CARL ALFRED HANSON

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Carl Alfred Hanson was born on:December 30, 1866 in Malmö, Sweden. His parents were Hans Hansson and Augusta Gustafva Lundberg. After he was born, he lived in the Caroli parish, on the east side of Malmo - initially in Rostock N 2 and then the family moved across the street to Rostock S 1 in the latter part of 1867, probably for larger accommodations.  His brother, Henrik Gottfried was born at this location in December, 1868

In October, 1870,  the family moved to Västerport IX in the adjacent St Petri Parish, which was closer to the harbor area where Hans would have worked as a "Ferryman", a position he attained about the time Carl was born. Ida Karolina and  Anna Sofia were born at this location.  In 1882, they moved a short distance to Grabröder 8. (CLICK HERE to see locations in Malmo).

We have his Educational Certificate showing that he was educated at a technical school in Malmo during in the afternoon or evening from 1879 to 1883 (age 12-17), probably earning  the equivalent of a high school education. The certificate indicated he was a "smed" (Swedish for smith or blacksmith) at the time, so it was likely he was working during the day (probably as an apprentice) and attended school after work. The family remembers he worked as a locksmith at one time, so this was likely his specialty as a smith (the Swedish word for locksmith is "låssmed")

Family records show that he left Sweden on February 3, 1887 at age 20 (Ida's letter of 2/3/47)  and entered the US at  the Port of New York (Johanna's Declaration of Intention, filed 5/22/1940). So far the closest match to this from searches of passenger lists disembarking at New York (Castle Gardens) indicate that he likely  arrived on the RMS Etruria (Passenger 290) from Liverpool, England on February 19, 1887. (This date was confirmed in a letter he wrote to Bill Hanson  - see below). The information on the passenger list shows a Carl A. Hanson who was 20 and while difficult to read, indicates his occupation as a "smith". If this is the case, it is possible he left Sweden from Gothenburg, taking a ship across the North Sea to Hull on the east coast of England, then by train to Liverpool, which was a route to America taken by a large number of Swedes at that time


Carl at age 19


Door lock he made


RMS Etruria

 
However, his name was not found on the passenger lists for ships leaving Gothenburg at that time nor were any records found showing that he emigrated from Sweden. Also, his name remained on Hans Hansson's household examination record for 1895-1900 and was listed in the 1900 census as part of Hans' household . He was issued a Certificate of Moving (Flyttningsbetyg) by the St Petri parish priest on October 29, 1908, well after he immigrated to America.  It showed he had been confirmed in the Christian Church and enjoyed the trust of his fellow citizens when he left. It also stated he was a "smed". Apparently he obtained this certificate to show he left Sweden in good standing.

After landing in New York on 2/19/1887, he traveled by train to Ashland, Wisconsin as described in a letter to his son, Bill Hanson, dated Wednesday, 2/21/1934:

"...Well sonny last Monday morning was 47 years since your Pa landed in New York and tomorrow morning 47 years ago I got to my destination in Ashland, Wisconsin. There was lots of snow so I and my party had a sleigh ride to the Hotel. There were 2 girls and 3 boys including myself all from the same part of Sweden but I did not know any them (at) home. Much have I got through this past 37 years, but it all stand so clear for me as it all happened yesterday..."

 It is not known how long he stayed in Wisconsin, but eventually he made his way to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There he met his future wife, Johanna Olivia Nilson Jacobson who immigrated to America in October, 1883 with her mother and likely went directly to Minneapolis where her brother Nels Jacobson lived at that time. Although the families lived within a block of each other in Malmo when they were very young children, we understand that he did not know Johanna and her family until they met in Minneapolis.  Also we don't know his occupation after arriving in the US but likely he worked as a smith or related field as there were as a great need for people with mechanical/machining skills at that time to support the booming industrial revolution in American. However, after being in America for awhile he picked up cooking skills which were to be his main vocation for the rest of his life.

He likely spent several years in Minneapolis, but so far we have no documented information on him after arriving in Ashland, Wisconsin in 1887 and marrying Johanna on August 26, 1896 in Rossland, British Columbia, which is about 10 miles north of the US-Canadian border and about 100 miles directly north of Spokane, Washington. The family recalls that somewhere in this part of the country he and Johanna may have operated a restaurant. Their first child, Viola was born on October 16, 1898 in Spokane Washington. The 1900 census (6/18/1900) showed the family lived with Johanna's mother Cecilia in New Whatcom (now Bellingham) , Washington where Carl was employed at a cook. In his application for a life insurance policy he purchased on 11/25/1902, he indicated he lived in New Whatcom (Bellingham) at 1344 Grant Street and worked as a cook in a hotel. Their second child, Daisy Olivia was born in New Whatcom in 1901.

The family moved to Lynden, Washington (15 miles north of Bellingham) prior to the birth of Leslie on September 9, 1903. Lynden had a substantial Swedish and Dutch population and was the Hanson family home for about ten years. In 1902, Johanna's brother Nels Jacobson moved from Louriston, Minnesota to Lynden where he bought one hundred acres of the old Shagren ranch and had a very successful dairy farm. The 1910 census indicated that Hansons and the Jacobson's resided on adjacent properties on Benson Road.

