Johanna Persdotter Ahlin

## Biography

Mrs. Johanna Persdotter Ahlin, born Johanna Persdotter Pettersson, was born on Wednesday, June 21st, 1871 in Västermo, Södermanland, Sweden. She was the daughter of a crofter, Per Larsson Pettersson (April 25th, 1839 - ?) and his wife Anna Stina Larsdotter (April 13th, 1842 - ?), a native of Arboga, Västmanland, Sweden. The couple had married on September 26th, 1869 and went on to have ten children of which Johanna was the eldest. Her siblings were; Emma Sofia (June 12th, 1873 - ?), Carl Oscar (April 17th, 1875 - ?), Augusta (January 26th, 1877 - ?), Charlotta (March 5th, 1879 - ?), Per Viktor (March 11th, 1881 - ?), Emma Christina (June 21st, 1883 - ?), Olof Arvid (July 29th, 1884 - ?), Johan Emil (November 19th, 1886 - April 15th, 1912) and Hulda Maria (January 6th, 1889 - ?).

Sometime in her life, she moved to Ojä, Södermanland, Sweden, where, on June 17th, 1894, she got married to Lars Johan Karlsson Ahlin (August 17th, 1870 - August 29th, 1949), a fisherman. The couple had six children, of which four died in infancy; Hilda Josefina (July 26th, 1894 - 1895), Anna Augusta (September 12th, 1895 - October 15th, 1895), Wendela Teresia (October 16th, 1896 - November 11th, 1896), Karl Ivar (December 27th, 1897 - July 27th, 1899), Sven Gunnar (August 16th, 1899 - January 4th, 1939) and Johan David (May 23rd, 1901 - August 13th, 1983).

On August 3rd, 1903, Lars left Sweden to try and build a new life for his family in America. After nearly two years of savings by working as a cement labourer, he finally came back to Ojä to collect his family. They traveled to Liverpool, Merseyside, England where, on March 28th, 1905, they boarded the S.S. Ivernia as third class passengers. According to the ship's manifest, both Johanna and Lars could read and write.

On April 6th, 1905, they arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, United States. From there, they traveled to Chicago, Illinois, United States and went to live with Lars's brother Victor at 94 Sedgwick Street for a while.

In 1910, the family lived at 2051 Belle Plaine Avenue in Chicago and Lars was by then described as a stock keeper in the dairy industry. The family were never official citizens of the United States.

In early 1912, Johanna went back to Sweden to visit her parents on their farm in Närlunda. While in Sweden, she managed to convince her youngest brother Johan to come and live in the United States. So, on March 18th, 1912, the duo left for a journey to Southampton. They first took a train to Göteborg, Västergötland, Sweden where they boarded a ship to Southampton. For their return to the United States, they booked a passage as third class passengers on the Titanic. Johanna's ticket was 7546, which cost her £9 9s 6d. They boarded the ship on April 10th, 1912, in Southampton. Both Johanna and Johan were lost in the sinking and their bodies, if ever recovered, were never identified.

The Mansion House Fund paid £48 to Lars and their sons with a further £39 42s in damages paid to her Lars on June 4th, 1914. On June 3rd, 1916, Lars remarried to Sophie Swanson. The couple lived in Chicago before moving to Lake County, Illinois, United States and never had children. Sven never got married and worked as a timekeeper until his death in 1939. Johan worked as a clerk and married Eleanor Christopherson but had no children. He died in 1983.