August (Pettersson) Brahee
August (Pettersson) Brahee was born on 16 Jun 1854 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum Bajaregarden, Sweden as the third child of Anders Petter Svensson and Anna Larsdotter. He had four siblings, namely: Swante (Andersson), Johan, Gustof, and Anna Stina. From 1872 to 1873 or 4 (age 18 to 19 or 20) he worked as hired man at farm of Johanna Jonsdotter’s father. When he was 22, he married Anna-Stina Johansdotter, daughter of Johannes Andersson and Johanna Svensdotter, on 24 Nov 1876 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum, Sweden.
August (Pettersson) Brahee was baptized on 17 Jun 1854.He emigrated from Gothenberg, Sweden 05 May 1882 and applied for citizenship 03 Nov 1884. Citizenship was granted 13 Oct 1899 in Dist. Court, Carver Co State of MN. August died on 05 Apr 1922 in Carver County, Minnesota. He was buried 10 Apr 1922 in West Union Cemetery.
August (Pettersson) Brahee and Johanna Jonsdotter had the following children:
- Johan (Jon) Petter Brahee was born on 24 Apr 1874 in Alingsås, Sweden. He died about 1920 in Minnesota.
- Anna Kristina Brahee was born on 24 Apr 1874 in Alingsås, Sweden. She died on 11 Feb 1910 in Carver CO, MN. She married Henry Carl Adam Adamson in 1903.
August (Pettersson) Brahee and Anna-Stina Johansdotter had the following children:
- Alfrida Maria Pettersson was born on 30 Mar 1877 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum Bajaregarden, Sweden. She died on 28 Dec 1878 in Sweden.
- Alfreda Mathilda Brahee was born on 30 May 1879 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum, Sweden. She died on 20 Jun 1976 in Augustana Home in Mpls. She married William Anderson on 24 Nov 1896 in The Brahee Home, West Union, Carver Co. MN.
- Gustaf Oskar Brahee was born on 10 Jul 1880 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum Bajaregarden, Sweden. He died in 1882 in Atlantic Ocean.
- Ada Axelina Brahee was born on 25 Dec 1881 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum Bajaregarden, Sweden. She died in 1882 in Atlantic Ocean.
- Oscar Adolph Brahee was born on 25 May 1885 in Carver County, Minnesota. He died on 12 Jun 1957 in Carver County, Minnesota. He married Florence Eleanor Mellgren on 14 Sep 1921.
- Ada Emerentia Brahee was born on 06 Jun 1887 in West Union, Carver Co, Minnesota. She died on 10 Feb 1983 in Wheaton Nursing Home – Traverse Co – Wheaton, MN. She married (Linus) Alvin Stomberg on 22 Nov 1915 in Siloah Parsonage with Rev. Lundquist officiating.
- Anna Theodora Brahee was born on 13 Jul 1889 in San Francisco Twp., Carver County, MN. She died on 21 Mar 1990 in Good Samaritan Care Center, Waconia, MN. She married (Anton) Gilbert Larson on 30 Jun 1919 in West Union Lutheran Church, West Union, MN.
- Walter Edwin Brahee was born on 27 Mar 1893 in San Francisco Twsp., Carver County, MN (at home).He died on 02 Feb 1968 in St. Francis Hosp. Shakopee, MN. He married (Ellen) Eleonora Larson on 24 Oct 1918 in West Union Lutheran Church, Carver County.
Anna-Stina Johansdotter
Anna-Stina Johansdotter was born on 19 Feb 1847 in Frälsegården, Västerbitterna as the first child of Johannes Andersson and Johanna Svensdotter. She had three siblings, namely: Anders (Johansson), Maria Charlotta, and Swante (“Swan”). She died on 24 Feb 1934 in Carver County, Minnesota. When she was 29, she married August (Pettersson) Brahee, son of Anders Petter Svensson and Anna Larsdotter, on 24 Nov 1876 in Lekåsa Parish, Bragnum, Sweden. She was buried on 28 Feb 1934 in West Union Cemetery.
