The following information is on my Great Great Grand Parents who were pioneers and made their home in SwedeHome, Polk County, Nebraska.All that is left of SwedeHome is the Lutheran Church and Cemetary. There is also one house to the west of the church. I am not sure if it is owned by the church or not, as no one was home there when we visted the area, it was well kept, so I am asuming that it was lived in. My Gr gr Grandparents were one of the founding members of the Church and town of SwedeHome. Carl Gustaf JOHNSON, b. Nov. 3, 1838 and Charlotta GUSTAFSON, b. Oct 7, 1842 were married in April 1863 in Sweden.
They immigrated to the US (I am still researching the year) and settled in Varna Illinois. In 1878 they came by wagon to SwedeHome Nebraska. They farmed in the area of SwedeHome and were active in community affairs. They raised 10 children, my Gr gr grandparents and my great grandparents as well as other relatives are all buried in the SwedeHome Cemetary.
One tidbit of information I have found was a handwritten article from "Uncle" C.H. Anderson - in 1871 only 3 people lived in SwedeHome Territory: Andrew APPALL; A.P. TILLEY, and K.P. MONSON who worked for Buckley Brothers in Stromsberg.
A man by the name of HEADSTROM from Galva, Illinois founded SwedeHome in 1871. In 1872 several families came from Varna, Galva, and Altona Illinois - Adolph JOHNSON, C.G. JOHNSON (my g g grandparents) and August HULT. First School was in 1872. In 1875 my g g grandpa went back to Ill. and returned to Swedehome in 1878 with his wife and family. It was also noted on this paper that in the fall of 1878 there was a prairie fire that came across the "high prairie" but missed the town and apparently the school.
Thank You, Annie, for sharing this interesting bit of pioneer history with all of us.