The Swedish Texans

Today is Mother's Day, so I want to acknowledge my mother, along with aunts Jan and Iris, who have helped me learn more about my grandmother Mae. It was Jan who passed on my email to Chuck Charnquist, who contacted me last week. Chuck is the son of Harris Charnquist, Mae's oldest brother. He has found a great deal of information about Carl Ewald and Carl Erick Charnquist, my great and great-great grandfathers. According to Chuck, Carl Erick, "considered the father of the Swedish Methodist Church in Texas, was an incredible individual- a stone mason, organist, composer, preacher, printer, newspaper editor and publisher, author, entreprenuer- and the father of nine children."

He is featured in several accounts about the "Swedish Texans." I found this photo at the "Swedes in Texas" website: http://www.swedesintexas.com/getperson.php?personID=I21221&tree=sit0001. Carl Erick and his wife Carolina Anderson are seated in front, and I assume that Carl Ewald, Mae's father, is the mustachioed man standing second from the left, since he was the first-born son.

I look forward to corresponding with my new-found relative about his family research and will pass on any information here. Thank you, moms, for keeping the stories of our past.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

It's May Day, and Mae Day, since this was the day my grandmother was born 100 years ago today. Grandma's birthday was particularly memorable for me since mom would make up flower baskets for us to take to the neighbors in Green Bay. I always think of grandma when I see pansies. This picture is from her 90th birthday. She was such a beautiful woman. I miss her a great deal.

Please leave your own memories of Grandma Mae by clicking "Comments".

A Favorite Recipe

Swedish Meatballs

1 # ground Beef
1 # ground veal or pork or both
2 eggs
cracker crumbs- I prefer bround bread crumbs (fine)
a little milk
a pinch of nutmeg

Important to mix well. Shape into small balls. Brown well. Remove from pan and mae a gravy with milk. Add balls and simmer for an hour or more. You can't cook them too long. Turn while cooking- Sorry, I just go by gosh and by golly. For a large batch, double the meat, eggs, etc.

How the World has Changed

"When I was little, we didn't have some of the things we have today, such as radio, television, not many cars, airplanes, computers, VCRs, RVs, falsies, artificial nails, Aids- you name it. What did we do, I wonder?"

"However, some of the things we had then which we don't have today were more family life, reunions, ice cream socials, more church affairs, movies on Sunday afternoon, family ball games.

"The most important historical event that I remember in my lifetime was men walking on the moon. That, to me, is almost unbelievable."

On the Day I Was Born

On the day I was born, May 14, 1960, Mae remembers being "very upset because your Grandfather was in the hospital with Hodgkin's Disease. He passed away June 2, 1960, I had him on my mind."

When she did first see me, she thought I was so sweet. "I can see you now with your platinum hair standing up! And your smile was precious," she wrote. "I know I was happy. I think you were my third grandaughter. I alway loved girls- of course, I loved boys, too!"

If Karen was the first grandaughter, and Sherri the second, I guess that means I was born before Geri- that so?

Shinrock/ Charnquist Family Tree

Hello everyone. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday sharing time with my husband Dave's family. My sister-in-law, Sue, shared with us the family tree she made using Ancestry.com, so I was inspired to post the family tree I made for the Shinrock/ Charnquist line. (Actually, I just copied the Shinrock line from the wonderful OneWorld Geneology that Vicki Wade already created.)

When I was working on the Charnquist side, I was pleased to find connections to the Dutch Vanderryt line on the the Barker side, and the Swedish Nelsons on the Hanson side of the family. I know that geneology follows the male line, but I find our matriarchal connections extremely interesting. Here is the site: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/pedigree.aspx?tid=5588690&pid=-1432713605. The picture, above, is of Maude Barker Asdell and Grandpa Fred.

