Photo of “Aunt Ida and Aunt Isabel”, and a photo of “Isabel and mother.” So Isabel and Ida were sisters of either Theolene or Abraham.
The postcard from Turtle River of June 1910 was addressed to A. D. Swanson in Swanson, Saskatchewan, and said “Dear Brother, How are you we are O.K. living here in Turtle [signed] Ida.”
Aunt Ida on left. Aunt Isabel on Right. Kregel Photo Parlors | Twin Cities.
Photograph by G. E Flaten, Moorhead, Minn. On back: “Isbell Svenson”
My brother Jeff Swanson of Gull Lake, Minnesota, says that our cousin Tom (son of Telford) has some evidence that Abraham D. Swanson spent time in Fargo before embarking for Canada, where he founded the town of Swanson, Saskatchewan. Perhaps Fargo was a staging point for homesteading in Saskatchewan. Fargo is just across the Red River from Moorhead. Might this be a picture of Abraham?
Postcard to A.D.S., Swanson, Sask, 1909
Postcard to Swanson, Saskatchewan
To: Postmaster |Swanson P.O. | Sask | Canada ADS am shipping you car of potatoes for seed thats the kind we have here. Will write soon Warner Postmarked Minneapolis, June 19, 1909.
Saskatchewan eHealth Genealogy Index Death Record Number: 1298 Last Name: SWANSON First Name: ABRAHAM D Sex: M Death Date (yyyy/mm/dd) 1912/ 5/ 10 Place of Death:
Abraham David Swanson is buried in the St. Ambrose Cemetery located near Swanson, Saskatchewan. His headstone records the same date as the death record and gives his age at 30 years 6 months, placing his birth around November 1881. Abraham is the only Swanson in the cemetery. According to his son Roy, Abraham died of illness.
If that birthdate is correct, Abraham was around 17 when his son Selmer was born in Minnesota in 1898. Abraham’s wife Theolene Moen was born in 1873, so she was around 25 when Selmer was born.
According to an unverified version of the family tree, Abraham and Theolene were born in Houston township in south-eastern Minnesota.
Abraham founded the town of Swanson. The town had a post office by 1907, and the birth of Abraham and Theolene’s fourth son Grant is recorded for that same year. Information on the St. Ambrose Cemetery website says Abraham Swanson “homesteaded in this area in 1905 and founded the town of Swanson.”
Abraham and Theolene had five sons:
Selmer 1898-1985, born in Minnesota Telford 1902– 1989, full name Addison Telford, born “out of state” Clarence 1904 ?–1943 ? Grant (called Richard on his birth record) 1907-1966, born in Swanson Roy (called Russel on his birth certificate) 1910–1996 (my father), born in Swanson
Abraham put down his occupation as farmer on Roy’s birth certificate.
Southeast Minnesota
In the late 50s-early 60s, our family used to go to Spring Grove for a picnic with a bunch of other members of the Swanson family.
The Houston, Minnesota, region was the birthplace of both Abraham and his wife Theolene Moen, according to the unverified family tree. In the 1950s and 60s our family and others from the Swanson side would go to Spring Grove to get together with a bunch of relatives from Spring Grove. I only saw those relatives once a year for a few years.
Houston was incorporated in 1874. The community was named after Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas. In 1852, William McSpadden platted the original site of the Village of Houston. McSpadden had served under Sam Houston in the Mexican–American War. Pioneers followed him into the area and by 1854 there were stores and a school among the approximately 40 buildings in the settlement.
A post office has been in operation at Spring Grove since 1855. The community was named for a spring and a grove near the original town site. On the town website it’s claimed that Spring Grove is the first Norwegian settlement in Minnesota.
Swanson, Saskatchewan
Abraham founded the town of Swanson, Saskatchewan, Canada. The hamlet is located southwest of Saskatoon along Highway 45 along the Canadian National Railway.
Click for the Wikipedia article on Swanson, Saskatchewan, Canada
Homestead Records from the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan No dates are given in the on-line finding aids.
