Saturday, January 6, 2018

1880s Autograph Album of Nellie Christine Grant of New Gottland, Kansas; Many Inscriptions in Swedish


1880s autograph album that belonged to Nellie Christine Grant of New Gottland, Kansas; with many inscriptions written in Swedish.   Read more about Swedish immigration to Kansas here.

Inscriptions were penned by relatives, friends, schoolmates and teacher, most from McPherson County, Kansas, with one from Burlington, Iowa.

Nellie's name and residence appear on the first end paper.


The album measures approximately 6-1/4" by 3-3/4" and contains several pages of floral designs scattered throughout, plus the sentiments of 54 of Nellie's relatives, friends, schoolmates and teacher.  An alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appears at the end of this post.

Surnames in the Album

? [4]FFeldt [2]MMatson [2]
AAbramsonGGrant [2]Nelson [4]
Almgren [3]GregoryNNord
Aurell [3]JJohnson [3]OOller
BBerggren [2]JohnstonOwen
BolinKKantPPaulson
Bowen [4]KnutsonRRamstrom
Burk [2]LLarsonSStromquist
CCarlson [2]LincolnSwanson [2]
ChilstromLindquistWWestblad
EEngbergLundquist [2]



From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

Nellie Christine Grant was born in 1873 in Kansas, the daughter of Johann Peter Grant, who may have Americanized his surname, and Anna Sophia (Stromquist) Grant.  Nellie's brother Eben inscribed a page in her album.


On March 20, 1898 in McPherson County, Kansas, Nellie Christine Grant married Carl Gustav Karlsson Almen, who was born in Sweden in 1867 and emigrated to the United States about 1885.  Nellie and Carl made their home at McPherson, Kansas, where they ran a drug store, and had at least two children.  They may have had more children who didn't survive childhood, as there are several graves in the McPherson Cemetery of Almen children who were born and died during the relevant time frame.

Nellie died in 1939 and Carl in 1943.  They're buried in the McPherson Cemetery at McPherson, Kansas, with other people with the surname Almen.  There are many people with the surname Grant buried in this cemetery as well.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Below, a two-page sentiment by John Westblad, who inscribed his page in Swedish at New Gottland, Kansas, on April 29, 1884.



Below, the page inscribed at McPherson, Kansas, on November 16, 1885 by J. C. Owen, Nellie's teacher.  He was presumably Joseph C. Owen.


Inscribers in the Album
  • Paulus; sentiment in Swedish
  • C. S. S?; possibly Suennan.  Sentiment in Swedish
  • Hannah A.
  • C. O. S.; inscribed in Swedish at McPherson, Kansas, on August 15, 1887
  • Oscar Abramson; sentiment in Swedish
  • Ellen Almgren; inscribed in McPherson County, Kansas, on June 22, 1885
  • F. O. Almgren; presumably Frank O. Almgren, who died in 1888
  • Emma S. Almgren; inscribed at McPherson, Kansas, on June 22, 1885
  • Mary Aurell; inscribed on March 27, 1887
  • Emma Aurell; Nellie's schoolmate
  • David Aurell; Nellie's schoolmate
  • Amanda Berggren; inscribed in McPherson County, Kansas, on April 29, 1884.  Nellie's schoolmate
  • Jennie C. Berggren; inscribed in McPherson County, Kansas, on April 28, 1884.  Nellie's schoolmate
  • Hilma Bolin; not sure of surname; inscribed in Swedish at McPherson, Kansas, on August 6, 1887.
  • Walter Bowen, of, or inscribed at, Burlington, Iowa, on August 21, 1884
  • O. S. Bowen; inscribed on August 26, 1884
  • C. M. Bowen
  • Boad William Bowen.  Could Boad be a nickname for Bowen?
  • Emma E. Burk; inscribed at McPherson, Kansas, on April 30, 1888
  • Amanda Burk; inscribed in Swedish at New Gottland, Kansas, on 5-12-1888
  • Carl J. Carlson; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas on April 29, 1884
  • P. A. Carlson; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on April 29, 1884
  • Jennie Chilstrom; Nellie's schoolmate
  • Jennie Engberg; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on March 26, 1884
  • Emma Feldt; sentiment in Swedish, inscribed on June 2, 1888.  Presumably Emma M. Feldt
  • Carl E. Feldt; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on May 31, 1888
  • Nellie Grant of New Gottland, Kansas; album owner Nellie Christine Grant
  • Eben; Nellie's brother.  Carl Eben Grant
  • C. S. Gregory; inscribed at McPherson, Kansas, on September 2, 1888
  • Sophy Johnson; sentiment in Swedish
  • G. Johnson
  • Christina Johnson
  • Charles E. Johnston; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on December 27, 1884
  • J. W. Kant; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on January 27, 1887.  Perhaps John W. Kant
  • Mrs. Knutson
  • Julia Larson
  • Ella Lincoln; inscribed on May 1, 1884
  • Emely Lindquist
  • Emma Lundquist;inscribed on December 4, 1887
  • Lydia Lundquist; inscribed on March 17, 1885
  • N. William Matson
  • Mary O. Matson; Nellie's schoolmate
  • Jna Nelson; not sure of given name; inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on April 28, 1884
  • Augusta Nelson
  • Oscar Nelson; inscribed on January 26, 1887
  • Charls Nelson; possibly Charles Nelson
  • Christina M Nord; not sure of surname.  Nellie's schoolmate
  • John H. Oller; inscribed on May 25, 1884
  • J. C. Owen; inscribed at McPherson, Kansas, on November 16, 1885.  Nellie's teacher, presumably Joseph C. Owen
  • Mary L. Paulson; inscribed at Allamead, possibly Alameda, Kansas; inscribed on September 2, 1886
  • A. Ramstrom; sentiment inscribed in Swedish at New Gottland, Kansas, on May 7, 1885
  • Agnes Edith Stromquist; left page of a sentiment in Swedish inscribed over two facing pages.
  • Alma Swanson
  • Christine Swanson; inscribed on February 11, 1886
  • John Westblad; left page of a sentiment over two facing pages, written in Swedish and inscribed at New Gottland, Kansas, on April 29, 1884

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