Lars Andersson/Tjärneld and his wife Juliana Jönsdotter

Lars Andersson was born the 7th of February 1828 in Fanbyn, Stöde parish. His parents were Anders Larsson (born 22-4-1789) and Margareta Larsdotter (born 28-5-1803), they had been married in 1826. Lars siblings were:

Sigrid Brita born 5-5-1831 in Fanbyn
Anders born 1837 in Tjärnsjön
Anna-Cajsa born 7-5-1849 in Tjärnsjön
Nils-Olof born 6-12-1843 in Tjärnsjön.

The family moved from Fanbyn to Tjärnsjön in 1833, wich makes Lars five years old when the came to Tjärnsjön. Both parents read and wrote very well.
The father Anders Larsson lived accommodate for many years in Tjärnsjön before he died in 1863, seventyfour years old.
Lars brother Anders came to Vigge as a farmhand, he later married Sara Märta Matsdotter, born 1841, daughter of farmer Mats Olsson in Vigge. Anders later inherited the farm from his father in law. The farm “Mats Ols” is still today owned by descendants of Anders.
Anders takes the name Vidmark after Vigge, as his brother takes the name Tjärneld, probably after Tjärnsjön.


Sara Märta and Anders Andersson Widmark, about ninety years of age, photographed in ”Mats Ols” wich were Saras parental home.

Click on the picture to make it bigger.

When Lars was about sixteen years of age he came to Vigge as a farmhand to farmer Lars Nilsson in Näset, he later worked as a farmhand at a neigboring farm, belonging to Olof Persson and Märta Olofsdotter. He marries Juliana Jönsdotter in 1853 and buys a place in Grössjön, Vigge, but was probably drawn by all the embellished descriptions of America, and sold his homestead and emigrated in 1868, forty years old. The couple had no children at that time.

He came to Marin, Minnesota, where he moved in with Herman Ersson from Västerlo, Stöde, and had emigrated in 1862.

Juliana became sick on July 12th in Chicago, and died July 30th 1868 in Marin, Minnesota.
Lars writes home on July 24th 1869 and says that he has married Ingrid-Kajsa Henriksdotter, she was the daughter of Henrik Christoffersson and Chatarina Jonsdotter from Lo. With her he had a son, born October 22nd 1871.

We hope to make contact with descendants in our continuing research. If anyone knows about this familys life in America, or maybe about their life in Sweden, please write us.

/Göran Säll

(translated by Therese Johansson)