Ninth Generation

78. Amy Alfrida JOHNSON^39,40 was born on 28 June 1888 in Krokstorp, Önnarp's Rote, Hössna, Älvsborg län (Västergotland), Sweden.^41,42 She died Artherisclerotic heart disease, carcinomatosis on 5 May 1959 at the age of 70 in Cranston, Providence Co., RI. Dr. was J. H. Fischer. She died at Jane Brown Memorial Hospital at age 70 years, 10 months, 7 days. She was buried in Indian Ridge, Lot 31, Pittsfield Cemetery, MA. Arthur Robert Kells and Amy Alfrida Johnson were married on September 19th, 1910, in Providence, Rhode Island. Witnesses were Minna Johnson and Harold H. Kells. They were married by Edward L. Ninde, who was pastor at Mathewson Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Providence. The wedding invitation reads: "Mr. and Mrs. John Johnson request the honor of your presence at the marriage reception of their daughter Amy Alfrida to Mr. Arthur Robert Kells Monday evening September the nineteenth nineteen hundred and ten at seven o'clock One hundred and fifty-five Narragansett Avenue Providence Rhode Island."

That would seem to indicate that John Johnson was still alive in September 1910, but he is not mentioned among the guests in the book.

They went on a honeymoon to Pittsfield, Massachusetts (which is where the Kells family was from and where Arthur grew up) and were "at home" after September 27th.

Present at Arthur and Amy's wedding in 1910 were:

Mrs. John Johnson (Amy's mother), Miss Minna Johnson (Amy's sister), Mrs. Albert Johnson (Amy's brother's wife), Mrs. Victor Johnson (Amy's brother's wife), Mrs. Oscar Larson, Mrs. Robert McKenzie, Mrs. Celia Burgeson, Mrs. Fritz Nilson (wife of Amy's cousin), Mrs. Nils Harklow, Miss Annie Hohler, Mrs. Edwin Sahlen (wife of Amy's brother), Mrs. Laurence Fay, Miss Alice Manchester, Miss Eva Kells (Arthur's half sister), Mrs. Margaret Manchester, Mrs. A.P. Manchester, Mrs. Herbert Grant, Mrs. Ella Grant, Miss Ethel Congdon, Mrs. Henning Lundgren, Miss Ruth Sjoberg (she married Albin Johnson 21 June 1912; she was the daughter of John and Charlotte Sjoberg of 158 Lidia St., Providence), Miss Magda Sjoberg (a second cousin), Mrs. Svante Nilsen (wife of Amy's uncle), Mrs. Charles Nilsen, Mrs. Axel Sjoberg (wife of a second cousin), Mrs. Carl Sjoberg, Miss Teckla Davidson (a second cousin - Tekla Davidson married Axel Wickstrom 30 June 1913; she was born in 1876 in Sweden and was a servant in the household of Charles Harvey, Pawtucket, in the 1910 Census), Miss Rose Sjoberg (a second cousin), Miss Marghild Sjoberg (a second cousin), Mrs. Raymond, Mrs. Joe Fisher, Mrs. Lodema Kells (Arthur's stepmother), Mrs. Ernst Nilson (wife of a cousin - Anna Anderson married Ernst Nelson 8 July 1911), Mr. Robert McKenzie, Mr. B. Burgeson, Dr. A. P. Manchester, Mr. Herbert Grant, Mr. Albert Johnson (Amy's brother), Mr. Victor Johnson (Amy's brother), Mr. Nils Harklow (Nels and Maria Harklow were Norwegians living in Pontiac), Mr. Charles Nilson (Amy's cousin), Rev. Edvin Sahlen (Amy's brother), Mr. Oscar Larson, Mr. Henry Anderson, Mr. Fritz Nilsen (Amy's cousin), Mr. Ernst Nilsen (Amy's cousin), Mr. Svante Nilsen (Amy's uncle), Mr. Axel Sjoberg (a second cousin - Axel and Josephine Larson Sjoberg lived in Pontiac, daughters Anna M. and Hilda R.), Mr. Hjalmar Sjoberg, Mr. Henning Lundgren, Mr. Conrad Lundgren (Conrad, his brother Ragnar, sister Astrid, parents Anders and Anna Lundgren lived at 130 Garden Street, Cranston), Mr. Carl Sjoberg, Mr. Paul Kells (Arthur's brother), Mr. Harold Kells (Arthur's brother), Mr. Joe Fisher, Mr. Laurence Fay, and the following children: Lillian Larson, Estell Manchester, Raymond Larson, Herbert Johnson, Lennard Larson, Ragnar Lundgren, Dorothy Burgeson, Wallace McKenzie, Muriel McKenzie, Clarence Larsen, Carl Sahlen, Mildred Grant, Astrid Lundgren, and Ingeborg Harklow.

When Amy's daughter Dolores was born in 1912, baby's first callers included Eva Kells, Mary Johnson, Robert McKenzie, Albert Johnson, Don Johnson, H. Lundgren, M. Anderson, T. Duckworth, Marie Wilson, Ethel Condon, H. Grant, Susan Hill, Effie Robinson, Violet Willington, Hagen Maxwell, Teckla Davidson, F. Nilson, S. Nilson, Arthur Manchester, Bertha Johnson, B. Burgeson, Ruth Sjoberg, Wentworth, Walter Chapin (married Ebba L Johnson 18 January 1910; she may have been the daughter born Sept. 1887 of Charles and Mary Johnson who lived in Pontiac or the daughter of Axel and Mina Johnson born 24 Feb. 1897), Alice Manchester.

Other children at daughter Dolores third birthday party included Estelle Manchester, Muriel McKenzie, Doris Anderson, Russel Chase, Lennard Larson, Raymond Larson, Wallace McKenzie, and Jack Duckworth.

Congratulations are mentioned from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Meilink (wife Maude) of Toledo, Ohio, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Chapin.

Among Amy's relatives attending Arthur's funeral in 1947:

Ethel Kilstrom, 583 Pontiac Avenue, Eden Park, Muriel and Walter Kilstrom, 21 Oak Hill Ave., Greenwood, R.I., Florence and Charles Young, 18 Midler Street, Cranston, R.I., Gertrude and Wallace McKenzie, Lillian and Elsie Larson, Pontiac, R.I., Raymond and Clarence Larson, Pontiac, R.I., Mary Larson, Harriet and Elwyn Mitchell, 187 Greenwood St., Cranston, R.I., Margaret E. Wells, Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie (parents of Gertrude and Wallace?), Mr. and Mrs. Wickstrom, Axel S. Wickstrom, Robert McKenzie, Elin McKenzie, Kenneth McKenzie, 66 Fairfield Rd., Cranston, R.I., Elsa Johnson.

Brad's note: These guests books include many relatives, as well as neighbors and friends. The Nilsons/Nelsons were cousins; and the Sjobergs were second cousins. The Burgesons were probably relatives, although I haven't discovered the connection. I don't know if the Lundgrens were relatives. The spelling is not consistent in my grandmother's hand (sen's vs. son's), and I don't know whether the families kept it consistent or not.

After Arthur Kells died, Amy worked as a housekeeper for a Mr. Anderson who lived at 15 Fordson in Eden Park, RI. Those years of working entitled her to Social Security. When he died, she moved to her own apartment. When she died, she was living at 27 Myrtle Ave., Cranston, R.I.

Social Security Number 038-22-6392A, She started drawing Social Security benefits in 1954 ($40.80 a month).

She is buried in Pittsfield, MA, cemetery, Kells lot #31, Indian Ridge, on 7 May 1959.

Födelsenotis: Hössna C:4 (1861-1894) Bild 55 (AID: v43943.b55, NAD: SE/GLA/13256)
Se Krokstorp: Hössna AI:11 (1878-1891) Bild 34 / sid 30 (AID: v43935.b34.s30, NAD: SE/GLA/13256).

Amy Alfrida JOHNSON and Arthur Robert KELLS were married on 19 September 1910 in Providence, RI.⁴³ Arthur Robert KELLS, son of Herbert Clinton KELLS and Lena M. HOWLAND, was born on 28 February 1888 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., MA. Resided: 71 Hawthorne Ave., Cranston, R.I. between 1920 and 1947 . Employed: Philips Memorial Baptist Church, janitor between 1938 and 1945 . Employed: Cranston School Dept., bus driver between 1940 and 1947 . He died on 4 May 1947 at the age of 59 in Cranston, Providence Co., RI. He was buried on 7 May 1947 in Indian Ridge, Lot 31, Book C, Page 539, Pittsfield Cemetary. Employed: Providence Journal/Bulletin, proofreader in 1947 . Employed: Providence Tribute, proofreader . He lived in Providence before moving to Cranston. In 1910 he was boarding at 102 Prairie Avenue in Providence His obituary said that he moved to Rhode Island as a child. He was educated in Providence schools. His father was living with him when his father died in 1904.

He and Amy were married by Edward L. Ninde, Pastor of Mathewson Street Methodist Episcopal Church, 154 Narragansett Avenue, Providence. He and Amy initially lived at 155 Wellington Avenue in Auburn in 1911. His brothers, Harold and Paul, lived in Toledo, Ohio. He had a favorite cousin, William, according to my mother.

When Dolores was born, they were living at 136 Garden Street, Auburn, R.I. They next moved to 768 Park Avenue in Auburn, where they were living in 1913. They celebrated her third birthday at 481 Pontiac Avenue, also in or near the Auburn part of Cranston, R.I.

At the time of the World War I draft registration, he was living at 481 Pontiac Avenue, working as a printer with the Standard Printing Co., 54 Pine Street, Providence, and was of medium height, stout build, blue eyes, black hair. At some point between then and 1923, he went to work as a compositor for the Providence Journal and was still there in 1932.

In the 1920 Census, the family was living together in Cranston along with Amy's mother, Maria. He bought a home at 71 Hawthorne Avenue in the Eden Park section of Cranston. Hawthorne Avenue was called Chestnut avenue until 1928.

He was a printer/proofreader by profession and worked for one of the Providence papers until the paper folded during the Great Depression (1932?).

He played the cornet. His father also played the cornet and was a bandmaster. He told me he used to play on the excursion boats that sailed between Providence and Sakonnet Point.

In the 1930 Census, the family is listed at 71 Hawthorne Avenue, Cranston. Arthur was a compositor with the Journal newspaper. Dolores was a typist.

He was a member of Phillips Memorial Baptist Church in Cranston. During World War II, he worked as a janitor for the Phillips Memorial Church and also as a school bus driver for the Cranston School Department. Amy used to deliver telegrams during World War II (they had a phone, and many people then didn't). When he registered for the World War II draft in 1942, he was 54 years old, lived at 71 Hawthorne Avenue, Cranston, and was working for the Cranston School Department as a bus driver.

He was a compositor with the Providence Journal at the time of death in 1947. His father was in the same profession.

I (Brad Leonard) used to call him "Daddy Art." I like him very much. He used to tell me stories and go for walks with me. A favorite walk was around Blackamore Pond in Cranston. He was very handy with tools and taught me woodworking.

He died of a coronary thrombosis, according to his death certificate. He went upstairs to take a nap and never woke up. He had been bothered by phlebitus prior to his death.

Amy Alfrida JOHNSON and Arthur Robert KELLS had the following children: