Ethel Lavina Hannberg
(Post No. 9) Ethel was our "Nana," who married Edmond Gorman in 1908. By 1920 they had three children — Adie, Eddie, and John (Popee). Since Nana lived to be 89, up to 1975, and lived in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, we grew up knowing her well and had the good fortune of spending lots of time with her and her sister Amy.
Nana always went by the name "Ethel H. Gorman," the "H" being for her maiden name Hannberg. I never knew if she had a real middle name or not as we'd never heard of one. But through the magic of genealogy research, I discovered a document that listed her middle name as "Lavinia." My guess is that she didn't like the name and dropped it. But I get a kick out of it because it's unique, and I like using our ancestors' full names when talking about them.
Ethel was born in McPherson, Kansas, on June 28, 1886, to Swedish parents Olof Hannberg and Ada C. (Anderson) Hannberg. She was the youngest of three, with Amy the oldest and Earl the middle child. They grew up in the Swedish-immigrant enclave of Lindsborg, Kansas, where their father owned a watch and jewelry store on Main Street. Ada's parents had a farm nearby and Ada also had eight brothers and sisters, so Ethel had many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Tragedy struck when Ethel was about 10 years old. Her mother, Ada, suffered a mental breakdown in 1894 and was institutionalized for about two years. A few years after that, in 1897, Ethel’s father, Olof, died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 41. Ada recovered from her mental illness but died in 1902 from a physical ailment. So at the ages of 21, 19, and 15 (Amy, Earl, and Ethel, respectively), the children were orphaned.
With the estate and insurance money they inherited, Amy and Ethel — who remained very close sisters their whole lives — soon began traveling around the United States, which included places like Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, Niagra Falls, and Chicago. They learned secretarial skills and ended up in New York City for a while where they worked, and where Ethel acted on stage in Shakespeare plays. It's also where she met Edmond B. Gorman. They married in 1908 and moved to California where they lived out their lives, as did Amy. Their homes were in San Francisco and San Mateo. (Earl lived in Los Angeles).
We knew Nana only as a widow living in Santa Cruz at what the family called "The Ranch." It wasn't a working ranch but rather a big farm house on 50 acres in the mountains, property that Edmond bought in the 1930s as a weekend getaway for the family. It stayed in the Gorman family for nearly 70 years until the early 1990s. Nana and Amy, also a widow, lived there together and that's where we would visit them in our childhood.
Nana and Great-Aunt Amy were both sweet, loving, and gentle people. It was like having two grandmothers who gave us wonderful memories. Nana died in 1975 from complications of pulmonary emphysema — she smoked most of her life and quit too late. She had a very sharp mind and was able to recite poetry and Shakespeare lines to the end of her days. Amy died in 1969 of Alzheimer's disease, but ironically, she had robust physical health to her end. Both of them were special people.
See more pictures of Ethel, Amy, and Earl here.
COMMENTS:
Susie - February 24, 2020
That sure brought a tear to my eyes! Have so many wonderful memories of
both of them and loved them so much!
Nancy - February 24, 2020
I know just what you mean! We’re lucky to have those memories, though!
Lindy - February 25, 2020
Interesting name — Lavinia. We never knew that. Nana always looked the same
over the years. She never seemed to age. And how did Amy and Nana handle all
three of us at one time? We must have been very good little girls. Those were
wonderful times at the Ranch.
xo
Nancy - February 25, 2020
Of course we were very good little girls.
Johnny - February 25, 2020
So cool Nancy!!! What is interesting is that I remember going to Nana’s
funeral….great memories of The Ranch!
Thanks!
Johnny
Nancy - February 26, 2020
You are the only great-grandchild of hers who would remember her, unless
Kerry does, too. You are lucky!
Kendra - February 25, 2020
Mom, this is wonderful to read. Ethel was clearly a wise, worldly, strong
person and loving grandmother. Reading about her life is so edifying and heartwarming. I feel like I’m learning so much about our family. Thank you SO much for sharing these blog posts!
Nancy - February 26, 2020
Thank you Kendra! I’m glad you’re enjoying these. I like sharing what I
know about our tree and I want the family to know and appreciate them as
much as I do. After all, we all came from them!