THE people

Alma Erland

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

DATE OF BIRTH:

March 1, 1879

DATE OF DEATH:

December 30, 1903

GENDER:

F

OTHER KNOWN NAMES:

Alma Eland*

MAIDEN NAME:

Erland

ETHNICITY:

Swedish

KNOWN ADDRESS:

832 Judson Ave.

Evanston

IL

RELATED TO:

Harold and Emily Dyrenforth
Ruth Dyrenforth
Emily Dyrenforth

AT THE TIME OF the fire

AGE:

24

MARITAL STATUS:

Single

ROLE:

Audience Member

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION:

ORGANIZATIONAL ROLE:

Nurse / Servant

other information

CEMETERY:

Graceland Cemetery, Chicago IL

MORGUE:

IDENTIFIED BY:

OTHER NOTES:

Alma was a nurse (nanny/servant) for two children, Helen and Ruth Dyrenforth. All three of them were killed in the Iroquois Theatre Fire.

Alma was 24 years old at the time of her death. She lived in an apartment at 805 Dempster, Evanston above the North Shore Creamer. The Dyrenforths lived at 832 Judson, Evanston. She had immigrated to America in 1898. She was the sister of Carl, Jean, Amanda, and Hulda Erland/Erlandsson. Her funeral was held the Sunday after the fire at C.A. Nelson's home.

Translation of the newspaper article in the Skånska Dagsbladet (Skåne, Sweden) January 21, 1904, p. 2 about the death of Alma Erland:

"Alma Josefina Erland was one of the few Swedes who perished in the Iroquois Theatre fire. Funeral services were held in the Chicago home of her uncle (mother's brother) C. Nelson where Dr. C.A. Evald gave the homily in Swedish and English. A Swedish female quartet sang appropriate songs. Burial took place at Graceland cemetery.

"The deceased had been forced against her will to take the children of the Dyrenforths (an Evanston family where she had been a housekeeper for several years) to the sad site of the disaster, where she and both girls who were placed in her care, perished. She apparently died of suffocation because neither she nor her clothes showed fire damage. When her body was found, she was holding both children tightly in her arms.

"She was born in Grefvie, in Kristianstad County, on 17 March 1879 and so was almost 25 years old. She came to America and Chicago in 1898. She leaves her parents, two sisters and a brother in Sweden, and two sisters, two brothers, and a fiance in Chicago."

[Skåne is the southernmost province of Sweden. Alma's hometown, now Grevie, is a village near the west coast of Sweden.]

Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998
Name Alma Erland
Sex Female
Age 24
Address 239 W Madison St Ward 18
Death Date 30 Dec 1903
Death Place Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Birth Year (Estimated) 1879
Birthplace Sweden
Marital Status Single
Occupation Servant
Race White
Informant's Name J E Traeger
Event Type Death
Entry Number 29416
Cemetery Graceland

CITATION:

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) · 1 Jan 1904, Fri · Page 2
Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134692373/alma-erland
https://www.iroquoistheater.com/helen-and-ruth-dyrenforth-iroquois-theater-victims.php
Year: 1900; Census Place: Evanston Ward 3, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 292; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 1157
Illinois State Archive; Springfield, IL, USA; Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916; URL: https://apps.ilsos.gov//isavital/deathsrch.jsp
Skånska Dagsbladet (Skåne, Sweden), January 21, 1904, p. 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Karl Sup, Judy Cooke, Iroquois Theatre Fire Historical Society, Marie Jones

help tell the story...

If you have more information about this person or the Iroquois Theatre Fire, we'd love to hear from you. We're constantly adding new information to our collection to help tell the whole story of the Iroquois Theatre Fire and the thousands of lives affected by the tragedy of that night.

Contact ITFHS

GET INVOLVED

PO Box 2013
Arlington Heights, IL
60006-2013
PHONE: 224-764-1284
EMAIL: info@iroquoistheatrefire.org

The Iroquois Theatre Fire Historical Society (ITFHS) was founded to keep alive the memory of the disaster, victims, survivors, heroes, and anyone affected by the tragedy.

Learn More