Photo: The Backman family, undated. Courtesy of Paul A. Malmgren
The Backman family were included in the Waltham Rediscovered project as part of the Scandinavian community. They lived in the neighborhood around Prospect and Felton Streets.
Charles Backman (born 1860) emigrated from Gothenburg, Sweden around 1880. His wife Jennie (Anderson) Backman (born 1857) came to the US soon after from the nearby Swedish county of Halland, and the couple settled in Waltham after marrying in 1884. They had 10 children, 4* of whom died in infancy:
- Arvid (born 1884)
- *Baby Boy (unnamed, born 1885)
- *Ernest (born 1887)
- Svea/Grace (born 1888)
- Jennie (born 1889)
- Rose (born 1892)
- *Charles Theodore (born 1893)
- *Lillie (born 1895)
- Ada (born 1897)
- Carl (born 1899)
The family were members of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Waltham. Charles was a Waltham police patrolman, and several of his children worked at the Waltham Watch Factory. The family are buried at Mount Feake Cemetery.