Courtesy: Axel Johnson / Roy Mengot, USA
Miss Ida Margreta Andersson 1 was born 24 November 1873 at Sventorp, Skaraborgs County, Sweden, to Anders Johan, a minor landowner (b. 30 November 1825 at Suntetorp, Skaraborg County), and Anna Greta Carlsson (née Andersdotter; b. 14 October 1832 at Sventorp, Skaraborg County; d. 5 July 1905). Her parents had married in 1852.
Her brothers and sisters were in 1880 noted as Johan Alfred, b. 3 May 1853, Anna Kristina Elisabet, b. 7 November 1861, August Linus, b. 26 November 1863, Hilda Maria, b. 3 July 1868, Karl Oskar, b. 21 July 1870, Hilma Susanna, b. 3 November 1876, and Josef Timoteus, b. 21 December 1878.
Ida had gone to America previously (26 May 1893) but was back in Sweden by June 1894. She may have gone back to the USA at some point and again returned to Sweden.
In the late 1890s (probably 1898-1899), Ida was a maid in Skövde, Västergötland, apparently in the household of photographer Karl Erik Ludvig Eriksson and 25 November 1910 she moved to Lagmansbro Manor, Vadsbro, Södermanland, where she was employed as a housekeeper; there were at least six ladies working in that position ca. 1911.
Her sister Hilda had emigrated to the USA 28 October 1887 and had married an Axel Johnson 26 August 1890 at Manistee, Michigan.2 Hilda died in childbirth on 7th March 1909. At the time of her death, Hilda and Axel were caring for her own children (6 plus the newborn) and the 3 children of Axel's older brother Andrew. It has been suggested that Ida's reason for travelling to America on this occasion was to care for the ten children. Family members believe that Ida was going to marry Axel but that Andrew had also shown an interest in her.3,4,5
Idae boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a third class passenger and died in the sinking. Her body was not recovered.
The Mansion House Fund paid 874.08 Kr (£48) to Greta Olsson and a 924 Kr (£50) damage claim was paid to Ida's father Johan Carlsson.
The vicar noted in the church records that she had emigrated to North America 30 March 1912 and that she had been lost in the sinking of the Titanic.
Comment and discuss
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In the biography it says that Ida was unmarried, at the age of 38, and that she was on her way to America to take care of 10 children, three of which only had relation upon their father marrying in to the family. It strikes me as odd that she was unmarried or never married and they she was to take care of the ten children. I was wondering if any one has information on these children and on Ida.
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As a Swede, I reacted on the text "Skövde, Småland": Småland is indeed a region. However, the town Skövde is not located in Småland. The town Skövde is located in the region Västergötland.
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From what is on Ida Andersson's bio here on ET, those 10 children were from 2 sets of parents in the same family. Ida's older sister Hilda had emigrated to America in1887 and married Axel Johnson (I think formerly Johansson), with whom she had 7 children. Hilda and Axel were apparently also caring for 3 more children fathered by Axel's older brother Andrew but there is no information on their mother. Hilda died in 1909 during birth of her own 7th child and that was the reason that her younger sister Ida was on her way to America - to look after all 10 children. Some believed that she was going to marry Axel. I believe there is more information about Ida Andersson (and possibly on Hilda) in Claes-Goran Wetterholm's book Titanic.
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