Sections NW30 and NE30 – Township 31 – Range 8 – W3 (west of the Third Meridian, 106° west, near Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan)
Swanson, Abraham D. : NW 30-31-08-W3 Swanson, Abraham D. : NE 30-31-08-W3 Statement of coordinates (cartographic): ca. 51.6925, ca. -107.1377
Search of 51.6925° N, 107.1377° W on Google Maps.
Intersection of Highway 45 and Township Rd. 315
Selmer and Clarence also have homestead records but not nearby.
Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan Homestead Records No dates are given in the finding aid.
Swanson, Clarence: NE 5-34-02-W2 (Selmer has a homestead record for an adjacent quarter: NW 5-34-02-W2, so this is probably our Clarence. These locations are not near the town of Swanson.)
There do not seem to be any pertinent records in the Minnesota People Records Search, comprising birth records from 1900 to 1934, and death records from 1904 to 2001.
Clarence was one of my father Roy Swanson‘s four brothers. My father recalled that their mother Theolene sometimes sent him (Roy) to bring Clarence back from a beer joint. He died of alcoholism, according to Roy.
My brother Jeff has heard that Clarence died in Chicago.
Clarence Swanson
Photos with Clarence
Clarence, Grant, and Roy Swanson as youths in undated photograph.
Theolene Swanson (neé Moen) and Roy (Russel?) Albert Swanson in front. Behind: Grant (1907-1966), Clarence (1904?-1943?), Selmer (1898-1985), Telford (1902-1989)
Possible photos with Clarence
In front, Roy, children (Telford’s ?), Telford. In back, Theolene, Clarence?
Unidentified 8×10 photo. Small octagonal embossing in lower right corner: REMEMBRANDT MINNEAPOLIS.
Death Certificate Index Death: November 27, 1996 County of Death: Hennepin County, Minnesota Mother’s Maiden Name: MOEN, Date of Birth: Jul 24 1910 Place of Birth: OUT OF STATE
His birth certificate says Russel Swanson, born July 24, 1910. Perhaps Russel was an error in recording.
Mother’s name appears to be Theoline, is spelled Theolene on her death certificate.
Enlisted in the US Navy in World War II (Evelyn’s headstone reads “Wife of RM1 Roy A. Swanson USN”. Radioman first class in the US Navy) served in the Pacific on minesweepers. He said that when he joined the military, he wanted to enlist as a US citizen, so he claimed his birthplace was Tolley, North Dakota, a town where the building housing birth records had burned down.
Married Evelyn Irene Rush, had four sons. Lived in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, until after Evelyn’s death.
Worked for Air Reduction in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Became regional manager, supervising dry ice plant in St. Paul, industrial gas plant in Minneapolis, acetylene plant in area north of Twin Cities, and plant in Fargo, North Dakota.
Roy sitting next to Theolene.
Roy in dark suit with mother Theolene and brothers Clarence (standing) ? andTelford ?.
Roy in bow tie.
Selmer and Roy, World War II. Selmer also served in WW I.
Swanson, Theolene M. Certificate Number: 1962-MN-007453 Death: December 24, 1962 County of Death: Hennepin County, Minnesota Mother’s Maiden Name: PERUS Date of Birth: Jun 6 1873 Place of Birth: MINNESOTA
Name spelled “Theoline” on Grant and Roy’s birth records.
Theolene Swanson née Moen
According to an unverified family tree, Theolene was born in Houston, Minnesota. She was married to Abraham David Swanson also of Houston and had five sons, some born in Minnesota and at least two, Richard (Grant) and Russel (Roy), born in Swanson, Saskatchewan.
On Roy’s birth certificate in 1910, her name seems to be spelled Theoline.
Some time after Abraham’s death in 1912, Theolene and other family members moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In front: Theolene Swanson (née Moen) and Roy Albert. Behind: Grant ((1907-1966), Clarence (1904?-1943?), Selmer (1898-1985), Addison Telford (1902-1989)
Isabel & Mother (Theolene) | Clossett Print
Theolene, Roy, Clarence ?, Telford ? and two children. Minneapolis. Back: Taken 4/29/28 [?]
