Staggs Family History

BIRTH: 4 Jan 1855, Vrå, Kranoborgs, Sweden
DEATH: 13 May 1923, Chicago, Cook,, Illinois, USA
FATHER: Unknown
MOTHER: Unknown
SPOUSE: Mathilda Johnson (1864–1918)

Jonas W Larson was born on January 4, 1855. He married Mathilda Johnson on June 20, 1885, in Chicago, Illinois. They had 11 children in 23 years. He died on May 13, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 68.

The Life of Jonas W Larson

A Swedish craftsman who built a life—and a legacy—in Chicago

Jonas W. Larson entered the world on 4 January 1855 in Vrå, Kronobergs län, a rural parish in the forests and lake country of southern Sweden. The records that survive do not preserve the names of his parents, but the world he was born into is well understood: small farms, Lutheran parish life, and the steady rhythm of work shaped by the seasons. Like many young men of his generation, Jonas grew up in a Sweden facing economic strain and limited opportunity. By the late 1870s, the great wave of Swedish emigration had begun, and Jonas joined it.

Crossing the Atlantic

On 16 December 1879, Jonas boarded the steamship North Star at Hamburg. Passenger lists show him among the thousands of Scandinavians who passed through that port, carrying little more than a trunk, a Bible, and the hope of a better future. The North Star crossed the winter Atlantic and arrived in New York, where Jonas stepped onto American soil for the first time.

From there he traveled west to Chicago, a city rising from the ashes of the 1871 fire and hungry for laborers, builders, and craftsmen. Jonas found his place among them.

A Carpenter in a Growing City

By the 1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. Federal Censuses, Jonas appears consistently in Chicago—always a carpenter, always working, always supporting a large and growing family. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen, embracing the country he had crossed an ocean to reach.

Chicago at the turn of the century was a city of sawdust, scaffolding, and opportunity. Swedish immigrants were especially known for their skill in the building trades, and Jonas fit squarely into that tradition. His hands shaped the wood that framed homes, shops, and neighborhoods—quiet contributions to a city expanding at a breathtaking pace.

Marriage and Family

On 20 June 1885, Jonas married Mathilda Johnson (1864–1918), another Swedish immigrant. Together they built a household that would eventually include eleven children, each with their own story woven into the fabric of Chicago’s Swedish‑American community: Amy, Elmer, Robert, Hilda, Clarence, Edna, Julia, Florence, Mabel, Keneth, and Hjalman.

Their home was likely filled with Swedish spoken alongside English, the smell of coffee and cardamom bread, and the constant movement of children. Anna, who died in 1918, held the center of that world; Jonas carried it forward after her passing.

Faith and Community

Jonas and Mathilda were members of Messiah Lutheran Church, part of the Swedish‑American Lutheran tradition documented in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800–1947. Churches like Messiah were more than places of worship—they were cultural anchors, social networks, and the heart of immigrant identity. Through baptisms, confirmations, and community gatherings, Jonas remained connected to the heritage he brought from Vrå.

Later Years and Legacy

By the 1920 census, Jonas was an aging widower still living in Chicago, still working as a carpenter, still surrounded by children and grandchildren who were beginning to marry, move, and build families of their own. He died in 1923, closing a life that had spanned two continents, two languages, and a period of enormous change.

What Jonas left behind was not fame or wealth, but something more enduring: a family rooted in both Sweden and America, and a legacy built board by board in the neighborhoods of Chicago.

His descendants—through Amy, Elmer, Robert, Hilda, Clarence, Julia, Florence, Mabel, and the others—carry forward the story of a man who crossed an ocean with little more than determination and built a life strong enough to support generations.

Legacy of Jonas W Larson

Parents

FATHER: Unknown
MOTHER: Unknown

Married

Mathilda Johnson (1864–1918) on 20 Jun 1885 in Chicago, Illinois

Children

• Amy M Larson (1885–1979) married William Edward Sammons (1884–1967)
• Elmer Larson (1887–1940) married Clara Winifred Feight (1895–1981)
• Robert Larson (1889–1958) married Katherine McElroy (1893–1953)
• Hilda Larson (1890–1981) married Legrand Jacob Field (1880-1938)
• Clarence Algot Larson (1982-1967) married Norma Anderson (1897-1975)
• Edna Larson (1895–?)
• Julia Larson (1897-1975) married Albert T Bergquist (1945-1945)
• Florence Larson (1899–1985) married Henry A Robinson (1902-1974)
• Mabel Fern Larson (1902-1984) married Edward Penner Philpott (1901-1979)
• Keneth Edward Larson (1906-?)
• Hjalman Larson (1908-?)

