McLaughlin Family

The Mattisson family is best represented by the postcard of their daughters. It is also found in Dear Blanda, Greetings. Below is the Ivetofta Kyrka, Kyrkvägen, Bromölla, Sweden were they were all christened.

Six of the sisters got together and took a photograph in 1912 that they sent to their sister Blanda as a postcard. The postcard is dated 31 August 1912 and it is addressed to Blanda’s at 36 Sason Road, Boston, Massachusetts. She had previously immigrated to the United States with the help of her father’s brother. His name was Nils Pehrsson and he immigrated to teach violin at Harvard University (unsubstantiated family lore). What ever he did for a living, he became the source of funds to pay for the immigration of Blanda, Matilda, and Esther.

They also dutifully paid him back all the money he advanced. Four of the sisters and their one brother remained in Sweden. Alma, Olga, Hulda, and Siri stayed with their brother Herman in Sweden, while Matilda and Esther immigrated to the United States. The oldest sister Betty died in Sweden in 1908 at the age of 26. The six sisters took this picture postcard before Matilda and Esther left Sweden. Blanda and Matilda never returned to Sweden.

From left to right, they are Siri, Matilda, Hulda, Esther, Alma, and Olga. Siri married Albert Wilhilm Jonsson and they had six children. They had four boys and two girls, and they raised them in Trolle-Ljungby. Matilda married Eric Nilson in the United States, and they had six children (five boys and one girl) who were raised in Bakersfield, California. Olga married Martin Karlsson in Kristianstad, and they had one child, a daughter named Maj.

I knew Matilda well because we would drive down to Bakersfield, California several times a year for a Sunday dinner with her family. It was always lamb. I was required to address her and my uncle in Swedish. They’d play Swedish language games when we were younger, like name the fingers of the hand and such.