The Lilja Family USA, genealogy and Collage
The Liljas and the Nords Immigrate to America(1)
During the 19th century Europe continued to experience widespread economic depression and failing crops. From 1820 to the start of WWI over one million Swedes immigrated to the United States and Canada. Sweden’s class inequality, lack of personal and religious freedom, and socio-economic conditions of continuing grim poverty, both in the city and countryside, contributed to the mass migration.
At the turn of the 20th century many young and unmarried Swedes left their homeland with hopes of a better lifestyle and economic opportunity in America. The journey lasted seven weeks aboard a cargo ship which offered cheap $12 fares.
Most immigrants first lived in American cities which offered high paying jobs in the mechanical industries and factories. Some chose to earn enough money to eventually purchase low cost quality farmland. The men often were employed in Swedish work gangs in the construction industries. Scandinavian women learned the English language and adapted to the American culture quickly. They were in high demand to work as maids or domestics.
In his work, "We Who Built America" (1939), Carl Wittke gives an overview of the Swedish immigrant’s character and assimilation to American lifestyle. The Swedes are generally described as even-tempered, serious-minded individualists. They have a strong sense of property ownership and a deep religious sense. The Swedes are noted for their adaptability to American conditions, for their ability and willingness to work hard, and for their marvelous physical stamina. The percentage of home ownership is high among them. Swedes also have an unsurpassed devotion to education, and send their children to school; the rate of illiteracy among them is extremely low. Like other Scandinavians, the Swede has little difficulty in adjusting himself to the American democratic system of government.
Both Verner Lilja and Anna Greta Nord were part of this Swedish exodus. With much courage they immigrated to America with hopes of freedom and opportunity.
(1) By George (Lucky) Lilja of Natick Massachusetts
VERNER AUGUST LILJA
NICKNAME “POP”
DOB 12/29/1891, DOD 11/29/1974
Year of immigration 1913
PARENTS Johan August Lilja, Ida Andersen
US Naturalization documents indicate that Verner was born in Halmstad, Sweden, which is a port, university, industrial, and recreational city located on Sweden’s southwest coast. The family of four boys and two girls lived in the locality of Oskarström located 30 km northeast of Halmstad.
Johan was a building contractor and built the family home, Villa Alicero, in 1906. The house included four apartments for rental income.
Ida was a housewife and operated a bakery. Her bread named Oskarströms bröd became a local favorite. She later sold the recipe to a production bakery in Halmstad. Today the same bakery still uses Ida’s Swedish bread recipe.
In 1913 when Verner was twenty one years old he left from Copenhagen, Denmark to immigrate to America. The ship was named United States. In 1914 his brother George immigrated and in 1920 his brothers, Karl and Harry also immigrated to America (Natick, MA) while his two sisters remained in Sweden.
Verner was employed as a house painter by Fritze Nilson Co, Wellesley Hills, for over 30 years. He earned extra income by doing independent painting jobs. He was a master at staining and refinishing wood surfaces and also possessed creative artistic talent. He enjoyed oil painting on canvas but could stroke a brush on most any surface. The grandchildren remember viewing a wall mural with a nature theme that he painted on the cellar foundation. His attention to detail was reflected in the miniature ships in the bottle he designed and built. All of his brothers were also house painters.
It remains unclear why he decided to come to Natick. Perhaps the lure of the area mills and homes that boarded Swedish men had an influence. The 1917 Natick Directory shows his first recorded address as 26 Morses Pond Grove which is located in East Natick. He received US citizenship July 17, 1933 via US DC MA Petition 147765 at Boston. Verner never returned to visit Sweden.
At age 82 Verner died as a result of natural causes in Melbourne, Florida.
He is buried in Natick’s Dell Park Cemetery.
ANNA GRETA NORD
“GRETA”
DOB 2/25/1893, DOD 12/25/1968
Year of immigration 1910
PARENTS Johan Gustav Nord, Matilda Persdotter
Greta was born in the Swedish province of Vastergotland. The Nord family of five boys and five girls lived in the southeast village of Arnas. The home was situated next to a glass factory which employed family members.
