About the Bergreen Family

ERICK. J. BERGREEN (1856-1883): Erick J. Bergreen emigrated from Sweden to the United States in July 1880. With a destination of San Francisco. Erick had worked in the woods for some time, and in December 1883 while he was sniping a log, he was suddenly struck by the butt end of a sapling about 30 feet long. It struck him across the shoulders and back with such force as to throw him some twenty feet up the hill from where he was standing, killing him instantly, as he was not heard to speak nor showed any signs of life.

From Erick’s obituary, it was known he had a brother in Gualala. An 1884-85 Business Directory names “A.J. Bergren,” a blacksmith, and presumably Erick’s brother, along with “E. Bergren,” a laborer, as residents of Gualala. The information for this directory was likely collected in 1883.

The Mendocino Beacon republished Erick’s obituary and inquest details, in a 1920 edition of the newspaper, in a “backward glance,” at coastal news.

Research compiled by Kelly Richardson, APR, AG. Anchored Genealogy.