The Paulsons: Paul, Elina, Lillie, Edna, circa 1893.

 The Paulson Family, Olivia Colony, Texas, circa 1893

I believe the people in this picture to be Paul and Elina Paulson with their youngest daughters, Lillie and Edna. This is the only photo that includes Lillie who died in December 1893 at the age of 5. Thus this picture would have been taken during the short period that the Paulsons lived in Texas. Paul Paulson was a carpenter and contractor, and one suspects that he was down in Olivia building houses for the new settlers.

While the house in this picture has the typical board and batten siding of the Texas houses in this photo collection, it also has several unique features.  This is the only house picture that shows an outhouse (or am I mistaken about the function of the small building to the rear of the house?) Unique to the house in this picture is the diamond siding above the porch. The narrow dormer, and the gingerbread trim of the porch seen here is only found on one other house, a house with horizontal siding next to the Lind Store.  Finally, I find it interesting that, despite the early date, there is already a flower garden.

The Paulsons' journey to and through America began in 1882 when they immigrated from Sweden. The 1880 Swedish census found the young married couple, Paul Paulson and Elina Anderson, living at Bjerhus in the parish of Vedby, Skåne,  near the city of Helsingborg.  In 1882, along with Elina's parents, Anders and Bengta Swenson, one or more of Elina's brothers, and the couple's young daughter, Amy, they arrived in Racine Wisconsin. Soon after their arrival, a second daughter, Nellie, was born (February 1883).

From Racine, the young Paulson family moved west to Davenport Iowa, arriving by 1885; and within a couple of years were joined by the families of Elina's brothers and her parents, who had lingered along the way in Rockford, Illinois with another of their sons. In 1892, the Paulson's Davenport house was transferred to one of her brothers, and the family "disappeared" from Davenport. We next find them in Olivia Colony, where they are entered as members in the newly formed Eden Church in December of 1893, just days before Lillie's death.   In late 1894, Elina's parents, Anders and Bengta Swenson arrived, purchasing land in the Olivia Colony, and by mid 1895, the Paulsons had returned to Davenport where they stayed put for the next 17 years. About 1912, they moved first to Arco, Minnesota, and then on to the "Swede Land" of Chisago County, Minnesota.

And, as the Paulson family is "our photographers", this blog will follow them on this journey from farm to city and back to farm.

Identifiers:
Negative# paulson050  (this negative was scanned as a1200 bpi 8bit grayscale tiff, and then downsized
       to 400 bpi jpeg for this blog.)
People:
Paul Paulson (born 20 Jul 1850  Källna, Skåne, Sweden; died 22 May 1918, Chisago County, Minnesota; immigrated from Sweden 1882)
Elina Anderson Paulson (6 May 1856 Riseberga, Skåne; died 10 Dec 1928, Superior, Wisconsin; immigrated from Sweden 1882)
Lillie Paulson (17 Jan 1888 Davenport Iowa - 14 Dec 1893 Olivia Texas)
Edna Pauslon (1 Apr 1891 Davenport Iowa - 5 Feb 1976 Chisago County, Minnesota)
Place:  Olivia Colony, Calhoun County, Texas
Date:  Circa 1893

Sources:
1880 Swedish Census - Accessed through (and with the assistance of) the Swenson Swedish Immigration Center
Davenport Iowa, Tax Records 1885-1894
Eden Church Records - Accessed through the Swenson Swedish Immigration Center
Swenson Family History