Laurentis "Lawrence" Leonard Liden

Lawrence Liden was born January 22, 1885 in Edåsa, Västra Götaland, Sweden (now Edåsa, Skaraborgs) to Johan Viktor Petersson Liden (age 30) and Kristina Elizabeth Svensdotter (age 20). They lived on a farm with Kristina's parents and her siblings. Lawrence first appears in the Swedish Household Examination which indicated his date of birth. This same record also shows that he had an older brother Ludwig Leopold, who had been born August 8, 1883. Lawrence was followed by a brother, Lage Lambert, in September of 1886. Johan, Kristina, Lawrence, and Lage left for "N. Amerika" April 9, 1887 when Lawrence was about 2 years old. Lawrence's four year old brother, Ludwig, stayed behind with their grandparents. I have not found out why he did not travel with the rest of the family.

Johan, Kristina, Lawrence (as Laurents), and Lage are listed on the passenger list of the ship Romeo leaving Goteborg, Sweden on April 15, 1887. Their destination was listed as Chicago, Illinois. This ship was a 40-50 hour trip to Hull, there was likely then a train ride to Liverpool, and then a steamship to the U.S. They settled in Chicago and first appear in the 1900 census at 1038 W 70th Street. Lawrence was already working as a machinist. He had two sibling born after the arrived in the U.S., Laura (1889) and Louis (1894). Lawrence's brother Ludwig would not come to the U.S. until 1900. 

Lawrence married Mary Etta DeGrasse on June 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He adopted Mary's daughter Evelyn. They first appear together in the 1910 census with their 2 month old daughter Olive at 2011 69th place. Lawrence and Mary had 7 more children, Victor (1911), Lawrence (1914), Willard (1915), twins Virginia and Vernon (1917), Lagie (1919), and Rosemary (1922). All of their children lived to adulthood except Lagie who died just after his 1st birthday of bronchial pneumonia.

In 1918 Lawrence registered for the draft and lived at 455 80th street. He indicated he worked as an ice wagon driver for Warskavia Co. He was listed as a stout 5 foot 9 man with blue eyes and light hair. In 1020 the family still lived at that same address but Lawrence worked as a prison guard then. He worked as a furniture mover for a storage company in 1930 and they lived at 8662 Vincennes. Lawrence worked as a machine man at a warehouse in 1940 and the family lived at 6613 Peoria. In 1942, at age 57, Lawrence registered for the draft and gives an address at 9974 Vincennes and was employed by Debbie's express & van co.

At some point Lawrence and Mary moved to Dexter, Missouri. Mary died there in 1953 having suffered a stroke.

Sometime after Mary died Lawrence returned to Illinois. He died on December 26, 1958 in Harvard, Illinois at the age of 73. 

He was buried at St. Mary cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.