Swedish Couple Moved to Irvington

     Hulda Paulina Axberg of Karlstad, Sweden bade goodbye to her father, step mother, and numerous siblings on May 4, 1906, as she traveled alone to the coastal city of Gothenburg to board a ship bound first for Liverpool, England and then for the United States. Like millions of other immigrants, she arrived at Ellis Island, New York with little money but with hopes for a new life. Her older sister, Elin, who arrived earlier, served as her sponsor. She listed "servant" as her occupation and in fact, she would serve as a domestic in various American homes throughout her life.

     Three years later, another Swede, Hilding Urban Hendrickson, departed from the small coastal Swedish town of Simrishamn where his father served as a ship captain.  Unlike Hulda Axberg, nearly all of Hilding's siblings immigrated to the United States. Some of his brothers settled in Rochester, New York, while he and his brother, Francis, moved to Indianapolis. Lars Hendrickson, the father of Hilding and Francis, insisted that his sons have a trade. Both Hilding and Francis listed "tailor" as their occupation when they arrived at Ellis Island. 

Hulda Axberg shortly after her arrival in the United States from Sweden c1906 (image courtesy of Donna Sanderson)

Hulda Axberg moved from Karlstad, Sweden, a beautiful city along Lake Vanern (photo--public domain).

Hilding Urban Hendrickson moved to the United States along with several of his brothers. He is shown here as a young man already living in Indianapolis and earning a living as a tailor c1915. (Irvington Historical Society)

The Hendrickson brothers moved from Simrishamn, Sweden, a small town along the eastern coast, to the United States in the early twentieth century. (photo--public domain)

     The Swedish community in Indianapolis in the early twentieth century was not large so it is not surprising that Hulda Axberg met Hilding Hendrickson as they had much in common. They married on May 2, 1914, at the Woodruff Place United Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hendrickson was just beginning to build his reputation as an outstanding tailor. He and his brother opened a shop in downtown Indianapolis providing an income for the two young immigrants and their wives. Hilding and Hulda rented numerous homes on the eastside of Indianapolis before purchasing a beautiful home at 824 North Rural Street.  The couple celebrated the arrival of their two sons, Robert in 1916 and James in 1918. Both young men attended and graduated from Arsenal Tech High School.

     When World War II erupted, Hilding and Hulda, like millions of other American parents watched and likely fretted as their sons went into that conflict. Robert Hendrickson served in the European Theater as a bomber pilot over Germany while James Hendrickson had the grim task of assisting with the clean up of Nagasaki, Japan after the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb. 

Hilding and Hulda Hendrickson posed with their sons, Robert and James, c1919 in Indianapolis. (photo courtesy of Irvington Historical Society) 

James Hendrickson playfully teased his mother while on leave from duty during World War II. Mrs. Hendrickson clearly enjoyed having her son home at 824 North Rural Street in Indianapolis c1944. (Photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson)

James Hendrickson, on leave from his service during World War II, posed next to the family home at 824 North Rural Street in eastern Indianapolis c1944. (photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson)

Google Streetview captured 824 North Rural Street in 2007 shortly before it was demolished. 

     With the war over and their sons now out of the house and starting their own lives, Hilding and Hulda sold their Rural Street home and moved into a small cottage in southern Irvington at 406 South Butler Avenue. Hilding's brother, Francis and sister-in-law, Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson, lived nearby at 47 Whittier Place. Hilding and his brother dissolved their tailor shop and he then worked for Blocks Department Store for twenty years.

      At their little cottage on South Butler Avenue, the couple hosted family celebrations. Donna Sanderson, the granddaughter of Hilding and Hulda Hendrickson, remembers the delicious smells emanating out of the kitchen as her grandmother baked some Swedish specialities. She also remembers staying in the attic-turned-bedroom and listening to the rain hit the roof lulling her to sleep. The tall grandfather clock visible in the photos sat in each of the Hendrickson homes. 

