Naemi Johnson, “Grandma Amy,” was born in Iowa to John Peter (J.P.) Johnson and Johanna Dorothea, both immigrants from Sweden in the 1860s. Amy was born in 1878 and married Frank Lindgren in 1902. Together, Amy and Frank raised eight surviving children: Regina, Gilmore, Evelyn, Obed, Ruth, Emory, Irene and LeRoy. One child, Edwin, died in his first year of life. Grandma Amy attended a one-room school near Lanyon,IA and was an industrious provider for her husband and children. She died in 1981 at the age of 103. Memories of Grandma Amy written by her eight children are found in a special section of this website.
The Famous Rugs
Almost every grandchild has one or more of the rugs that Grandma Amy crocheted from strips of fabric collected by many of her children. Across many of her later years, Amy made so many of these rugs that a count is impossible. We do know that the rugs continue to grace hallways and small rooms in many homes. The rug’s durability across the years has been remarkable. The gift of a rug was to be cherished. Grandma Amy was a maker throughout her life and these rugs are symbolic of a maker’s craft. Every rug was a unique creation of color.
A Gift to Amy from Sweden
The wooden bowl photographs below were provided by Linnae Coss and her neighbor Lana Tyssen. We intend to add more details later. In short the bowl was a gift from Frank Lindgren’s sister Ida. The bowl was brought to America by Frank’s brother, John.
