Olga Margreta Flygare and Carl August Johanson; Rupert Nyman

Olga Margreta Flygare (Erik Jonsson¹, Pehr Ersson Hammarthon², Pehr Hammarton³, Lars Erik Hammarton⁴, Laurina Margreta Hammarton⁵)was born on 06 April 1886 in Hoffsudde, Sel�nger parish, and baptized 13 June 1886. In 1888 she moved from Aln� to Sel�nger parish to Hov.

In 1993, she said of her life in Sweden that she lived with her family in Sk�n. She had mentioned the towns Johannadahl and Tunadahl. They were farmers at Sel�nger parish. Her morfa (grandfather) cut timber and built their home. She was with her Morfa and Mormor (grandmother) and they lived at Torp and stayed there until they died. She may have confused this with her parents, as her maternal grandparents died in 1917/18, and her paternal grandparents died long before she was born in 1877/1892.

In 1902 her parents both died within months of each other. She had to work and take care of her young sister Hilda. She wrote her uncle Peter in Canada of her plight. He sent tickets for the two girls, and they left Sweden on 18 September 1903 and arrived on 14 October 1903. He met up with them in Wetaskiwin where they had to ride the 15 miles out to his farm. Olga wrote of how awful the ride was:

�The horses had to swim over a river, and the water went up to the wagon box. I had to hold on to my sister. She was so afraid, and so was I. It took over a year before I went with him to Wetaskiwin again. No road to speak of, and that trip I shall never forget.�

Carl August Johanson was born on 16 February 1879 at Fridhem under Lattay, Barkeryd Socken, son of Helena Wilhelmina Swenson (b. 06 April 1836; d. 07 November 1909) and Johan August Svenson (d. 24 February 1891). He had two sisters Edla Swenson and Hannah Swenson (who married Gustav Johnson; they also came to Alberta and lived in the Nashville district). Carl changed his last name to Johnson around the time he came to Canada.

He immigrated to Canada and made his way to Winnipeg in 1897, where he worked in a boat factory. He came to Alberta in 1899 and took out a homestead on NW �-32-45-22-4. His mother had arrived in the district before him, and homesteaded on SE �-33-45-22-4. They are listed on the 1901 Canadian Census, he is single and she is widowed. He became a Canadian citizen in 1898 and she in 1900. Carl worked as the town blacksmith in Wetaskiwin, Alberta where he met Olga. He later worked as a road counselor for the Bridges & Building Co. in southern Alberta and in the Kettle Valley.

He had a bunk house on wheels, which was painted barn red. When people moved to Canada and had no place to stay, he would let them live there and help them find work.

Olga and Carl married on 24 December 1904. Theirs was the first house with electricity.

They had the following children:

i. Sanford August Johnson was born on 16 May 1906.

ii. Ruby Margreta Johnson was born on 11 September 1909.

iii. Oscar Theodore Johnson.

iv. Henry Charles Johnson was born on 30 March 1913.

v. Elwood Johnson.

vi. Living Johnson.

Carl�s widowed mother lived with them until she passed away. On 19 February 1932 Carl died of Bryst disease (kidneys). He is buried at the Nashville Cemetery, Wetaskiwin.

Olga and her sons farmed together until Sanford married in 1935. After that, he and his brother Ted took over the farming. Olga lived with them until she remarried.

Rupert Nyman moved to the States from Alunda, Sweden. He lived in Los Angeles, California for 15 years. He married Amalia Berg in Los Angeles in 1898; in 1900 they moved to the Haultain district where they purchased land. Rupert was both an expert watchmaker and farmer. I don�t know when Amalia passed away, but a photo of her and Rupert is dated 1914. She is buried at the Nashville Cemetery at Wetaskisin.

Rupert and Olga married in 1938. In 1947 they took a trip to Sweden and stayed 11 months. After they had been home for a month, he died of a heart attack on 15 December 1947/48 at the age of 78 years. He is buried at the Nashville Cemetery at Wetaskiwin.

In 1955 Olga moved from the farm into the town of Wetaskiwin. In 1966 she was diagnosed with cancer in her left eye. In 1976 she moved into a retirement home, where she lived for the next 20 years.

In 1996, at the grand age of 110, she was the oldest living person in Alberta. Articles were written up about her in all of the Alberta newspapers. Olga passed away on 15 December 1996. She is buried at the Nashville Cemetery in Wetaskiwin, next to her first husband, Carl.