Pictured on left:
Anna-Stina, Alfreda, Mabel and Eailor, Four Generations
Following are five letters, translated from Swedish, written by August Brahee to his brother in Sweden. The letters were given to Wilma (Williams) Hall when she visited Sweden. She gave copies of the letters to Alice (Wiese) Allen and Laura (Wiese) Hamelau August 2000. I (Laura) took them to Staples to make copies which I planned to take to the Swedish embassy in hopes of getting them translated. I asked the manager, Jock Storm, for help getting good copies as they were pencil written letters. He said he could read them fine and proceeded to translate one on the spot. After that chance encounter he translated them over time, and they were mailed to family members.
First Letter
East Union, Carver Co., Minn.
Dec 16, 1901
Beloved brother and family,
We hope you are all well and starting a good new year with health and prosperity. We have now especially for children, they are happy since they had Christmas approaching. But this is my letter to you by Christmas as you requested in your last letter, which we longed for and were pleased to receive some time ago, in which we see with pleasure that you are building and keeping busy. Now I would like to first tell you that we are all, thank God, healthy and well. Anna Stina is well now since the cooler weather has arrived.
In the past week we had long distance visitors. Our beloved friends and traveling companions Fredrick and Anna Greta Wig who live around 300 miles west from here. It was not any everyday visit you should know. For almost 3 years ago Fredrick was here and this summer 5 years ago Anna Greta and the two boys still living were here close to a week. This time they were only here for 2 days but you should believe it was fun and we had a lot to talk about so that the days were not enough but we had to claim the nights. And they are both healthy and well. Anna Greta is big and robust like a preacher’s wife or in a close resemblance of the first wife Tärnstedt. By next summer you will see her and my wife at yours while the warm season passes here in America… they made it up now. They had been visiting her brother August Wig who lives about 250 miles northwest of here.
And then I would like to include that around here it’s been fall, strong rush with land businesses. Here there is a lot of buying and selling, and high prices are paid depending on whether the farms are good, of course, and even we have had a speculator and an offer of $40 per acre or $3200. But we don’t want to sell until we have taken a look for another suitable home for us. And that does not happen as easily as just talking about it. As I said, around here the farms are expensive if they are good and here is cheap land, too, but I don’t want to buy them for half price. And moving away to a beginners settlement, where the land is cheap and even good can be found, but it costs to cultivate and build. Fredrick and Anna Greta said that we do the correct thing by keeping our home, for here is one of the nicest areas and our place is also beautiful, they told us. They have traveled around a lot. We paid attention to their word and gave our speculator a no.
The past November 24th was for us a remembrance and celebration day, our 25th wedding anniversary, and here we celebrated our so-called Silver Wedding Anniversary in the presence of children and grandchildren. A.P. Skatts, Uncle Lund and the Lund cousins and son-in-law, three families of neighbors and some teenagers, in all about 40 people. The children surprised us with our portraits enlarged and put in large frames and glass that cost $10.50 and is made in Chicago. We are now put up on the wall and look as if we are alive. And half a dozen knives and forks of silver we received as a gift. And you should believe it was fun. At 2:00 at night each and every one went home, full and happy for the occasion.
Nowadays I drive corn to the city in Cologne. I have sold 100 bushels for $50. That’s the most expensive it has been in many years. We have seven miles to that city and that trip takes me five hours. Last Friday I sold three pigs to the same place for $5.30 per 100# and they weighed 860# together. They were 9 months old. Pigs, cattle, and grain is rising. Wheat 68 to 70 cents per bushel, rye 50, oats 40, corn 50, potatos 60 cents per bushel, butter 20 or 25 per #, eggs 22 per dozen.
The weather has been good and nice until Lussedagen. Then there came some snow and it has been real cold for a few days. The condition of the roads has been for both wagon and sleigh. I have had to use the wagon. I have taken heavy loads, around 30 bushels and can weigh 72 pounds per bushel. Tomorrow I can take the sleigh. Now you know how we live and get along for the moment. And now farewell until next time.
God’s peace and blessing be with you and over us and all of you
Your brother August and family.
We wish relatives and friends good luck and a happy new year with health and prosperity.
William’s family is well and in good health.
Greet their closest family.
