Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    Mathilda Johnson (1861-1919)

    BIRTH: Mar 1861, Eneryd, Kronobergs län, Sweden
    DEATH: 5 APR 1919, Chicago, Cook,, Illinois, USA
    FATHER: Unknown
    MOTHER: Unknown
    SPOUSE: Jonas W Larson (1855-1923)

    Mathilda Johnson was born in March 1861 in Krångfors, Västerbotten, Sweden. She married Jonas W Larson on June 20, 1885, in Chicago, Illinois. They had 11 children in 23 years. She died on April 5, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 58.

    The Life of Mathilda Johnson (1861-1919)

    A Swedish immigrant woman who built a family, a faith community, and a legacy in Chicago

    Mathilda Johnson was born in March 1861 in Eneryd (recorded as “Enry”), Kronobergs län, a wooded parish in the Småland region of southern Sweden. The Messiah Lutheran Church records that preserve her birth month and birthplace do not name her parents, leaving the earliest part of her life in Sweden largely unrecorded. Yet the world she came from is well understood: small farms, Lutheran parish life, and the steady rhythm of work that shaped the lives of young women in rural Småland.

    Leaving Sweden

    By the early 1880s, Sweden was in the midst of a massive emigration wave. Economic hardship, limited opportunities for young women, and the promise of work in America drew thousands across the Atlantic. According to Messiah Lutheran Church records, Mathilda immigrated in 1881. She was part of the great movement of Swedish women who traveled alone or with siblings, seeking independence and a future that Sweden could not offer.

    Arrival in Chicago

    Mathilda settled in Chicago, Illinois, a city that had become one of the largest Swedish communities outside Sweden. Chicago’s Swedish neighborhoods—particularly on the North Side—were filled with familiar language, churches, and social networks. It was here, on 20 June 1885, that she married Jonas W. Larson (1855–1923), a fellow immigrant from Kronobergs län who had arrived in the United States in 1879.

    Their marriage united two young Swedes who had crossed an ocean in search of opportunity and found it in each other.

    Building a Family

    Mathilda and Jonas raised one of the large, bustling families typical of Swedish‑American households of the era. Over the next two decades, Mathilda gave birth to eleven children, each of whom carried forward the Larson name into Chicago’s next generation: 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 fresh bread, and the constant movement of children. Mathilda’s life revolved around the rhythms of motherhood—cooking, sewing, washing, and keeping order in a household that grew steadily from the mid‑1880s into the early 1900s.

    Larson Family. Mathilda and Jonas center top row. 1905

    Faith and Community

    Mathilda and Jonas were members of Messiah Lutheran Church, one of the central institutions of Chicago’s Swedish‑American community. The church was more than a place of worship—it was a cultural anchor, a social network, and a link to the homeland. Through baptisms, confirmations, and community gatherings, Mathilda remained connected to the traditions she had carried from Småland.

    Church records that document her membership also preserve the few surviving details of her early life, making Messiah Lutheran one of the most important sources for reconstructing her story.

    Life in Chicago

    The 1900 and 1910 U.S. Federal Censuses place Mathilda in Chicago, raising her children while Jonas worked as a carpenter. Their neighborhood was part of the vibrant Swedish‑American world that shaped the lives of thousands of immigrants—filled with Swedish shops, newspapers, social halls, and churches.

    Mathilda’s days were likely long and demanding. Eleven children meant years of pregnancies, infants, schoolchildren, and teenagers all under one roof. Yet the Larson family remained close‑knit, and many of the children stayed in Chicago throughout their adult lives.

    Final Years

    Mathilda died in 1919, at the age of 58. Her passing came just before the 1920 census and just after the end of World War I, a period when Chicago was changing rapidly. She did not live to see all her children marry or to meet many of her grandchildren, but the family she built continued to grow for generations.

    Jonas lived until 1923, outliving her by four years.

    Legacy

    Though the written record of Mathilda’s early life in Sweden is sparse, her legacy in America is unmistakable. She helped build:

    • A large and enduring family
    • A home rooted in Swedish faith and culture
    • A presence in Chicago’s Swedish‑American community that lasted long after her death

    Her descendants—through Amy, Elmer, Robert, Hilda, Clarence, Edna, Julia, Florence, Mabel, Keneth, and Hjalman—carry forward the story of a woman who crossed an ocean, built a life from almost nothing, and left a legacy that continues today.

    Legacy of Mathilda Johnson

    Parents

    FATHER: Unknown
    MOTHER: Unknown

    Married

    Jonas W Larson (1855-1923) 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)
    • Kenneth Edward Larson (1906-?)
    • Hjalman Larson (1908-?)

    Documents

    • Birth Records
    • Marriage records
      • Cook County, Illinois, U.S., Marriages Index, 1871-1920 > Name: Mathilde Johnson; Age: 24; Gender: Female; Birth Year: abt 1861; Marriage Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 20 Jun 1885; Marriage Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Spouse Name: John Larson; Spouse Age: 30; Spouse Gender: Male; FHL Film Number: 1030148
      • Illinois, U.S., Marriage Index, 1860-1920 > Name: Mathilde Johnson; Gender: Female; Marriage Date: 20 Jun 1885; Marriage Place: Cook, Illinois, USA; Spouse Name: John Larson; Spouse Gender: Male
    • Census Records
      • 1900 United States Federal Census > Illinois > Cook > Chicago Ward 30 > District 0927 > Mitalda Larson (38 Wife, date of birth: Mar 1862; place of birth: Sweden, immigration year: 1885); John Larson (44 Head, birthplace: Sweden, immigration year: 1885; naturalization: naturalized; occupation: carpenter; 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 > Mathilda Larson (49 Wife, place of birth: Sweden, occupation: none); Jonas Larson (55, Head, birthplace: Sweden, immigration year: 1880, naturalization status
        naturalized, occupation: binder); 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.
    • Other

    Relation of Mathilda Johnson to Steven Barry Staggs: great-grandmother

    Page last updated April 28, 2026

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