Updated: May 2006

PER and BENGTA LARSSON
Per Larsson was born in 1834 in Sweden. (1)
Married Bengta Bengsdottir, who was born in 1845.
Children: Three sons, including Otto Larson, and two daughters.
The Larssons lived on a large farm in Broby, Sweden, called Mannagard. Bengta had inherited this farm because she was the only child.
Per died in 1898 and Bengta died in 1922.
(1) Information comes from a questionnaire filled out by Grace (Larson) Blomberg, who obtained the information from family records and a Larson genealogy written in Swedish.

OTTO and BERTHA LARSON
Otto Larson was born about 1877 – probably on Dec. 30 – in Broby, Sweden, to Per and Bengta (Bengsdottir) Larsson. (1)
Married Bertha Christine Wiberg. (See below)
Children: (2)
Edward, born in 1907, and died about 1913.
Esther, born in 1910, and died about 1913.
Olga Evelyn, born April 19, 1913. Married Gustaf Kvarnberg.
Grace Harriet, born in 1916. Married a Harold Blomberg.
Before immigrating to the United States, Otto was a farmer and fulfilled his military training obligation for Sweden.
Otto immigrated in 1901 and became a naturalized citizen in 1907. (3)
Upon arrival in America, he became a baker in Galesburg, Ill. That didn’t pay enough so he became a streetcar conductor for Chicago Surface Lines. He retired from that job when he was 65.
Otto married Bertha Christine Wiberg on June 23, 1906 in Chicago. Bertha and Otto had known each other in school in Sweden but hadn’t considered marriage until they met again in America.
Bertha was born in 1880 – probably on Sept. 25 – in Broby, Sweden, to Per and Bertha (Dahlgren) Wiberg. (4)
Bertha came to the United States in 1901 with her sister Anna. She appears to have sailed aboard the Ivernia, which sailed from Liverpool, England, arrived in Boston on Oct 1. The sisters brought two bags each and were heading to Chicago, where they planned to meet their sister, Mrs. Tilley Peterson, who lived at 181 Oak St. (5)
Some family members said she traveled with three of her sisters, all planning to find husbands in America, but this doesn’t appear likely. Anna is the only other Wiberg listed in the immigration record that appears to be Bertha’s. Family tradition also states that Bertha left home for America on her 21st birthday because she no longer wanted to live with her stepmother.
The 1920 Census of Chicago indicates that Bertha became a naturalized citizen in 1907.
When she settled in Chicago, Bertha was embarrassed to tell her family back in Sweden that her home had gas lights instead of electric. In Sweden the Wibergs had electricity – even in the barn.
Before she married, Bertha served as a kitchen maid for the McCormick family who owned the farm-implement company. She became the family cook and a trusted servant and traveled extensively with them. Bertha was an excellent cook, but she considered her recipes trade secrets and died without revealing most of them.
When her children were young, Bertha made them ginger ale and root beer from recipes her father used at his soda factory in Sweden.
During the Depression, relatives moved in with the Larsons because Otto had a good job and could help support them. The 1930 Census of Chicago shows that Otto’s two nephews – Lars Larson, 26, and Nils Larson, 23 – were living in the household. Both had immigrated in 1924. The family always had plenty to eat, but had to make some sacrifices, such as wearing old clothes.
Upon retirement, the Larsons moved to Knox, Ind. In old age, Otto and Bertha were pleasant and loved to play cards. They spoke Swedish occasionally and read Swedish newspapers. When they were young, they let people who had recently emigrated from Sweden stay with them.
Otto and Bertha died in 1957. Bertha had suffered a stroke several years earlier and had been ill since then. Otto and a part-time nurse cared for her. Bertha died and on the day of the funeral, Otto suffered a heart attack. He had been in the hospital for about a week, when he removed his medication tubes and died. When they were young, Bertha and Otto vowed that one would not outlive the other. They are buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Chicago.

(1) Most information comes from interviews with Olga Kvarnberg and Grace (Kvarnberg) Reishus in 1989. Some details were also provided by them in response to a questionnaire. Concerning Otto’s birth date, Olga wrote that he was born Dec. 30, 1880. However, census records point toward a different year of birth. The 1910 Census of Chicago, Ill., says Otto was 32 years old in April. The 1920 Census of Chicago, city ward 33, says Otto was 42 years old in January. The 1930 Census of Chicago, ward 37, says he was 52 in April. Although a few other problems pop up in the census records, they do agree on Otto’s approximate year of birth. (2) Birth years for Edward and Bertha appear in the 1910 Census of Chicago. The year of death was provided by Olga. Esther is listed as Bertha, which may be a middle name or her real first name. Grace was 4 years and 6 months old when the census was taken in January 1920. (3) The 1920 and 1930 Censuses of Chicago. The 1910 Census of Chicago states that Otto and Bertha both immigrated in 1891 but that’s incorrect, based on other census records and family tradition. (4) Bertha’s birth date is uncertain. Olga wrote that her mother’s birth date was Sept. 25, 1883. However, a more likely year appears to be 1880. Census records indicate that she was born in 1880 or 1881. In addition, Bertha’s immigration record states that she was 21 years old when she arrived in Boston on Oct. 1, 1901. It seems likely that Sept. 25 is the correct date. (5) Immigration records for the ship Ivernia, which arrived in Boston on Oct. 1, 1901, and are available at www.ancestry.com. However, other records offer different years of immigration – raising the possibility that the Boston record doesn’t really refer to our Bertha. The 1910 Census states 1891, which is certainly incorrect. The 1920 Census says 1903. And the 1930 Census states 1901. However, Bertha Wiberg is an extremely uncommon name and other information in the Boston record – ages, destination of Chicago and names of sisters – supports the link to our Bertha.


PER and BERTHA WIBERG
Per Wiberg lived in Broby, Sweden. He was an orphan and was raised by an uncle. (1)
Married Bertha Dahlgren.
Children: Herman; Bertha Christine (Larson), born in 1880; Anna, born about 1877; Matilda (Pederson); Emilia; and Ida, who was left deaf after a childhood illness. Bertha, Anna, Matilda and Emilia immigrated to the United States. (2)
Per’s wife died in 1890, when the children were still small. He married and had two more daughters. His second wife was often cruel to Bertha’s children.
Per was a coppersmith as a hobby. His masterpiece was a coffee service set, which he presented to his first wife upon their engagement. The set was presented to Bertha Larson, since she was Bertha Wiberg’s youngest daughter. The set was later then presented to Grace Blomberg, who was Bertha’s youngest daughter. Grace passed is on to her daughter, but the set was then lost in a house fire. Another copper service set he made is owned by his great-granddaughter Grace Reishus.
Per also owned a farm and made soft drinks during the summer. The soft-drink business was passed on to his son, Herman. Per also served as mayor of Broby.
(1) Information comes from a questionnaire filled out by Grace (Larson) Blomberg, who obtained the information from family records and a Larson genealogy written in Swedish. (2) Birth years for Bertha and Anna and the last name of Matilda’s husband are listed in immigration records for the ship Ivernia, which arrived in Boston on Oct. 1, 1901, and are available at www.ancestry.com.