The Hendricksons moved into this southern Irvington cottage at 406 South Butler Avenue after World War II. (photo snapped on June 24, 2021)

Hulda Axberg Hendrickson relaxed in her oversized chair at her home at 406 South Butler Avenue c1957 (photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson) 

The extended Hendrickson family frequently gathered at 406 South Butler Avenue for the holidays. In this photo, likely snapped in 1957, Hulda Axberg Hendrickson (on the end) sits next to her daughter-in-laws, Freda Hendrickson (later Brown), Florence Hendrickson, Jane Hendrickson, and her nephew, Charles Hendrickson. (photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson) 

Hulda Axberg Hendrickson posed next to her grandchildren, Jim Hilding Hendrickson and Donna Hendrickson on Christmas Eve, c1955 at 406 South Butler Avenue. The two kids can also be seen in the photo on the table. (photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson) 

Hilding and Francis Hendrickson, both immigrants from Sweden, looked on as their grandchildren were photographed on Christmas Day, 1957 at 406 South Butler Avenue. The kids in the photo are: Donna Hendrickson, Jerry Hendrickson, Mary J. Hendrickson, and Jim Hendrickson. Note the beautiful grandfather clock in the corner of the room. (photo courtesy of Donna Sanderson)

      In their elder years, the Hendricksons moved to 958 North Hawthorne Lane in northern Irvington in 1962. They likely owned the home before that date and they seem to have rented the residence to Swedish natives, Ellen and Glenn Bertelsmann in the early 1960s. Mrs. Bertelsmann was Hulda's sister. In her later years, Hulda worked as a domestic for the Ruckleshaus family in Indianapolis.

      On May 3, 1964, the extended Hendrickson family gathered at the Hawthorne Lane home to celebrate the fiftieth wedding anniversary of the Swedish couple who took a chance on the United States. Five years later, Hulda Axberg Hendrickson, the immigrant from Karlstad, died in 1969. Tragically, Hilding Urban Hendrickson, the tailor from Simrishamn, met his ending in an auto accident after being struck by a train at the dangerous intersection at Sherman Avenue and Massachusetts Street in 1970. 

The last home for Hulda and Hilding Hendrickson was at 958 North Hawthorne Lane in northern Irvington. (photo taken on June 24, 2021) 

Credits:  I wish to thank Donna Sanderson, the granddaughter of Hilding and Hulda Axberg Hendrickson. Her attention to detail and family history documentation made this an easy post to write. 

    

The Hendrickson Family Photo Collection

    Francis and Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson purchased the boarding house located at 47 Whittier Place in 1921. Mr. Hendrickson was a successful tailor in downtown Indianapolis along with his brother Hilding Urban Hendrickson. The brothers, both born in Sweden, operated a successful business for decades. Hilding and his wife, Hulda Axberg Hendrickson, also lived on the east side of the city in several houses including two Irvington homes at 406 South Butler Avenue and at 958 North Hawthorne Lane. 

47 Whittier Place in the spring of 2021

     In the late 1990s, members of the Hendrickson family cleared out the old boarding house on Whittier Place and had a sale.  Someone loaded many historic family photos into a box and placed them on a table. Mark Capes, a local resident, purchased the box thinking that there might be photos of Irvington's past. He protected the photos for several years and then allowed me to see them. I encouraged him to donate the box to the Irvington Historical Society, which he generously did several years ago. Recently, archivist, Paula Schmidt, asked me to revisit the collection. Who are these people? Where were these photographs taken? Are there Irvington shots in this collection?

     Most of the photographs did not have names, but several listed the studio and the city where the images were snapped. The vast majority of the images date to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Hendricksons could be found in Sweden, Rochester, New York, and in Indianapolis. Of course, many of the images belonged to Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson, Francis Hendrickson's second wife. She came from the Moundsville-Wheeling, West Virginia area. We are still learning about her family, but both she and her sister, Bertha and her brother, Henry also moved to Indianapolis. 

      While there was not one image of Irvington in this vast collection, the photographs still tell a story of two Irvington brothers. As we learn more, we will update this post. Below is a sampling of what is in the collection.

