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Sharing our Links to the Past |
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Born: 12 Sep 1832 Lekvettnet, Socken, Varmlands, Sweden Father: #M26 Eric ERSSON (24 Mar 1780-17 Jul 1848) Married: #M12 Carl Gustav (Larsson) Lundquist, Tenant Farmer, 20 Nov 1857 Ostmark, Varmlands, Sweden. They had nine children. Children: Biography of Karin Ersson Lundquist. (Eugene first gives her parentage and lists the children.) He states that the family lived on a small farm.) [See Note #1.] Karin Ersson Lundquist was converted and baptized in the LDS Church while she was yet in Sweden.[See biography of Emanuel Richard Lundquist for more details of her conversion.] [See Note #2.] After the death of her husband on 24 Sep 1880 at the age of 48, she sold her farm for some 4,000 krawns and she and her children came to America. They came with the Skarsborg Company in 1881 and settled in Hyde Park, Utah. [See Notes 2 and 3.] All of the children except Emanuel, Carl, Emil, Eric Benjamin and Hilma settled in other places in the U.S. Hulda, Victor, Aaron and Alex went to Illinois. Hulda, Carl, Aaron, Victor and Hilma later made their homes in California. At a later time Emanuel settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Victor moved to Portland, Oregon. [See Note 4.] Grandmother Lundquist [Karin] was very religious and was well acquainted with the Bible and with the Book of Mormon. She walked many times to the Logan Temple to do work there which is located about 6 miles from her home in Hyde Park, Utah. She always went to Church. She liked the hymn, "Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded." She always had a lovely flower garden. She used to visit quite often with Catherine Sarah Perkes Harris also of Hyde Park, Utah, (mother-in-law of Eric Benjamin) and would talk about her native land of Sweden and how she loved that country. She was short and quite heavy and had a lovely complexion. Grandmother Harris knew the following children of Grandmother Lundquist: Emanuel, Charles, Benjamin and Hilma. She said Benjamin worked very hard and took good care of his mother for quite a long time. She had an adequate home, nice clothes, plenty of good things to eat, etc. Grandmother Lundquist said her husband was of Swedish descent and was a farm hand and that he changed his name to "Lundqvist" sometime before he died. [See Note #5.] The largest Parish of Lerback was called "Lund" and perhaps Carl Gustaf Lundquist took the name of Lundqvist after this estate. [See Note #6.] Lamont Harris (brother-in-law of Eric Benjamin) then living in Hyde Park, Utah, had a lot of interesting experiences with Grandmother Lundquist. LaMont was about 10 years of age when he got acquainted with her. He used to go to her place and observed that she usually wore a short apron, and she always offered him something to eat. She would usually ask him if he wanted some bread and jam and he always accepted because he was always hungry. She asked him to go to Lee's store in Hyde Park many times to buy groceries for her. Sometimes she would give him 2 eggs and he would go to this store and buy some candy. [See Note #7.] She lived across the street south from the old Hyde Park Church on the southwest corner of 1st East and Center Street in Hyde Park, Utah. Her home was part log and part frame and has been torn down. LaMont went to her place one day and she said, "You can't stay here now Monty, you can come and see me later. You can see me after Primary." LaMont has not forgotten this incident to this day even though he is now 80 years of age [in 1974]. He said he liked to listen to her talk as she had a broken accent in every spoken word of English. He used to pick apples for her and she would give him hot bread and put lots of butter on it. [See Note #7.] Eric Benjamin Lundquist and his wife Eugenia Harris lived with Grandmother Lundquist during the first few years of their married life. She always called Eric Benjamin "Benny." [See Note #7.] Eric Benjamin settled in Smithfield, Utah which is about 3 miles north of Hyde Park. LaMont said he knew her daughter Hilma. Hilma liked horses very much. Hilma was driving a horse hitched to a buggy in Smithfield, Utah, on the way back to Hyde Park and the horse ran away with her and almost killed her. The horse kicked the buggy all to pieces. [See Note #7.] Grandmother Lundquist was cute and was full of fun. LaMont also remarked that "she always smiled at me and was always kind to me." She would say, "Monty boy, if you'll sing a song, I'll give you some cookies and some bread and jam." [See Note #7.] The marriages of record of her children are as follows: [Here the marriages are listed which are stated at the top of this page. Hulda and Peter had one child. Hulda and John had no children. Victor and Bertha had two children. Emanuel Richard and Grace had eight children. Emanuel Richard and Ada had four children. Carl and Mary Ellen had no children. Carl and Rosamond had no children. Eric and Eugenia had six children. Hilma and John had no children.] [See Note #8.] Grandmother