Sometimes history repeats itself...

Svarvo Family Tomb

Forest Park Cemetery

Shreveport, Louisiana

My oldest daughter and I had gone to check in on my in-laws graves at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana. Heavy rains have made several of the cemetery's winding roads impassable in a low profile vehicle, so I was forced to take a different road out. My daughter yelled, "It's John-John!" Well, no, it's actually Carl Svarva, Jr. Carl's little salute was immortalized in marble forty three years before the beloved John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s salute toward his father's casket broke a nation's heart. Carl Jr. is buried between his parents, Carl (who changed his given name spelling from Karl to Carl) and Elizabeth Green Svarva. Here's the stats I could find on the Svarva family: Carl Sr. was born 15 November 1870 in Namsos Norway. He passed away 23 January 1918 (a possible Spanish influenze death, as I think anyone who died in 1918 did since I had two great grandparents meet that end). Carl's wife was Elizabeth M. Green Svarva and she was born in Georgia to a French father and German mother, and yes, this is the right date: 7 November 1846 making her fourteen years older than her husband. Carl (Karl) and Elizabeth married in 1895. The 1900 census has them listed together, as husband and wife, just as their tombs do. Carl has his occupation listed as a storekeeper and their address was 1929 Texas Road in Ward 4 of Shreveport. Carl is also listed in a Louisiana Supreme Court case Banahan Vs. Svarva (property dispute) which was heard two years after his death. Carl Jr. was born on 4 August 1915 and passed away in Calcasieu Parish on 4 June 1920. I will assume he was adopted since Elizabeth would have been 67 years old at his time of birth. Carl Jr. was no doubt loved and adored since it is his likeness featured on the family tomb. The engraved arch above his statue states: "Pappa's little man and Mama's baby." There is no record of the Svarva family in 1910. After the deaths of her husband and son, Elizabeth at age 73 alone is listed in the 1920 census as a boarder with a Morris family on Allen Avenue. She passed away on 8 November 1922.

UPDATE: An ancestor named Shannon commented below with corrections and additional information:

Shannon said...
Carl Svarva was the nephew of John Johnson who arrived first in this country from Norway. He was a green grocer. John Johnson was my ggg grandfather. As the family story goes, the little boy died of yellow fever and was much beloved by his adopted parents. The statue was ordered from Europe with the boys exact measurements and possibly even a death mask. It was supposed to be an exact likeness. He is wearing a WWI uniform, which is why he is saluting. Elizabeth Green was the sister of Ella Green, who married Carl's uncle, John Johnson. Carl Svarva got off the boat in NY with a postcard attached to his chest as to where he was to be sent. He arrived safely in Louisiana and began to make a life for himself. To provide even a little more history. Elizabeth Svarva was not a boarder with the Morris Family in the 1920 census. The Morris Family was living in Elizabeth Svarva's house. Mr. Morris was the butler and chauffeur for the Svarva family. When Elizabeth passed she was supposed to leave her wealth to a younger relative by the name of John Edward. To everyone's surprise, the Morris Family inherited everything. Elizabeth's family called on a lawyer to determine if anything could be done and apparently it could not so the matter was dropped legally. The Morris Family boarded with Elizabeth and the house on Allen Avenue was hers.