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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Visit to Växjö

The visit in Växjö was very nice. My mother and I visited some Mattisson-relatives this past weekend. They took us on the grand tour of the area. We saw old houses and forts, the university (very modern), a water tower, the Church of Dome, a small flea market, two second hand stores and we also went driving in the area near the lake. It was a beautiful view with small marinas with sailing boats, nice lakefront houses and deep "troll" forest. We talked a lot about our relatives and ancestors, of course. One other thing was discussed very much. Her father (not related to me) had passed away recently and they had cleared out the old home. They had then discovered a box with quite a few photos from America. She knew of three siblings of her great grandfather having emigrated, but had never tried to find any information on them. The photos were all nameless and taken in large cities (New York, Chicago, Minneapolis - all with many Swedes). The surname of the emigrants was Persson. Very difficult starting point for finding them in America. However - a research day and a half later I had found info on most of them, even some living. Interesting case with many challenges. And it was true, they actually lived in those cities.

Yesterday I had to go to Kristianstad because I had a dentist appointment. Knowing what the train service can be like here, I went early and had time for some shopping also. I don't have any problems with my teeth generally, so I only go to the dentist about every three years or so. No cavities this time either, luckily.

Today has been a very busy day. My father and his girlfriend came visiting. I had a long list of chores for my handy father to attend to. I wanted more insulation in the bedroom window (it was cold there this past winter), one more hanger in the hall, a rack in the kitchen, and some things mended. We also went to Ikea outside Malmö and I got a new hall mirror there. Also a chest of drawers in another store. It was a big job to assemble it, but it looks very nice and it solved a storage problem.

My father had two very interesting books with him. The local historical society has finally, after years of work, published the complete list of all the houses and farms in Norra Strö parish. There are photos and information about the inhabitants over the years. It also lists the ruins. It will be useful, without a doubt. The other book is about the Herrlin family (on my father's side). One of the descendants has written it, and included family information, photos and stories. Even a photo of my grandmother was in it, but not much on our part of the family. The author hadn't found anyone to ask, apparently. I might contact her later.

Today is my last vacation day, and I can't say I'm looking forward to getting back to work. But I got a lot of things done during my time off.

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