Margit Vanja (Bengtsson) Steele
Margit's life connected our family in America with its Swedish roots. This history page began as a place to preserve photographs and genealogy, but our 2017 visit made those records much more personal.
Bengtsson family · Värmland, Sweden
Our Swedish Family History
The family story behind our 2017 journey to Sweden
My grandmother, Margit Vanja (Bengtsson) Steele, was the first of nine children born to Carl and Agnes Bengtsson. Margit was born October 28, 1906 at Stormon, a home outside Forshaga in Värmland, Sweden.
From Sweden to America
The Bengtsson family
Margit was the oldest child of Carl Bengtsson and Agnes (Olsson) Bengtsson. The family lived at Stormon during Margit's infancy and later immigrated to the United States, traveling from Liverpool, England, to New York.
Stormon still stands outside Forshaga. Although the house has changed during the past century, the kitchen retains features from the family's time there, including the large wood-fired stove and oven.
Returning to Stormon in 2017 gave our family a chance to connect the names, photographs, and family-tree records on this page with a real place.
Family tree
From Värmland to the Blackford family
The abbreviated tree shows the Swedish Bengtsson line and its connection to later generations of the family.
Carl & Agnes
Wedding in Sweden
The family archive preserves both their wedding portrait and the original Swedish wedding announcement.
Agnes Olsson Bengtsson
Before and after immigration
Two portraits preserved in the family archive show Agnes in Sweden and later in the United States.
Extended family
Axelina & Kristina
The archive also includes this portrait of Carl Bengtsson's sisters, Axelina and Kristina, photographed in Karlstad.
Grandma Margit
A connection across generations
Margit remained part of our family's life long after her childhood in Sweden.
Family videos
Remembering Margit
These videos preserve Margit in a way that photographs alone cannot.
Margit & Sheri
The only video in this archive of Grandma Margit—loving on my sister Sheri, also known as Booi.
Margit's memorial video
A memorial video created for Margit's funeral service.
Back where the story began
Margit at Stormon
This photograph preserves Margit at the house in Sweden where she was born. Decades later, our family returned to the same place during the 2017 trip.
See our 2017 Stormon visit →
Värmland
Ack Värmeland, Du Sköna
A traditional song associated with Värmland, the Swedish region at the heart of this family story.
Explore further
Family-history resources
Continue into the detailed genealogy pages, downloadable family-tree files, or return to the 2017 trip and Stormon.