Documents

• Birth Records
  • U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 > Name: Jonas Larson; Birth Date: 4 Jan 1855; Birth Place: Vrå, Kranoborgs
• Marriage records
  • Cook County, Illinois, U.S., Marriages Index, 1871-1920 > Name: John Larson; Age: 30; Gender: Male; Birth Year: abt 1855; Marriage Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 20 Jun 1885; Marriage Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Spouse Name: Mathilde Johnson; Spouse Age: 24; Spouse Gender: Female; FHL Film Number: 1030148
  • Illinois, U.S., Marriage Index, 1860-1920 > Name: John Larson; Gender: Male; Marriage Date: 20 Jun 1885; Marriage Place: Cook, Illinois, USA; Spouse Name: Mathilde Johnson; Spouse Gender: Female
• Death records
  • Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 > Name: Jonas Larson; Death Date: 13 May 1923; Death Place: Cook, Illinois, USA; File Number: 6014573
  • Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 > Name: Jonas Larson; Birth Date: 11 Jan 1855; Birth Place: Sweeden; Death Date: 13 May 1923; Death Place: Chicago, Cook, Ill; Burial Date: 15 May 1923; Burial Place: Oakhill; Death Age: 68; Occupation: Carpenter Contractor; Race: White; Marital Status: W; Gender: Male; Street Address: 3514 W. 62nd St.; FHL Film Number: 1877388
• Census Records
  • 1900 United States Federal Census > Illinois > Cook > Chicago Ward 30 > District 0927 > John Larson (44 Head, birthplace: Sweden, immigration year: 1885; naturalization:
    naturalized; occupation: carpenter; Mitalda Larson (38 Wife); Amy Larson (14 Daughter); Elmer Larson (12 Son); Robert Larson (11 Son); Hilda Larson (8 Daughter); Clarence Larson (7 Son); Edna Larson (5 Daughter); Julia Larson (3 Daughter); Florence Larson (1 Daughter). Residence: 6123 Honore Street, Chicago, house owned.
  • 1910 United States Federal Census > Illinois > Cook > Chicago Ward 31 > District 1360 > Jonas Larson (55, Head, birthplace: Sweden, immigration year: 1880, naturalization status
    naturalized, occupation: binder); Mathilda Larson (49 Wife); Elmer Larson (22 Son); Robert Larson (21 Son); Hulda Larson (19 Daughter); Clarence Larson (17 Son); Edna Larson (15 Daughter); Julia Larson (13 Daughter); Florence Larson (10 Daughter); Nabel Larson (8 Daughter); Kenneth Larson (4 Son); Hjalman Larson (2 Son). Residence: 1545 Robey Steet, Chicago, house owned, no mortgage.
  • 1920 United States Federal Census > Illinois > Cook (Chicago) > Chicago Ward 29 > District 1786 > Jonas Larson (64 Head, widowed, occupation: carpenter, immigration year: 1879, naturalization status: naturalized); Julia Larson (22 Daughter); Florence Larson (20 Daughter); Mabel Larson (17 Daughter); Kenneth Larson (13 Son). Home Owned 3518 West Sixteenth Place, Chicago, Illinois.
    
• Other
  • U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 > Name: Jonas Larson; Gender: Male; Marriage Age: 30; Event Type: Member List; Birth Date: 4 Jan 1855; Birth Place: Vrå, Kranoborgs, Sweden; Arrival Date: 1878; Marriage Date: 1885; Relation to Head: Head; Church: Messiah Lutheran Church; Spouse: Mathilda Larson; Child: Julia Maria Larson; Florence Victoria Larson; Mabel Fern Larson; Keneth Edward Larson
  • Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 > Name: Jonas Larson; Gender: männlich (Male); Departure Age: 24; Birth Date: abt 1855; Residence Place: Kronenberg, Schweden; Departure Date: 16 Dez 1879 (16 Dec 1879); Departure Place: Hamburg, Deutschland (Germany); Destination: New York; Arrival Place: Leith (New York via Glasgow); Occupation: Landmann; Ship Name: North Star; Captain: Tait; Shipping Clerk: B. Karlsberg; Ship Type: Dampfschiff; Ship Flag: England; Accommodation: ohne Angabe; Volume: 373-7 I, VIII B 1 Band 037
  • Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999 > Name: Jonas W Larson; Probate Date: Jun 1923; Probate Place: Henry, Illinois, USA; Inferred Death Date: 1923; Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA; Item Description: Executor Records, Vol D-E, 1910-1923

Relation of Jonas W Larson to Steven Barry Staggs: great-grandfather

Page last updated April 27, 2026

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