Find My Ancestry

Department of the Interior
United States Land Office
Blackfoot, Idaho

Frederik Frederikson, being first duly sworn, on oath deposes and says that his address is Kilgore, Idaho; that he is the same person who made DLE 4612 at the Blackfoot, Idaho land office, on May 20 1908; that in preparing his entry papers and in writing his receivers receipt evidently the officers made an error in his name spelling same Frederick Fredricksen, instead of correctly spelling same Frederik Frederikson; that he is one and the same person who made said entry and who has this day submitted final proof in support there of.

Affiant further says that he is the same person to whom Water License No. 3681 dated June 15, 1909 issued by the State Engineer, and who was described therein as Frederik Frederiksen, and the same person intended to be described in Certificate of Completion of Works, under permit No. 3681, wherein he was described as Fredrick Frederiksen; that these errors were clerical ones made by the persons who prepared the papers above mentioned, he being the same person intended to be described in each of said papers.

Signed: Frederik Frederikson

National Archives and Record Administration, Bureau of Land Mangement, General Land Entry File, Serial Patent Number 304131,

Sometimes people appear in your family tree and you don't know much about them. Sometimes they are just a face in a picture. And then sometimes you get lucky and stumble upon an amazing, incredible story about a person - a story that needs to be shared so others can find it more easily.

Svea is one of those people. To me she was the wife of my first cousin once removed. She stood out in the family pictures.

One of my cousins asked me what I knew about Svea and in doing my research I found this story, lovingly written by her daughter who gave me permission to share it. This is the story of an amazing life and a wonderful person. We need to remember her.

Svea Astrid Ollson

When Svea entered this world on January 6th, 1927 in Peking, China she was the 5th child born to her Korean mother, Pong Nai (Pauline) and her Swedish father, Axel. Svea was named by her father as a tribute to “Sverige/Sweden” his homeland and “Astrid” after a beautiful Scandinavian princess. Throughout her life, Svea’s name was pronounced (incorrectly) any numbers of ways, and whenever she was asked the origin of her unusual name, she would laughingly reply “It’s Swedish. Don’t I look Swedish?” (For the record Svea is simply pronounced “Swee-ah”).In point of fact, like her siblings she was a beautiful blend of two races and two cultures but not one of the eight Olsson children looked Swedish!

The Olsson marriage in 1912 was highly unusual. When her parents met Pong Nai was a 14 year old tomboy who spoke only Korean. Axel “Ole” Olsson was a 31 year old gold miner from Sweden who was known for his outgoing and colorful personality. The Pak family was less than pleased when a “foreign devil” took an interest in one of their daughters but with great tenacity and stubbornness Axel learned to speak Korean and he patiently courted Pong Nai (and her mother) for 5 long years. Considering his restless nature it was a testament to his love for Pong Nai that he stayed in Korea for so long. Eventually when she was 19 her parents gave their consent for the marriage. Papa Olsson spoke only Korean to his wife, but when their 1st son Einar was born, he decided that the children should be raised speaking English. In the years to follow Einar was joined by Axel, Mary, Erik, Svea, Ellen, Hilda and Charlie. (With Svea’s passing only Hilda remains.)

While English was their first language, the children also grew up speaking Chinese, French, Korean and a smattering of Japanese and Russian. The children’s formal education was scant but they were clever and eager to learn and they grew up to be well-read and articulate. Mama Olsson despite a quick ear for languages and an excellent memory never learned to read and the only thing she could write was “Mrs. A.F. Olsson”.

At the time of Svea’s arrival in Peking the Olsson family had already lived in Korea, Manchuria and Mongolia. In Peking they owned 2 small restaurants and they became famous for their fine home-cooked meals and for their generosity. Their habit of giving too much credit left them broke, and they headed for Shanghai to look for work. Life in Shanghai was difficult but both of Svea’s parents worked hard to support their family. While their parents worked the older children cared for the younger ones until their parents decided that the 4 girls should go to Nagasaki, Japan to attend school at a French convent. The children were terribly homesick and the nuns were strict and intimidating, so Svea and her sisters were very glad when their parents brought them home to Shanghai just before the war began.

In 1937, Japan began a war with China and foreign nationals were evacuated from Shanghai. The Olsson family stayed amidst the bombing and looting, taking refuge in the quarters of the Swedish consulate. In the end it became too dangerous and the family left Shanghai with several hundred other Swedes, Norwegians and Danes, crowded and huddled together on the top deck of the “Tai Shang”. They arrived in Hong Kong as refugees with only a handful of possessions and for several months the family lived in huts in a refugee camp.

Svea’s father found it hard to find work in Hong Kong so he left his wife and eight children to find better prospects in the Philippines. The 3 oldest children found jobs, and with the money Ole sent home, life for the Olsson’s improved. When tensions in Asia escalated Svea’s father came back to Hong Kong but in early 1941, at the age of 60, Papa Olsson left to help the U.S. military in Burma. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong in December 1941 they never heard from him again. Svea was 14 years old.

