Anna Sophia (Bentgson) Swanson (1841 - 1910)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Anna's lifetime.

In 1841, in the year that Anna Sophia (Bentgson) Swanson was born, on Sunday, June 6th, the United Kingdom conducted a census, the first British census to record the names and ages in every household and to be done nationally at a set time. A few days before the census, forms were delivered to each home and they were picked up on the morning of the 7th.

In 1857, by the time she was 16 years old, on March 6th, the US Supreme Court ruled that Blacks were not citizens and that slaves couldn't sue for freedom. The case was known as Dred Scott v. Sandford. It further divided the country and added to the forces that created the Civil War. It wasn't overturned until the 14th Amendment became law in 1868.

In 1882, at the age of 41 years old, Anna was alive when on January 5th, writer and lawyer Charles J. Guiteau was found guilty of the assassination of President Garfield. Guiteau was "offended" because his job applications had been rejected by Garfield's government. He was sentenced to death -although his lawyer plead insanity - and hanged five months later, on June 30th.

In 1891, when she was 50 years old, James Naismith, at the Springfield Massachusetts YMCA, invented the game of basketball. Originally using two peach baskets and a soccer ball, he created the game to keep his students active during the long, harsh New England winters.

In 1910, in the year of Anna Sophia (Bentgson) Swanson's passing, Angel Island, which is in San Francisco Bay, became the immigration center for Asians entering U.S. It was often referred to as "The Ellis Island of the West". Due to restrictive laws against Chinese immigration, many immigrants spent years on the island.