Francis Hendrickson (1870-1970) and Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson (1872-1950)

Elizabeth Hornbrook and Francis Hendrickson posed for this photo most likely on their wedding day, November 20, 1910, in Indianapolis. Francis had been briefly married before to Josephine Infante. Their union produced Francis Hendrickson, Jr. Eventually, the boy came to live with his dad and stepmom in Indianapolis. 

Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson (far left) looks on as her baby son, Charles, is being held by two older women. The photo was likely taken in Indianapolis, but we are not sure. 

Francis and Elizabeth Hendrickson posed with their two sons, Charles (1914-1997) and Francis, Jr. (1902-1987) 

The Hendrickson family around 1914. 

For many years, Francis and Elizabeth Hendrickson lived at 515 E. 22nd Street in Indianapolis. In this photograph, likely taken around 1917, we can identify some of the people. Left to Right--Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson, possibly Mary Hornbrook, possibly Bertha Hornbrook Pierson. Second row--Francis Hendrickson, Henry Holbrook, Frank Holbrook, and possibly Charles Pierson. 

In the distance, you can see the church still located on the northeast corner of East 22nd Street and North Park Avenue. The photo was snapped around 1917 at 515 E. 22nd Street in Indianapolis. (left to right) Possibly Bertha Hornbrook Pierson, possibly Charles Pierson, Unknown, Henry Hornbrook, Francis Hendrickson; on porch--Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson

Francis Hendrickson is the younger man in this series of photographs most likely snapped around 1915. The older man is possibly his brother-in-law, Charles Pierson. 

Francis Hendrickson, Jr was the son of Francis Hendrickson, Sr. and Josephine Infante. The 1910 Federal Census reveals that he lived with another family in 1910, but was eventually reunited with his Dad and stepmom. This photo was published in the Indianapolis Star after he ran away from home in the spring of 1915. He later returned. 

Hilding Urban Hendrickson (1889-1970) and Hulda Paulina Axberg Hendrickson (1886-1969)

Hilding (Urban) and Hulda Axberg Hendrickson, both natives of Sweden, posed with their sons, James and Robert c1919 in Indianapolis. Mr. Hendrickson was a tailor while Mrs. Hendrickson ran the household. They lived in numerous homes in eastern Indianapolis, including two in Irvington. 

Hilding Urban Hendrickson posed with his brother, Francis Hendrickson, c1910. The pair operated a successful tailor shop in downtown Indianapolis. 

Other Hendrickson Family Photos

One of the most interesting photos in the collection is of a family in Sweden. "Johan Emil" wrote a note in Swedish to Francis Hendrickson on the back of the image that reads, "Greetings from all of us, as well as from our home." If you look closely, you can see a beautiful grandfather clock made in the Dalarna region of Sweden. It unclear why there is netting around the light. 

Elizabeth Schwartz Hendrickson (1876-1958), the wife of Emil Hendrickson, posed with her daughters, Lillian, Martha, Dorothy, and Edith c1909 in Rochester, New York. The couple would welcome two additional daughters later in life.

Emil Hendrickson (1876-1951) posed with his oldest daughter, Lillian and an unknown young man in Rochester, New York c1910. 

Hornbrook Family Photos?

     Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson hailed from Moundsville, West Virginia. Many of the photos in this collection likely came from her side of the family. While we recognize some common faces, we have been unable to identify most of the images from her family. Her sister Bertha Hornbrook married Charles Pierson and also lived in Indianapolis. Please study these photos and let us know if you recognize any person or place! 

Mary Hornbrook Schlobohm (1858-1918) in the center of the photo was the sister of Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson. In this early twentieth-century photo, she posed with her two daughters, Lulu and Esther in Marshall County, West Virginia. 

A child with a brick house behind 

On the back of the photo someone has written "Edwin with Brownie," 1926

An older man near flowers

A family portrait next to a wonderful home possibly taken in the Wheeling/Moundsville, West Virginia area

Family portrait with neighborhood houses behind them

"Harold and Mary" written on the back of the photo: Most likely Harold Hornbrook Schlobohm, the nephew of Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson, and his future or current wife, Mary McNickel Schlobohm. The lived in West Virginia. 

