Swanson Family

Ruth Elfie Swanson was the daughter of Swedish immigrants Swan John and Beata Josephina Swanson. She married John Theodore Holmquist, also a son of Swedish immigrants, on October 3, 1908.

Family

Ruth Elfie Swanson (December 23, 1887 - September 24, 1948) was born in Chicago.

Ruth's father was Swan John Swanson (Sven J. Svensson before coming to America) and known as S. John Swanson in America. He was born December 25, 1855 in Hyllela, Ukna Socken, Calmar Lan, Sweden. In America he was a deacon of his church.

Ruth's mother was Beata Josephine Jonsson who was born February 3, 1857 in ¸gelbo, Dalhem Socken, Calmar Län Småland, Sweden.

Employment

Ruth worked for:

Rogers, Thurman & Co Importers
Manufacturers, Jobbers Jewelers Wholesale Supply House
34 to 44 Michigan Avenue
Chicago

She was secretary to the boss. Some of her letters were written at work. She mentions a lot of orders having to go out. Another letter mentions only one girl in the office going to a dance though she expects all the factory to be going. In still another she tells of "stuffing circulars" supposedly into envelopes, advertising a certain product. She typed and took shorthand. In one envelope addressed to John is included a letter written in shorthand. He could not read it. She was just trying to impress him a bit.

Eleanor, her daughter, said that she also worked for a jewelry store named Peacock Jeweler in downtown Chicago. Elaine believes that she was working for Peacock's before she and John were married.

See the Rogers, Thurman ad entitled 'Wire Artists' on page 686 of The New York Clipper, September 27, 1902 the Rogers, Thurman ad '$14.40 per Gross on page 658 of The New York Clipper, August 11 1906. Look at the other ads in these publications to get a taste of American culture at the beginning of the 1900s that Ruth would have experienced.

Pastimes

Ruth cooked, raised chickens, did charity work and sewed, like many women of those times. She made clothes for her teenager daughter, Elaine, making most of her dresses. The best information we have a Ruth is from her daughter, Elaine, as related to her nephew Lennart Holmquist:

My mother was a giving person. Enjoyed traveling. She could accept things without complaining. During and after the depression we lived in Grovertown and she raised chickens and cleared over $1000 in one year from eggs sold to New York. She was proud of this. She also raised blueberries, rasberries, vegetables and canned them. We also had fruit trees.

She was rather quiet, but had a sense of humor. Dad was a little tight with money. (Probably because of the depression). Mom wanted new furniture. She found what she wanted, but dad said he wanted to think about it. Mom got a grin on her face and said, "I worked before I met you and I can go back to work again." Of course dad gave into her. . . .

One Easter time she was making me a suit. She took really sick about a week before Easter and of course couldn’t work on he suit, right? Wrong. The night before Easter I woke up about 3:00 AM and heard the sewing machine going. I went down stairs as she was finishing up the suit.

She would go down once a week on and off to help feed the down and out at the mission in downtown Chicago. She would go over to Friedhem (sp?) Old Peoples Home and do volunteer work and was on the committee for their big outdoor yearly sale. I know she was president of the women’s organization in the church at least once, but I believe more.

She had her elderly mother in our home for hears until Uncle Dave saw what mother went through with grandma. No bladder control, etc. He then put her in Friedhem where she died by falling out of a window.

Mom had very high blood pressure and just didn’t feel good most of the time. We found out she had the kind of heart trouble where you fill up with fluid. At that time there was no pills. She had to go to the hospital and they’d removed the fluid. You [Lennart Holmquist] from your dad that she died from the wrong medicine, given to her at one of those times.

My mother loved the Lord and taught me so much in my younger years.

When your dad [Bernard Holmquist] was in the service [U.S. marines] her one prayer was that sheÁd live to see him come back. The Lord granted that wish. . . .

I must tell you a little humorous story. I was dating this fellow and was trying to break it off. Mom and I were sitting in an enclosed porch. This fellow drove up and I didnÁt want to see him. Mom pointed to the back of the house and said, Go out the back door and IÁll tell him your out.Ó

I hope this gives you a little of what mom was like. She was a real sweetie and you would have lover her.