We have received a letter a long time ago from Fred Anderson in which he says he shall be our Christmas guest. While here he will speak about his Sweden trip.
Do not wait too long before you write. Your portrait would be nice to have in our album.
Twenty Fifth Anniversary Portraits – 1901
Second Letter
Letter written by August Brahee
Translated by Jock Storm October 27, 2000
Not dated but thought to be written 1911
Missing first part of letter. Starts with page two.
I have heard that land prices are high in Bragnum (area? – word is cut off). But what were you thinking not to snatch Mr. Bredbergs fine farm. You who have plenty money and work force enough. But maybe it is not right to be ‘jordvander’ (we can’t find – literally it is “earth turner” maybe land speculator). But greediness is a root for all evil we have learned in the catechism.
I would like to speak of that we aim to build a new house this summer. We already have home 26 good loads of timber that we have had cut out of our own woods. Around 12,000 foot lumber the thickest and most expensive timber. The rest we will have to buy. Here it is very expensive to build.
(Missing a line at top of page)
Ja, as mentioned everything is expensive here both as necessities and laborers. A hired hand gets paid around $300 per year or around $30 per month. Grain prices are high. Wheat over $1 per bushel, barley 94 cents, corn 50 cents and flax over $2 per bushel. Swine prices are good enough. We sold some last week for $6.30 per pound living weight. We now have 28 pigs will be ready to be sold in two months, butter costs now 32 cents a pound. It has been up to 38 cents this winter.
Ja, I would now like to finish for this time with many lovely greetings from us to you and wish that you may live with health and happiness. Greet relatives and friends well from us. None named and none forgotten.
Cordially your brother August with family
(Written on side)
Greet Alf Magnusson. I hope that he has begotten the letter which I sometime ago sent him.
(Typed below on copy)
These letters I have in my possession after my mother Alfrida Elizabeth Gustafsson, Jonslund, Nossebro, Sweden. She was born Johansson in Lekåsa parish, Västergötland. Her father’s name was Johan Pettersson, Bajaregården, Lekåsa. This one was brother to August Brahee.
Sven-Evert Gustafsson, Ekvägen 6, 513 00 Fristad, Sweden
Third Letter
West Union Carver Co.
Minnesota March 24, 1912
Beloved Brother Johan and family,
We hope you are well. After a long delay I would now like to send you a few lines to let you know that we are gifted with health, but I often have a cold and have to cough. For some time I have used honey as medicine which eases the cough substantially.
The reason that I have not written to you sooner is that I asked your son Gustaf to greet you from us when he wrote home to you. The second of January he left us and went to Hopkins for work, which I with the help of Anton Löfgrens got him. Recently I have heard that they have left Hopkins and gone to St. Paul. After that I have not heard from Gustaf so that I do not know where he is or what he does. But I assume that he writes more often home to you. It seems like he as many others is affected of the almost common sickness that goes around here in America, more precisely the hustle and bustle after the Almighty Dollar, so that all time becomes occupied for other things than to write letters..
Now I’d like to tell that we are affected of the same sickness in the way that I have taken a big step and bought yet another 100 acre big farm from our neighbor. The land is next to our land on two sides. It is 55 acres pure farm field, good harvest of hay, and woods enclosed as pasture. Drilled well with windpump and all necessary facilities.
The last repair that was made on the buildings was made by Tåa Gustaf the last time he was here when he sided and painted the house. The houses are probably old but all are functional. I bought it at auction the 7th of March, however we have been in negotiations a whole year by not being able to agree on the price. Now at the auction I had to pay $50 more than I had offered before. Precisely 7,550 dollars but they have held at $8,000.
Now you can tell Tåa Gustaf that we are owners of old häras farm. Me and Gustaf have had many happy times together with old man Häran at that place. Land prices are very high around here now, 10 years ago the same farm sold for half of this price, precisely $3800. I was a prospective buyer at that time as well, but did not manage to buy it then. In the German settlement not far from here land is sold for $100 and more per acre and still people predict higher prices.