Hong Kong and Singapore were bombed the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Everyone was caught off guard, but thanks to Mama Olsson’s foresight, the Olsson family stayed together in their own apartment for the first few days. The British authorities then told them they had to pack up and leave and since Svea’s 2 older brothers had found jobs working for the Hong Kong government they were allowed to move their mother and younger siblings to an Italian convent for refuge. The family lived in a dark and crowded school auditorium with hundreds of other women and children. Rations were meager and there were daily air raids and aerial bombings taking place. Hong Kong fell to the Japanese 18 days later. Life became more difficult under military rule and being Eurasian made their situation even more dangerous.

For four years they lived without electricity or running water. All of them became ill with malaria, diphtheria and malnutrition. Brother Einar lost a leg when an air raid shelter collapsed and brother Axel was arrested by the Japanese as a spy, imprisoned and tortured. While he was held, Svea would go each week to the prison to take him small bits of food and news from home. It would take Svea half a day to walk to the prison and a half a day to walk home again and only rarely was she allowed to see her brother.( In 1950, his health broken by the war, Axel was to be the first of the Olsson children to die. The family was heartbroken.)

By the time the Japanese surrendered on August 11th, 1945, the Olsson family was in poor health, with few material possessions. The Salvation Army helped the family with shelter and food and the British and American military gave them the medical and dental care they needed to begin their recovery. For the rest of her life Svea always spoke of the help they received with deep gratitude and emotion.

As the family rebuilt their lives, they learned that they were considered “state less” meaning they belonged to no country. During the war the family had been considered by the Japanese to be Swedish nationals but when the family asked the Swedish government for passports their request was denied. Eventually they were granted British passports and they were allowed to remain in Hong Kong.

Svea was 18 years old when the war ended. During the war she had worked as a waitress with payment made in a meal and tips. After the war until she was nearly 21 years old, she worked in a dress shop earning no salary, but she did get a small meal each day and a chance to get a few dresses that the Olsson girls all shared.

In 1948, Svea applied for a job as airline stewardess with a local airline, Hong Kong Airways, which was a subsidiary to British Overseas Airways [now British Airways]. There were only three positions open, and Svea was chosen because of her fluency in Chinese and her outgoing personality. Svea became one of the first stewardesses ever to work in the Far East. Svea loved her job and she traveled throughout Asia to places like Shanghai, Macao, Manila and Tokyo. After so many years of hardship and sadness, this was a wonderful time for Svea. The work was hard but she loved the smart uniforms she wore and the people she met were often the elite of their time. Svea danced in nightclubs throughout the Far East and she dated several British and American pilots, which is how she met her future husband, Dallas Cederberg.

One night while on a double date, Dallas asked Svea to dance and for her phone number. Svea thought he was good looking and charming but she also thought he was a big flirt. Around the same time, Svea met another American pilot named Dale Cramer and 2 months after they met they became engaged. A few weeks before their wedding fate intervened and on a flight to Macao the plane Dale was piloting was hijacked. During the hijacking, there was shooting and the plane blew up, killing the passengers and crew. Dale’s body was never recovered. Svea was heartbroken, but she continued to work for the airline. One day she was surprised to receive a telephone call from Dallas who told her he was sorry to hear about Dale and he asked her if they could start over and meet for dinner. They dated for over a year and after meeting Mama Olsson and getting her approval, Dallas and Svea were married on May 13th, 1950.

Over the next nineteen years, Svea and Dallas became the parents of five children: Bill, Mary, Carla, Christine and Lisa. Bill was born in Hong Kong and moved with his parents to Thailand, where Dallas was a partner in Trans-Asiatic Airlines. In 1954, when Mary was born, the family had moved to Idaho, back to the farm where Dallas grew up. Svea brought with her to Idaho her exotic good looks and unique style, wearing Chinese silk dresses with silts up her thigh to the local bar, much to the appreciation of the local men and the consternation of their wives and girlfriends. Svea also became a U.S. citizen.

By 1957, when Carla was born, the family was living in Wichita, Kansas, having first spent some time living in Las Vegas, where Dallas was a partner in a sand and gravel business. They had also lived for several months in California where Dallas tried to find work that would take them back to the Far East.

While Dallas worked in Wichita for Cessna Aircraft as a pilot and salesman, Svea cared for her young family and made many lifelong friends. Life was hard in Wichita with Dallas making little money and traveling all over the world with Cessna. Svea was often alone with 3 small children and financially it was always a struggle. In 1960, Dallas was hired by Lockheed Aircraft to start an office in Hong Kong and Dallas made good on his promise to Svea that he would get her home again. Daughter Christine was born in 1961 and for the next 4 years the family thrived.

Svea loved being back with her mother and sisters in Hong Kong. The Cederberg children grew close to their Olsson family especially Granny Pauline, their aunts and cousins. Family gatherings were loud and joyful occasions, and the years spent in Hong Kong were among the happiest of their lives. Dallas was a great success in his new job and they enjoyed a busy social life with the diplomatic and business community. Svea learned Chinese brush painting and her inherent sense of style and artistry kept her busy designing clothes and furniture for herself and her family. In those days, Hong Kong was a glamorous hot spot for the rich and famous and Svea had the opportunity to meet many famous movie stars and singers of the day. Svea loved every minute of it!

