August Lindberg (52 Ancestors, week 16)

August Lindberg > Agnes Lindberg > Edward Lundeen > Marion Lundeen

August and Alma's transfer papers

August Lindberg, my great-great grandfather, was born on March 9, 1858 in Ljungsarp, Sweden. His transfer papers list his name as “August Sveningsson Lindberg” and his death record says his father’s name was Sven Carlson. My guess is August was probably born “August Sveningsson” and added the Lindberg later. 

He married Alma Peterson in 1883 in Sweden. In 1887, August, along with his wife and children Beda and Carl, traveled to America aboard the ship Alaska. They landed in New York on July 11, 1887. According to his obituary, August became a Christian when he was 18 years old and was an active member in his church, the Swedish Mission Church.

c. 1899

The family settled in Buena Vista County, Iowa where August purchased and worked his farm. The family had close connections with the family of Axel and Ida (Peterson) Wessman as three Lindberg daughters married three Wessman sons: Beda and George (1908), Jessie and Henry (1911), and Esther and Arthur (1914). These close ties continued as by 1917-1920, all of the families had moved to Cokato, Minnesota.

c. 1915

August Lindberg died on August 30, 1919 in Cokato. His obituary says he had “a very impressive funeral … with an unusual big attendance.” Included in attendance were about 20 Iowa residence who traveled to remember their former neighbor and friend. While I don’t know much about August as a person, I think it says a lot about him when his friends would travel over 200 miles to attend his funeral.

Sources: Passenger and Census records from Ancestry.com; family photos; Iowa county birth and marriage records from FamilySearch; Newspapers and death records from Cokato Museum.