Nancy Adele's Comments on Nancy's 1982 Notes

One of the several minor inconsistencies in where accounts differ in Nancy's notes from what I have written comes in our Great-Great-Grandfather's writing. The version of Great-Grandmother Louisa arriving in Florence and looking for her husband and giving birth during the night came from Ralph Hoaglund's book as told byLouisa's son Emil Ekquist, and I am assuming her daughter Ida Ekquist Osterberg who made the trip from Sweden (although she was only 2 at the time). This differs from Olaf Olson's account.

Back in our ancestor's time, there was no such thing as Social Security that helped Aunt Nancy remain self-sufficient or those of us who are old enough to be on Social Security along with Medicare health insurance. Families were responsible for each other. The elderly lived with their children, cared for their grandchildren, and long-term care was provided for by their children and elders were taken care of at home. Louisa's parents came from Sweden to live in Homestead with their daughter in their declining years.

Nancy's notes verified that Great-Grandma Louisa lived with Oscar and Teckla's family for most of her widowed life. My mother went with Grandma Teckla to take care of Louisa at the Krans farm at the end of her life. Teckla's sister Ellen had died earlier in the year, and Louisa was living with Ellen's family -- Charlie and two teenage children on the farm in Homestead. My mother had taken care of her own mother for several years before her mother died the year before. My mother met Ward when she was sent from Hibbing, MN to her uncle's in Palmer for a rest after her mother died. Ward and Margaret were married a couple of weeks after Louisa died in Palmer.

When Nancy took us to see where they lived in Caspian in the early years, I wasn't aware that they had a cow and a pig and chickens there. It was a far different world for children in those years than it is for our grandchildren who all have access to computers, Facebook, email, and cell phones with instant communication from and to all parts of the world.

Does anyone know what a "thornberry" or "thornapple" is or how they were used? The only references I can find to them online say they can cause hallucinogenic episodes, sometimes used for medicine, and are highly toxic.

Frank and Hulda Hughes not only lived in the same block in Caspian as the Lundwall family, they came from Commonwealth or Florence, and that's where their boarding house may have been. Frank and his brother had been Vaudville performers and I have no idea how they got to Florence County, Wisconsin. Huldy was born in Sweden and came over with her parents, and she was 9 years older than Grandma Teckla.

The weaving loom that Great-Grandma Louisa made rugs on was probably the same loom that Beda Krans Beaudry still made rag rugs on when I was growing up. I have a couple of "Aunt Beda" rag rugs which I treasure and will not use, made when I was a young adult.

Can't you just see Ward giving the smaller ones wagon rides down the steps? Made me smile at his mischief.

My parents used to talk about how the elders drank their coffee -- sugar lump in mouth, drinking from a saucer. When I was very little, when we visited those who were elderly in Negaunee and Palmer, sugar lumps in a small bowl were on the table along with the cookies and cakes. I was allowed "only one."

When I was a child, it was also wonderful receiving the books I got at Christmas from Aunt Nancy -- a beautiful set of Anderson and Grimms Fairy Tales one year, and another year Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I can understand how excited the younger brothers and sisters would get when Nancy's package came at Christmas. I'm sure Davey and Gerald received books too -- as the nephews and nieces began to be born one after another, Aunt Nancy could not keep up with the growing number.

I loved the story Margaret told about going for a car ride until Grandpa would tell them, "We've come to the end of the world." before turning around and going back home. Car rides were a real treat even when we were children.

Violet talked about working at the NYA which was the National Youth Association, a New Deal program for children between 16 and 25, and unlike the CCC Camps which were for boys, girls worked for the NYA while living at home. Ward talked about working in a CCC Camp which was the Civilian Conservation Corps. These were both programs for those who couldn't find work during the Great Depression. These programs helped more than one of our parents. Many of the others worked in the woods, in the mines, and doing housework for the wealthier families where Swedes were in high demand because they were very hard workers and taught how to clean from childhood.

Violet also talked about working with Doris, doing housework in Trout Creek, and the dances every Saturday night that made it all worthwhile. Violet loved to dance throughout her entire life!

Nancy's memory of the traumatic scene between her parents is something that some of the others were very upset about, but it's probably true. I don't know about the rest of you, but we often talk about the "Lundwall temper." Many of us are mild mannered most of the time, but tend to "flare up" if provoked (or think we are provoked). This temper we think was passed down through Grandpa Oscar. The argument Nancy remembers may have been quite out of the ordinary which made her remember it. It was after this time that Louisa, Grandpa Andrew Lundwall and Uncle Emil joined their household. The memories I have when I was very young are traumatic things that happened -- seeing the blood gush from my dearly loved Grandma's knee for example. I remember nothing else about that day besides the thud, being suddenly on the floor with Janet, and then seeing Grandma bleeding. Like Aunt Nancy, I wonder what some of your first memories are and how young you were at the time. Following is a note from Oscar to Teckla, found in Nancy's papers dated the same day as the earlier list of bills that Grandma should pay. It isn't clear whether they were arguing about Grandpa's work -- but at the time she is in Homestead, and he is in Iron Mountain where he was working in the woods, probably at a lumber camp when it was written.

Nancy also talks about the different potential or gifts each of us is given -- not the same gifts, but gifts we should all develop and use to their fullest. She thinks about the incredible progress that came for our family, starting with a father with a 4th grade education to a nephew who went all the way through dental school, and so many of her nieces and nephews with college educations. She would be amazed at our grandchildren who now travel the world, and borrow huge amounts in student loans to pay for their educations.

And now my notes have turned out to be as long or longer than Aunt Nancy's.....

Last -- the photo of Steven playing the violin is now in it's proper place on that post.