar were going to start a furnace business together. Oscar and my grandfather Ed VanDamme didn't get along so the partnership never happened. Oscar died young at age 50. Anna lived at their home on Fisher Lake until she died in 1974. "Little Edward” was probably called that because his uncle Edward Krans, the I0th child of Charlie lived in the area. "Little Edward" loved taking home 8mm movies which today still serve as visual memories of the past.
THE DEATH OF ELLEN KRANS Ellen must have been a wonderful mother. She had just turned 16 when married and had Evan when she was 17 and somehow planned to have a baby every two years. The 13 children were born in 1894, 96, 98, 1900, 02, 05, 07, 09, 11, 12, 16, 18, and 1921. Nothing much has ever been said but apparently Ellen had a miscarriage and lost a child in 1903, which explains the 3 year span. Aunt Beda Beaudry told the story about Ellen’s death. For two weeks she wasn't feeling well and went to see a chiropractor in Iron Mountain for help. She died soon after that visit. No autopsy was done in those days but an Appendix that burst during an adjustment probably was the cause. Ellen died on January 31, 1937 at the farm home. Ellen's mother, Lousia Equist, died in June 1937 at the Krans family home as mentioned in her obituary. It seems strange that Ellen died in January and her mother in June. Charlie and the kids at home at the time Carl and Mae must have helped take care of grandma Lousia. Mae (Fredrickson) Krans was 16 years old at the time of her mother’s death. It must have been a lot of responsibility for her to help feed Lousia and her father. Charlie stayed on the farm until 1943 when he sold it to Rose and Reuben Olson. That period of 6 years when Charlie was alone on the farm is a mystery. Besides Mae, who else helped keep the house up and running? Aunt Beda we assume spent time there but as we all know Uncle Tom Beaudry was a free spirit and Beda had to keep tabs on him too. Charlie moved in with Tom and Beda in 1943.
SWEDISH RELATIVES Charlie was one of 7 siblings. One brother August, born in 1876 stayed in Sweden. Charlie’s other brothers and sisters emigrated to the US. August changed his name The Krans Story.docx - 4 - Printed on 11/2/2013 in Sweden to Johanson (means son of Johan). A Swedish relative sent me a brief history of August. August Johanson stayed in Sweden and worked as a blacksmith apprentice at the Ek estate outside of Mariestad. In 1897, he moved to the island of Totso to work on the farm Bolstad and from there to the Fagelo estate in 1898. He married on April 15, 1900 to Jenny Rodrik, daughter of the soldier and tailor Johan Rodrik. August’s sister Beda (Qvist) and brother Samfried attended the wedding and both left for America. In 1909 August bought the Halllandsberg property and became mill master and blacksmith. Until 1927 the grain mill was functioning first by windpower and then be electric. In 1943 son Hugo took over and it closed in 1969. In 1999 both the mill and smithy still existed.
WHAT’S NEXT? I still am curious as to what life was like in those days. Hopefully more to come, Dale Krans A son of Vernon and Lillian (VanDamme) Krans. A grandson of Charlie and Ellen Krans
