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Tree No. 12 Nebraska |
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The Family of Peter H. Loostrom
Peter Loostrom’s father, John Frederick Loostrom, was born in the area of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1860. He came to New York City as a youth and worked at the carpentry trade for the Kimball Piano Company. However, he had not forgotten a lovely young lady, Sophia Albertina
Aronson, that he had admired back home. After sometime, he returned to
Sweden to see if he could persuade Sophia to marry him. He told her he
could get free homestead rights in Nebraska by just living on the land
a few years. Sophia told John she was not ready to wed and didn’t
have her trousseau (brudutstyrsel) ready, but she did come later to
New York City and worked for a year for a millionaire family and
learned to speak the English Language. John made a trip to Nebraska to see about a homestead. He was all
dressed up with a silk hat and it had rained, so when he got off the
train at Gothenburg, he stepped into a big mudhole. He returned to New
York City and by that time he had worked there about 2 years. John and
Sophia were married November 18, 1885. It was said when they arrived
in Gothenburg, Sophia asked "where’s the town". They were
beautifully attired and wore white kid gloves. In later years, the
children would take the gloves from the trunk and admire them. They
were truly city people. John and Sophia moved into a sod house (=soddy, litet hus byggt av
grästorvor) on a homestead 14 miles north of Gothenburg. John would
walk to Gothenburg and work as a carpenter. He could speak several
languages and was outgoing and capable or working well with others. He
helped build the first schoolhouse and opera house in Gothenburg. It
was said they he would leave at 3 a.m. on Monday morning and sometimes
lie down by the roadside to rest and the coyotes would howl close by.
He would say "I’m not dead yet" and continue his walk to
town, and return Saturday night. Sophia recalled once a visit by the
indians and cowboys riding by
and using the door of the soddy as a target. Some would want water
which they had to haul on Sundays with a borrowed wagon and a team of
oxen, and she dared not refuse them. They did have a cow and Sophia
recalled running out of water once and having to boil water from the
pond for herself and the cow. Of course later, they had a well and
acquired a tree claim and planted 80 trees. John and Sophia were parents of 5 children. Peter being the only son, was born May 19, 1888 and died December 16, 1957. His sisters were Alice (Maline), Anna (Booker) 1898-1976, Edythe (Erb) and Emma (Strahle-Evans).
A niece, Christine, made her home with the Loostrom’s
, also. She came here with Sophia’s mother, from Sweden when she was
11 years old. In 1890, after Sophia’s father died, Sophia’s mother
made her home with them until her death in 1903. The first New Hope School was built before 1900, John Loostrom
being the contractor. He was later school director. The building was
soon used for Sunday School and church. Edythe recalled walking to
Sunday school holding her father’s hand when the weather was nice,
he being the Sunday school Superintendent at that time. Before that
they attended the Baptist Church in Gothenburg. John wrote in his
diary about "The Lord’s Day" and how they observed it. John and Sophia bought another quarter of land in the early 1900’s.
By this time they were raising pretty good crops and by penny pinching
they saved $1000, with which they planned to build a new home. The
Lloyd’s bank went broke and they lost everything they had saved.
Sophia was heartbroken. John was still working as a contractor and Edythe recalled how he
also served as justice of the peace at one time and people came to
their home to settle disputes. While building a barn in the community,
John became ill with pneumonia and died January 19, 1904. Sophia stayed on at the homestead after losing her husband. The
family worked hard, raising cattle and hogs and fattening steers to go
to market in Omaha. They also had chickens and sold butter and eggs.
Peter worked in the fields day after day. They also had hired help.
They built a two story frame home which still stands today along with
the barn and other buildings that were built before the house. Sophia
married J.A. Dahlgren and later in 1914 they moved to Gothenburg.
Sophia passed away in 1947 at the age of 88 years. Peter Henry Loostrom and Marie Froland Peterson, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Andrew Peterson, were married on March 25, 1914 and began
their life together on the old homestead. To this union 7 children
were born: |