The woman seated is most likely Mary Hornbrook Schlobohm (1858-1918), the sister of Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson. She is seated next to her husband, George Franklin Schlobohm (1858-1952). Their children behind them are Arthur Clifford Schlobohm (1894-1918),  George Schlobohm, Jr. (1897-1951), Possibly Esther Schlobohm (1889-?), Harold Schlobohm (1899-1953), Possibly Lulu Schlobohm (1894-1978), and Russel Earl Schlobohm (1885-1959). The photo was most likely taken in Moundsville, West Virginia. 

A Christmas card from an older couple

An older couple in a posed photograph

A woman in mourning on a porch

A young woman in Indianapolis

Detroit Photos

     A member of either the Hendrickson or Hornbrook family went on a sightseeing adventure in the Detroit area in the early twentieth-century. Thanks to Dan Austin, with Historic Detroit.org, we can identify some of the locales in the photos. 

The Tashmoo was a passenger steamboat that operated in between Detroit and Port Huron, Michigan. Thousands of passengers rode on the boat from 1900 until 1936.  

Two women posed at the Hurlbut Memorial Gate in Detroit, Michigan c1910. 

A woman posed near a conservatory in Detroit, Michigan c1910

Two women posed in a park in Detroit, Michigan c1910

Sources:  I wish to thank Donna Sanderson, the granddaughter of Hilding Urban and Hulda Hendrickson, for her incredible research on the Hendrickson family. I also wish to thank Dan Austin of Historic Detroit.org for his work in identifying some of the places in the photos. Much of the biographical information came from various obituaries belonging to Francis Hendrickson, Elizabeth Hornbrook Hendrickson, Bertha Hornbrook Pierson, Charles Pierson, and Henry Hornbrook. The photos belong to the Irvington Historical Society. 

To learn more about the Tashmoo, click here: Tashmoo

To learn about the Hurlbut Memorial Gate in Detroit, click here: Hurlbut Gate

                                                        

Irvington at 150: African-American Residents During the Early Years

 A Call for Scholarship! Graduate students seeking an idea for a thesis or dissertation should consider a thorough study of Irvington's African-American population. This post will be insufficient and is merely an introduction. Work is needed! 

When Jacob Julian and Sylvester Johnson platted Irvington in 1870 and later chartered the town in 1873 they envisioned a wealthy enclave away from the problems of the nearby city of Indianapolis. In fact, they put in strict covenants banning slaughterhouses, soap factories, and alcohol. They did not add laws regulating who could live in the neighborhood. That would come later. Most of the earliest white residents, who built large homes on expansive lots, were primarily native-born and Protestant. Catholics and immigrants would later move into the neighborhood, but African-Americans have lived in Irvington from day one. So who were these families and what do we know about their lives? 

The 1880 Federal Census reveals that of the 567 residents of Irvington, at least 28 African-Americans or "mulattos" resided in the town. Most are listed as "servants" or "laborers." The vast majority of the Black population hailed from Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina. Several children were born in Indiana. The census also reveals that Gabriel Boyd, an African-American farmer, was married to a white German woman named Christiana. 

Emma Cook holds Isabelle Layman in 1907. Ms. Cook worked for the Layman family at 5731 East Washington Street. Dozens of other African-Americans moved to Irvington to work for wealthy white families. (photo courtesy of Isabelle Layman Troyer) 

In 1887, the Black population in Irvington was large enough to support a church. On July 3, 1887, the Reverend John L. Williams convened the first service at the Irvington Public School. By 1889, the church had a governing board composed of George Armstrong, Gabriel Boyd, and Jeremiah Brooks. The trustees sought funds to erect a structure and achieved that dream on May 17, 1891, when the congregation laid the cornerstone for a building at 5712 University Avenue. Over 1000 people assembled for the big event as African-Americans from other congregations attended the ceremony. Seven street cars full of people stopped at the Irvington Depot where families then walked down to the Irving Circle Park. Several pastors assisted the Reverend Charles Williams that day. Four separate Black Masonic lodges sent members to the ceremony to assist with the cornerstone laying led by William T. Boyd and George Knox. Numerous residents donated money for the new church. The culminating moment came when the crowd marched behind a military band one block away to the new site. The Second-Empire style church complete with a mansard roof served until the congregation built a larger structure at 231 Good Avenue in 1910. 