Greta’s sister, Ester Matilda Nord, came to America in 1908. Ester worked as a domestic, saved her earnings, and returned to Sweden in order to provide ship passage fare for her sister Greta. On April 28, 1910 Greta and Ester left Sweden from Forshem. Although other Nord relatives were living in Woburn, they decided to settle in Concord, NH and work as domestics. Greta also worked in a Manchester, NH textile (shirt) factory before coming to Natick. Greta and Ester saved money which was sent to Sweden to provide passage to America for brothers Folke and Arvid. The brothers settled in the Morses Pond Grove section of East Natick.
Both Greta and Ester married Swedish male immigrants living in the Morses Pond Grove area of East Natick. However, it remains unclear when or why Greta and Ester decided to come to Natick. Present family assumption is that Natick offered factory and textile mill employment along with a strong Swedish population.
When first living in Natick, Greta worked as a domestic. On January 8, 19l6 Verner and Greta were married in Boston by the Reverend Charles V Bowman. It remains a current family mystery how they met. They lived at Morses Pond until they purchased land on Earlandson Road in 1917 from Sven Erickson, Ester’s husband. Verner, along with many Swedish friends, constructed a two story home that remains on the lot.
All records indicate housewife or “at home “ as her occupation. She earned income by providing laundry, ironing, and house cleaning services to Natick and Wellesley families. Greta’s talents included Swedish style cooking, gardening, sewing, canning fruits and vegetables, and income budgeting. She instilled values of a strong work ethic, thrift, and family loyalty to the first four sons. However, following the deaths of Ralph and George, Robert would receive a different style of upbringing.
She was a member of the East Natick United Methodist Church and records show that all five sons were baptized there.
Greta received US citizenship on February 15, 1943 via USDC MA Petition 247511 in Boston. Greta returned to visit Sweden in 1949 and 1951.
At age 75 she died in her sleep at her Tampa, Florida home as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. She is buried in Natick’s Dell Park Cemetery.
The Grove
The Grove is a wooded area of land located in East Natick, MA. It has a peninsula shape and is bordered northerly by Worcester Street including Jennings Pond, easterly by Morses Pond, southerly by Border Road, and westerly by Oak Street.
In 1950 the town of Natick built a public elementary school located at the intersection of Oak and Bacon Streets. It was named Lilja School in honor of Ralph and George Lilja who grew up in East Natick’s Grove area and attended public schools. Both were killed in action in the South Pacific while serving in the United States Marine Corps during WWII.
A public re-dedication ceremony was held on July 13, 2011 at the Lilja Elementary School. The school’s name would now add tribute to Edwin and Verner Lilja Jr who also served in the USMC during WWII. Resolutions were presented from the Massachusetts’s Senate and House to now honor all four Lilja brothers.
The ceremony included the Natick Veterans Council’s unveiling of a granite memorial stone with each of the Lilja brothers’ names engraved. The stone is placed at the base of the school’s outside flagpole.
Participants of the ceremony
Paul Carew - Natick Veterans Services
Edward Jolley - Natick Veterans Council
Patrick Young - Officer of the Day
Harry Seaholm - VFW Post 1274
State Senator Richard Ross
Natick Selectmen Joshua Ostroff and Paul Joseph
Ann Blanchard - Natick School Committee
Barbara Brown, Principal – Lilja Elementary School
Kellie Connelly and Jane Weaver – Lilja Elementary School staff
Adham Abji and Sophia Kovatsis – Lilja Elementary School student flag bearers
The Lilja family included Verner and Greta who raised five sons: Ralph, George, Edwin, Verner Jr, and Robert. Although the recent school name re-dedication gave tribute to the four older brothers, it is important to note that youngest brother, Robert, was also a veteran. He served in the USMC during the Korean conflict.
The following Lilja family essay is an attempt to show the human side of these special veterans. The beginning describes the background of the Swedish parents’ immigration to America and early family life. There is a separate section for each brother offering both military and personal information which was obtained from family dialogue and excerpts from government documents,
military records, and town publications. During the research phase, there were discrepancies found. The story presented offers an overview with some conjecture.
