This is my blogiversary. I have been blogging about my Swedish and Norwegian ancestry for one year. When I started I was doubtful I could do it, let alone keep it up for a year. But I have and I have loved it! I am very grateful for those family and friends who have encouraged me and contributed with stories, memories, photos and ideas. Thank you all!
A few years back when I began my family history journey I started on my mother's Norwegian side. Or rather my grandmother had by telling me her personal story of immigration to the U.S. and the history of her family in Norway. I had also visited Norway a couple of times to visit her so I had a leg up in knowing exactly where my Norwegian family had originated from and where to look for records.
My Swedish side, well, not so much. As with most people, my interest in family history began as I grew older and almost all of those in the later generations were gone. Gone with their memories and stories of how they and their ancestry contributed to how I came to be. Found in my father's papers after his death I had only this..
A typewritten note my grandmother had made in the 1950's and given to my Dad. It seems she did not want her family and that of my grandfather Richard to be forgotten. So faded was my grandfather's side I held it up to a window under bright light to make out what she had typed.
So I started digging and bugging family near and remote for information. Who were these Abrahamsons and Kallmans? Tell Me Please. Have you a photo? How are we related? I made the Ancestry.com family tree and filled it with the information I found. I believe many many folks of my generation are interested in their personal family history, photos, stories and such. But most are not interested in the hobby of digging and searching for the tidbits of history related to their family as I am. The same way I will never understand why my husband needs a Lund boat with fish finders, all sorts of gadgets, fishing stuff and expensive equipment AND travel to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada AND WHO ELSE KNOWS WHERE to get a fish I could get at the Jewel for a few bucks.
And that's okay. I finally got that and the blog was born.
I began without one photo of my grandmothers family in Sweden and now you can see the Abrahamson Family photo album displayed on the right side of the blog. I also connected with some pretty cool people that I was proud to say I was related to. So...
Happy Blogiversary! And thank you all for the help you have given me this first year! The stories, photos, ideas, encouragement, requests etc. Let's keep going. Okay?
