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Carol&Rick, Harold&Margaret,
Irv&Jenny
and Grandpa Jack Frost
My name is Carol and I would like to introduce you to my family
My loving husband, Rick, my wonderful parents,
Harold and Margaret Gustafson, my dear, dear grandparents,
Jennie, Jack, and Irvie, who spoiled me rotten
and didn't care, and some of my other
relatives, some whom I have known and loved
personally and others who were gone before I arrived.
No matter what they are all special to me
because they gave me my heritage!
I was born 22 January, 1948 in Booth Memorial
Hospital in Chicago, IL. My childhood was
the best. Loving Parents, Grandparents, Aunts,
Uncles and Cousins. On 30 August 1967
I married my high school sweetheart, Richard Wayne Divan.
Rick was born 30 July 1947 in Rockford, IL
to Harold and Marjorie Cronkrite Divan. He has
two brothers, Craig Divan and Charles Divan.
We have been married 34 years,
and have had out ups and downs but have worked
out our problems. I have been into
genealogy since 1980. I hope by building this
site I will find other long lost relatives.
My other hobbies are minitures, crocheting and
plastic canvas needlepoint. Rick is a truck driver
so I have a lot of extra time
to persue my hobbies!
Here are my Parents!
Harold Gust Gustafson and Margaret Lillian Garman.
Daddy was born 23 January 1909 in Perryville, IL
(now a part of Rockford, IL), the 6th child
of John Edwin Gustafson and Ida Marie Johanson.
Daddy grew up on the Family Farm and attended
Vandercook and Wight Grade School and Rockford High School.
He married Mom on the 1st of December 1934
in Zion Lutheran Church Parsonage by Rev. E.G.Knock.
Mom, aka Margaret, was born 10 January 1914 in
Rockford, IL the only child of Philo Irving Garman
and Jennie Henrietta Viktoria Signell. She started school
at Church School in Rockford, IL and then the
family moved to Oakland, CA where she attended Durant
Grade School and started Technical High School in Oakland,CA.
Her parents separated and Mom and Grandma moved back
to Rockford where she went to Rockford High School
and met Harold! Daddy died 21 July 1968.
Mom was totally lost without Daddy until she met Lyle M. Williams.
Mom and Lyle were married 9 December 1972.
Lyle died 23 August 1980 and Mom died 23 March 1989.
The saddest day of my life! Mom is buried
between Daddy and Lyle in Scandinavian Cemetery in Rockford, IL.
This is the only picture I have of my Mom's parents together
Philo Irving Garman was born 26 February 1893 in
Forreston, Ogle Co., IL to George Henry Garman
and Alma Phillips Brantner. Jennie Henrietta Viktoria
Signell was born 3 May 1891 to
Carl George Signell and Anna (Olson) Hanson
in Rockford, IL. When I came along
Irv and Jennie were long divorced and remarried.
Grandpa to Agnas Wilson and Grandma to John
Alfred Frost, or to me, my adored Grandpa Jack.
I know Grandpa Garman got a little jelous and
for a kid I tried hard not to show favorites!
Grandpa Garman died 24 February 1960 and is buried
in East Lawn Cemetery, Beloit, WI. Grandpa Jack
died 27 April 1959 and Grandma died 18 June 1979.
This is my adored Grandpa Jack, Grandma and me!
He's the one that gave me my first (and last)
plug (read sliver) of chewing tobacco ("grandpa this
doesn't taste like double-bouble!). He's also the
one that showed me how to get Grandma
to make pankinikes (that's "american-swedish" for pancakes).
He also told me that carrots from the garden
taste better when you pull them up, wipe
them on your jeans, and eat them.
Just don't tell Grandma!, but raspberries have to
have sugar and cream. That's where Grandma comes in.
She was a great cook! She has,
I do now, a fabulous receipe for
macroni souffle. I'll get it and share it
with everybody if there is a desire.
But back to grandpa. John Alfred Frost,
Grandpa's other name, was born 29 October 1875
in Folkoping, Sweden to Alfred and Matilda Johnson Frost.
He was 15 years old when he came to
Rockford, IL. Here is where I get
angry with myself because when I was 10
years old, at a Sunday Family Dinner, Grandpa
told the story of how he left Sweden on
a tramp steamer, and all my cousins and I
wanted to do was go out and play.
Anyway, when he got here he lived with his
mother's cousins. There is a school
in Rockford, IL named for his cousin, Maude E. Johnson
Elementary School. He was a furniture and
cabinet maker and worked in various furniture factories
in Rockford. He married first Ida Peterson
and they had 2 children: William Arthur Frost
and Elsie Violet Frost Nichols. He built the
house they lived in on Chicago Avenue in Rockford.
On August 5, 1944 he married Jennie Signell, Garman, Nyberg
in Rockford, IL.
Grandpa's furniture making skills were a lifesaver for an
8-year old girl whose plastic dollhouse couch
broke in half! And while he was at
it Grandma said why didn't he make a piano
for the dollhouse. Grandma played the piano
"by ear". And is the one who I
have to thank (now anyway!) for taking piano
lessons. I still have the little furniture and
they will be on the desk (the one that
Rick and I dragged all the way back from
CA) in my room at the nursing home!
Grandpa Jack died 27 April 1959 and is
buried in Arlington Memorial Park between Ida and Jennie.
To View Garman Genealogy
To View Brantner Genealogy
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