"If you don't know where you come from, you don't know where you're going." Sister Addie Wyatt
Visiting Relatives in Sweden
Flo First Arrives in Mariestad
My Mother and Audie Murphy Ch. 111
Our Swedish relatives live near the southern shores of the two great lakes, Vänern and Vättern. Our grandmother, Gerda, grew up on a farm called Stora Myran, near the village of Lugnås.
Gerda’s father, Lars Persson (d: 1910) was first married to Sara Jonsdotter, who died in 1871. His second wife was Sara Nyberg (d: 1924). Altogether they had 16 children, and you can see why I have trouble keeping track of them all. Some died and most, including Gerda, emigrated to the US. Two daughters, Julia and Amalia, stayed in Sweden.
Luggage tags from Flo’s travels in SwedenThe Swedes gathered in Mariestad to welcome FloFlo captioned these pictures “Mariestad, Sweden (Aunt Amalia’s home)”. This is where she stayed while visiting the relatives.Sometimes they traveled by ski. Cool contraption to replace poles, maybe like training wheels?Aunt Amalia (I think), one of the two daughters who did not emigrateCousin Britta threw a party and made a cake that says Welcome FlorenceCake and coffee reprise. Cousin Ingabritt, Molly and Flo visiting in Jönköping, 1979. Flo died four years later in 1983.
I'm a long-time tradeswoman activist, retired electrician and electrical inspector. I live in Santa Rosa, CA. molly-martin.com. I also share a travel blog with my wife Holly: travelswithmoho.wordpress.com.
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4 thoughts on “Visiting Relatives in Sweden”
It’s good to have a better context for these photos of the Swedish relatives. I wonder if there is anyone still alive who could identify everyone in the group shot. Amalia’s husband Ander Johansson died in 1940 and Julia’s husband Axel Linden died in 1945. So obviously they are not in the picture. The copy of the group photo that I have is very blurry but this one shows faces clearly. Many of them are probably Amalia’s children and grandchildren. I think you are probably right about the woman in the fur hat being Amalia. That was my guess from the group photo and it’s the same hat. I remember you said once that you wished your name would have been Amalia, Molly for short.
D.
don.orr.martin@gmail.com 611 – 1288 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z2W5 On the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations 360-353-2138
There’s another picture of Flo and an older relative that I didn’t post. I thought that was Amalia and that maybe the fur hat woman was Julia. Was Amalia the older sister?
Yes Amalia was the oldest of Sarah Nyberg’s children. She always struck me as thinner than Julia and Gerda. I will try to look thru photos I have on my laptop. D.
don.orr.martin@gmail.com 611 – 1288 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z2W5 On the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations 360-353-2138
tradeswomn musings 
It’s good to have a better context for these photos of the Swedish relatives. I wonder if there is anyone still alive who could identify everyone in the group shot. Amalia’s husband Ander Johansson died in 1940 and Julia’s husband Axel Linden died in 1945. So obviously they are not in the picture. The copy of the group photo that I have is very blurry but this one shows faces clearly. Many of them are probably Amalia’s children and grandchildren. I think you are probably right about the woman in the fur hat being Amalia. That was my guess from the group photo and it’s the same hat. I remember you said once that you wished your name would have been Amalia, Molly for short.
D.
don.orr.martin@gmail.com 611 – 1288 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z2W5 On the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations 360-353-2138
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There’s another picture of Flo and an older relative that I didn’t post. I thought that was Amalia and that maybe the fur hat woman was Julia. Was Amalia the older sister?
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Yes Amalia was the oldest of Sarah Nyberg’s children. She always struck me as thinner than Julia and Gerda. I will try to look thru photos I have on my laptop. D.
don.orr.martin@gmail.com 611 – 1288 Marinaside Crescent, Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z2W5 On the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations 360-353-2138
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so very happy you and your mom could make that trip together. Wonderful pictures. ❤️
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