Brev från Greta till Lydia 8/3 1919

 Funny! When I had translated Gretas letter i turned to my pile of letters, photos, books and all and took some photos and I took these! As if somone helped me!!
" Bobbie" and " Bob with his doll and vagon"
I don´t know if he is 4 and a half though.

Letter from Greta  to  mother Lydia  March 8, 1919

Dear mother

Many thanks for Mom's letter that I received yesterday. It hurts me so that  mother was so ill, but I hope that mom is now completely recovered again . We have had this disease too. Bob and I have had the Spanish flu , Kerstin has had a skin disease that she got from a patient and Margeret and Bobby now have " Chicken Pox ", and have a rash over the whole body. I think it is Röda hund  in Swedish. The only one who has been healthy is Christian . Now we are well again but I was very nervous after The Spanish .

We have had a wonderful winter , not cold at all , with sunshine and we have ridden a lot. It is a wonderful sport and we have so many beautiful roads and footpaths to gallop on . Next week I'll start playing golf. Then Christian and I can go out and play together. Margeret is a real little sunbeam she smiles all the time. We call her Sunny Fun and Happy. She never cries

Next year we can probably go home ,and Chris says we must learn Bob Swedish first so we have started already . So now we can look forward to next summer , this sommar is  no one permitted to travel over except for business I think.

Mom can not imagine how expensive everything is here. In taxes we pay more than 10 % of the income Chris has . But this is all because of the war . And it is well that it is over now. Clothes are also expensive , but I hope it gets better soon. Kerstin have worked really hard during the epidemic ( Spanish disease ) here and now  she needs to rest . She was in bed for a week but is now on her feet again. She can start working when she can get a patient. It was nice that  mom got the Christmas gift and I hope mother received the $ 20 Kerstin sent in December.

Bobby will start riding this year. I had sent for a real riding habit and boots for him. I send a photo of Bob too , he is now 4 ½ years old and a big strong pixie (olydig) boy, full of humor and jokes.

Chris received mother's letter , he will write soon . We have an excellent good season here now. About 50 people come every day and the  ​​hotel is replete .

Best wishes from us all

Mom's affectionate

Greta

Brev från Greta till Anna 1919

Brev från Greta i Hot Springs Virginia till syster Anna february 4 1919

Min käraste lilla Anna
Du kan inte ana hur glad jag blev för ditt rara brev. Ja, jag har nu två ungar. Margaret är den allra sötaste lilla tös, lik mig med stora blå ögon och så snäll och rar. Vi trivas alldeles utmärkt här. Bor i en villa på 5 rum , ett stort "livingroom". All mat serveras från hptellet så jag har ingenting att göra- Vi ha en jungfru och en barnpiga som bor i ett annat hus och äta på hotellet.
Så vi har det bekvämt med 2 badrum och allting flott som ögat. 
Kerstin bor här hos oss och kommer att stanna. Chris är mycket förtjust i henne och kivas hela tiden med henne till Bobs stora förtjusning. Du kan inte tro vad jag är förtjust i min lille man. Han är så rar och trevlig. 
Jag vet att du och Helge är lyckliga, jag hade alltid en "soft spot" i mitt hjärta för honom. Hvad det ska bli roligt få se er alla igen och dina 2 söta små barn. Bobby ochj ag ha båda just tillfrisknat från Spanska ...(?) som grasserar värre i hela USA. Kerstin har arbetat som en slav och doktorerna här kunna ej berömma henne nog . Hon är en utmärktsjuksköterska. Hon var med mig när Margeret kom och skötte mig utmärkt. Vi rida rätt mycket. Du skulle se Kitta, hon galopperar mest hela tiden medan jag rider med ridmästaren som alltid är med oss. Man ser ej Kerstin på hela tiden, hon skjuter iväg som en pil. Ja, Kitta är verkligen söt, alla tycka om henne. 
Ja, min kära syster , hälsa nu Helge och barnen så mycket och må så gott. När kommer den 3dje ungen?
Chris ber hälsa så och Kerstin och Bob
Din egen syster Greta

1916 i Chicago

GRETA SKRIVER TILL MAMMA LlYDIA 1916, 3 ÅR EFTER GIFTERMÅLET MED CHRISTIAN

Feb 10 1916 from Greta to Lydia Chicago

…Maybe Chris can get a job in New York this spring with 7000 a year. It would be a good thing and a much better job. Now he has a lot of work and it may be that he is getting 6 weeks free every second year so we can go home together. It is not possible for you to come over to New York this summer. The war continous so heatedly.

