Mälilla - Johan August Carlson

Johan August Carlson was born January 3rd, 1863 in Mälilla, Sweden and died January 9th, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, Peter August Carlson and Maria Kristina Lindqvist were also both born in Mälilla, Sweden and were married in Mälilla on May 11th, 1861. All 3 emigrated to Chicago, Illinois.

Johan August Carlson married Augusta Svensdotter on November 15th, 1890 in Chicago and had 3 children including my grandfather John Arthur Carlson, my namesake. 

Today I picked up a rental car and drove from Kalmar to Mälilla which Google Maps had as 104 km and 1 hr 25 min drive.

This was the first time I traveled by car while in Sweden with the exception of taking a taxi from Stockholm Central to my hotel. The drive was scenic. It reminded me a lot of driving through the middle of Wisconsin. There were even signs warning about moose crossings! 

But as I got closer to Mälilla the towns became much more rural. When I reached Mälilla the only restaurant shown on Google Maps was at the Mälilla Hotel which was closed. 

I then drove a short distance from Mälilla to the village of Hagelsrum where Johan August Carlson's father, Carl Petersson was born on January 15th, 1792. Hagelsrum is the home of Hagelsrum Masugn, the remains of the last blast furnace in Hagelsrum built in 1748.

There wasn't a whole lot to see or do in either Hagelsrum or Mälilla so I simply drove the 1 hr 25 minutes back to Kalmar. As I retraced my way back to Kalmar I reflected on the lives of Peter, his wife Maria and son Johan while living in and around Mälilla. Peter and family left the tiny village of Mälilla for the city of Chicago. That must have been an amazing journey.

I got back to Kalmar about 5:30 and had a bite to eat at a local pizza place. Not bad.

Tomorrow I have another drive into the Swedish countryside. This time visiting the town where Hulda Cecilia Kristina Persson was born.