GROWING UP IN EAST NATICK’S GROVE
Early Lilja family life for both parents and sons involved daily chores of gardening, splitting wood, meal preparation, laundry, house cleaning, and yard maintenance. The property had Macintosh apple trees, a vegetable garden, and a grape arbor. Concord grape jelly and piccalilli were among the many of Greta’s homemade specialties. She also took great pride in the family flower garden and lilac bushes.
All five sons attended public school, but there was no opportunity to pursue interests in clubs or organizations. Neighborhood “pick up” games of baseball, football, and pond hockey were common. George was the catcher, Edwin the pitcher, and Verner Jr played outfield. As the boys grew older, they earned extra income for the household by caddying, painting houses with their dad and uncles, and taking any side labor and retail jobs available. The parents did not encourage the boys to learn to speak Swedish. It was important for the sons to master English and assimilate into the American lifestyle.
Swedish food enjoyed at a Lilja smorgasbord style dinner on Julaften, or Christmas Eve would feature sil, or pickled herring. One of the mainstays is lutfisk, which was always served with boiled potatoes and a white sauce. Saffron buns and bread made with glazed fruits were served hot. The fare included a large spread of buns and cakes. Another favorite component always present was the Swedish lingonberries. The meal was usually topped off with risgryn, or rice pudding, flavored with cinnamon, cream, and sugar.
Verner and Greta lived at this residence for 45 years. In the late 1950’s they purchased a simple camp style home in Gilsum, NH and a winter home in Tampa, FL. The Earlandson property was sold in 1962. The parents would now spend winter months in Florida and summers in New Hampshire.
The Lilja brothers’ service to our country has been remembered.
The American Memorial Park, located in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands,
list First Sergeant Ralph Lilja on the Court of Honor memorial.
There is a public bench, located at the Shell Point Park in Onset, MA.,
with a Verner Jr and Shirley Lilja memorial plague attached.
Acknowledgement for assistance in gathering information is extended to:
Susan Lilja Anderberg – Edwin Lilja’s daughter
Gaylene Bordeaux – Morse Institute Library Archives
Paul Carew – Natick Veterans Services
Barbara Lilja Carlson – Lilja brothers’ first cousin
Effie Erikson Hall – Lilja brothers’ first cousin
Jennifer Hance – Natick Historical Society
Cary Holmes – Morse Institute Library Archives
Barry Lilja – Ralph Lilja’s son
Hilary Harp Lilja – George “Lucky” Lilja’s daughter in law
Robbie Lilja – Robert Lilja’s son
Tara McDonald – Natick High School librarian
Marcia McLeod – Wayland United Methodist Church
Beth Lilja Messing – Edwin Lilja’s daughter
Harry Seaholm – Commander, VFW Post 1274
NICKNAME “POP”
DOB 12/29/1891, DOD 11/29/1974
Year of immigration 1913
PARENTS Johan August Lilja, Ida Andersen
US Naturalization documents indicate that Verner was born in Halmstad, Sweden, which is a port, university, industrial, and recreational city located on Sweden’s southwest coast. The family of four boys and two girls lived in the locality of Oskarström located 30 km northeast of Halmstad.
Johan was a building contractor and built the family home, Villa Alicero, in 1906. The house included four apartments for rental income.
Ida was a housewife and operated a bakery. Her bread named Oskarströms bröd became a local favorite. She later sold the recipe to a production bakery in Halmstad. Today the same bakery still uses Ida’s Swedish bread recipe.
In 1913 when Verner was twenty one years old he left from Copenhagen, Denmark to immigrate to America. The ship was named United States. In 1914 his brother George immigrated and in 1920 his brothers, Karl and Harry also immigrated to America (Natick, MA) while his two sisters remained in Sweden.
Verner was employed as a house painter by Fritze Nilson Co, Wellesley Hills, for over 30 years. He earned extra income by doing independent painting jobs. He was a master at staining and refinishing wood surfaces and also possessed creative artistic talent. He enjoyed oil painting on canvas but could stroke a brush on most any surface. The grandchildren remember viewing a wall mural with a nature theme that he painted on the cellar foundation. His attention to detail was reflected in the miniature ships in the bottle he designed and built. All of his brothers were also house painters.
