75. Wayne's ancestors from Sweden, and "gun toting" Grandma!
Tonight I'll tell interesting things about my husband Wayne D Eckman's father, and his ancestors from Sweden.
Wayne wrote, in the book about his ancestors: (Pages 39, and on to 48)
I want to acknowledge my gratitude to our wonderful missionary system and to the missionaries who visited Sweden in the year 1880, C.P. Larsson and Elder Gillan, both of Murray, Utah, who preached the gospel to our forebears and converted them. Those were my father Roy Waldamer Eckman's parents, John Emanuel Wengreen Eckman and Margaret Christine Turnquist, and Roy's grandparents, Johan and Anna Gretha Wengreen, and Erik and Carolina Soderbom Turnquist. Roy's father’s 3 sisters and 2 brothers and his mother’s only sister were all baptized and emigrated to Utah, some in 1881 and others in 1883.
Grandfather Johan Emanuel Wengreen Eckman was born in Tierp, Sweden, August 15, 1836. He was Roy's grandfather, and left Sweden in 1881 with his 2 sons, William 12 and Charles 10 years, while the boys could travel on half-fare. They came to Murray, Utah, where he worked at the smelter and sent money to help the rest of the family over here. His wife and 2 daughters came later.
It was hard for Johan's 2 little boys, alone all day, and they could not speak or understand the language. Their father often came home and found them crying because other children would tease and abuse them. An elderly L.D.S. sister said she would care for the boys while he worked. She truly was a needed mother until Great grandmother Anna Gretha, Emma, and Charlotta came to Utah to join 2 happy little boys and their father in 1882. Anna Gretha was the daughter of a key harp player in Dannemora. I'll write about what a "key harp" is in an entry really soon. It is quite fascinating.
Johan's father's name was Olof Olsson. His children took the surname of Olofson. When his son John Olofson went into the Swedish army, he was given the "army name" of Wengren (or Wengreen). When his son Johan Emanuel Wengren went into the Swedish army he was given the army name of Eckman. After the army time, the men could keep their new surname, or go back to their prior surname. Both grandparents chose to keep the army name. So Wayne's own grandfather was born with the surname of Wengren. Johan Emanuel had brothers who kept the name of "Wengren", so there are Wengren's in Logan who are relatives of the "Eckmans". Is that confusing? ! It makes doing Swedish genealogy quite interesting, and difficult!
My great grandfather continued working at the smelter for several years and later bought a farm in Union, Utah, where they lived until great grandmother Anna Gretha passed away at the age of 73 years. She was buried in Sandy Cemetery. We walked all over that cemetery one time, but couldn't find the grave. Then Grandfather sold the farm and went to live with his daughter Emma in Berkeley,California, where he died at the age of 90 years. He was a strong and hardworking man. They had 6 children, 3 sons and 3 daughters.
As a child, Roy, Wayne's father, would go with his parents, brothers, and sisters to celebrate their grandparents birthdays.. Many other relatives would be there and they would have a program and Great grandfather and Grandfather played harps, and one uncle played the accordion and his brother the violin. Many times they would dance till wee hours of the morning. Roy, Wayne's dad, was the youngest in the family, and Tacy, Jennie, Edward, Clara, and Emil all preceded him in birth on the homestead in Parley’s Canyon.
Later, Grandpa Ekman moved up into Parley’s Canyon where he got a homestead. Most of their children were born there and went to school in a rock school house, that was built in what now is Salt Lake City’s Reservoir. The building still stands but is covered with silt. They attended this school, riding horseback to get there. While there, Grandpa got the foreman’s job of building the railroad from Salt Lake City to Park City. They built their brick home at Mountainair about the middle of the canyon. They boarded some of the laborers.
One time, the three girls, Tacy, Jennie, and Clara, (Roy's sisters) were teenagers and one day three of the men started to get out of hand with the girls, so Grandmother pulled out her 45 from under her apron and, pointing the gun at the men, told them to get out and never to come back. They did hurry away! (This was Wayne's grandmother! She carried a 45 pistol in her apron pocket for such encounters.) They lived on the main road up Parley's Canyon, from Salt Lake City to Park City, on the route to a place known as "Robber's Roost". Many shady characters passed their home often!
It must have been twenty miles to Salt Lake City, where Grandmother went by horse and buggy to get groceries. One day on her way home late in the evening, a lion scared the horse and it dumped her out, and the horse took off for home. When the horse came in without Grandmother, the boys got the horse and buggy and proceeded to look for their mother. They found her walking along the road in the dark----
She was scratched up a bit, but O.K. They never did know if she took a shot at the lion, but it is possible she did as she always had the gun with her. This was an unsettled time, as there were highwaymen traveling from Salt Lake Valley through the canyon on to Park City and beyond to Robber's Roost through Provo Canyon.
While in the process of building the railroad, Grandmother had a dream or premonition, that the engine would jump the track on a downhill curve. She told Granddad about it and, at work, a worker stood at the bottom of that curve, and Granddad told him to move from there, as the engine was going to jump the track right where he was standing. The man thought his boss was crazy, but nevertheless he moved just in time. The train made a believer out of the man, as the train did jump the track.
What stalwart people! To leave their home country of Sweden! But around 30 years later they went back to Sweden. That story will come later.
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