Julia is my great-great-grandfather's second wife. This is what I've been able to piece together of Julia's story:
Julia Maria Johansson was born on December 25, 1876 in Arvika, Varmland, Sweden to Johan Andersson Wennersten and Karolina Nilsson. She was the fifth of seven children: Kristina, Karl Johan (twins), Oscar, Johanna (Anna), Axel, and Nils Emil. Her father and one of his brothers changed thier last name to Wennersten (working with stone) and Karolina and Anna used that name as well, although Karl, Oscar and Axel kept the last name Johnson.
Sometime in 1880 or 1881 her father left for America. As far as we can tell, he did not come back or send for his family. In 1907 her mother, Karolina and older brother, Karl came to America to find him and it is unclear if they found him or not. Either way, they returned to Sweden without him.
Most of the children immigrated to America. Julia came around 1893. She was only 16. She came to Colorado as did Oscar, Axel and Anna. Around 1896 she married John P. Orth in Pueblo, Colorado. He was a widower with five children: Harold, Joseph Ivar, Mabel, Edith, and Carl William (my great-grandpa). Julia was quite young when she married and Harold was only 10 years younger than she was and it is assumed that this may have caused problems with their relationship.
The family lived in Ouray, Colorado where John worked in the mines. On April 1, 1905 he died in an avalanche while working on Hayden Mountain. After his death, it is believed that Julia left. Although the cemetery records indicate that his wife and five children were living in Toledo, Ohio, there is no other record that the children left Colorado.
In 1910 Julia was living in Marquette, Kansas with her sister, Anna, and her family. Carl William was only 11 years old when his father died. Harold tried to keep the family together and prevent Carl from being adopted, but after a sudden illness he died in May 1911. I wonder if Julia knew about Harold's death and returned to Colorado to find the other children or if she just came to live near her brothers, Oscar and Axel. As far as my family knows, she did not have any contact with any of them although she lived the rest of her life in Denver and Edith also lived most of her life as a nurse in Denver.
On October 7, 1911 Julia married Larsh Edward Trail in Denver, Colorado. She was 34 and he was only 22 years old. Her gravestone states that she was born in 1884. She must have said she was 8 years younger than she was because of the age difference. She died in February 1932 in Denver, Colorado. She never had any children of her own. Larsh died after a long illness in May 1947. They are buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.
The wedding of John Per Orth and Julia
The Orth family
back: Edith, Joseph, Harold, Mabel
front: John, Carl, Julia
The gravesite of Larsh and Julia Trail in Denver, Colorado
1 comment:
I love this story. I hope you gets more answers one day. Her life is was fascinating.
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