This is the Face of Genealogy

Mary B Nelson

B August 31, 1888, Genarp, Malmohus, Sweden

D December 17, 1971, Spencer, Iowa

Buried - Crown Hill Cemetery, Ruthven, IOwa

This is a picture of my Great Aunt Mary.  She was the only one of her siblings that was born in Sweden.  Notice her forefinger is shortened.  The family story is she got it stuck in a ringer washing machine and it took the tip of it off.  Ouch!

Super Sister Sunday - The Swedish Sisters

This is the first Super Sister Sunday I have blogged about. It is something I have wanted to do for awhile. Being one of four sisters - I just love stories and pictures of sisters. I hope you will join me from time to time with your stories and pictures of sisters.

The Swedish Sisters
Here is a great photo taken in 1922 of my Grandma on my mothers side (the one on the right) and her sisters. Their parents came to America in 1890 with their Eldest child Mary (the one on the left) when she was about 18 months old or so. They came to the little town of Ruthven, Iowa where the rest of the children were born. My Grandmother was the youngest of her siblings. They also had two brothers. It was also taken the year before my grandparents married.

On a trip to Iowa in 2008 my sisters and I visited my mothers cousin Bob. I asked him to tell me about his parents. Both his parents died during the same year for different reasons which was a very difficult year for Bob and his siblings. This is the lady in the middle.
She was only 53 years of age when she died.

Back to the Swedish Sisters. Bob told me that the sisters used to drive he and all the cousins crazy because these ladies would either be on the telephone with each other or at family gatherings speaking in Swedish! This was a surprise to me because I never knew my grandmother even spoke swedish. Obviously their parents taught it to them. Plus in those days - if you don't ask, you won't ever find out. I never asked and barely found out! From a cousin of my mom's! Even she did not tell us kids about this.

Here are the sisters. They are actually standing Oldest to Youngest from left to right.

Mary B Nelson
B August 31, 1888, Genarp, Malmohus, Sweden
D December 17, 1971, Spencer, Iowa

Elizabeth Nelson
B June 23, 1896, Ruthven, Iowa
D February 14, 1949, Spencer, Iowa

Laura Marjorie Nelson
B November 20, 1903, Ruthven, Iowa
D October 1, 1979, Spencer, Iowa


All sisters are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Ruthven, Iowa.

Tombstone Tuesday - The Best

Here is the tombstone of Stuart and Laura (Nelson) Davis, my Grandparents. They lived in Ruthven, Iowa, just one of my favorite places in the world. They are resting in Crown Hill Cemetery. A nice shady resting place.

They are greatly missed and will always be remembered.

Tombstone Tuesday - Baby Great Aunt

Today for Tombstone Tuesday I chose to share a photo of my Great Aunt's tombstone. No one ever talked about her so when I came across her during the beginning of my research, some of us were shocked that Grandma had a baby sister who had died. Although Grandma was the youngest of her siblings, Betty had died before she was even born.

It really makes you wonder - here was a family that came from Sweden with one daughter, settled in the small town of Ruthven, Iowa, then had another little girl who died before she was even two years old. What happened to her? Was she ill? Did she get into an accident? How sad for my Gr Grandparents who lost a baby in a new land. They could not mourn with their parents or other siblings they had left behind in Sweden. The sorrow must have been unbearable. Years later they were laid to rest beside their baby Betty.

This post is dedicated to my Great Aunt Betty Nelson. She was the very first family member buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Ruthven, Iowa. Since then, many family members have joined her in this special cemetery. A couple of years ago I had the priviledge of visiting the gravestones of of Betty and many other ancestors there.