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Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson

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Birth	:	12 Feb 1873 Doderhult, Oskarshamns kommun, Kalmar län, Sweden
Death	:	1 Feb 1955 Wausa, Knox County, Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Thabor Lutheran Cemetery, Wausa, Knox County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.5102997, -97.5671997
Description	:	Charlotta Nilsdotter was born on February 12, 1873 in a small berg known as Eckerhult in the Döderhult parish of Kalmar län in Smaland on the western coast of central Sweden. She and her twin brother Carl Nilsson were the oldest of four children born to Nils Peter Larsson and Anna Cathrina Svensdotter. Charlotta had two younger brothers also; Johan, born in 1877, and Martin, born in 1883. Like so many other families in the community, her family farmed a small piece of land and tried to make ends meet the best they could. The nearest large city... Read More	Charlotta Nilsdotter was born on February 12, 1873 in a small berg known as Eckerhult in the Döderhult parish of Kalmar län in Smaland on the western coast of central Sweden. She and her twin brother Carl Nilsson were the oldest of four children born to Nils Peter Larsson and Anna Cathrina Svensdotter. Charlotta had two younger brothers also; Johan, born in 1877, and Martin, born in 1883. Like so many other families in the community, her family farmed a small piece of land and tried to make ends meet the best they could. The nearest large city was Oskarsham a few miles to the east. Growing up in Sweden in the late 1800's usually meant that you rarely travelled much farther than what you could walk in a single day. Fortunately, Döderhult wasn't too far from the major port of Oskarsham. Oskarsham was an emerging city when Charlotta was growing up. She would sometimes get a ride into town and stroll around the shops there. However, Sweden's economy in the 1800's was struggling and jobs were hard to find. Often the only work for a young man or woman in Döderhult was to hire out as a farmhand or maid servant for larger farmsteads that could afford it. And like so many other young people in rural Sweden, Charlotta and Carl did this for a number of years to help supplement their family's income. It is not known exactly why the decision was made to set out for America, but given the hardship of supporting a family in Sweden it is easy to see how the allure of a new land could lead both Charlotta and her brother to wanting to leave home. One of their uncles had left for America years earlier and their youngest brother, Martin had also emigrated there in 1902. So, in May 1903, Charlotta (Lottie) and her brother Carl (Charly) boarded a ship to Hull, England where they then took a train to Liverpool. Once there, they obtained passage in the steerage section (3rd Class) of the Cunard Line steamer Saxonia. The Saxonia was a large vessel that took them all the way to the American port of Boston on a voyage that lasted 10 days. From Boston, the two siblings took a train to Chicago and from there on to Nebraska, eventually arriving on June 1st. Once there, they were met by their mother's brother, Otto Holmquist and his family. Otto had come to America a number of years earlier and had taken up farming with his sons in the newly founded community of Wausa. He was Lottie and Charly's American "sponsor" who made sure that as newly arriving immigrants they were properly employed and situated. Lottie was able to get a job at the local hotel in Wausa and Charly worked as a farm hand on his uncle's farm. Lottie worked as a maid at the Commercial Hotel on Main Street while she and Charly established themselves as responsible members of the community. They both became members of the Thabor Lutheran church where many Swedes in the area worshipped. How Lottie met her future husband is not known, but at some point she was introduced to Swan Johnson, a fellow Swede whose family had come to America from Blekinge in southern Sweden during the 1860's. The two of them were married on March 1, 1905. Swan was a tall and slender man in his mid-thirties who owned a local farm just outside of town. Swan already had two sons from a previous marriage, Raymond and Francis, so Lottie prepared to begin her new life with Swan and his ready-made family. Within a few years, Lottie and Swan had three additional sons together; Harold, Verner, and Evar. Swan and Lottie's life was a struggle at first. Lottie almost died during the great flu pandemic of 1918 but eventually recovered. She and Swan raised their five sons while living on the farm outside of Wausa. Swan lived until 1946 at which time he died of cancer. Lottie continued to live on the farm until 1955 when she too passed away, just a few months after her twin brother Charly. They now rest in the Lutheran cemetery just outside of Wausa, Nebraska. (Excerpt from "Dear Poppa" 2010, Paul Johnson)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson's memorial?
Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson's memorial is located at: Thabor Lutheran Cemetery, Wausa, Knox County, USA.
When did Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson death?
Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson death on 1 Feb 1955 in Wausa, Knox County, Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Charlotta “Lottie” Nelson Johnson's memorial?
Latitude: 42.5102997
Longitude: -97.5671997

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Swan Nels Johnson

(1868 - 1946)

Siblings

Carl Fredrik “Charlie” Nelson

(1873 - 1954)

Nels Peter Martin “Marty” Nelson

(1883 - 1963)

Children

Harold Archie Johnson

(1906 - 1982)

Verner Johnson

(1911 - 1973)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Thabor Lutheran Cemetery
Wausa, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5102997, -97.5671997

2. Woodlawn Cemetery
Wausa, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5102997, -97.5330963

3. Golgotha Lutheran Cemetery
Wausa, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4732600, -97.6609400

4. Magnet Cemetery
Magnet, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4644012, -97.4655991

5. Olive Grove Cemetery
Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5264015, -97.4167023

6. Bloomfield Cemetery
Bloomfield, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6007996, -97.6605988

7. Eden Valley Cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4241982, -97.7177963

8. Saint Marys Cemetery
Osmond, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3661003, -97.6102982

9. Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
Osmond, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3650017, -97.6106033

10. Morrillville Cemetery
Bloomfield, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5725000, -97.7541000

11. Osmond Cemetery
Osmond, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3457985, -97.5821991

12. Rose Hill Cemetery
McLean, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3518982, -97.4666977

13. Kemma Cemetery
Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5438995, -97.8103027

14. Saint Frances Cemetery
Randolph, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3946991, -97.3482971

15. Randolph Cemetery
Randolph, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3873900, -97.3501700

16. Gnewuch Gravesite
Center, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5973000, -97.8267800

17. Saint Josephs Catholic Cemetery
Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7064200, -97.4362700

18. Zion Cemetery
Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3293991, -97.7371979

19. Saint Rose Cemetery
Crofton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7280998, -97.5192032

20. Saint Pauls Catholic Church Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3678700, -97.7959700

21. Pleasant View Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3665310, -97.7959700

22. Beaver View Cemetery
Crofton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7355995, -97.5847015

23. Crofton Cemetery
Crofton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7296982, -97.4860992

24. Plainview Memorial Park Cemetery
Plainview, Pierce County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3512160, -97.7877140