Great Great Grandma Minnie Bergstrom: Lived alot in a very short life....

Banks, Oregon
March 26, 2017 4:51pm CST
Minnie Dorothy Johnson lived a very short life, but she fit alot of life into those 24 years. Born Jul 5 1886 in McHenry, Illinois to Danish Immigrants Louis & Rena Johnson, whom Americanized there names from Lars Kristian Jensen & Severine Sonder Svenningsdotter. Minnie's family would settle in Janesville, Wisconsin, she was 1 of 13 children, only 9 of whom lived to adulthood. Minnie would marry for the first time very young at only 14 years of age to a Swedish immigrant by the name of William Fabian Bergstrom, they would marry Sep. 6, 1900 in McHenry, Illinois. William & Minnie would make there home for a time in Janesville, Wisconsin before making there way to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There first child would come along Jul 18 1903 she would be named Dorothy Leora Bergstrom. Around 1905 William and Minnie would move in with his brother David whom was a long haul truck driver. On March 4, 1907 Minnie would give birth to a son George David, who is my Great Grandfather. On the Birth Certificate his father is listed as William Bergstrom. However it would come to fruition his father however was William's brother David Hermanus Bergstrom. Minnie and David lived in sin at the time unmarried, Minnie a ruined marriage at age 21, family shame her father already dead by this time. Minnie would soon be pregnant with her 3rd child, at 4 months pregnant she would marry for the 2nd time at age 24 to her ex-husband William's brother David on Jul 18 1910 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota. It is likely the bride did not wear white, Minnie having had one failed marriage, a lurid affair with her husband's brother, a 2nd marriage while pregnant, it is likely she to suffered from depression. A day before the birth of her son Kenneth Louis Bergstrom, her mother Rena Johnson would end her life by hanging in a broom closet. It is likely the stress of this could have caused Minnie's early pregnancy the next day on Nov. 22 1910 her son would be born. Her daughter would eventually move away with other family, and my Great Grandfather George would be sent to the Owatonna Ophanage, Minnie would pass away on Jan 28, 1911 leaving behind a 2 month year old son, a 3 year old son, and a 7 year old daughter. Minnie would be laid to rest at Minneapolis Pioneer Cemetery in a unmarked grave. So much happened for this young woman in 24 years, she never saw her children grow old, never really got to experience life. I can only imagine what she went through, and why she made the choices she did.
7 people like this
8 responses
@Tampa_girl7 (49005)
• United States
27 Mar 17
What a sad story
1 person likes this
• Banks, Oregon
28 Mar 17
So very very sad i just cant even imagine and worse yet is she is buried in a unmarked grave.....
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
28 Mar 17
Poor woman, I don't suppose she got much enjoyment from her short life.
1 person likes this
@suni51 (3429)
• India
26 Mar 17
I hope she enjoyed her short life as much as she could!
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
27 Mar 17
wow!that is a lot to handle there.Sad that she never saw her children getting older
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325815)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Mar 17
She had a really tough life, poor girl. That is very young to die.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
27 Mar 17
That is quite a lot for a young person to handle.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215476)
• Chile
27 Mar 17
They were other, very tough, times.
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
26 Mar 17
That's was common for people then, it was just much more of a shock to the people living in that time. Now it seems almost commonplace that things like this happen that we don't really bat an eye at it.