In 1964 Lockheed transferred Dallas to Atlanta, Georgia. Leaving Hong Kong was very hard for both Svea and Dallas but as always they put the security of their family first. Leaving her mother and sisters was heartbreaking for Svea and going to a new place without any family support was not easy. Still, Svea adjusted and adapted as she always had and she made a happy and secure home for her family. For the first (and only time) they bought a house. Amidst the traditional brick houses of Atlanta, Svea managed to find the only Chinese style house in the area! While Dallas traveled for weeks at a time, Svea looked after things at home. With her outgoing and generous personality and her unique sense of style she quickly made friends. Svea was a regular contributor to “Show-and Tell” at the children’s school and a soccer mom to son Bill long before the term was even coined. Svea developed a passion for vegetable gardening and she also continued to paint, sometimes she even gave lessons. In 1969, Lisa was born and the Cederberg family was complete.

In 1970, Dallas was transferred to Australia. As he had done each time they moved, Dallas went ahead to find the family a home. With her children’s help Svea packed up their household and drove cross-country to Idaho to see Dallas’s family before leaving the U.S. The family also stopped in Hong Kong before arriving in their new home in Canberra, Australia.

The next nine years in Australia were busy and happy ones for Svea. Dallas’s job with Lockheed kept her very involved with the diplomatic community and she was a favorite guest at many functions. People always asked about her background and once at a luncheon she met a woman who seemed strangely familiar. They soon realized that they had played together as children on the refugee ship from Shanghai in 1937. While living in Australia Svea became an avid tennis player and much to Dallas’s dismay she also discovered off-track betting!

In 1979, when Dallas was transferred back to the United States the Cederberg family was smaller as the three oldest children were no longer living at home. Dallas went ahead to Glendale, California and in mid-year having once again packed up their household, Svea and Lisa arrived. Christine arrived in December 1979. On January 4th, 1980, while living in their new home in Glendale, California, Dallas died in his sleep of a heart attack at the age of 55.

The family was devastated and Svea was heartbroken to lose her partner of 30 years, but she held her family together and she devoted herself to raising 10 year old Lisa. Svea’s other 2 daughters moved to the area permanently while son Bill moved to North Carolina where he married Beth and in 1981 they gave Svea her first grandchild, Sara Astrid. In the years to follow, as Mary and Carla and Christine all married, more grandchildren followed: Erica, Alex, Chris, Lizzy, Lauren, Dallas, Mia and Ali. Svea’s much loved son-in-law’s Richard, Mike and Peter completed her family.

Svea looked after four of her grandchildren full-time for many years and she proved to be as wonderful a grandmother as she was a mother to her own children. Despite her ever youthful appearance and energetic approach to life, in November 1993, Svea suffered a near fatal heart attack. The doctors gave her less than a five percent chance of survival but a quadruple bypass saved her life and Svea made a full recovery. There were other health concerns over the next few years, but Svea always battled back with great courage and determination. The doctors were amazed by her resilience and her family treasured her all the more. Svea continued to stay busy with her grandchildren and family. She became an active parent volunteer at her granddaughter’s elementary school and she was always the center of attention when her family gathered.

In 2004, Svea was once again faced with a life-threatening illness. When Svea was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, her family was devastated. The prognosis was poor and only extensive surgery could save her life. Svea made the decision that she would do whatever was necessary to stay alive and the family’s prayers were answered when her cancer was treated surgically. By Christmas she had regained much of her strength and spirit but this time there was a price exacted and Svea’s short-term memory was damaged. Old memories remained strong, but new memories found a slippery footing.

Despite the fear and frustration she must have felt over her growing loss of independence, Svea never complained or felt sorry for her self. Svea’s natural optimism and her sense of humor helped her family to cope with the changes they saw in their mother and grandmother and she remained an integral part of her family’s daily life. When Svea’s memory worsened, it seemed as though she simply stored more and more memories in her heart instead of in her head and while she was no longer the feisty and self-sufficient woman she had been all of her life, her essential personality remained intact.

On the evening of August 24th, 2006, while returning from dinner with her family, Svea fell ill. At first, it looked as if she would be alright. In the ER she comforted her daughter and joked to ease the worry. Then with little warning, her heart suddenly stopped and then restarted. Twice more her heart stopped and started on its own. Shortly after midnight and in accordance with her wishes, with her family at her bedside she quietly and painlessly slipped away. Words of love and gratitude were the last that she heard while her hands were gently held by her daughters and granddaughter.

In death, as in life Svea showed her children that when we confront fear, sadness and loss with a brave and gallant spirit, strength and great comfort can be found even among the tears. They say that to love, and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides and if that is true then Svea’s life and was golden from beginning to end.