Johanna Nilsson (Lindholm)
Life as a Child
Johanna Nilsson was born July 29, 1836 at Grsby,
Gothunda, Sweden. She was the daughter of Nils Johnson and Kristana Anderson.
When Johanna was a small child her parents were very well to do. She remembers
her father having lots of money, but he somehow lost it all and died a short
time later. This made it very hard on his wife and children.
One day when Johanna was playing next to
the wood chopping block and put her hand on the block while her brother was
chopping wood. The tip of her forefinger was cut off at the second joint, it
was just hanging by a little flesh and skin. They didn't have good doctors in
those days, so her mother had to take care of it. She put some spider web in
the cut and bandaged the finger. It healed, but was left stiff so she couldn't
bend it.
Johanna's brother Neils was badly injured
in a fall when he was two years and was a hunch back the rest of his life. His
parents gave him a good education so he could sustain himself and he became a
lawyer.
Johanna went to Stockholm, Sweden when she
was a young girl to keep house for Neils. She stayed there for several years
until he finally got married. He and his wife wanted Johanna to continue living
with them but Johanna decided she didn't want to be a servant in the home after
having been the mistress.
Johanna moved to Sundsvall, Sweden and got a job in
Barthell's Tailor shop and learned vest making. She loved to tell the story of
an old elephant that would come to the window of the tailor shop and stick his
trunk through the window. One of the men who worked in the shop was in the
habit of giving the elephant candy. Then one day he didn't have any candy, so
he poked his needle in the end of the elephant's trunk. The elephant walked
away, but soon returned with muddy water in his trunk and blew it in the man's
face.
Mormon Missionary and Future Husband
Johanna met her future husband Carl Eric Lindholm
at this shop. Carl Eric was a tailor and also a Latter Day Saint Missionary.
Johanna studied the gospel and was converted. On January 29, 1859, Carl Eric
baptized her in the middle of the night and had to break the ice before he
could baptize her, there was much prejudice against the Mormons at this time.
During this time they became very close friends.
Soon after her baptism Johanna went to
work in Copenhagen, Denmark. Carl Eric remained in Sundsvall, Sweden until he
was released as a missionary. He wrote many love letters to Johanna during
their time apart.
In May 1861, Carl and Johanna purchased passage on
the ship "Monarch of the Sea." They were married aboard the ship
somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean on 15 May 1861. They spent their honeymoon
traveling to Zion. They arrived in Salt Lake City in September 1861.
They bought some land and settled in
Tooele, Utah. They dug a cellar, or as they called it, a dug out, for a
temporary home and lived in it for three years. Then they moved into a one room
adobe home which they had built.
Carl Eric made their living by tailoring,
making adobes, digging beets and potatoes, husking corn and any kind of work he
could find to do. Johanna also worked in the fields and helped Carl Eric with
the tailoring. They received some money but usually they were paid in produce,
potatoes, flour, corn, and meat.
Living in Indian Territory
"Me want biscuit" was a familiar
request made by the Indians of the vicinity as they traveled from door to door.
Johanna gave them bread generously spread with jam, jelly or honey as the
Lindholm's had their own fruit trees and hives of bees. The Indians would lick
the sweets off the bread and then stuff it into their bag and go to the next
house.
One morning, an Indian woman came to
the Lindholm dwelling and asked to use the outhouse. Permission was granted and
Johanna resumed her duties. Time went by and Johanna began to worry about the
woman. She was about to investigate when suddenly the door opened and out
walked the proud Indian mother with a new born babe in her arms. She smiled her
gratitude and left.
Johanna's husband died on April 19, 1875, leaving
Johanna with six children; Charles 13, Franklin 11, Thecla 7, Martha 5, Albert
2, and Alma born one week after the death of his father. 2 children, Parley and Clara, died at birth.
The death of her husband was a great shock
for Johanna who was in a new country with no relatives near by. Johanna worked
hard to keep her family together and provide for them. She did tailoring to
earn money. They never paid any money for food, she grew fruit trees, berry
bushes and vegetables to feed her children.
Final Years
After her children were all married,
Johanna moved to Iona, Idaho to live with her daughter. Her later years were
better for her, as she had her own income and always paid her tithes. She
enjoyed attending Relief Society where she frequently bore testimony of the
truthfulness of the Restored Gospel. She never regretted the toil and hardships
of pioneer life, but was thankful to be living among the Saints of God in Zion
- the Promised Land.
Johanna passed away on 19 April 1908. She was laid
to rest next to her husband in the Tooele Cemetery. Johanna and Carl Eric were
the only members of their families who joined the church.
