Research on August Wennerstrom

[Gerald Wennerstrom]

I am the grandson of August Wennerstrom,
3rd Class and a screenwriter. I recently found
this site and I am very happy to have done so. I
am doing research on my grandfather's life
especially prior to the Titantic (in Sweden),
and after arriving in New York. My research is
for a screenplay I am writing about him. I have
tapped out my father (August Jr.) and all
family members. In fact this site provided info
they were not aware of. The main reason I am
writing this screenplay is after seeing
Cameron's Titanic (in my opinion, a grandious
exploitation of a disaster - which without he
would have had nothing) and knowing of so
many great stories I've decided to write one
that's true.

Some questions I need answers to:
His Bio states he left to avoid problems with
the Swedish monarchy. (he called the the king
the King of Thieves) However, my father and
uncles remember him speaking very highly of
King Oscar. In fact the King's picture was kept,
with honors, in his home. Which is true?
Was he married in Sweden? I know he had
son in Sweden. But where? Is he alive?
How did he get from NY to Chicago and why
did he leave NY.
He was in Chicago and met his wife Naomi
Johnson. What was the occassion?
When did he leave Chicago and why?
After Chicago I find in 1918 he works for
Culver Military Academy (Indiana). What
happened between 1912 and 1918.

Some of these may be impossible to ever
answer, but hey, worth a try.

Anyone with info I would love to hear from.

 

[Peter Engberg-Klarström]

Dear Gerald, August Wennerström (or Andersson, his real name) was a journalist and had written articles about the King of Sweden which weren't all that flattering. He assumed the name of a colleague, Ivar Wennerström, and left for America. He was a sturdy Socialist at the time and wasn't the authorities' favourit, as it were.

Best regards,

Peter

 

[Paul Lee]

Dear all,
I know portions of his account were published in Wyn Craig Wade's book about twenty years ago, but where can I find the full version of August Wennestrom's story of the sinking?

Best wishes

Paul

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

I'm not sure, but try The Mammoth Book of Titanic by Geoff Tibballs. I just can't understand up to this day as to why August couldn't help Alma Palsson more with the children. I've read that August held two of the children, while Alma held the younger two, Stina and Gosta. August was very close to a lifeboat(forgot which one right now) so he could have placed Torborg and Paul in. Instead, only August survived, while Alma and the four kids were lost, leaving a grieving Nils Palsson in New York after his family.

But I do think the book I've mentioned helps, it's VERY good for people who read a lot about survivors' accounts of the sinking, so I recommend it.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Laura,

The Tibballs book contains a lot of mis-information. I have not been able to locate anything specific about August. If you happen to locate a page reference it would help as a 500+ page book with no index is not easy to search.
My understanding is that August was in boat A. If that was the boat he was near then even if he had got any of the children into it they would have been tipped out when the boat was washed off the deck.

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

Oh woops, I didn't mean The Mammoth Book of Titanic, I meant A Night to Remember by Walter Lord! BIG difference. I don't think I can find the exact pages because I have to go somewhere soon, but I know for sure I read about August and everything. It seems August managed to crawl back in Collapsible A alright.Oh well, guess it really was every man for himself, I mean he was concerned for his safety first. It's understandable. But still, if the boat was flipped over, then Torborg and Paul would not have floated a long way off, could of have placed back in. But, what could we do now ?

Well, sorry for misleading you Paul, as if you would have listened to me, but still.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Laura,

I do not see August in the index. Have you perhaps confused him with Olaus Abelseth? and read about August somewhere else?

August tried to but was unable to pull Mrs Lindell into boat A: - From the Biography of Edvard Lindell:
"Once the ship went under Wennerström and Lindell climbed into the boat. Wennerström saw Mrs Lindell in the water and grabbed her hand. Weakened by the cold he was unable to assist her further and after a while she drifted away. ....."

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

Hi Lester,

No, I'm not dumb, I didn't confuse anybody with anyone, I'm pretty sure it was August.Lester, I don't know what you're talking about. A Night to Remember doesn't have an index, just a passenger list. If you're talking about A Mammoth Book of Titanic, I know it doesn't have an index, that's why I said I read about August in the other book, by Walter Lord. I might sound mean right now, but I'm not. Just making my point.

Yeah, it's really sad about Mrs. Lindell, she was pregnant too. That's two lives lost right there. Aw-aw.

Paul must be like Never mind, Jeez. Or, probably already found the stuff. Oh well.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Laura,

While the older editions of ANTR may not have an index the Illustrated edition does and I do not see August listed, neither is he in the index for Walter's other book: TNLO.

Mrs Lindell was pregnant! Where does that information come from?

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

Hello Lester,

Ok, fine, I'm 100% sure ! Better ? Who cares, it's not important. Well, you can't blame me for not having the book YOU have !

Yes, indeed, she was! Don't ask me what semester she was in, I have no clue. I don't know the website the info's coming from, but if I type something into Google, I know, just not off the top of my head. It's a good, ok I'm gonna say VERY helpful, non-bias website, so you won't say, it's just "good"? So yeah, and I know that Mary Cordell(not sure of her last name) was also pregnant, who was also lost. That's four lives. But, often society ignores those two little human beings, and they are not on the victim's list.

Next time,I'll tell you the website, it's in French. How I know that they were pregnant, since I don't know any French ? Well, there were two columns, so, on the left one, Mrs. Laroche, Madeleine Astor, a Syrian lady were listed, then on the right, Mary and Elin were listed. 100% obvious.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Laura,

I don't blame you for not having the book, but to tell me there is no index ....
So a French web-site. The lady you are thinking of was Mary Corey.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Paul,

You might try Laura's google search suggestion. I found this: http://home.mchsi.com/~dutcherp3/TITANIC.HTM

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

What up Lester,

I know, don't take it literally! Well, there's no index in mine, and how am I supposed to know there's more than one type of book ? I just have my book. I wasn't trying to be smart. Let's get it over with.

Oh yeah, Corey, now I know, where did I get Cordell from ? Wow!

 

[Laura Melinda Varjo]

Yeah, mine is perso.wanadoo.fr/titanic/ images1/allison_fam.jpg, it has to be somewhere on that site. or, if you can't get there, go to google, type in Loraine Allison, or Loraine et Trevor Allison, oh, make sure you're in the Images section in Google, so yeah, you'll see the website. It has a dark blue background, some green decorations on it, and again, it's French.

 

[Lester Mitcham]

Hello Laura,

Thank you for that. A very interesting and informative web-site.