Here is a letter from J.W. Johnson to P.W. “Will” Pearson and Clara. It is typed on the letterhead of the Albany County National Bank, where J.W. is listed as the Vice-President. Just to refresh everyone’s memory, J.W. Johnson was Clara’s uncle. He came to America in 1869 , had many “wild west” adventures, and […]
Christian Pearson to P.W., 1905
This letter and the one that will follow are pretty much my favorite letters in this collection. In January of 1905, P.W. and Clara Pearson are living in Laramie, Wyoming with their sons Elmer and Herman (my grandfather). P.W. is working as an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. Back in Saunders County, Christian and […]
From Pastor Torrell, 1902
I have a lovely letter penned by Pastor Torrell to Clara (Brodd) Pearson, but it is entirely in Swedish. I can reliably recognize “genealogy” words like birth, death, married, etc. but deciphering three pages of Swedish handwriting is beyond my ability. I have had good luck with putting Swedish text into Google Translate and getting a […]
Western Union Telegram, 1901
Have you ever seen or touched a real Western Union telegram? I’m guessing that anyone of my generation or younger is only familiar with telegrams from movies and television. This congratulatory telegram was sent by Rev. J. Torrell of Swedeburg, Nebraska to Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Pearson of Laramie, Wyoming. This is yet another of […]
Herman Brodd to Clara Brodd, 1901
This letter stands out as one of my favorites in my entire collection of family history artifacts. It was written by Herman Brodd, the younger brother of my great-grandmother Clara Brodd. It was written just a few weeks before her wedding. I left the spelling as written – Herman betrays his Swedish roots throughout (‘ever’ […]
