Josef Artur Karlsson

Josef Artur Karlsson or as he later changed it to the Canadian spelling of Joseph Arthur Carlson was born on November 28 1904 to Karl August Svensson and Selma Elise Jonsson at Torras Sweden. He was baptised in the Swedish Lutheran Church on December 27 1904 by Pastor O Svenssen.

Art as he became known grew up on the small family farm in Torras along with nine brothers and sisters. His father Karl would come to Canada to work for the Canadian National Railway for two years and return to Sweden for two years. I guess that is why there was two years between each child. Of coarse this would supplement the family income and improve the farm.. Art soon became his mothers pet, and sitting beside her on the long winter evenings she would teach him to spin, weave and knit. He became a very good cook. He attended school in Torras finishing grade ten.

After finishing school Art worked as a farm labourer for a year. At that time it was compulsory that you join the Army, which he did for about six or seven years. As he was very interested in horses he joined the cavalry division. After his stint in the army and as there was very little employment at that time he decided to apply to the King for permission to go to Canada. This was granted on April 2nd 1928 and soon after Art and his younger brother Oscar left for Canada. They made their way to Sioux Lookout Ont. Where they had a cousin by the name of Charlie Ronstrom who was a roadmaster for the C.N.R. and was able to give them work as section men. I think the first station the worked at was Colins, a little place between Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay.

Some time later Art moved to Amesdale and was boarding at Sam and Annie Ames. When Annie became ill their daughter Kate returned frm hairdressing in Regina to look after her mother. There was Art helping out al he could. This sure impressed Kate as none of her brothers did house work or cooked. Soon they fell in love and were married in Dryden on May 7th 1932, with her sister Hazel and brother Gordon standing up for them. A year later Kate came down with TB and went to the sanatorium.

Their son Donald Arthur was born in Winnipeg on Jan 11th 1937 and a daughter Elvera Anne was born in Dryden on May 10th 1939. As Kate had to return to the san many times this was all the family they had.

Art started employment with the C.N.R. on April 24th 1928 and took retirement on May 31st 1960. Upon retirement they moved into a house in Dryden at 81 Elizabeth Avenue. Art and Kate had travelled to Red Lake to attend their son Donald’s daughter Cathy’s wedding where Kate had a heart attack the night before the wedding and passed away on Nov. 30th 1980. Art moved in with Elvera but was lost without Kate and passed away on Dec. 14th 1980. So ended the life of Art and Kate Carlson just two weeks apart. Needless to say it was a sad Christmas.

A few years later Elvera retired and moved back to the Dryden area. Donald passed away on Feb. 29th 2004.

Written by Elvera Carlson Moncrief