Well, I am now a real land king. Owner of 300 acres of land in Minnesota and 2 city plots in the city of Aberdeen in South Dakota. But I am not ashamed to tell you that I am not debt free. We have been that for a few years but I started to think that it was boring not to be in touch with people and to test their trust, etc. At the same auction I bought their biggest horse which was nine years old for $180 and a rolling harrow or disk harrow in English for $19 and several little things.
Now we have about 100 acres to cultivate for sowing and corn planting. It will be tough for 5 horses – 3 for the drilling and 2 for harrowing.
Our daughter Ada is still and has been in Aberdeen South Dakota since the 6th of June last year but will come home this summer when we start building.
(Second part)
I have heard that land prices are also high in Bragnum. But what were you thinking not to snatch Mr. Bredberg’s fine farm. You who have plenty money and work force enough. But maybe it is not right to be so keen on land, because greed is a root for all evil we have learned in the catechism.
I would also like to tell something about our aim to build a new house this summer. We already have 26 good loads of timber at home that we have had cut out of our own woods. Approximately 12,000 feet of lumber, the thickest and most expensive timber. The rest we will have to buy. Here it is very expensive to build.
Well, as mentioned everything is expensive here, both necessities of life and laborers. A hired hand gets paid around $300 per year or around $30 per month. Grain prices are high. Wheat over $1 per bushel, barley 94 cents, corn 50 cents and flaxseed over $2 per bushel. Pig prices are good enough. We sold some last week for $6.30 for hundred pound live weight. We now have 28 pigs ready to be sold in 2 months. Butter now costs 30-32 cents a pound. It has been up to 38 cents this winter.
Well, I would now like to finish for this time with many lovely greetings from us to you and wish that you may live with health and happiness. Greet relatives and friends well from us. None named and none forgotten.
Kindest regards, your brother August and family.
Take some time, and send me a couple of lines soon.
Greet Alf Magnusson. I hope he has received the letter which I sent him sometime ago.
The weather is still cold, and frost every night. The snow melts by day. It will probably be a late spring.
As a last remembrance of Papa, we send to you at the same time a portrait where he is resting in his last bed. The coffin is almost covered with flowers.
IN FRONT OF OLD HOUSE ON AUGUST AND ANNA-STINA BRAHEE’S FARM
Oscar, Anna, Ada, Viola, Lillie, Anders Peter Svenson (August’s father),August and Anna-Stina (about 1910 – Anders Peter Svenson died in 1911)
Fourth Letter
Cologne, Minn. Nov. 3, 1912
Beloved brother and family,
We hope you are well!! Today we spend the first Sunday in our new house. The past Tuesday the 29th of October we moved, with health and great happiness, into this our new house, but after much difficulty and lots of work, cost and trouble because we have had a lot to do and organizing in this summer. But now, thank goodness, everything is ready and well organized.
On Saturday the 26th of October the painter finished his work and he’s done a nice and good job, so that one can almost see oneself in both doors and floor. The floors in the vestibule and dining room he has oiled and varnished. The kitchen floor he has only oiled twice and the bedroom floor is painted. In the three rooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and the vestibule, the floor is made of the hardest wood, called maple. The floorboards are two inches wide and a half inch thick and vary in color so the floors are mottled, and double floors in all rooms.
All doors with frames, a total of 20, and all windows with frames and casings, a total of 19 except for 4 basement windows, all are made of Georgia pine, a fine wood. In addition, on the second floor we have four rooms and four closets, where the floors are only oiled. We have a cellar, or here we call it a basement, underneath the whole house 7-1/2 feet high. The bottom floor is 9 feet high and the second floor is 8 feet high and the attic only the roof beams.
The house is almost square, 26 and 28 feet with four gables on the roof, two larger and two smaller. On the west end or outside the kitchen is a lower addition, with a closet, pantry and the vestibule. On the east end or the front gable is a patio 6 by 20 feet with a rail around it. The exterior he has painted three times, and there are three colors. On the gables all the way down to the eaves it’s red-brown, then with a 2 foot wide white stripe and then light yellow. The roof trim, corners, and windows and door casings are white color, so it looks really good.
