This little girl
was born Jeanette Eleonora Johnson on November 29, 1915 in Ottumwa, Iowa to
John and Jennie Johnson.
John was a farm boy from Goteborg Sweden who came to this country with his brothers just after 1910. A neighbor girl, Jennie Johnson, had either been promised to him or had agreed to follow him. The above is their wedding picture, taken in Ottumwa on November 17, 1914.
Early childhood
This is Mom on her second birthday. The following year, when Mom was 3, her mother left her and her husband to move to Chicago. The following year, in 1919, her dad took her back to Sweden to introduce her to his family. This is their Swedish passport. Note that he signed his name "Johan Petter Johansson" instead of John Peter Johnson, as he was known in Ottumwa.
Sweden
Among the things she saw there was the Johnson family farm, shown below. Am I mistaken, or is that a windmill between the buildings, off in the distance?
Meanwhile, back in the States...
As I mentioned earlier, Jennie (her mom, my grandma) decided that America had a lot to offer that a Swedish farmer-turned-cabinetmaker couldn't provide. She left him and my mom and took off for the bright lights and big city. In the 20's, she was a hairdresser in Chicago, where she married a man named Shinn and apparently sowed her wild oats. Here's a picture of her from those days.
Meanwhile, back in Ottumwa...
John was not capable of caring for his little girl and had to send her off to stay with friends and family in Rockford Illinois. But she didn't stay his little girl. Mom was growing up. This photo is apparently from her pre-teen years and I admit to being biased, but I think she was turning into a very pretty young lady. Don't you?
Nevertheless, her mother did not ignore her completely. She petitioned the court for visitation rights, which were granted when Mom was 6. When she was able, she would come to visit Mom and, if we can believe the photo below, it must have been a happy occasion.
But time marches on and Mom was growing up.
The following two pictures were taken at the time of her confirmation on June 8, 1930. She was just 14, but becoming very pretty.
My mom adored her dad, but unfortunately ...
he was killed by a truck as he walked home along the highway at night during a snowstorm. Mom went to live with her mother in Detroit when she was 12 (more bright lights, different big city) and that is where she went to high school. Here's a picture of Mom and Grandma in Detroit - I'm guessing mid-30's.
After the 11th grade, Mom moved to Cincinnati where she worked for Shillito's department store. In 1935, when she was not quite 20, she married for the first time, ending in divorce. Here's a photo of her at about age 25. Still pretty?
RANDOM PHOTOS - TEXT TO BE ADDED LATER:
She's 68 in the photo below:
Here's a picture taken when she was in her 70's.
Jim Pauk - 5/5/2002