It remains unclear why he decided to come to Natick. Perhaps the lure of the area mills and homes that boarded Swedish men had an influence. The 1917 Natick Directory shows his first recorded address as 26 Morses Pond Grove which is located in East Natick. He received US citizenship July 17, 1933 via US DC MA Petition 147765 at Boston. Verner never returned to visit Sweden.
At age 82 Verner died as a result of natural causes in Melbourne, Florida.
He is buried in Natick’s Dell Park Cemetery.
ANNA GRETA NORD
“GRETA”
DOB 2/25/1893, DOD 12/25/1968
Year of immigration 1910
PARENTS Johan Gustav Nord, Matilda Persdotter
Greta was born in the Swedish province of Vastergotland. The Nord family of five boys and five girls lived in the southeast village of Arnas. The home was situated next to a glass factory which employed family members.
Greta’s sister, Ester Matilda Nord, came to America in 1908. Ester worked as a domestic, saved her earnings, and returned to Sweden in order to provide ship passage fare for her sister Greta. On April 28, 1910 Greta and Ester left Sweden from Forshem. Although other Nord relatives were living in Woburn, they decided to settle in Concord, NH and work as domestics. Greta also worked in a Manchester, NH textile (shirt) factory before coming to Natick. Greta and Ester saved money which was sent to Sweden to provide passage to America for brothers Folke and Arvid. The brothers settled in the Morses Pond Grove section of East Natick.
Both Greta and Ester married Swedish male immigrants living in the Morses Pond Grove area of East Natick. However, it remains unclear when or why Greta and Ester decided to come to Natick. Present family assumption is that Natick offered factory and textile mill employment along with a strong Swedish population.
When first living in Natick, Greta worked as a domestic. On January 8, 19l6 Verner and Greta were married in Boston by the Reverend Charles V Bowman. It remains a current family mystery how they met. They lived at Morses Pond until they purchased land on Earlandson Road in 1917 from Sven Erickson, Ester’s husband. Verner, along with many Swedish friends, constructed a two story home that remains on the lot.
All records indicate housewife or “at home “ as her occupation. She earned income by providing laundry, ironing, and house cleaning services to Natick and Wellesley families. Greta’s talents included Swedish style cooking, gardening, sewing, canning fruits and vegetables, and income budgeting. She instilled values of a strong work ethic, thrift, and family loyalty to the first four sons. However, following the deaths of Ralph and George, Robert would receive a different style of upbringing.
She was a member of the East Natick United Methodist Church and records show that all five sons were baptized there.
Greta received US citizenship on February 15, 1943 via USDC MA Petition 247511 in Boston. Greta returned to visit Sweden in 1949 and 1951.
At age 75 she died in her sleep at her Tampa, Florida home as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. She is buried in Natick’s Dell Park Cemetery.
The Grove
The Grove is a wooded area of land located in East Natick, MA. It has a peninsula shape and is bordered northerly by Worcester Street including Jennings Pond, easterly by Morses Pond, southerly by Border Road, and westerly by Oak Street.
In 1950 the town of Natick built a public elementary school located at the intersection of Oak and Bacon Streets. It was named Lilja School in honor of Ralph and George Lilja who grew up in East Natick’s Grove area and attended public schools. Both were killed in action in the South Pacific while serving in the United States Marine Corps during WWII.
A public re-dedication ceremony was held on July 13, 2011 at the Lilja Elementary School. The school’s name would now add tribute to Edwin and Verner Lilja Jr who also served in the USMC during WWII. Resolutions were presented from the Massachusetts’s Senate and House to now honor all four Lilja brothers.
The ceremony included the Natick Veterans Council’s unveiling of a granite memorial stone with each of the Lilja brothers’ names engraved. The stone is placed at the base of the school’s outside flagpole.