Lundquist died 11 March 1903 at Hyde Park, Utah. She is buried in the Hyde Park Cemetery and has a lovely marker by her grave. In reflecting upon the experiences of writing this history, I wanted to make a final statement of my impressions of my Grandmother Lundquist of whom I never did see or knew personally: It was the practice of the LDS Church missionaries at this period of time (19th century) to advise the converts of the Church to join the saints in America. Grandmother Lundquist was a very courageous, stalwart and faithful woman because she came across the ocean to a strange land with her young children to an early period in history. It appears that her children were trained to work and to be independent as it is noted that the older children left Hyde Park, Utah, apparently because they could not find work in and around Hyde Park, Utah; and they, no doubt, wanted to take care of themselves and not be a burden upon their mother. She seemed to have the ability and wisdom to turn many circumstances into a teaching situation for the benefit of her children and others. What a lovely woman she must have been, and what a great legacy she has given to us, her descendants. --Eugene B. Lundquist Eugene added to his narrative: This history has been pieced together from many sources as follows: Note #1: Family group sheet of Carl Gustaf Lundquist and
Karin Ersson from Swedish records by Ella Heckscher, genealogist, Uppsala, Sweden. Also
from History of the Lundquist Family by Emanuel R. Lundquist,
and notes from Helen A Simpson. Tribute to his Grandmother Karin Ersson Lundquist
by Eugene B. Lundquist. "Elsie, I would be an ungrateful soul to sit by and not recognize the great courage and sacrifice and love of our dear Grandmother Lundquist who left her native land of Sweden that she loved so much - she came to America for the Gospel. She lost her husband one year before leaving for America with her seven children at the young age of 49. The money I have expended in the preparation of the Pedigree Charts, the 4-page letter from Ella Heckscher, and the 2-flag letter* in tribute to the courage and sacrifice of our Grandmother Lundquist and sent to 50 families throughout the U.S. who are direct-line descendants is but a drop in the bucket I owe to my Grandmother. Because of her brave and noble action in 1881, you and I and many others have enjoyed the glorious liberty and freedom of this great American Nation and I am sure all the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great grandchildren (if they would only stop long enough and pause and realize the gift of liberty and freedom our Grandmother bestowed upon all of us), they too would feel a great debt they owe to their Grandmother. Yes, there are those in America, a minority, who would like to crush America, but the majority of Americans still feel the strength and patriotism of this great county. Who was it who said just before he was executed in the early days of our great American Republic, "I regret that I have only one life I can give for my Country"? I lost a brother, Rodney E. Lundquist in 1945 in the Belgian Bulge - he gave his life for his country, that you and I can still have our liberty and freedom. I suppose there are many other grandchildren of Carl Gustaf and Caroline Ersson Lundquist who also gave their life for their country. Can I do less? Even more important, our Grandmother Lundquist's life is a great example for all of us to follow." *The two-flag letter had a miniature Swedish flag in the upper left and a miniature American flag in the upper right of the letter. The letter reads: Two-Flag Letter Sent by Eugene Lundquist in Honor of Karin Ersson Lundquist: Carin Ersdotter Lundquist "fran Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . till Nordamerika" To: All known direct descendents of (CARL GUSTAF LARSSON LUNDQUIST I am sure to voice the sentiment of all my relatives when I say I am grateful beyond words of expression for the courage and foresight of our Grandmother Lundquist who left the Country she loved so well and brought her children to America in 1881. I had the opportunity a few days ago of reading a microfilm at The Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, which shows the passenger list of the SKARSBORG COMPANY. This list included CARIN ERSDOTTER LUNDQUIST and her children. She was age 49 when she left for America. CARL GUSTAF LARSSON LUNDQUIST died in 1880 - one year before she left for America. Here is a small part of a biographical sketch of Grandmother Lundquist as
reported by my Grandmother Harris, both of whom lived in Hyde Park, Utah - 90 miles north
of Salt Lake City: In a few days I plan on mailing you a PEDIGREE CHART containing 63 Swedish names, also a four-page letter of GREAT IMPORTANCE from Ella Heckscher, Swedish Genealogist from Uppsala, Sweden, who was hired to do most of the genealogy along the "Lundquist" line. Please take the time to read and re-read carefully the two documents on
genealogy that I am sending to you in the next day or two. Home | Biographical
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