LOFVEGREN, Swan 1868-1936
LOFVEGREN
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/16/2013 at 14:34:05
#1:
Swan Lofvegren was born in Sweden, March 7, 1868, and settled in Mitchell County in 1887. He died January 19, 1936 in Douglas County, Minnesota.
His wife, Sophia was born July 3, 1872, and died July 4, 1948 in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Swan, a young immigrant from Sweden, purchased the Little Cedar Blacksmith business in 1895. He built living quarters on the back of the shop, where he lived until later when he built a house. In 1914 he bought a farm at Alexandria, Minnesota and sold the blacksmith shop.
Burial was at Kinkead Cemetery at Alexandria, Minnesota.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sources: (1) MN, death certificate index, (2) Article in Waterloo Daily Courier, August 22, 1954 about the history of the Little Cedar Blacksmith Shop, and (3) Mitchell County Pictorial Atlas, pub. 1911, and (4) Find a Grave indicating cemetery.
(Credit to Karena Couillard)
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Notes:
The STANDARD HISTORICAL ATLAS OF MITCHELL COUNTY, IOWA, 1911, contains a family photo of the Swan Lofvegren Family with three children, two daughters and one son. [Names unknown] The girls appear aged around 11 and 13, and the boy maybe 8 or 9.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Swan Lofvegren MN death certificate # 1936-MN-004087
Sophia Lofvegren MN death certificate # 1948-MN-004003
(Credit: S. Bell)
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#4:PROGRESS FELLS LITTLE CEDAR 'SMITHY' SHOP
LITTLE CEDAR, IOWA — One of the landmarks of Little Cedar has yielded to the march of progress. It was the old blacksmith shop that has stood for more than 60 years, but razed recently.
The lumber, much of it still in good condition, will be used for building on a farm near Otranto. Peter L. Johnson, the owner, plans eventually to replace the shop with a new building.
In 1891 the town was located half a mile east, near the old mill dam. When the railroad was surveyed some of the enterprising citizens persuaded the rail officials to build the road and town farther west of the river.
Tom Woldridge, who had a blacksmith shop near the mill site, built this shop in the fall of 1891. Originally the town was called "Wheeler" but in order to prevent confusion with another post office the name was changed to "Little Cedar."
In 1893 Woldridge sold his business to Alfred Swanson of Osage, who moved his family here and lived in the Baptist parsonage, now the Raymond Conrad home.
Mr. Swanson passed away in 1895 and the shop was sold to a young immigrant from Sweden, Swan Lofvegren. He built living quarters on the back of the shop, where he lived until later he built a house now owned by Roy Smith. The years at the turn of the century were the golden years for the town of Little Cedar.
There was a lumber and coal company, two grain elevators, two general stores, a restaurant, woodworking shop, hotel, creamery, barber shop, 2 churches — Methodist and Baptist, a public school and the blacksmith shop.
General blacksmithing was a flourishing, business in the early days. Besides a place to get their horses shod, plows sharpened, wagons repaired, etc., the shop served as a social center for farmers.
While waiting for "Daisy and Dobbin" to be fitted with a new pair of shoes, farmers discussed crops, played cards and engaged in many heated arguments — some so hot that they had to be settled elsewhere.
Lofvegren continued in business until 1914 when he bought a farm at Alexandria, Minn. He sold his business to Fred Kruger, a local farmer. Kruger built and lived in the house now known as the McPhail residence.
With the coming of the automobiles and tractor age the decline of the blacksmithing business was inevitable. Kruger continued his business until the late twenties when he, too, decided to go to farming.
Several transients came and worked at the trade, only staying a short time. The doors were closed until 1935 when Johnson bought the building and used it for a warehouse in connection with his garage business.
[Waterloo Daily Courier, Sunday, August 22, 1954, Waterloo, Iowa]
(Credit: S. Bell)
Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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