^{... It was sad to hear that the mother had been hurt so badly. Hope mom is better but it was fun to hear that Anna had her little girl. Brita looks to be a real little skälmunge . Bob is a little rascal but so sweet with such regular features ... Kerstin , I have not seen for a few weeks , she is now working  night this month, but I'm waiting for her here every day now for the month is over now and  they get a few days free and then she can come home . Then we'll have a nice time and go to the theater , etc. . All feel so good about Kerstin at the hospital . A friend of mine was there and got .. and all the nurses praised Kitta . She has such a pleasant way and everyone think she is so adorable and her voice is so likable ( when she speaks , sings , I do not know ) I'll miss her if we go to New York. We'll try to get her there in a Hospital. It will probably be a bit lonely for her here. Our relatives see we only during major holidays and when they come , everybody in a high - by the way Kitta does not like them very much except uncle of course.}

  ^{( Then Greta writes that she does not think that the mother should work too much. Nowadays , Greta feels gratitude for everything mom made for them and says that now she puts a high value on the good home they always had , even when ma had a hard time with? (looks like kafvan}

För 100 år sedan...

Letter from Greta, 21, to Lydia from Manson  Royale 28 feb 1913 (Cuba)

...and so I have written a silly letter to GL and told Christian to write too and ask for " my little hand" .å. So now is that fixed. ... I am extra happy to hear that Kitta and the boys  are doing good......Christians letters every day sweetens life for me also.

Letter from Christian to Lydia from Hotel and Annex, Chicago  10 march 1913 where he thanks Lydia for a very nice letter, and that he is longing for Greta and has asked Häradshövdingen in Jönköping for his concent to marry Greta.

And then came this nice letter from Pastor Elof K Jonson to Lydia where he explains that her doughter is married to Christian and that they are very much in love! This must be a pastor that can imagine how a mother on the other side of the Atlantic is feeling when she can not be at her doughters wedding!,

Chicago den 1 okt 1913

Kära fru Lindman

Jag har härmed äran meddela Er att Er dotter Margaret blef den 24 sistlidne i äktenskap förenad med herr C. R. Andersen enl. Svenskt luterskt (?) formulär men i engelsk öfversättning. Vigseln ägde rum i Er broder F. Andréns hem i Berwyn (?) Det var en skön och oförgätlig stund. De unga äro innerligen fästade vid hvarandra så att man med skäl kan säga: Se, huru de älska hvarandra! ...... De båda gåfvo mig det allra bästa intryck. Herr Andersen är en ovanligt begåfvad man och därtill redlig och karaktärsfast. ...

The creek och Jean och Mac och cottage 10 bl a

Morbror Chris skriver i sitt brev till mig detta bl a. Hela brevet finns på min sida
We lived at cottage 10. Our bedroom was on 2^nd floor. Had a porch around ¾ of house and we used to ride our tricycles around it. We had a flood in 1928 and the creek overflowed and I remembered I learned to whistle then. Else and I were real close had a colliedog “Rough” who watched over us when we were outside. We started schoolwhen we were 5 at Miss Noera´s. All students were children of Hotel employees. We both liked school and learned to sing French childrens songs. Some I still remember today “ Savey vous plantee les choix” “Il etat et un bigera que guarde ses mouton “ ( Ask your mother if she remembers them)
We used to go to Dads camp on the cowpasture river a log cabin, swam in the river and fished, had a lot of fun. 

 

 
 Mamma har alltid berättat så varmt om Jean, sjuksköterska, och Mac. Och många gånger har vi hört om när de leker vid the creek. Det var många bilder på stället där de fiskar.
Bilden där de står under Maggies beskydd är så fin.

Bilder från ett fotoalbum

Mammas gamla fina fotoalbum innehöll bilder från USA och barndomen. Inga från något stort hotell utan från "farmen" som mamma pratat om och med Maggie och med barnskötare. Tråkigt att vi inte hann prata om bilderna. Kan vara så att mamma inte ville ta fram dessa minnen?

Min faster Elsie

På baksidan med farmors Agnes stil: Folke och Elsie 1925
4 och 2 år.

Elsie Wennberg. Elsie är den person i släkten som jag hittar mycket få foton  på. Här är några. Jag minns utflykter med faster Elsie. Hon hade varit med om en cykelolycka i unga år och efter det fått epilepsi. Med ganska vad jag tror jobbiga anfall. Så småningom hamnade Elsie på Beckonberga sjukhus och fick åtskilliga elchocker och hennes stackars hjärna mådde inte bra. Mamma gjorde ofta utflykter till Beckis för att besöka henne. "För då behandlas hon bättre " vet jag att mamma sa när Elsies röster i huvudet förbjöd henne att ta emot besök. Min tuffa mamma!