from the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
226th in a Series
By SUE HUNTER WEIR
Julie Klamm’s Caveat to Stories “Your most cherished family stories are, I hate to break it to you, almost certainly at least somewhat false. I’m not calling anyone a liar, this is simply how it goes—stories degrade (or improve, depending on your perspective), details are lost, tweaked, censored, sensationalized. I don’t mean to disillusion you; I say this in the spirit of encouragement. The story only really gets going once it begins to unravel.” from, The Most Legendary Morris Sisters.
FAMILY “LAUNDRY” AIRED IN PUBLIC
Many, perhaps most, families have secrets—stories that go unspoken. That’s what makes the story of the Westling family so strange. The dispute between Olof Westling and his second wife, Agnethe, over the custody of their children played out in the press for a period of three weeks. Each used the newspapers to plead their case.
Olof Westling was born in Sweden in 1869. He married Karin (Carrie) Andersdottir in June 1891. Their first child, Hilda, was born in 1890, and their first son, Valfred, was born in 1892. In May 1893, Olof left Sweden for the United States. Karin and their two young children followed two years later. The family settled in Minneapolis where Olof initially found work as a laborer and later as building contractor. Their daughter, Florence, was born in 1897 and another daughter, May (May) was born in May 1899; she died in September from cholera infantum at the age of four months.
Karin died from tuberculosis on February 12, 1900, at the age of 29. A little less than a year later, on December 24, 1900, Olof married Agnethe Johanson, a Norwegian immigrant. Their first child, a daughter named Wilhemina, was born the following spring. A second daughter, Dagnie, was born in March 1904.
*At Rethos, we practice
The New Preservation.
Traditionally historic preservation has been associated with efforts to capture a building or a place, arrest its ongoing evolution, and prevent new uses or modern interpretations of how it can serve today’s needs. That model doesn’t work and we need to move forward.
Historic preservation needs to be every bit as much about the future as it is aboutthe past. We save buildings and places not for the structures themselves, but for
their importance to us. We save them to tell our stories, to remind us of our histories, and to serve as cultural touchstones. But we also save buildings and places so they can be transformed into useful and beneficial tools to meet the needs of today’s communities, and those of tomorrow.
That’s the New
Preservation.
FATHER’S POLITICS INFLUENCED NAMES OF SONS
On October 10, 1905, 15-year-old Hilda, Olof and Karin’s daughter, died from tuberculosis and was buried next to her mother. Less than two years later, Dagnie, the daughter of Olaf and his second wife, Agnethe, died from pneumonia at the age of two. Twelve days later, Agnethe gave birth to their son Darwin. Another son, Voltaire, was born in 1908.
The names of their last two sons offer a clue as to the tension in Olof and Agnethe’s marriage. According to Olof’s best friend, Dr. Carl Lindgren, Olof was a “socialist, a free thinker and a philosopher.” He shared his beliefs by giving lectures in civic halls and on street corners. He believed that his wife, who had little formal education and did not share his views, was ill-suited to care for their children and provide them with the education that he believed that they deserved.
On July 22, 1910, Westling left the house with their three youngest children, who ranged in age from 18 months to 9 years old, and disappeared. Stories carrying Westling’s description appeared in the local papers and, according to the Minneapolis Tribune, “every policeman was on the lookout.” The Minneapolis Humane Society (child welfare) got involved and contacted the police in Chicago where Westling was believed to have taken the children.
FATHER’S COMMON SENSE AND MOTHER’S LOVE AND DESPERATION EXCEED PRIVACY
In the meantime, Agnethe, hoping that her husband had not left town, frequented socialist meetings in the hope that he would turn up. She said that she had lost 20 pounds and was afraid that she was losing her mind. Despite that, she told reporters: “I love my husband as much as ever and I should welcome him back gladly, but I love my children better.”
On August 3rd, the papers reported that Westling had indeed turned up in Chicago. He reported that the children were well and that he intended to send for his 15-year-old daughter Florence, who had been out of town when he left, as soon as he settled in. Florence wrote to the Tribune that she had no intention of joining him, that she loved Agnethe “as much as…my own mother.”
A week later, the Tribune reported that they had received a letter from Westling saying that he would return the children only if his wife agreed to a divorce to put an end to the “fiasco” of their marriage.
On August 15th, Chicago police notified Minneapolis authorities that they had arrested Westling. He appeared in municipal court charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The judge agreed to drop the charge if Westling would allow the children to be returned to their mother. Westling agreed.
Westling also returned to Minneapolis where he continued to work as a carpenter and building contractor, but it is unclear whether he and Agnethe reconciled. Agnethe died in 1916 and by 1920, Westling and the children were living together. He remained interested in politics and in 1917 ran, unsuccessfully, for a seat on the City Council. In 1920, he ran for a seat in the Minnesota legislature, again unsuccessfully.
Whatever problems their parents had did not appear to have had a long-term effect on Westling’s relationships with his children. At various times up until his death in 1952, Olof lived with one or more of his then-adult children.
Karin and Hilda Westling are buried in Lot 2, Block 3. Maj and Dagnie are buried in Lot 19, at the south end of Block 2. None of their graves are marked.
Sue Hunter Weir is chair of Friends of the Cemetery, an organization dedicated to preserving and maintaining Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. She has lived in Phillips for almost 50 years and loves living in such a historic community.
