Travels of The Solid Walnut Dresser

From research it seems this dresser in Mom and Dad’s basement is an American Victorian walnut dresser from the late 19^th century. 

The dresser’s journey in our family probably started in Illinois with my great-grandfather, Gustaf “Gust” Hackerson (Håkansson in Sweden) and his wife Mathilda.  He came to America from Sweden in 1869.

The family, Gust and his wife, Mathilda (Peterson), and their two children, Minnie (my grandma) and Martin were living in Paxton, Illinois when their mother Mathilda (age 26) died of tuberculosis. It is probably during these years that the dresser came into their home.   After Mathilda died Gust wrote to Sweden asking for a housekeeper to come and help him with his children.  Maria Carlson came from Sweden where she had worked in a match factory.

Soon Gust decided to move to Laurens, Iowa where he would farm.  He loaded all their household goods (including the dresser), farm equipment, and animals on a railroad car. Gust rode the freight train with their possessions, and the children (Minnie and Martin) and Maria travelled by passenger train to Iowa. 

Gust and Maria married in Iowa.  They had two children Albert and Olga.   The family started their home with the dresser. They started in a one room house! (It must have taken up a lot of space in the one room!)  Nineteen years later they moved to Albert City, Iowa to join other Swedes from Paxton, IL and because there was a Swedish Mission Covenant Church there. 

When Minnie married, she and her husband Carl V. Samuelson first lived on a farm where they had three children, Vernon, Melvin (my dad) and Marian. In 1927 they bought an acreage on the edge of Albert City (part of the acreage now has a park and swimming pool!)  It was a big two story home with a barn.    Gust (Minnie’s father) died in Oct, of 1928. So sometime after that the dresser moved into Minnie and CV’s home in Albert City.

When CV died (my dad was only 9 years old) Minnie continued to live in the home.  Later she moved upstairs to her apartment.  This is where I first remember it.

When my grandma, Minnie died, Dad and Mom brought the dresser to their home in Linn Grove, then to Alta, and now to Storm Lake.  In Linn Grove it was in the dining area of our small two bedroom home.  In Alta it was in the upstairs hall and then the “south” bedroom.  In Storm Lake it has taken up life in the basement.

Brenda remembers climbing on it with Chris, using the drawers as steps and sitting on the glove drawers.  One time something happened causing it to tip, pinning Brenda between the dresser and the bed.  She remembers Hilda Johnson who was babysitting running up the stairs yelling in Swedish!  Luckily no was injured, and the dresser was righted.

 At some time Grandma Minnie stripped it of varnish and oiled it.  The drawer pulls were changed to glass knobs and currently it has no hardware.  The decorative top has had trouble staying on top and has been known to fall off!  It is extremely heavy. If only this dresser had kept a diary so it could share the stories of where it has lived!