The First Baptist Church opened its doors at 5712 University Avenue in 1891. The congregation outgrew the structure and later moved to 231 Good Avenue in 1910. W. Lee Thomas, a local realtor, appears to have purchased the property and converted it into a home. The front porch was added in the 1910s or 1920s. (photo taken on February 7, 2021 by Wm. Gulde) 

The Indianapolis Recorder, a Black-owned publication, provided Hoosier communities an opportunity to submit news. Black reporters from Irvington faithfully sent in dispatches on the comings and goings of the neighborhood especially as it began to grow in the late nineteenth century and well into the twentieth century. The updates reveal a vibrant community centered around church, clubs, and family. In 1899, the Recorder printed that Nellie Harris of the local chapter of the Booker T. Washington Literary Society read a paper titled, "A Message to the Negro Race." After her presentation, the club had the following debate: "Resolved, that the United States is justified in warring against the Natives in the Philippines." Burton Highbaugh stood for the affirmative while M. Garrison was opposed. The club then took a vote and decided that Mr. Garrison made the strongest case that the United States should not be at war with the Philippines. The club was open to both men and women.

Marshall "Major" Taylor, an Indianapolis athlete and an early Black pioneer in the world of cycling, influenced thousands of young African-Americans to join the sport. Taylor won several races in North America and Europe despite the racism that he faced both on and off the track. The Indianapolis Recorder noted that several young Black athletes in Irvington, inspired by Taylor, built a track near the neighborhood. In the summer of 1899, they held their first race. Participants included Woody Hedgepath, Jack Robinson, James Vincent, Phillip Tyree, and Carter Temple. Unfortunately, the race ended early after Carter Temple crashed and hurt himself. Woody Hedgepath was declared the winner. 

Marshall "Major" Taylor, the world-champion cyclist, did not live in Irvington but he inspired several young Black athletes to build a cycling track near the neighborhood in 1899. (public domain)

The Black women of Irvington were active in church, clubs, and in the suffrage movement. Most of the reports to the Indianapolis Recorder came from local women like Catherine Evans, Bertha Carpenter, Hattie Webster, Euvilous Jenkins, Anna Billips, Louise Bass and others. They wrote of church picnics, recent passings, and who was on the sick list and who had recovered. In April of 1899, an unidentified Irvington reporter noted that the "Widow Tucker recently purchased a beautiful lot north of Washington Street." The author then went on to announce that the Reverends Harrison and D. Taylor's sermon topic at the Baptist church would be, " Pick the mote out of your own eye." 

One of the most interesting events under the direction of African-American women in the neighborhood occurred in 1915 as a fundraiser for the First Baptist Church. Jennie Brock, who had been born into slavery and who had worked for several white families over the years in Irvington including the Johnsons, Ritters, Wades, and the Butlers came up with a startling idea. She proposed that they put on a "white" minstrel show. Minstrels were popular productions in the early twentieth century that lampooned Black people. White actors frequently dressed in black face and mimicked or mocked African-Americans. The women of the church loved the idea and performed the show in early April of 1915. They whitened up their faces and imitated some of the most famous white women in America including Mrs. Potter Palmer, Mrs. Ava Willing Astor, Mrs. Wm. H. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Payne Whitney, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, and others. The church was packed and a local reporter for the Indianapolis News noted that the women discussed the "servant problem." Years later the white suffragette, Grace Julian Clarke, wrote of the event in one of her columns in the Indianapolis Star, however, she incorrectly reported that the women portrayed various white women in Irvington. There is no evidence of this and they would have likely lost their jobs had they done so. 

