Karna Nilsdotter Rickard - My second great grandmother

Today, January 10, 1919, 92 years ago, my second great grandmother Karna died. She died from the Spanish Flu which killed 35 000 Swedes between 1918 - 1919, mostly quite young people, 20 to 40 years old. Karna was 63 years old.

Probably Karna Nilsdotter Rickard

Karna was born in Vinslöv in the south of Sweden in 1855. Her father, Nils Svensson Rickard was a shoemaker. He was married to Elna Holmgren. They had five children, Anna, Karna, Anders, Nils and Elna. Mother Elna Holmgren died in 1886 and Nils remarried in 1887, to Elna Persdotter.

All of Karnas siblings emigrated. In 1882 Anders and Nils emigrated to the US. In 1888 Anna emigrated with her children Nils Henrik and Carl Emil. Her husband Jöns Nilsson went to the US the year before and in 1893 Karnas little sister Elna also travelled over the pond with her youngest daughter Elina Cecilia.

Anna, Anders, Nils and Elna were the first persons Im related to that I found emigrated to the US. I didnt even know I had relatives who did emigrate. And it is only a few generations back in time. I found it extremly exciting which kept my motivation up to found out what happend to them.

One amazing thing, when they left Sweden they were all going to differnet states in the US and when I finally found them they all ended up in the same state, in the same county and the same town.

So, Karna, she stayed in Sweden. Wonder why. I havent found any records that she ever got married. She had four children, Hanna, Marie, Per and Jöns Anton. She worked at a farmer called Per Persson who was a widower. He has confessed that he is the father of some of her children (my guess is that he is the father of all of them but I guess we never will know for sure). None of them inherited him though, his two sons, Sven and Nils from his marriage did. Nils does in his will refer to Hanna as his sister.

Only three days before Karna died, her son Per died, from the Spanish Flu as well, 29 years old. In his real estate papers it says he had a gramophone. I dont think that was very common at the time and Im quite curious about what kind of records that were on the toplist back then.

Eventhough Karna wasnt married, she and Per share the same grave and it says Karna Persson on the gravestone.

Headstone from Farstorp, Per and Karna.

The son Per is also buried with them.

Same headstone