Notizen zu dieser Person
{geni:about_me} [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147888302/ludwig-wederquist Find a Grave]
!Colorado Families:A Territorial Heritage Complied and published by the Colorado Genealogical Society,Inc.Denver,Colorado 1981
On his 1880 marriage certificate to Lottie Johnson in Geneseo, Illinois, Ludwig states that he was born in Hillerstorp, Jonkoping, Sweden and that his parents were Sven Widerquist and Louisa Dahlberg. The name in Sweden was probably Videkvist, or willow twig, as family lore always claimed.
According to information provided by Ralph Wederquist in the 1985 "History of Mills County Iowa" and also contained in Ludwig's obituary of November 17, 1910 in The Malvern Leader, Ludwig came to the United States at the age of 16 in 1867 to St. Louis, Missouri where a brother lived. After a short stay there he migrated to Geneseo, Illinois and homesteaded later in Hamilton County, Nebraska for two years. Ralph Wederquist comments that his first crop was destroyed by grasshoppers and drought, his second by wind and hail, so he returned to Geneseo.
Ludwig became a naturalized citizen in Cambridge, the Henry County Illinois seat, on October 30, 1876 when he was 25, with Peter Anderson and John Delander his witnesses. Three and a half years later, two months short of his 30th birthday, he married the Geneseo born Lottie Johnson on her 21st birthday in 1880. Their first two children, Roise Hjelmar and Clarance Gerhard (as listed in the family Bible) were born in Geneseo.
In 1884 or 85 the young family moved to Coin (Mills County) Iowa where their third child, Ethel Elenora, was born in February, 1885. They moved in 1886 to Hastings, Iowa where Ludwig worked for the railroad, constructing the branch line between Henderson and Sidney. Ethel died in Hastings that November, and their fourth child, Esther Clarena, was born there in June, 1887.
In 1888 they moved to Clark Station, White Cloud Township where Ludwig was a railroad section foreman on the Hastings-Sidney branch of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway. Today , at the turn of the the 21st century Clark is a ghost town, featured in "Ghost Towns of Mills County, Iowa," a book authored by Allen Wortman, past editor and owner of the Malvern paper and good friend of Hildur Wederquist Lovas. The only commercial building in Clark today is the grain elevator, probably built in the last quarter of the 19th century. When the Wederquists moved here it had already "flourished four years," 1879-83, when it had a post office . The 1891 Atlas plat shows but a single street, Fifth, a depot north of the elevator, a granary and warehouse, and half a dozen building lots. In 1883 Wortman reports that the Malvern Leader editor visited Clark in 1883, and hurriedly left to tour nearby Strahan with more commercial vitality. By 1950 all the land near the elevator was under cultivation, with no signs of other activity.
Ludwig, Lottie and their family stayed in Clark Station for 15 years. Their 5th (Lillian) through 9th and last child (Paul Edward Welland) were all born in Clark Station; their 6th (Oskor Fredrick) and 7th (Walter Franklin) children also died there and were buried in Malvern. The 1895 Mills County census for White Cloud Township shows the Wedquist (sic) family residing there with two adults (Ludwick,45 and Lotta, 35, both Lutherans) with children: Rayse (sic) , 13, George,11, Ester,7, Lilly, 5, Fredy, 3 and Frank, 0 (Frank died September 9, 1895 and Ester entered the Glenwood home September 30, 1895). This census snapshot of the family did not hold for long.
Charlotte Wederquist Mort, Ludwig's granddaughter, said that Ludwig drank too much and was eventually fired from the railroad. This probably led to his buying a farm in Hillsdale, west of Malvern, in 1903. According to an entry in the July 9, 1903 edition of the Mills County Tribune, Ludwig bought his 80 acre farm in Center township from C.A. Dearden for $6400 or $80 an acre, Strahan and Christy "making the deal." Lottie, whom all said was a lovely lady (with a subtext by many that Ludwig was often unkind to her), died a year after they moved to their new farm. A study of the Glenwood Home records of their daughter, Esther, indicates that the family fortunes seemed to decline over the years from 1895 (when she was first institutionalized).
On January 18, 1909 Ludwig sold his west half of a quarter section to his son, George, for $6640 and bought 80 acres (Section 26, Center Township) for $6640 according to the Mills County Tribune on January 29, 1909. The latter piece was then bought by George from the estate for $8000 after Ludwig died in 1910.
