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Friday, July 30, 2010

GERDA'S BLANKET

Posted by Carolyn J. Christensen.  (CJC)
Written by LaNea Johnson Taylor, daughter of Wallace Johnson, son of Carl and Gerda. 
The following heirloom, a quilt made by Gerda Theresia Hanson Johnson,  belongs to LaNea.






Just a little more info on that quilt. Each block measures 5 x 5. The total measurement is 63 x 74. It is 12 blocks wide by 14 blocks long. Each block is either black wool or a bluish gray tweed wool that are alternated. Each black square has a single crochet around it in royal blue yarn and each blue square has a row of single crochet of red yarn around it. They are all crocheted together in a unique pattern in yellow gold yarn. Then the edging is crocheted in yellow gold yarn. I think before Grandma crocheted the blocks together, she embroidered a daisy in the center of each square in the yellow gold yarn with a brown center since the daisy isn't connected to the back of the quilt. There isn't any batting in the quilt. The backing is a dark red cotton fabric. Straight back on the back from each daisy is an "X" about a half inch wide that connects the front to the back. The stitch is in red which matches the color of the backing. However, the red stitching doesn't show on the front of the daisy. The quilt is in perfect condition since I haven't used it at all. No holes or anything!! I don't remember Mom or Dad ever receiving this quilt. I just remember it always being there. I remember Mom saying Grandma (Gerda) making it from coats that Grandpa (Carl) wore on his missions. As a child I probably thought "big deal". Now I know what a BIG deal that really was and how grateful I am to have this quilt. It truly is a most prized possession.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

MISSION AHEAD FOR TAYLORS

Posted by Carolyn Johnson Christensen.

The daughter of Wallace & Faye Johnson, and grand daughter of Carl Oscar and Gerda Johnson , LANEA JOHNSON TAYLOR, and her husband VERN have been called to the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission.  Congratulations and our best wishes.  Hope you don't melt.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

EDYTHE JOHNSON LLOYD

Posted by Carolyn Christensen, cousin of Edith/Edythe Johnson Lloyd, and grand daughter of Carl O. Johnson.

The following was sent to me by Edith/Edythe Johnson Lloyd, daughter of Allen Oscar  and Rula Beck Johnson.  I had always assumed Edith was named for my great aunt Edith who died as a teenager.
I am hoping Edith will send me a picture of her and her family.

Dear Carolyn,

I am sending you this information. I always grew up thinking I was named after my Aunt Edith. It is spelled this way in Grandmother Johnson's records. When I and my husband went to Mexico a few years ago we had to have our birth Certificate to get into the country. To my surprise I found my name spelled Edith. I had gone by the spelling Edythe for so long and it was a real surprise ot me. Of course, my mother was still alive at that time and living with me and I asked her about the spelling. She told me that my Aunt's name was spelled Edith but that when I was in the first grade, she decided to change the spelling of my name to Edythe. Well, I had to take my mother and two forms of Identification into the Bureau of Vital Statistics to have them change the spelling . I had gone by Edythe for so many years that I was told that it would be a problem when it came to getting on Medicare and Social Security and other places if it didn't match my birth record. Anyway, I had to make this change. Mother told me she liked the Edythe spelling better than the Edith spelling. I hope this is clear to you. And I was told that my Aunt Edith died at about 16 or 17 years of age. Dad was on his mission so he wasn't to sure as to her age

Friday, July 16, 2010

FOUR LITTLE GIRLS

Posted by Carolyn Christensen, great half niece of four little Swedish Girls.

I had worked on my Swedish Family History since before I was married. I first remember sorting family group sheets at Ricks College in 1964. Even though my Swedish Grandparents had their lines researched by a professional researcher, I have reviewed the information several times to make sure it was correct. Each time during my life when I brought out the records, I wondered about and researched again my Grandfather’s immediate family. I found a few interesting details, but not a lot. My grandfather’s parents were engaged, he was born, and his mother died before the marriage took place. He lived with his Grandfather and later came to America. His father, five years later, married a woman who had one son. They, in turn, had two sons, and then disappeared from the parish.
While on my mission, I once again reviewed this information. Wouldn’t it be great if I could find where my great-grandfather and his wife disappeared to? However, checking the Swedish Records convinced me that this wouldn’t happen. I wasn’t too concerned for the wife had turned 40, so I was sure no other children were born to this marriage. One day, I asked one of our faithful staff members if they had any ideas. She introduced me to the 1890 Swedish Census. There the family appeared; my great-grandfather and his wife, his step-son and two sons, in a parish to where they had moved. I decided to check the parish registers for this family, and to my shock, surprise, and delight, I found four little girls had been born into this family. The first and second little girl were 1 ½ years apart. When the oldest was 3, both she and her sister died within two weeks of each other. The mother, 8 months later, gave birth to twin daughters, who died the same day they were born. Therefore, this mother and father buried four little girls within eight months of each other. And these girls were my half-great aunts! No one in our family had any idea they had ever existed.
It wasn’t long before several of my family members joined together in the Jordan River Temple to unite the four little Swedish girls to their family, of which I am a part, for eternity. I have been serving on my Church Service Mission for 6 years in November, 2010. This one experience has been worth any time of service I have been able to render.



Following is a family group sheet for this family, and the research notes.

Friday, July 9, 2010

CARL OSCAR JOHNSON - Pictures

Posted by Carolyn Johnson Christensen, grand daughter of Carl Oscar Johnson.

In scanning my mother's photos recently, I came across two pictures of Carl Oscar Johnson that I had not seen before and wish to share with you.  The first is of Carl when he was quite young.  I wonder if this is a missionary picture of him.




This second picture was taken of Carl in front of his home in Idaho Falls where he a Gerda lived  through their last years until Carl died, that they might be close to the Idaho Falls temple.  Carl looks much thinner in this picture, than he does in earlier pictures of his later life.