The congregation of the First Baptist Church moved to a larger structure at 231 Good Avenue in 1910. (photo taken in 2012)

Several local Black women participated in the suffrage movement in the early twentieth century. A blurb in the Indianapolis Recorder in 1916 noted that Mrs. Carrie Whallan, Lizzie Compton, and Minnie Highbaugh of Irvington attended the state convention at the Masonic Temple in downtown Indianapolis. They listened as the famous suffragette, Carrie Chapman Catt, delivered a speech titled, "Equal Suffrage: Foreign States." Steve Barnett, the director of the Irvington Historical Society, has been documenting other prominent Black women from the neighborhood as well including Gertrude Mahorney, who was the first Black woman to graduate from an Indiana college when she accepted her diploma in 1887. 

Some Black residents of Irvington attended nearby Butler University, but those numbers were small. Several young men from the neighborhood served their country during World War I but came home to an ungrateful nation. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana sent chills through the community. For Irvington's Black population, they faced an ominous future after David Curtis Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of the KKK and the most powerful man in the state, moved into the community in the early 1920s. To add insult, most of the newer subdivisions north and west of original plat added racist covenants into their plans. Ethel Shearer's subdivision north of the Pleasant Run Golf Course in 1924 warned that:

(2) The ownership and occupancy of lots and buildings in this addition are forever restricted to the members of the pure white race. No negro, mulatto, Chinese, Japanese or person of any race or mixture of race, except the members of the pure white race, shall acquire title to any lot or building or part of lot or building in this Addition, or acquire the right to occupy any such lot or building or part of lot or building as owners, tenant, roomers or otherwise, except that the white occupant of any lot or lots and residence building thereon, may permit his domestic servant or servants not of the pure white race to occupy a room or rooms in his said residence building or in the second story of his garage apartment to his residence building, during the time of such domestic service

Arthur V. Brown's Ellenberger Park Addition north of Pleasant Run Parkway platted about the same time  added the following racist covenant:

Fourth: That no negro or any person with negro blood shall own the premises or shall live other than as a servant on the same. 

While the original charter of Irvington did not contain racist covenants, later additions to the neighborhood like those located north of Pleasant Run Parkway forbade African-Americans from either building or living in those sections of Irvington. 

Years later when Shirley Rogers, an Indianapolis Star reporter interviewed local Black residents, some recorded that they were fearful of the Klan during the 1920s and they felt the need to arm themselves. Despite the hatred leveled towards the community, Mary Leaks, who resided at 132 South Catherwood Avenue, noted that "Irvington used to be known as heaven on Earth until you died and went to heaven." 

In the summer of 1938, members of the First Baptist Church under the leadership of the Reverend Robert H. Noel gathered for a photograph. (photo courtesy of the Wagner family via Ancestry.com) 

     I would like to thank James Robinson, the historian for the First Baptist Church, for his assistance and guidance for this article. Mr. Robinson grew up in Irvington and knew many of the families mentioned in this post. I would also like to thank local historians Steve Barnett, Paul Diebold, and archivist, Paula Schmidt. To peruse digitized copies of the Indianapolis Recorder, click on the link below.

Indianapolis Recorder

Sources:  First Baptist Church: Brandon A. Perry, "Historic Black Church in Irvington Celebrates Legacy," Indianapolis Recorder, July 1, 2005, 11; Trustees in 1889--"Church Officers Elected," Indianapolis News, May 13, 1889, 1; Cornerstone Laying--"A Cornerstone Laid," Indianapolis News, May 18, 1891, 1; Literary Society debates--"Irvington Notes," Indianapolis Recorder, March 18, 1899, 1) Cycling--"From a Wheel," Indianapolis Recorder, June 17, 1899, 2; Irvington news in 1899--"Irvington Notes," Indianapolis Recorder, April 1, 1899, 1. White Minstrel--"Colored Church Women Stage White-Faced Minstrel Show," Indianapolis News, April 3, 1915 and Grace Julian Clarke, "More Early History of Irvington is Related," Indianapolis Star, October 25, 1925, 62. Suffrage--"Irvington Notes," Indianapolis Recorder, June 24, 1916, 2. Racist covenants: Abstract for 943 North Arlington Avenue, courtesy of Anne Hardwick. Abstract for 816 North Audubon Road, courtesy of Emily Jarzen. Later years--Shirley Rogers, "Church Holds History's Echoes," Indianapolis Star, May 17, 1971, 3.