Participants of the ceremony
Paul Carew - Natick Veterans Services
Edward Jolley - Natick Veterans Council
Patrick Young - Officer of the Day
Harry Seaholm - VFW Post 1274
State Senator Richard Ross
Natick Selectmen Joshua Ostroff and Paul Joseph
Ann Blanchard - Natick School Committee
Barbara Brown, Principal – Lilja Elementary School
Kellie Connelly and Jane Weaver – Lilja Elementary School staff
Adham Abji and Sophia Kovatsis – Lilja Elementary School student flag bearers
The Lilja family included Verner and Greta who raised five sons: Ralph, George, Edwin, Verner Jr, and Robert. Although the recent school name re-dedication gave tribute to the four older brothers, it is important to note that youngest brother, Robert, was also a veteran. He served in the USMC during the Korean conflict.
The following Lilja family essay is an attempt to show the human side of these special veterans. The beginning describes the background of the Swedish parents’ immigration to America and early family life. There is a separate section for each brother offering both military and personal information which was obtained from family dialogue and excerpts from government documents,
military records, and town publications. During the research phase, there were discrepancies found. The story presented offers an overview with some conjecture.
GROWING UP IN EAST NATICK’S GROVE
Early Lilja family life for both parents and sons involved daily chores of gardening, splitting wood, meal preparation, laundry, house cleaning, and yard maintenance. The property had Macintosh apple trees, a vegetable garden, and a grape arbor. Concord grape jelly and piccalilli were among the many of Greta’s homemade specialties. She also took great pride in the family flower garden and lilac bushes.
All five sons attended public school, but there was no opportunity to pursue interests in clubs or organizations. Neighborhood “pick up” games of baseball, football, and pond hockey were common. George was the catcher, Edwin the pitcher, and Verner Jr played outfield. As the boys grew older, they earned extra income for the household by caddying, painting houses with their dad and uncles, and taking any side labor and retail jobs available. The parents did not encourage the boys to learn to speak Swedish. It was important for the sons to master English and assimilate into the American lifestyle.
Swedish food enjoyed at a Lilja smorgasbord style dinner on Julaften, or Christmas Eve would feature sil, or pickled herring. One of the mainstays is lutfisk, which was always served with boiled potatoes and a white sauce. Saffron buns and bread made with glazed fruits were served hot. The fare included a large spread of buns and cakes. Another favorite component always present was the Swedish lingonberries. The meal was usually topped off with risgryn, or rice pudding, flavored with cinnamon, cream, and sugar.
Verner and Greta lived at this residence for 45 years. In the late 1950’s they purchased a simple camp style home in Gilsum, NH and a winter home in Tampa, FL. The Earlandson property was sold in 1962. The parents would now spend winter months in Florida and summers in New Hampshire.
The Lilja brothers’ service to our country has been remembered.
The American Memorial Park, located in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands,
list First Sergeant Ralph Lilja on the Court of Honor memorial.
There is a public bench, located at the Shell Point Park in Onset, MA.,
with a Verner Jr and Shirley Lilja memorial plague attached.
Acknowledgement for assistance in gathering information is extended to:
Susan Lilja Anderberg – Edwin Lilja’s daughter
Gaylene Bordeaux – Morse Institute Library Archives
Paul Carew – Natick Veterans Services
Barbara Lilja Carlson – Lilja brothers’ first cousin
Effie Erikson Hall – Lilja brothers’ first cousin
Jennifer Hance – Natick Historical Society
Cary Holmes – Morse Institute Library Archives
Barry Lilja – Ralph Lilja’s son
Hilary Harp Lilja – George “Lucky” Lilja’s daughter in law
Robbie Lilja – Robert Lilja’s son
Tara McDonald – Natick High School librarian
Marcia McLeod – Wayland United Methodist Church
Beth Lilja Messing – Edwin Lilja’s daughter
Harry Seaholm – Commander, VFW Post 1274
By clicking on the link below you will be taken to a page devoted to;
Introduction page
Military History
Family Tree USA
Historical Family Tree documents back to Sweden
Effie's reflects on her four cousins
Memorials
Hover your mouse over the photo to display any additional captions and click on
the photo to expand it and continue in a slide show format.
