Last week I wrote about Catharina Dorothea Elisabeth Schultz Lindgren (and I bet she didn’t put all that on one line!) and the fact she saved the money her son earned only to give it all back to him. This week I’ll honor that son, my grandfather, my Poppie, Henry August William Lindgren, whom I was named after.
His nickname was Lindy, and according to mother, there had been no grandchild named after him, and I was elected! I was named Dorothea Linda, Dorothea for his mother and Linda for him . Since his nickname was Lindy, the obvious choice for my name was Linda and I was called Lindi throughout my childhood.
Ola Lindgreen, father; Henry August William Lindgren, son
Henry August William Lindgren is buried in Sacramento Masonic Cemetery and is in the same plot as his parents. He is listed on the same grave marker as his father, Ola Lindgreen.
L-R: Ola Lindgreen, Henry August William Lindgreen, Catharine Dorothea Elisabeth Schultz Lindgreen, Anna Dorothea Louisa Lindgreen
Henry was the only son born to above mentioned Catharina Lindgren and her Swedish husband, Ola Lindgren. He was just 3 years old when the family immigrated from Germany to America, and as I wrote last week, the family first settled in Big Rapids, Michigan. This picture was taken in that City in 1889, according to the information on the back. My grandfather would have been about 4 years old in this picture. 
He was a handsome young man, wasn’t he? I imagine this was about the age he was when he met my Nana, or rather she met him! She had spied him on a streetcar and talked about him so much that her friend finally had a dinner party and invited the both of them. They were married on 18 June 1913, in the morning, and she graduated from High School that afternoon! 50 years later I was at their anniversary celebration in the same city. I still have the invitation and a napkin from the event.
He was a Boilermaker by trade, starting his career in Sacramento with the Union Pacific Railroad and finishing the career in Hilo, Hawaii for the Hilo Ironworks. That’s where I remember visiting him, the Hilo Ironworks! It was noisy and hot, but just getting to visit him at work and go into his office was a thrill. He always had time for us.
The first thing he’d say when we arrived to spend a good portion of the summer was, “come over here and let me count your ribs!” Each time, we’d dutifully go over, and he’d tickle us until we were gasping for air! You’d think we’d learn and we probably did, but we’d go anyway!
Then there was the time he was going to pull my loose tooth. As he put a string around the tooth about to be extracted I kept trying to talk to him and couldn’t talk with his big hand in my mouth. He pulled the wrong tooth . . . and then he did what any good grandfather would do and pulled the right tooth! All this with a twinkle in his eye! . . . and probably holding his tongue right, because he’d tell us you can’t do anything correctly unless you were doing just that!
. . . and no story about my grandfather would be complete unless I mention that he was an awesome candy maker! Not just any candy, mind you, but Coconut Candy! Not Baker’s Coconut, but Hawaiian Coconut! . . . and we thought it was a treat to get to stir it as it cooked! My mouth is watering as I type this!
Henry Lindgren, Bertha von Breyman Lindgren, Catherine Lindgren Sherman
Front Row, L-R: Linda (me!) Priscilla and Bud (WF Sherman, Jr.)
See that twinkle in his eyes? I think this picture was taken on one of our visits to Hilo and it must have been on a Sunday after Church and after going for “Chop Suey” in town, a Sunday tradition when we were there. This picture was taken in front of the large front porch, and that’s me being controlled by my Grandfather . . . or teased, one or the other!
When the time came for retirement a decision was made and they sold the house in Hilo and came back to California. They bought a lot with a barn in Lakeport, and Poppie remodeled it into a wonderful two bedroom home with a great kitchen for Nana and a living room large enough for the grand piano. Rosebushes were in the backyard and the large dictionary had it’s place on it’s stand for Nana. It was a lovely setting and I loved visiting there just as much as I loved visiting Hilo. Why? Because they were there
and Poppie still had that sense of humor and that twinkle in his eyes!
The bank with red window awnings and the planter of flowers in front is also on the main street leading up to Kings Square, a virtual hub of activity! While we were there school children were passing through, elderly were sitting on benches watching and people were going through on their way to wherever it was they were going! We were told by a gentleman we met that the paths were laid out in the shape of a Union Jack by the Loyalists that settled in this area.
Walking directly through the park takes you right into the Old Loyalist Burial Ground. What a treasure they have here! The Burial Ground fell into disrepair in the early 1900′s and through the efforts of the K.C. Irving family, it was restored into the beautiful serene, sanctuary it is today. For more information and exactly what was involved check out the website that the city of 
Dividing the old burial areas there are paved walks taking you through the park in whatever direction you are going. Each one is meticously crafted and all meet in the center, close to a beautiful fountain and benches. 
The first headstone we stopped to read belonged to Samuel Osborne who departed this life June 19th 1835 at the age of 42. The stone goes on to say that it commemorates the death of his wife and son Samuel. Notice the wife doesn’t have a name! The stone says either Samuel, the son, was drowned or both his wife and son were drowned. What impressed us was the care they had taken with this stone (and many others we were to discover) by bracing each side with steel bars, as shown in the picture below.
While we were sitting on the bench watching people go from here to there, a man walked up to us and started telling us about his city. He wanted to make sure we saw the sights in his city that he thought were important. He was right. We followed his agenda and went off the beaten path. But I digress, back to the cemetery. One of the things he pointed out was this headstone. He thought it was unusual in the fact that it gave their biographies and told how they died. This was another stone that was braced with steel on either side. It is remarkable how well the stones have stood the test of time and are still so readable.
This stone was braced by a newer and larger stone and some of it still remains. I could not tell who it belonged to, but probably at some time, not too long ago, it was still readable. I couldn’t help but take a picture of it. I was fascinated.