I can not further describe it for you but we are as before mentioned very happy and grateful to God first and to the laborers secondly. For it is all done and we got to move into a nice, warm and comfortable house now when the cold season starts. But it costs a lot to build here now, for both material and laborers are very expensive. If I am to calculate something for our work, with transport, etc., it comes to about 2,000 dollars except for food. Yet we have taken what we have found acceptable from the old house and cut the thickest wood from our own forest.
A short time ago I wrote to your son Gustaf, and about two weeks ago we received a letter form him where he said he had good health and good work and he intends to visit us for Christmas again. We are not done with the fall work yet. We have yet another week’s work with the barley harvest. We have harvested around 500 bushels and around 300 remain. Two weeks ago we finished with hay harvest. We have brought in 23 loads of second crop hay. We had an average wheat harvest and the oats were better than expected.
The 10th of September we harvested and it took 1-1/4 days. We got 824 bushels of wheat, 500 bushels of oats, 200 bushels of barley, 69 bushels of rye and 16 bushels of flaxseed, about 50 bushels big and good potatos. The potato grew really well this year and so it only cost 25 cents a bushel. In certain areas they don’t care to harvest the potato. Grain prices are temporarily lower. Wheat around 80 cents a bushel, barley 40, rye 55, oats 30, and flax 1.75 per bushel. Cows, slaughter cattle, and pigs are highly priced.
The 24th of October mother and I went to an auction at East Union and there I happened to buy more than I had expected. A self binder for a good price, only 31 dollars, a big and nice kitchen stove for 29 dollars, they had it for 6 years and then it cost 55 dollars, and a heating stove with pipes and accessories, a sitting sofa, a washstand, a rocking chair and a lamp.
This fall we have bought a new manure spreader that runs with three horses. When the fields are really dry it loads 75 bushels of manure. We have put out 50 such loads this fall on the barley fields for next year. We have around 25 loads more that will go out on the fields if we have time before it freezes. The manure spreader costs $115 on a year’s credit.
Fifth Letter
Cologne, Minn. March 16, 1921
Beloved brother Johan and family, hope you are well,
I can not make myself wait any longer for a letter from you but I hope that you are alive. Since you are now retired to the small house you will live long yet. (But pardon the joke.) But we now live in an insecure and mortal world. We have now reached a fairly high age and we have many signs that we are ripe for the harvest. And help us God, through your mercy, that we will be brought in as good sheaves to the heavenly barn. I have not less than three reminders about our deadly passing within the family.
Svante Skatt’s wife (note: this is Sarah K. Thorn) died suddenly on the evening the 5th of January after finishing work helping the daughter to dry porcelain after supper. She said “I feel so tired.” Went into the other room and sat down in her rocking chair and about 15 minutes later she sat lifeless. The daughter and the brother had not noticed anything. The heart had stopped its work and it had been weak on her for a long time. The doctor’s medicine she had used for almost a year, lying down at times so it was not so surprising. I believe I have spoken about it earlier that Svante Skatt died over two years ago. 3 daughters and 4 sons survive them at scattered places. 2 unmarried sons are at home on the farm. Mrs. Skatt was 68-1/2 years old.
The second death. Our nephew August Berlin the 9th of January this year – 42 years 11 months old. August Berlin was murdered in a city in the state of Texas where he had only been for eight days. On Sunday morning 5:00 9 January he was awakened by an unusual noise outside the hotel, so he and other inhabitants of the house rushed out, and by the corner of the house he received 2 bullets – one in the heart, the other in the leg. It was probably an instant death. He wasn’t robbed. He had some money and the gold watch on him and a letter from which they could find out who he was. No acquaintances in his company. One can’t find out any real details because it is too far away.
His brother Gustaf received a telegram on Sunday afternoon to come and get his brother’s body which had been killed. He went on the long trip himself. It took 3 days and 3 nights to get there. After 7 days he came back, with the body, all tired and scared in Texas wild lands. There he had hardly found out anything. What we found out is from a newspaper form there that Carver newspaper reprinted. 2 persons were caught. The one is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, the other we haven’t heard anything about yet (maybe went free). August Berlin was a person who had been traveling far around since he was 20 years old, been home a little while, sometimes long in between. Last time he was home was for a week after his father’s death.
