The Naven Families - Five Generations of Lighthouse Keepers (1799-2002).

In 1952, the last lighthouse-keeping family to live permanently on the island moved to Navensberg on Kållandsö island. Naven’s lighthouse was owned by Lake Vänern’s Shipping Board for many years but is now run by the Swedish Maritime Administration and rented out as a private summer residence. Naven’s bascule light was looked after by Jon Persson who lived in Skogudden, close to Pirum. His son, Johannes Jonsson, later became a lighthouse keeper at Naven lighthouse and was in turn succeeded by his own son, Carl Fredrik, in 1872. In November 1899, Carl Fredrik Jonsson was killed when he and his eldest son were loading wood on the Gustav Adolf, a galeas boat, up by Byälven river. His wife, Tilda Jonsson, was left alone with 13 children and one on the way. She took care of the lighthouse and the fishing with the help of the older children.

The job of lighthouse keeper was taken over by their son, Gustav, in 1900. He held the position at Naven until 1945. In the same year, Karl Jonsson succeeded his father as lighthouse keeper until 1981. Stig-Olof Jonsson took over from his father in 1981, and his bother Rolf Jonsson replaced Valter Andersson as lighthouse keeper on Lurö in 1991. Together, they managed the Naven – Lurö District at Lake Vänern. After 32 years of service with the Shipping Board, Rolf retired in 2001 in order to work as an officer with the merchant navy. Stig-Olof retired from his job as lighthouse keeper after 22 years.

Your captain, and also the owner of M/S Navaren, Stig-Olof, was the last lighthouse keeper of the five generations and also the last child born on Naven. In 2006, he purchased the passenger boat M/S Navaren. Once again, he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps, as Gustav Jonsson (the third generation of lighthouse keeper) was skipper of the Nafven passenger boat between Kållandsö and Lidköping some 100 years ago. At the time, it was the fastest means of communication into town. He is happy to tell you more about this and looks forward to welcome you on board.



The Naven families
Top row: 1. Ludvig 2. Johan 3. Karl 4. Elfton 5. Gustav 6. Axel 7. Otto 8. Oskar
Middle row: 1. Gilbert 2. Matilda 3. ”Tilda” 4. Anna 5. Albert
Bottom row: 1. Evald 2. Karolina
Picture taken in 1906