Family Traditions

One of the things Mae's family did that was based on our heritage was having family reunions, eating some Swedish foods like lute-fisk, lingonberries and rice-potato sausage, (Bosta Casa?) cheesecake, etc. "Most of these we had at Christmas time."
"Christmas Eve, we'd all be at our house and have an exchange of little gifts. Mother would cook LuteFish, potatoes, etc. On Christmas Day, it was always goose and the fixings. Thanksgiving, I presume chicken, since we probably couldn't afford turkey in those days."

I love this picture, above, of grandma stealing a piece of turkey while dad and Dave are carving.

My Dad, Fred

Mae and Fred's oldest son, Frederick Clinton, was born August 13, 1932 in Immanuel Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska. At that time, the Shinrock were living in Omaha with Fred's mother, Maud Asdell. My dad Fred was given the family name. "Several generations had Frederick as a name," Mae wrote.

Growing up, Fred was always good at sports. "I'll never forget the time he came home after running a sled runner into his leg," remembers Mae. When he was 4 1/2, Fred had pneumonia so bad that they almost lost him.

Mae was proudest when Freddy graduated from the University of Omaha.

What did it Cost?

Grandma remembers when a good salary was $125 per month.

• an ice cream cone cost 5 cents


• a pound of sugar cost 5 cents


• a candy bar cost 5 cents


• a movie cost 10 cents


• a newspaper cost 3 cents


• a bus ride cost 3 cents


• a pair of shoes cost $2.00


• a dress cost $5.00 ("I guess, mine were home-made.")


• a house cost $2,500

Wedding Bells

When Mae and Fred got married, she was 21 years old and he was 23. "We married September 12, 1929 in Topeka, Kansas. The ceremony was in the pastor's study at a Congregational Church. Iris and Elmer Holm were our attendants."

After they were married, Mae and Fred lived in Omaha, Nebraska, mostly, although they also lived a short time in Falls City, NE, and a short time in Atchison, KS. Fred worked for Missouri Pacific Railroad for two year, and then was "bumped." He worked for the Y.M.C.A. as athletic secretary after that. Mae worked at Fleischmann's Yeast until she had their first child, Janice, in 1930. "I was in the hospital on our first anniversary," she wrote.

After High School

It's another snow day- the second one in two weeks. I'm glad for the time off, since I've been ill. Sure makes for a long school year, though. Think I'll spend the time with another blog post:

When Mae was sick, her parents used to make her take bitter medicine. "I had hives and had to eat sulphur and molasses (ugh) as a tonic. Perhaps this experience made her want to become a nurse when she grew up. She graduated from high school at 17, however, and the age to become a nurse was 18. "I started working and the money looked pretty good- $65 a month to start at a pickling plant in the office."

One of the first things Mae remembers buying on her own was a pair of shoes, but the most exciting present she ever received was a white gold wristwatch with her initials (MVC) on back. "It was beautiful. It was for my High School graduation, and I still have it."

Boys, Boys, Boys

Mae's first date was with a neighbor boy. "We went to a church social," she wrote. Later, she liked to dance to Lawrence Welk at a downtown Omaha ballroom.

Then one Saturday night, Mae went to a party at her friend Iris Shinrock's house, and she met a polite, handsome man, Iris's brother, Fred. Mae thought he was a good dancer, and "I think I fell in love on our third meeting," she wrote. "For dates, we would go to the show, go swimming and on picnics, rode in his mother's car. Not much dining out in those days."

Brother and Sisters

Mae had five brothers, but Harris, the oldest, left home at 18 when Mae was born, so when he came home for Christmas, she thought he was a strange man. She had three other brothers at home, though, so when her dad was away and her mom was working, they "kept me in tow."

Mae's sister, Elsie, would give her spending money, since Elsie worked. One of the most memorable trips Mae took was the eight-hour drive on Highway 30 to Genoa, NE in Florence's Ford touring car. "We packed lunch to eat on the way. It was quite a deal!"

