Norway and Sweden, September 18 - October 5, 2004
September 27, 2004. We are having a delightful time in Sweden with generally good weather and a very nice new Volvo. We are traveling with Sam and Thelma Hunter who send you their regards. We ran into this very nice Swedish family who also wished you well. We will be back next week to tell everyone all about it. Stockholm is very nice as is Gothenburg where we got the car. We are off to the ballet tonight as the opera is dark until Wednesday. Greetings to all of the ladies in waiting. Love Jack and Linda.
September 19 - Arrive in Göteborg, beautiful city where we walk all day: church, museums, squares, parks. Lovely, lovely; September 20 - Pouring rain dictates a trip to the archives where we find emigration records of the Widerquists. A venture to new Emigranten Center helps with 1890 & 1900 censuses; September 21 - Pick up our new Volvo and head up coast to Norway; Soli Brug. We visit friends of Meredith Wilson, Eva and Willy Dørje-Berg; Their home and interiors they have restored; Eva's pottery and wonderful sense of color.
Eva and Willy Dørje-Berg; Sons house. Prior home of the lumber mill proprietor/manager.
Water wheel used to power multiple saws; The stream rushing past the wheels & a flume; We spend the night in Hotel Refsnes Gods in Moss, Norway, each room decorated with art by different Norwegian painters. Beautiful.
Wednesday, September 22 - Take Moss-Horton ferry across the Oslo Fjord & drive Norwegian East Coast to Arendal. Here we meet up with Hunters. Thelma's cousin, Hakon Blandehoel, takes us in boat. Gorgeous day; Both Thelam's and Hakon's family are from Arendal; A bit relaxed in our cozy cabin.
Picture perfect scenery! Thursday, September 23 - We travel with Thelma's Sannaes relatives to their cabin; Happy boaters repair to Sannaes household for supper; Cabin site view.
We don boot to slog through marshy bogs to reach cabin; Harry & Hillbjørg Sannaes, Thelma's cousins; Guest cottage.
Harry shows off the cabin; While Sam collects his thoughts; Halvor, Harry, Hillbjørg & Hunters; After a great lunch of fisksuppe we get ready to walk back.
Sam wears bags, we get boots; We drive around the corner to lovely meeting spot full of restored old buildings.
Friday, September 24 - We leave Arendal & drive back to Sweden to visit Håkan Hagegård at his lovely retreat for artists, Hagegården; Communal dining room at Hagegården; Håkan Hagegård.
Saturday, September 25 - In the morning we tour Klässbols Linen Factory, both hand and automated looms; Klässbols owner shows us around; Other local sights.
In the PM, Håkan takes us sightseeing, including Selma Lagerlöf's home.
Thelma, Jack, Håkan & Sam; Mårbacka Restaurant; After Mårkacka we stop at a gallery & restaurant; Sunday - After breakfast we bid adieu & go to Stockholm.
Sunday, September 26 - We head for Stockholm via Gripsholm; Sam and Jack have to stop out to see the choo-choo! Gripsholm Royal Palace & National Portrait Gallery; Runestone.
View across lake from Gripsholm Gardens; Stockholm. Royal Church and Palace in Stockholm; St. George and 'Friend'; German Church in Stockholm.
We adore Stockholm! We walk around until time to join Mike and Kay McCarthy for dinner.
National Theater and Ballet; Sam in search of a pissoire.
Monday, September 27 - Jack sends this card to Jack's mother who dies two days later. The good looking Royal Family; Vasa Museum.
Bus tour; Skansen - After that we meet Janis Kreslins at the Royal Library.
Tuesday, September 28 - We take Sam and Thelma to Arlanda Airport then head back to Värmland; Skokloster - between Stockholm & Uppsala; Skokloster Paris Church; Wrangle family estate.
Värmland - Home area (with Örebrolan) of Christina Larsdotter & Carolina Nilsdotter; Parish Priest's House, stay here for 3 nights; Picasso statue at Kristinehamn Harbor entrance; View of lovely cottages across from Picasso.
