Family History for Marshall County, Kansas

Claus was born Cläes Albert Carlsson, 23 August 1878 in Rusgärde, Grovare, Alvsborgs, Sweden, surviving twin and sixth of seven children born to Carl Johan Petersson and his wife Maja Pettersdotter.

Claus was a farmer in Sweden. He was acquainted with Beda in Sweden, and wanted her to marry him, but she said no. She did not want to stay on a farm. So, he followed her to America, and she married him and lived on a farm! Claus had already served in the military before he left Sweden.

When Claus arrived at the port of New York in 1906, his physical description on the ship manifest said that he was 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall, with a fair complexion, red hair and blue eyes. He was also listed as joining a friend, "Aron Johnson, Axtell, Kansas."

Claus and Beda Helena Nilsdotter were married on 12 Feb. 1908 on the farm of John and Hulda Gustafson near Axtell. Hulda was her older sister. Beda was born 31 July 1879 at Skjettnabäck, Möne, Alvsborgs, Sweden. She was the youngest of six children of Nils Johansson and his wife Sofia Pettersdotter. Beda was trained as a seamstress in Borås, Sweden.

Beda departed Sweden for America from Blidsberg in 1901. She went to Göteborg by train, and then by ship to Grimsby, England. She sailed from Southampton on the S.S. St. Paul on 7 Sept. 1901. She landed in New York City after midnight in the early morning hours on 14 Sept., the day President William McKinley died. Beda said, "everything was draped in black." Her brother, Paul, who was already a U.S. citizen living in Providence, encouraged her to come to America. He had come home to Sweden for a visit, and told Beda it was better for her in America. When he went back to America, she went also.

Beda passed through Ellis Island, but was only there a short time. Her brother, Paul, came and checked her out right away. "They looked at me, took my name, checked my health to see if I had been vaccinated for smallpox." We took a boat from New York to Providence, Rhode Island when we finished everything at Ellis Island."

Beda located first in Providence, and worked for the Magill family doing housework and sewing for a year and a half. She would even travel with the family. "Mrs. Magill was jolly, and liked to talk. She would come into the kitchen to sit in the rocking chair, and sew, or work on something and talk. She would laugh at me sometimes because of the way I said something. Mr. Magill wanted me to go to evening school. Brigit Malone, an Irish girl who lived and worked next door, and I started to evening school together. After a few days they moved me up to the 6th or 8th grade, and left her in the ungraded class. I told her it was a shame we couldn't be in the same class together, and she said well you couldn't expect that. Neither of us understood anything of the grades, but she could read and talk well. In a few more days they moved her up to my class and we found out I was put ahead of her. I had to quit when Mr. Magill got sick."

Later Beda began working for Mr. Tassmer, a German tailor for ladies. She worked for him for ten months. Mrs. Magill wanted Beda to come back to work for her at $3.50 a week. The tailor paid $10 a week, but she paid $2 a week for room and board. She got Mrs. Magill another girl.

After a while she went out to sew for families. "I ate with them, and was waited on by the servants too. I got sick. I couldn't stand sitting still. I got so constipated, that I didn't feel good. Where I stayed in the room, I got my breakfast. He had an employment agency. I told him I wanted to go back to doing housework. He came in a few days and told me about a woman [Mrs. Potter] who would be a really good place. She wanted two girls, one to cook and another one to make beds and wait on tables. I went and she wanted me. I said I would stay for a week, since I had not done that before. We agreed. After a week, she didn't say boo. I went to her and asked her if she wanted me to stay. She said sure. I stayed three years. During that time I went back to Sweden."

Claus wrote from Sweden to Beda in Rhode Island, and "asked me to come back to Sweden and live on the farm at Bolstorp with his Auntie and Uncle." They had turned the farm over to Claus. "I said nothing doing. I was working for a woman. I planned to go to Europe and all over."

