John Viklund was a young apprentice stone mason in Sweden when he became the first of his family to emigrate. His parents and 2 eledest brothers never left Sweden; but he departed 2/20/1880 after compulsory military service, coming with his brother, Alfred, the first of 6 children to come to East Union, MN. There he found cousin Lottie, a daughter of a pioneer 1864 emigrant, Johannes Andersson Edberg, He also found all the free land in MN was gone, so he went west to Dakota Territory.
    From homestead record #10695 in Mitchell land office it states:  "Arrived U.S. 26 March 1880.  Filed intention to become citizen 11/7/1881 at Chaska, MN. Made application for homestead 5/31/1884 & settled there in Ramsey Oct. 1884; Broke 5-acres in 1889, 8-acres in 1885, 6-acres in 1886 for a total of 39-acres; made improvements of a 14x20 frame house with a 8x12 addition plus a sod & lumber barn & grawnery(sic) & two outhouses & 2 mills; planted 3-acres of trees & put 35-acre  in wire fence for a total of 39-acres broke. Value $800.00.  Became citizen 5/14/1890."
    From the Salem Luthean Church history it's recorded: "...helped orgainize us in 1888; when Center Lutheran Church was built in 1891, Wicklund had charge of building the foundation.(still stands), and at 1st Board meeting, Jan. 1883, Wiklund made deacon of "Ostra Roten" (eastern region) and in church subscriptions 10/31/1890: Jan Wiklund Ped 500 (dollars)"
    These maternal grandparents emigrated from southern Sweden Vastergarden, Edum, Larv Parish, Skaraborg (Lottie as a 6-yr old in 1864). John was born on a Jonagarden farm to Johannes Larson of Edum Rote, Larv Parish but moved with his parents in 1859 to their Vastergarden farm. Ancestors had obtained the farm as a former Army-militiaman's croft. The farm went to 2 eldest brothers (relatives still owned it a few decades ago); so, all other siblings emigrated to America. John & Alfred came first, arriving in MN 3/26/1880. They worked on farms near West Union Lutheran Church, Hancock township, Carver county, MN  T114N - R25W, Sec 1. They looked in vain for homesteads from 1881 to1884 around the south part of Lake Maria, Carver Cnty., near the towns of Gotha & the West Union settlement area founded in 1858.
    Note: From the "Compendium of History and Biography of Carver and Hennepin Counties, Minnesota" [1915] by Holcombe & Bingham it is written: 'West Union Evangelical Lutheran Church, in the NE corner of the township, was organized by Rev. P.Carlson; a frame church was built before the Civil War...'
    Note: From the Carver County Historical Publication "In the Tracks of the Swedish Settlers in Carver County" by Susanna Thilquist, 1988 it is written: 'West. Union congregation was organized in Dec. 1858, about 6 months after East Union. Both Union settlements had expanded rapidly, especially to the west & south. Those  in the west wished to have a closer church; hence two churches resulted: East Union & West Union.'
    In 1887 J J Wicklund married Lottie Edberg at East Union Lutheran Church, Dahlgren Twnshp, Carver Cnty, MN,  T115N - R24W, Sec 35. The newly weds walked west to Dakota Territory to homestead  Section 8 of Ramsey Township, McCook County, Dakota Territory where they lived until their deaths in 1929.  John's brother- in- law (Tidbloom) homesteaded next door. My grandpa died in 1929 of sunstroke and she of a broken heart; they are buried at Center Church. Their eldest child is my dear mom, Blanche Viklund Wicklund Anderson.
     Lottie Edberg Wicklund was born 12/19/1855  on that same Vastergarden Edum, Larv, Skaraborg, Sweden. She died on 3/15/1929 on their farm in Ramsey Township farm, McCook County, SD. Although their homestead was about the best land around & they planted a grove of trees Lottie was homesick for MN, her parents and siblings who she  never saw again after departing East Union, MN which was more like the landscape in Sweden which she had left at  6 yrs of age way back in July 1862— Her family took name Edberg on Naturalization (father); most of the other descendants still live there now at E. Union, MN.  (e.g.: artist Lana Beck Edberg  of Belle Plaine, farmer Richard Olson of E. Union, et. al.)