Ruth sang in the church choir when she was younger. In her early letters she frequently mentions going to choir practice. She was also very active in church affairs, attending many meetings and outings too it seems.

Ruth was president for a time of the Linnea Aid Society in Chicago. This society was a group of ladies from various Swedish churches, Baptist, Lutheran, Covenant, & Evangelical Free. The Linnea Aid Society was some kind of a social help organization.

She was in charge of a precinct at voting time helping her brother David Swanson who was State of Illinois Representative.

She was a member of a women's "birthday visiting group" all her life, possibly through her church.

As her family grew (six kids with a seventh who had died) she had her hands full and so she did not do much outside the home. At home though, she entertained a lot of missionaries or guest speakers from the church, which, Elaine writes, left a big impression her.

Ruth was active in her Sunday School class all her life. She was a member also of a "birthday" circle all her life, beginning when she was a teenager, which came to be made up of many of the elderly ladies of the church. These women were very precious to her. In later years, as one by one they died, she would weep.

Esther Holmquist said that Ruth was a good cook. She and her husband, Bill, did not spend a lot of time together, Ester relates though they did see each other at church frequently and did have a few dinners together. RuthÁs dinners were delicious. In a letter to Doris Rinell (May 4, 1948) her son, Bud [Bernard Holmquist] wrote, "Mom had a swell dinner for us; and boy, can she ever cook. We had chicken, pork chops, three kinds of vegetables, greens, salad, sweet and irish potatoes, milk, coffee, cake, and peaches to eat."

Relatives

Ruth had four brothers and a sister: Ture (?) Ernest, David Ivar, Almeda Lydia, Henry Oscar and Joel Walter. Ture died young.

David was an attorney and Illinois state representative in Springfield. Almeda married Ruben Carlson a fine man who was for many years deacon at Salem Street Baptist Church.

Henry was gassed in WWI, but survived but apparently never fully recovered. He married Belle and they had six children. Henry died in a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in 1944 from complications from his being gassed so many years before.

Joel married Mabel Swanson (her maiden name). He taught carpentry at Washburne Trade School in the Chicago School District.

See The Last Days of Washburne. (If online version not available click on Last Days of Washburne). See map location of Washburne Trade School at #184 provided by Labor Trail - CommunityWalk. (Map retrieved online in 2014, so may not exactly reflect geography of earlier times).

They had one daughter, Dorothy.

Ruth had an aunt living in the area. One day, June 14, 1907, Ruth's mother went over to Ruth's aunt's home because Ruth's uncle was very sick with pneumonia and typhoid fever and was not expected to live. Ruth too was sick at the time with a bad cold which she frequently got it seems. Her aunt had told Ruth's mother to rub her with camphored oil and turpentine and in the morning bathe here with alcohol which she did. The next day she was feeling a great deal better.

Education

Personality

Ruth seemed to have a lot of spunk. She often was the initiator of anything that John and she did when they were courting, inviting him to church and parties. John mentions in a letter regarding a forthcoming wedding prank, "I wonder if you will tie up the night gowns and pin the beds this time, you will if you get a chance I guess." Pinning the beds may refer to pinning the sheets or blanket to the bed, a bit of a surprise for the friend when she were to attempt to get into bed.

Bud writes that his mother was a tender-hearted, sweet, godly woman who was very supportive of her husband and six children and helped the kids with their school lessons. Edith Nieubuurt adds also that she was sweet, and "always had a smile for you."

Sometimes she had more than her husband and children to take care of. When her husband John T. lost his business in the depression and times were difficult, ten people lived in the house - Ruth, her husband., their six children, including Alden’s wife Hazel, and grandmother Swanson - and all had to be supported financially and practically with prepared dinners, house cleaning and all the other chores needed to run a house. Alden worked but received IOUs for pay.

Elaine writes that Ruth was a quiet person, but with a good sense of humor. She was proud of her children. And she was very kind. Ruth was an achiever. She found time to teach her daughter Elaine songs which Elaine would sing solo. Ruth was a strong Christian and desired that all of her children marry Christians.

She was a loving person, never critical of anyone, a characteristic that John T. had also.

John Theodore Holmquist & Ruth Elfie Swanson

See also
Love Letters of Ruth & John: 1904-08

Footnotes