"I went home to Sweden to see my mother after being here in this country for five years." Beda sailed on the S.S. Ivernia. "Claus was working for my sister, Jenny and her husband, Carl Andersson, on the farm at Klacke. Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Johnson and their daughters, Minnie and Edith were visiting on a farm near Klacke. I came home a week later to see my mother. I saw Claus. Aaron Johnson talked him into coming to Kansas." She had planned to leave on September 1, but could not because she had hurt her knee again, while laying in the rye in the barn, and had to be taken to the hospital.

"We all came back at the same time from Sweden to New York." They left from Göteborg, Sweden and sailed to Grimsby, England, and then on to Liverpool. They sailed on the S.S. Cedric on 5 October 1906 from Liverpool. The ship stopped at Queenstown, and then off the coast of Ireland. It arrived in New York on 15 October 1906. Claus went with the Johnsons on to Kansas and settled in Marshall Co. on 17 October. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Anderson of Marshall Co. went into Axtell and picked up Claus when he came in on the train. They took him to their home, where he stayed for a few days. Beda recalled, "I was supposed to marry Claus before I left Sweden."

Beda returned to work for Mrs. Isaac Potter for another year. She left Rhode Island in December 1907 to spend Christmas with her sister's family in Marshall Co., Kansas. Beda knew she would stay in Kansas. Claus had rented a farm. He had bought furniture and some things for the house. He stayed with John and Hulda Gustafson on a place owned by Kasper Magnusson, except when he picked corn as a hired hand.

"I made a special dress to get married in. I had bought some white material at a factory in Rhode Island. There was some imperfection in it. It wasn't fancy; it was cotton, kind of lacy material." The dress reached to the floor. "I cut it up and made baby dresses from it. I kept the belt for a long time. The buckle, I gave to Inez when she married."

Ruth (Gustafson) Nelson, who was ten years old at the time recalled, "there were thirty or forty people at the wedding. Esther Kasper and Arthur F. Johnson were the attendants. Reverend John William Johnson married them." They were the first couple he married. "The cakes were three layered white, pink and white, all the same size. There was no special cake to serve with the Knox gelatin, flavored lemon, and fruit soup. There was whipped cream for the Jello and fruit soup. Beda wore a white dress, with long sleeves, no vail."

The Carleens farmed various farms in Marshall County. Their first child, John Everett Carleen was born 5 October 1909 in Murray Township on the Albin Lind farm, near Axtell. This was the first place Claus and Beda farmed. Swedish was spoken in the home until Everett started to school. His mother saw the difficulty Everett was having and decided that they would speak English at home. Always a strong advocate of education, she said, "we are in American and we are Americans now, so we will speak English."

Claus and Beda were both members of the Evangelical Zion Mission Covenant Church. Claus joined the congregation on 2 Jan. 1907, and served on the board of trustees for over twenty years. Beda was a member for over sixty years and an honorary life member of the Covenant Women's Auxiliary.

Claus became an American citizen on 6 May 1913 in Marshall Co. Under the law then Beda became a citizen automatically when he did. Their second child, Inez Ruthmarye Carleen was born Christmas Day, 1913 on the Grable place in Lincoln Township, near Axtell. Beda said she wanted a doll for Christmas, and she got one. In the Spring of 1928 the family moved to Mrs. William A. Speaks place, 2 1/2 miles west of Axtell, which they farmed for nineteen years.

Claus suffered a stroke, and was taken to Pawnee City Hospital in Nebraska. He died there on 2 March 1945 after a lingering illness of several months. He was buried in the Mission Covenant Cemetery. After Claus died Beda and Everett had a sale on the Speaks place to sell the farming equipment on 4 December 1946 and moved in to Beattie. Everett entered the meat and frozen locker business.

Beda lived in Beattie with Everett. She died on 14 Nov. 1968 in Marysville Infirmary, and was buried in the Swedish Mission Cemetery beside Claus.

Submitted by:
Leonard J. McCown
217 West 14th Street
Irving, Texas 75060-5903
leonard@mccown.org