The original Swedburgs resting in Saskatchewan

Fred Swedburg’s Dad, Lars Anderson (Emery's Grandpa) is listed as Lars, Louras, Lori, and Louis in various birth, census, and land patent records. (I can imagine his accent from these variations.) All of Lars’ sisters kept Anderson as their last name, after their father’s first name Anders. Lars and his brother used Swedburg in North America. I believe I have found the ship’s manifests that names Lars & Peter, traveling to the US in 1968.

Swedish surnames used to change every generation, but in the mid 1860s this practice

ended. Lars sons would traditionally have had the surname Larson, while daughters would have been Larsdotter. Fred’s sons would have been Fredrickson, or similar. Other surnames used were military or farm names - to distinguish between the multiple Lars Andersons that could occur in a community. Swedburg could have been one of those, but more likely was an statement of Swedish pride in America. 

On one of my work trips to LA, I got up the courage to call up “Orvin Swedburg”. I had previously looked in the phonebook because death records showed that Grandpa
Fred Swedburg’s brother Martin lived in Simi Valley, near Cal State Northridge where my
project is. I guessed that Orvin might be a son of Martin’s, and since there is a history of
similar names in the family, i.e. Elwin, Corwin, Orville - I thought my chances were good.
Well, we chatted for about 30 minutes, and on my next trip he came to campus for coffee.
Turns out that Orvin is the son of Lee Swedburg, Fred’s younger brother who with Martin
returned to the US to sign up for WW1. Martin & Lee served together, and Lee settled in
Minneapolis. So, just by coincidence, I met the brother of Wilma Swedburg, whom I had
contacted when I first moved to Minneapolis!

Orvin arrived in a corvette, and pulled out a 1901 family portrait from his trunk. There was

the whole family – Grandpa Fred, Albert, Joel, Minnie, Lee, Martin, and their parents, Lori
(Lars) & Anna.

Orvin b. 1925, was raised in Minneapolis, went to the U of Minnesota, then moved around,

finally settling in LA. He has degrees in Aeronautical Engineering, Law and Statistics. He
worked with the Howard Hughes company designing engines, and doing Missile probability
analysis for the US Government. Even though I am an anti-war dove, he was a nice man.

Orvin had been to Saskatchewan to meet the family, and Lennette and Myrtle were very

kind to him. He remembered that Fred came to visit them in Minneapolis. He had also
visited the Swedburg home in South Dakota. He said that the house was very nice, and
Lars helped build the church. I asked why the family had left, since it sounded like they were
better off than I imagined. He said that the story he heard was that a loony neighbor didn’t
like Lars, and had taken shots at him.

He offered to take me flying in his Cessna next time I am out there, but warned me that due

to a previous heart attack, he has to get his license renewed yearly. I have not taken him up on the offer, but have exchanged Christmas cards with him and his brother Loren.

His sister Wilma died over ten years ago, but his brother Loren is still alive, living in Ohio.

Loren was a Dean and minister at Nebraska Christian College, now retired and living in Ohio.

 

In summer 2014 Gary and I went to Lakewood Cemetery to pay respects to a dear friend, and found Lee, Laura (Lee's wife) and Wilma's grave stones.