"My Favorites"

Here is what Mae wrote about her favorite things:
My favorite toy as a child was my doll "Margurite." I still have her, with a wig made out of my mother's hair.
My favorite movie was as a child, we went to a Saturday matinee and saw the "Perils of Pauline" serial- I forget the star.
My favorite song was my dad's composition, "There'll Come a Time," and it still is.
My favorite dessert was home-made ice cream.
My favorite outfit was my sister Elsie's rust colred satin dress that she let me wear.
My favorite book was "Black Beauty."

"My Parents"

Mae's father, Carl Evald Charnquist, was born May 4, 1868. Her mother, Hannah Hanson, was born October 20, 1864. Their families moved to Nebraska from Sweden when they were very young. Carl's father, also Carl, was a Methodist minister with a church in Nebraska, but later moved to Texas. Hannah's father, John, celebrated his birthday with his granddaughter, both born May 1. "One time he was 90 and I was 19."

After Hannah and Carl Evald were married in 1889 (?), they moved to Omaha, but later moved to Genoa, Nebraska. Mae's father made a living tuning pianos, but she says "dad was never home." Mae's mom was a housewife, but later went to work. "She had a tough life having to work to support her family. She was also a good Christian woman," Mae wrote.

School Days

Some of the things Grandma Mae remembered about school were the extra things like singing in Glee Club and being in operettas. She liked music class mostly, but hated swimming, which she failed. "I loved the water, though." Mae said penmanship was very important in school in her day, and she took two years of Latin by choice. "We had to take English, Math and Community Civics."

Music has always been a big part of our family's life. Grandma's father, Carl, was an accomplished pianist and composer, but he never had his work published. I think Aunt Iris has some of his music. Growing up, I sang in choirs in school and church and played the piano for many years. One of my favorite memories from school was playing the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz."

"Growing Up"

Mae remembered living in three houses growing up- an apartment on 26th and Harvey, and apartment on 30th and Dodge (third floor), and a small house at 507 No. 23rd, which is now Creighton campus. In good weather, she played out in the street under the lights, and had a big tire swing in a vacant lot. She played hopscotch with squares, different than now, and ball and jacks. "We would have tournaments. We played on cement sidewalks or porches. I was pretty good- Ahem! In winter, we'd slide down 2 or 3 blocks in the street with someone stopping traffic as we slid by."

I used to play jacks in fifth grade when we couldn't go outside for recess. I was pretty good, too- must have inherited those quick-hand skills from grandma! During cold, snowy Green Bay winters, we'd sled down the neighbor's hill and build forts in the Jensen's front yard- FUN!

"My Childhood"

Mae was born May 1, 1908 at home on 915 S. 35th Avenue in Omaha, Nebraska. She was called "Baby" for two years, but then was named Mae Virginia after a lady- Mae Rossiter- who took her places and bought her gifts. Mae had five brothers- Harris, Victor, Ernest, Everett, and Kenneth, and two sisters- Florence and Elsie (all deceased). One of her happiest childhood memories was the time she spent on the farm in Genoa, Nebraska, with her aunts and uncles.
"I had cousins to do things with on the farm."

As a child growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I liked going to Omaha to visit my relatives. Like my grandmother, I enjoyed spending time with my aunts and uncles and having cousins to do things with. On holidays when we gathered at grandma's house, the kids would play in the basement. I remember dressing up and putting on shows until we were called upstairs to eat a wonderful meal. Playing cards after dinner was another highlight for me. Sometimes we would have two tables set up to play hearts.

Grandmother Remembers

I created this blog to remember my Grandmother Mae Virginia Charnquist Shinrock Rau on what would have been her 100th birthday May 1, 2008. In 1994, my grandmother presented me with a book I had given her a few years earlier, "Grandmother Remembers," which she had filled out in great detail. Several years later, a house fire destroyed my family's home. One of the only things that survived the fire were pictures and files I had stored in plastic containers, including my Grandmother's book. It wasn't until ten years later, in January 2008, when I began to go through the charred remains of paperwork I had boxed up and stored for posterity, that I rediscovered this treasure. Now as I record her memories, no longer in her pen but still her words, I look forward to sharing her past with my family and friends. I hope you will share your memories of Mae as well.