August Wistrand, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of August Wistrand
WISTRAND FAMILY
Mr. August Wistrand, born in Stockholm, Sweden, was one of Baillytown's earliest settlers. He came there in 1850 and built a small two-level home, directly behind the present Goodfellow Camp. There he lived with his brother Johan Wistrand. Their mother, Katherine Wistrand, born in Sweden in 1788, came over to live with them. She passed away in 1869 and is buried in the Burstrom Cemetery.
August Wistrand was a Civil War Veteran. Inasmuch as he was a neighbor of Joseph Bailey, he would trade freshly butchered pork for maple sap obtained from trees surrounding the Bailly Homestead.
In 1865 August Wistrand married Charlotte Petersson, born in Jonkoping, Sweden in 1835. To this union three daughters, namely Augusta, Marie (died at young age) and Anna were born in the Wistrand home.
Anna related how she was greatly influenced by her Aunt and Uncle, namely, Lovisa and Frederick Burstrom, who lived just a short field from them. Mr. Burstrom was a leader in the community. Anna recalled how when she was a child, she assisted her Uncle, as he performed a service, typical in those times, of "Blood-Letting" the residents in the area who might be suffering from high blood pressure.
Five of the Wistrand relatives were among others who were buried in the Indian Cemetery; in approximate year 1875-76, they were moved to the Burstrom Cemetery.
The neighborhood felt the need for a place of worship and a school on the cemetery grounds. So Frederick Burstrom, who had a shed on his property decided to move it down the present Oak Hill Road and across to the foot of the hill in the Burstrom Cemetery. A Bell tower was added to the shed and the structure became known as the Burstrom Chapel. Anna and Augusta attended six years of Grammar School in the Chapel. Here they studied T. S. Pinneo's Analytical Grammar of the English language.
In 1901 Anna Wistrand was married to Victor Charlson of Baillytown at the Augsburg Lutheran Church of Porter and to this union 7 children were born in the old Wistrand home, namely, Vincent (passed away in infancy), Alvin Charlson, Elvera (Mrs. Roy L. Peterson) passed away in 1947, Eleanor (Mrs. J. Irvin Benson), Edith (Mrs. George Martinson), Dr. Vernon R. Charlson and Marian (Mrs. Evar Edquist).
Source: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County. 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. 180 p.
Page(s) in Source: 177
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook