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Farm originally settled by Lars Victor Beckman & Anna Swenson
Victor, and his brothers, came to America in about 1880 and worked in the mines at Champion, Michigan as an apprentice blacksmith. He was critically injured in a mining accident, breaking his arm in four places, and crushing his hip, which never really healed. The doctors wanted to remove his arm but he told them if they did he would kill them. Due to this accident, he had to leave the mines, but he did get a job at the hoisting engine. Victor had a hard childhood as he came from a very poor family of about 10 children and lived on a tenant farm. His father was killed by a run away team of horses. Victors last name was not originally Beckman, it was Johnson, but he changed it to Beckman when he came to America because there were so many Johnsonβs. Three of Victorβs brothers and three of his sisters also came to America.
Victor met his wife, Anna Swenson, while living in Sweden. She was born in Kelmar Lan, Smaland, Sweden on Feb 1 1858. She came from a more prosperous family and had three sisters and two brothers. Victor sent for Anna in 1883 and they were married July 7, 1883. One of Annaβs brothers who came to America also changed his last name to Beckman (Charles). Victor and Anna moved to Linngrove, Iowa in 1884, where he worked in a store. In 1896 they moved to Delmont, South Dakota where he began farming. in 1900 they moved back to Linngrove and in 1906 they moved to Freedhem, MN where he continued to farm.
Both of them, and his brother Swan, are buried in the Freedhem Evangelical Free Church Cemetery