Born May 7, 1880
Died October 7, 1976
Married Ernst Theodor Gustafson
November 23, 1903 in DeKalb, Illionois
Ida had three sisters - Ida (b. 11/271875 and d. 12/30/1877 Grandma must have been named after her sister who died at 2 years) Bernadina (Belle) and Josephina (twins) (b. 9/5/1882) and three brothers - August (Gus) (b. 6/8/1878), Joel (b. 12/26/1873), and Nels (b. 5/1890). Recorded immigration to America was Joel who left Mjallby 1/9/1892, Gus in 1900, Belle, Josefina, & Nels later. A little history on Gus. He moved from his father's (Nils) house in 1893 and lived with his widower grandfather Anders Olsson and Aunt Pella at #7 & #8, Tosso, Mjallby. Gust lived in Sycamore and adopted daughter Ruth. Sister Belle married Gust Jacobson, had no children, and lived in Port Wing. Sister Josefina married Alexander Carlson, lived in Chicago and had four children (Alice, Angeline, Grace, and Leonard). Nels married Clara, lived in DeKalb, Illinois, and had two sons.
When Ida was 15 she moved from her father's home to #4 Moreby to live with the widower farmer Jans Jansson family as a maidservant.
She doesn't remember how far she went in school, but does remember getting good grades. Her teacher was very mean, so she was sure to be a good student. They didn't have high school. She does remember being confirmed in the Lutheran Church.
At Christmas time, when she was a little girl, Ida said she, and some of her brothers and sisters, would go around to the homes in her village and would get all kinds of "goodies", she said "like the children do today on Halloweeen."
She came to the United States at the age of 21 (1901) to Illinois. Her Uncle Knut Johnson, who was in Illinois, sent her the money for her boat ticket. She came to work and it took a week to get here from Sweden. President McKinley was in office at the time. She remembers when he was assinated shortly thereafter. She stayed with a family on a farm in Esmond, Illinois, and helped take care of the children. After one year, the family and Gram moved to Sycamore, Illinois. Two years later, she met Grandpa Ernst and were eventually married.
Ida and Ernst moved to Port Wing because they wanted land for their boys to work on. So they traded their house in Sycamore for land in Port Wing, Wisconsin. When they first moved to Port Wing, they lived on Iron River Road. Ida, Stan, and Walter cleared the land for their family.
Ida worked very hard on the farm in Port Wing. She would rise up very early to start a fire in the wood stove. Every morning she cooked either oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast. Since there was no electricity, she didn't make toast, but there was always homemade bread and coffee. She hoed the fields with the children. She grew potatoes to last all winter, and picked raspberries to sell. She canned a lot of food. Ida knitted wool socks and mittens. Later on she did a lot of crocheting. Ida would always make sure that the outhouse was wall-papered in order to have it look nice.
Kerry Krafthefer remembers Grandma Ida living with his family in Glen Ellyn. He remembers coming home from High School to freshly baked bread which Gram made. It was great. He recalled that it was the heaviest bread he had ever eatten--and still is. Gram never wasted anything when it came to baking bread - every baked item that was around the kitchen for a day or two was recycled--cookies, cake, coffee cake, donuts, cereal, other bread. It was put in the dough of the new batch. Sweet, heavy bread. He hasn't had anything like it since.
Ida was a member of the Ladies Aid in the Lutheran Church in Port Wing. When she had to help serve the coffee, some of her children would go with her after school and ride home with her and Ernest. The children liked that since they got to eat the leftover cookies and cake. Emogene remembers her being very pretty with her nice dress and her cheeks all pink from being so warm in the kitchen. She would walk with the children from the farm to school when there was a play or some other activity going on. Ernest never went to these functions, so they were not able to take the horses and sleigh.
Ida lived a very long life. She eventually spent the winters in Arizona with her daughter, Angeline. She would come to Port Wing in the summer and spend the summer in tthe little house in the town of Port Wing that was built after she and Ernest lost the farm. Eventually it was too much for her to live by herself and she stayed with Angeline year round. Ida died at the age of 96. She was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Port Wing, next to her husband, Ernest.
Ida's Mother was Sofia Andersdotter, born October 8, 1852 in Mjallby, Bleckinge, Sweden. Sofia used to go on her husband's boat and help with the fishing nets. She had a stroke while on one of the smaller boats and died in Mjallby on April 29, 1891. Ida was 10 at the time.
Nils remarried. He married Berta Jonsdotter 8/13.1892, widow of his brother Sven who died 9/28/1886 in a fishing accident. Ida remembered her step mother was mean. Berta was born 3/8/1848 and had a son out of marriage. Berta and Sven had 5 children before his death. Berta and Nils did not have any children together.
Ida's Grandmother, mother of Nils, was Kersta Gustafsdotter, born December 2, 1826 in Mjallby, Blekinge, Sweden. Kersta married Johan Larsson on September2, 1849. Kersta died August 7, 1893 in Mjallby.
Ida's Grandfather, father of Sofia, was Anders Olsson, born December 20, 1819, in Mjallby, Bleckinge, Sweden.
Ida's Grandmother, mother of Sofia, was Batel Olasdotter, born January 20, 1823, in Mjallby, Sweden. Batel married Anders Olsson on September 10, 1848. She died February 23, 1882 in Mjallby.
Ida's Great-grandfather, father of Kersta, was Gustaf Astrom, born December 5, 1784, in Nosaby, Kristianstad, Sweden. He married Karna Johnsdotter January 17, 1817.
Ida's Great-grandmother, mother of Kersta, was Karna Johnsdotter, born October 5, 1780.
Ida's Great-grandfather, father of Anders Olsson, was Olof Andersson, born March 4, 1793 in Mjallby, Sweden. He married Sofia Andersdotter November 11, 1815.
Ida's Great-grandmother, mother of Anders Olsson, was Sofia Andersdotter, born January 24, 1795 in Hosaby, Mjallby, Sweden. Sofia died November 13, 1821 in Hosaby, #49, Mjallby, Sweden.
Ida's Great-grandfather, father of Batel Olasdotter, was Ola Matisson, born November 8, 1795, in Mjallby Sweden. He was a fisherman. He married Inga Svensdotter on May 26, 1817.
Ida's Great-grandmother, mother of Batel Olasdotter, was Inga Svensdotter, born December 18, 1786 in Mjallby, Sweden. Inga died October 4, 1847 in Mjallby.
Ida's Great-great grandfather, father of Gustaf Anstrom, was Sven Astrom, born 1744, in Aryd, Sweden. Sven died August 19, 1819 in Nosaby, Sweden. Sven was a journeyman mason or bricklayer.
Ida's Great-great grandmother, mother of Gustaf Anstrom, was Elna Parsdotter, born in 1740, in Nasby, Sweden. Elna died June 11, 1822 in Nosaby, Sweden.
Ida's Great-great grandfather, Matts Bengtsson, father of Ola Mattsson, was born January 5, 1760, in Mjallby, Sweden. He died February 23, 1825 in Mjallby, Sweden.
Ida's Great-great grandmother, mother of Ola Mattsson, was Kersta Olasdotter, born November 9, 1765, in Mjallby, Sweden. She died November 6, 1818 in Mjallby.
Ida's Great-great-great grandfather, father of Matts Bengtsson, was Bengt Swensson Sexpunning.
Ida's Great-great-great grandmother, mother of Matts Bengtsson was Sine Nilsdotter.
Ida's Great-great-great grandfather, father of Kersta Olasdotter, was Ola Elavsson Bos.
Ida's Great-great-great grandmother, mother of Kersta Olasdotter, was Bereta Nilsdotter.