Gustaf is busy looking for money where August had been traveling around, but has apparently not found more than this buying contract for a piece of land in northern Minnesota. Now there is only the 2 siblings again, Gustaf and Tilda Berlin, home on Svante’s property – 40 acres.
August Berlin was a prospector. He went around and looked for oil wells and mines for company.
DIARY EXCERPTS BY (MAY) VIOLA THEODORA WILLIAMS HEIMARK, GRANDDAUGHTER OF AUGUST BRAHEE
Viola was 17 years old when writing this section of her diary in 1922 about death of August Brahee.
March 27, 1922 – Grandpa’s all sick. (August Brahee) Nora & Florence at grandpa’s. Sent telegram to Ada. Viola over there. Fredolf at Walter’s cutting down trees. Rained in the evening. Were at the school house.
March 28 – Grandpa better. Fredolf at Walter’s.
March 29 – The same. Sawed wood at Oscar’s and Walter’s. Fritz at Walter’s.
March 30 – Nora sick with flu. Dr. at Grandpas and Walters. In evening ma was over while we were at school house.
March 31 – Dr. at grandpa’s and Walter’s. Mrs. L. came to Walter’s.
April 1 – Dr. at grandpa’s and Walter’s. In evening Oscar at Brahee’s.
April 2 – Grandpa getting worse. Dr. and Dr. Nelson (pastor at WU) there. Anna, A Albert, Oscar’s, ma & pa were there. Telegram to Ada.
April 3 – Dr. there. Grandpa very low. Ma stayed there. Oscar & Walter were there. Walfred was there.
April 4 – Dr. there. Grandpa very low. Josie & Ruth were there. Mrs. Anton J. were there. Also Florence, pa, Hildur & Elford were there.
April 5 Gilbert’s were there all day. Dr. there. Little better in am. Dora came to Walter’s. Called Graceville. Mrs. L. went home. Grandpa died at 7 o’clock P.M. Felt’s & Aug. Olson’s & pa were there in the evening.
April 6 – Fredolf met Ada & Mildred at Cologne in the morning. Gilbert got Anna. Hallgren’s & Emmons ? were there. Wesley at Wm’s.
April 7 – Laura & Florence were at grandmas. Ada, ma, pa, Oscar & Fritz were at Carver & Chaska. Lillie came home. Viola stayed home overnight.
April 8 – Viola was over there all day. In evening Oscar & Wesley met Oscar Vig.
April 9 – Were home. It rained. In PM Hildur & Lillie were at grandmas. Anna came home. Dr. there. Grandma very weak. Mrs. Aug. CP and Ed Larsons were there. Dahlin came from SD. In evening Fritz & Adolph met Louis and Swan.
April 10 – Viola went there in the morning. At noon Johnsons & Lofgren came from Hopkins. Grandpa buried. Were there for supper. Took Louis, Swan, Johnson and Lofgren down to Carver.
*April 11 – Lillie went back to school
*Note : this is the last entry.
Notes for August (Pettersson) Brahee:
Randy 2-12-02
August Petterson born at Bragnum Bajaregården, a farm in the parish of Lekåsa, near Essunga. He worked as hired man at farm (in Odegården) of Johanna Jonsdotter’s father from 1872-1873 or 1874. Raised son Johan, daughter Anna Kristina remained with mother. Upon leaving Sweden, changed last name to Brahee after his birthplace. Emigration records spell last name Brahe, which was the name of a prominent Swedish family. He left Göteborg 5 May 1882 with father, sister, wife, two sons and two daughters, including Alfreda (Frida). Arrived United States about 2 Jun 1882. One son and daughter died during voyage; daughter was buried at sea, son in unmarked grave at East Union, MN. Took boat from Göteborg to England, train to Hull, White Star Line ship to US, train to St. Paul, boat to Carver. Upon arrival in East Union stayed at home of Anna-Stina’s brother S.A. Berlin. Resided in East Union. Renounced allegiance to Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, King Oscar II, 3 Nov 1884; citizenship granted 13 Oct 1899. Built new house in 1912. Couple is buried in West Union Cemetery
August died about a month after his brother, Johan, died in Sweden.