Carl and his family lived in a house constructed of hand-hewed logs, known as the Slade House (built by William Slade, an Englishman, in 1877). Leslie (1903), Cecil (1905), Carl (1909) and Gladys (1910) were born in this house. Carl worked as a cook at logging camps from about November, 1902 to July, 1915 according to entries in a log book, "Receipts for Assessments and Dues" for monthly payments to the Camp Clark. At one time operated a restaurant in Lynden. The 1910 census lists him as a cook in a restaurant, "working on his own account" which indicates it was probably a one-man operation. The census also reported that he was "out of work" on April 15, 1910 and "out of work" for twenty weeks in 1909. Working as a cook in a logging camp was possibly seasonal or he needed some time off to be with his family as his log book showed that he didn't make dues payments for 2-4 months each year he worked at the logging camp. This may have motivated him to try to operate a restaurant business.


Carl in Lynden - Age 40
(picture dated 7-25-1907)
 
  
       Carl with family in Lynden circa 1907                                                                Lynden Home 1903 - 1914
     l to r: Leslie, Viola, Johanna, Daisy, Cecil, Carl                                                        (Picture taken by Cecil in Sept, 1931)

Working as a cook in a logging camp was not an easy job with long days as described below:

"The cook and his three assistants, or cookees, were hard pressed to stay ahead of the lumberjacks' hearty appetites. Breakfast at an 80-man camp might call for 400 to 500 pancakes and a day's baking might be 20 pies or 30 loaves of bread. Meals were disciplined, no-nonsense affairs. Each man had an assigned seat, the cookees saw to it that there was no wait for food and conversation was limited to requests for bread, beans or spuds. The men were in and out of the cook shack in 20 minutes, giving the kitchen staff time to clean up and begin the preparation of the next meal. The cook and cookees had bunks in the rear of the building so their early rising would not disturb the other men."

- From the website for the Forest History Center, located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota



Typical 1900's logging camp kitchen circa 1900's 
 (Picture taken 7/2011 at the Forest History Center)

  Opening of Miller Cafe in 1910. Carl is likely the fellow with the moustache (see right)
with the group standing in front of the building.
(Picture from Gems of the Past)



Miller building in 1963 (NE Corner of 4th and Front St)
It was torn down a year later and is now a parking lot.

The family moved from Lynden in March,1913 as reported in the Lynden Tribune (3/20): "Mr. C. A. Hanson and family left for San Francisco yesterday, with the intention of making their future home in California." The Tribune also reported (5/15): "The C. A. Hanson family...has located at San Jose, California at No. 442 S. Fourth street." Carl's log book indicated that he worked the early part of 1913 as a cook in a logging camp before the move. And after getting the family settled in San Jose, he went back and worked at the logging camp steadily from March, 1914 to July, 1915 as indicated in the log book.

The family lived in several locations in San Jose and Santa Clara from 1913 to 1917 before moving to San Francisco. During the summers, we understood that the family worked in the San Joaquin Valley picking fruit and camped in a tent near the fruit orchards. They initially lived in San Francisco in an apartment building on Bryant Terrace Street and then on 731 Treat Avenue. The 1920 census showed that they lived on Trent Avenue and that Carl was employed as a cook on a vessel.  A log book from the Pacific American Steamship Association showed that Carl worked from February 8, 1921 to February 28, 1923 for the Associated Oil Co as a cook on a vessel (M. B. Avon) that operated in the Francisco Bay area.
 



Carl ca. 1915 (Age 48)


Carl (age 55), on the right, with John Bowman, a neighbor on Benson Road in Lynden, who visited the family in Los Angeles Picture was taken in Pasadena on July 1, 1922 in front of the Hanson's first car - a 1919 Dodge touring car.
Carl (age 60) and grandson Bob Sevens  - 1923 Dodge in 1927


 

Sometime in 1922, the family moved to Los Angeles, initially living at 10906 South Main Street. Carl continued to work in San Francisco for awhile and when he got to Los Angeles he took a job as a cook for Red Stack Tugs operating out of San Pedro harbor, working there from May 17, 1923 to February 28, 1926 and again for a shorter period from September 1, 1926 to April 5, 1927. At some point they moved to 426 South Burlington Ave, which was listed in Carl's employment log book.  In the 1930 census they were still at this location and Carl's occupation was listed as a janitor in an apartment house. Sometime in the early 1930's they moved to a house at 247 South Hoover Street. Carl is remembered by Norm as a very quiet person, but he wrote frequent and thoughtful letters to the children (Bill saved many of his letters and Glenyce has them). His penmanship was excellent - CLICK HERE to view a letter send on May 28, 1935 to son, Carl (Bill) and his wife, Harriet. The family  moved to 10914 South Main Street prior to Carl's death. His health declined in the late 1930's and he died of a stroke on November 23, 1939 at the age of 72.



Carl with sons in 1935
l. to r. Cecil (30), Leslie (34), Carl (68) and Bill (26)        



Carl in February, 1939 at age 72