We drive to Hällefors to do some research, then search out the farms of Christina Larsdotter; Grytthyttan Parish Church; Many cultivated areas are returning to forest; Hälltorps Fallet? Farm they may have lived on; Outbuildings that housed animals & families (Not close to water & therefore not restored as a vacation cottage).
Wednesday, September 29 - We got to Karlstad to research & track down Nils Larsson & family! Hälltorps, now a vacation cottage. View out of front door; Move to Varnum Parish; View toward Lake Bergsjön; Bersjö farm house. Farm Christina moved to in 1825. Here her daughter Carolina Nilsdotter (& 2 sisters) were born.
Thursday, September 30 - Bjurtjärn Parish. Parish Church; Sandsjötorp Farm, birthplace of Nils Larsson; Sandsjötorp overlooks Lake Ullvettern; 2004 main farm house.
Lungsund Parish Church - Parish of Nils Larsson when he worked on Mosserud Farm; Lungsund is on Bergslagenkanalen; Typical key; Arne Nilsson, Bjurtjärn parish guide; Arne and his wife Sigbritt are restoring Hembygdsgården Farm & nearby iron pit. The Bjurtjärn Players perform here. Fascinating to see the money and effort people put into the private restoration of these old sites.
Kattängen - Birth farm of Carl Johnson, Christina's 2nd husband; Current Kattängen owner; Nohlås, emigration farm; Model of Backstugan, peasant's cottage; Åsvikens - farm Carl and Christina moved to.
Fridayy, October 1 - From Värmland to Jünköping; Askersund Church; Vadstena Castle, home of archives; Eksjö - Lovely wooden town.
October 1-4 - We find family farms for Lars Johnson (husband of Carolina Nilsdotter & Lottie Wederquist's father) and Widerquists; Skärstad Parish Church; View toward lake from parish church steps; Looking across Landsjön Lake to parish church. Kasna's farm is 3 O'Clock; Lekarebo - Up hill from church birth farm of Elizabeth Svensdotter in 1767, Lars' maternal grandmother.
Fingalstorp - Birthplace of Lars Johnson, 1825; Ekeberg Farm (former Katteberg) where Lars' father was born, Jons Jonasson, 1798, as well as his father, Jonas Jonsson in 1768; Karsnäs - Birthplace of Lars' mother, Ingeborg Larsdotter, 1804, as well as her father Lars Mansson, 1766 & his father, Mans Larsson in 1735.
Widerquist Län! A relative? Märback Parish CHurch and view over Lake Ralången.
Birth farms of F. Ludwig Wederquist parents. Lammarps Farm, Marbäck Parish; Lammarp tractor eggs, cottages; Birth farm of Lovisa Dahlberg, 1818; Breafall - Sven Winderquist birth farm. Breafall is in Lommaryd Parish; Lommaryd Parish Church. This church is well out in the country. It clearly helps a lot to have state money to keep up these small parish churches.
Bälaryd Parish & Hillerstorp Farm - Birth farm of Fredrik Ludwig Widerquist in 1851; Bälaryd Parich Church; Views of Hillestorp.
Karstorp Farm - Main home of Winderquists; Lena Britt Gustafsson, teacher and owner of Karstorp; Cheese pie, such as the Winderquists would have eaten; Åkersberg - From which Ludwig and sibs emigrated; Guest cottage open for rent (60SEK in '04) for 4 bedrooms; History of Karstorp on a roll for the kids.
Places where Lovisa and Sven died; Flisby Parish Church, and its not too modest parsonage! Flisby, Lovisa died here in Jan. 1895; Syreda Farm, Lovisa dies here; Norra Solberga, Chapel - Sven dies on Glämminge Farm in this parish in 1905.
Huskvarna - Industrial and craft village opposite Husqvarna plant.
Dinner at Sannaes' home.