Ludwig had a brother, Oscar, who lived around the turn of the century in Essex, Iowa. He also had a cousin, Earnest, whose parents were George and Johanna Halfdan (name became Holden in US; supposedly the name was changed from Wederquist while serving in the Swedish Army). Earnest emigrated from Tranas, Sweden in April, 1892 at the age of 11. He landed in New York and in May arrived in Essex, Iowa where he planned to live with a cousin; according to Earnest 's biography in the Mills County history the cousin had died (Oscar was still alive at the time, so perhaps the story is wrong or there was another relative there).According to Charlotte Mort, Earnest then went to live with Ludwig, but found him so mean that he moved out at age 16. However, when Earnest became a citizen on in Mills County, Iowa on September 22, 1904 (renouncing allegiance to Oscar the Second) both Ludwig and his son George were his character witnesses. Earnest became a successful businessman and married a widow, Leafy May Brott, whom Linda Hoeschler remembers meeting in New York after her whirlwind trip to Europe. He and May had two children, Earnest and Florence, the latter an Iowa state representative. Earnest shot himself May 12, 1958.
Ludwig bought his Malvern Cemetery plot for $12 on June 23, 1896. On June 19, 1908 he signed his will which stated that he was "of sound mind and memory though in feeble physical health" (he died of pulmonary tuberculosis two years later). According to the will, he would give daughter Lillian $500 off the top, half the remaining estate to son Ray (11 years old at that time, 14 when his father died), and the remaining half divided equally between Royce, George and Lillian. Daughter Esther, who was living in the Glenwood Institution for the Feeble Minded at the time and was probably a state ward, was not mentioned in the document. Ludwig named C.B. Christy of Malvern as his executor and future guardian of son William Ray (Ray's brother, George, actually did become his guardian).
Hildur Wederquist Lovas commented that only Lillian got anything, after the debts were settled. As a result of this supposed disparity, Ludwig's son Royce refused to make out a will. In fact, though, the probate records show that all the children got something: Ray, $1435, Lillian, $978, George and Royce, $478 each. Ludwig's estate after expenses totalled $2870, and was divided exactly as his will specified.
On 10 Nov 1910 the Malvern Leader noted: "Our old friend, L. Wederquest (sic), west of town , has been very sick the past week and at present there seems to be small chance for his recovery. We are sorry indeed to note this." According to his obituary in the same paper exactly a week later, Ludwig's death was "not unlooked for" since he had been in poor health for a number of years "though none the less sad when it did occur." The funeral, conducted by the Methodist pastor, Rev. R.W. Matheny, at Ludwig's home where he had died. A mixed quartet from Malvern sang. The paper adds that "He was a good man and an honest upright citizen who wi ll long be remembered by those who knew him best."
Book IV p. 88 Mills County, Iowa Courthouse
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF L. WEDERQUIST
dated Malvern, Iowa, June 19, 1908
I, L. Wederquist, a resident of Mills County, Iowa, being of sound mind and memory though in feeble physical health, do
hereby make, publish and declare this, my last will and testament, hereby revoking any and all other wills by me heretofore
made.
As soon after my death as possible, I direct that all of my just debts including the expenses of my last sickness and burial, be
fully paid and satisfied.
I give to my daughter, Lillian Wederquist out of my estate the sum of $500.00
Of all the rest and residue of my estate both real and personal I hereby give, bequeath and devise to my son, William Ray
Wederquist, the one half interest therein.
The other one-half interest of my estate both real and personal I hereby give, bequeath and devise to my sons Royce
Wederquist and George Wederquist and my daughter Lillian Wederquist, to be divided between them in three equal parts,
share and share alike.
I hereby nominate and appoint C. B. Christy, of Malvern, Iowa, as executor of this, my last will and testament.
I hereby request the District Court of Mills County, Iowa, or any other court having jurisdiction to appoint as guardian for my
son, William Ray Wederquist, C. B. Christy of Malvern, Iowa.
If any of my four children above mentioned shall not survive me, I then hereby give and devise and bequeath that share of my
estate above given as follows, to-wit: That the same shall then be given to the legal heirs of the said child or if that one who
shall not survive me left no legal heirs then in that event the amount given to such an one shall then be divided share and share
alike between the others of my children who shall then be living.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Malvern, Iowa, on this 19th day of June, 1908, and in the presence of E.
L. Donner and Fred Durbin, to whom I have declared this to be my last will and testament, and whom I have requested to
sign the same as witnesses hereto.
Signed L. Wederquist
We the undersigned, E. L. Donner and Fred Durbin, both of Malvern, Iowa, have witnessed L. Wederquist of said County
and State affix his signature to the above instrument which he has declared to us to be his last will and testament, and at his
request and in his presence and the presence of each other, we have hereunto affixed our names as witnesses.
Signed at Malvern, Iowa, Jun. 19, 1908
E. L. Donner
Fred Durbin
Jens Aaron
Guttstein
