Friday

Girl Cousins



Kallman and Jacobson girl cousins in 1940. Snow in March? Looks like typical Chicago weather.



left to right: Laverne Kallman, Ebba Kallman, Evelyn Jacobson, Eva Kallman, Betty Jacobson




Saturday

Family Photo Gallery




I truly appreciate the many family photos contributed by family members across the United States and in Sweden.   All photos received are on my Ancestry.com tree. It would seem that this blog is a bit less confusing for some family members.  If you notice the permanent tabs just above this post (blog home, about me, Kallman ancestry etc), I added another tab titled "Photo Gallery". Photos donated by family members can be accessed from that tab. I will also include certain documents that may be of interest to descendants such as birth, marriage, census, immigration etc. records.

To download copies of the photos and documents to your own computer just right click on each. I hope you enjoy the photos. .

Please keep those photos and bits of information coming as family history is a story and puzzle that never ends! Share those parts of the puzzle that only you may have!

Thank you cousins!

Tuesday

Gustaf and Hulda

Cousin Ingemar earlier wrote of finding an old photo that proved to be the family home of Edvard, Charlotta and Robert Albin Abrahamsson in Stockholm, before their move to Stommen in Östra Frölunda.


In cleaning out his father and mothers home he has recently found additional photos verifying that his grandfather Gustaf with his wife Hulda, along with his father Seth did indeed take that trip. Among them was this lovely photo of Gustaf and Hulda Abrahamson. Taken most likely by their son Seth.

Hulda and Gustaf Abrahamson in Stockholm Sweden



Thank you once again Ingemar for sharing!


Saturday

Grandma Lydia Kallman and her baby

from the collection of my late Aunt Laverne Kallman Johnson comes this photo.


In this photo I can positively state that is my grandmother Lydia. However, which of her five children is she holding? Again I relied on my photoshop program and blew up the photo. One of the photos on the piano is a wedding portrait of Lydia's sister Ruth and her husband Andrew Soderstrom. They married in 1917. That eliminates my Uncle Albin (b.1912), Aunt Eva (b.1915) and my Dad (b.1916). One of the photos on the wall is of her parents Robert Albin and Anna Abrahamsson. A smaller copy of the same photo is on this blog and marked 1923. That eliminates my Aunt Ebba (b.1920). Bingo! the picture is of Aunt Laverne (b. 1923).

It seems the firstborns every move is captured on camera or video. We sort of run out of steam with the later kids don't we, I am sorry to say? In years past with photos being so expensive and families having more than a few children it may have been even more so. I heard a story about a gal who came  from a large Irish Catholic family. She had in her possession only one baby photo of herself that her Mom had given her. An older brother saw the photo and said "Hey that's me!". She confronted her mother who was still living. "Well, yes, I gave you one of Marty's baby pictures because I did not want you to feel hurt. Dad and I loved and wanted each one of you, but you were number eight after all and we had just pooped out. What's the big deal? you looked just like Marty  anyway." God bless that Mama, I just loved that response!

Perhaps Aunt Laverne saved this particular photo as it was one of the few or maybe the only baby photo she had of herself. She was the youngest Kallman child, the family was financially poor or maybe Grandma and Grandpa had just "pooped out?"










Thursday

Mystery Cowboy



This photo was another that came to me from a cousin last week. No name, place, or date on the back with a clue as to who this is. It was however stored among other photos of the Swedish family. My cousin thought it may be my Uncle Albin Kallman, Lydia Abrahamson Kallman's oldest son. I think not. Zooming in on my photoshop program I just do not think it looks like him although this photo is small and enlarging creates a somewhat blurry photo. Also Albin and his family settled in California as farmers. The setting of this photo is very different. 

Although I have no other photos of him and have never met him I am venturing this may be my great Aunt Olgas husband Uno Markus Palm. Olga and her husband, in the early 20th century went up to Alaska to pan for gold. Look at the surroundings, the "cowboy" himself and his dress and demeanor. Snow on the ground, harsh scruffy landscape, the horse is not even on a trail. The horse is saddled up for some serious riding not just a photo shoot. The "cowboy" is a quite tall, straight sitting, clean shaven, light, rather good looking fellow. He has a gun at his belt, unholstered, apparently at the ready. It is a revolver, (personal protection?) while it seems to me that a farmer would more likely carry a rifle. His cowboy hat style is early 20th century. The horse, dark and handsome is sturdy, this is no show animal, he gets ridden and hard. Was this taken in Alaska? I heard Uno Markus was a tall, good looking and arrogant "ladies man".  He was also Swedish. born in 1883. They had no children and he and Aunt Olga separated early on.

Well, any thoughts?










**click on photo to enlarge for easier viewing or download to your computer and really zoom in**



Monday

Great Grandma Anna Karolina feeds the chickens


Another photo submitted by cousin Robert. Although unidentified he believed it to be our great grandmother Anna Karolina. Looking at the home in the backround and comparing it to a known photo of the Abrahamsson home in Östra Frölunda, I believe he is right. I would guess this photo was taken perhaps around 1920.

The style, window trim and stone foundation of this 1900 photo of the
Abrahamsson home, I believe, matches the above photo.

Thank you cousin Robert!






*click on photos to enlarge for easier viewing*

Saturday

A New Find! The Abrahamsson Family

This photo was passed on to me last night by a cousin. The Abrahamsson Family. It appears to be taken in 1913 when my grandmother Lydia was back visiting Sweden and just before she returned to the U.S.  taking Anna and her three children with her. In fact the clothing is the same as another photo widely circulating around the family. This is another pose of the entire group.



Thank you cousin Kerry!






**click on photo to enlarge for easier viewing**

Sunday

NRA Museums: Great Grandpa Albin's Revolver

In October of 2015 I blogged about the story of  GREAT GRANDPA ALBIN'S REVOLVER  in the tight handmade holster.

My interest was in the story, told by a great grandson in Sweden, and what it said about the personality and character of my great grandfather. I never really thought about the gun itself but my brother did. Intrigued by the photo and knowing a bit about firearms (he is a Texan you know) he spent a bit of time investigating. He did not immediately recognize the revolver or its manufacturer. What kind of revolver was this? What was it's history?

On a website from the National Rifle Association he believes he has identified Robert Albin's revolver as a




It does indeed look like the same type gun and it does itself have a story and place in history that did interest me. "In 1854 Eugene Gabriel Lefaucheaux patented a simple and inexpensive yet reliable 12mm caliber single-action breech-loading pinfire revolver. Within a few years, these arms had been adopted by military forces in France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Romania."* At the start of the American Civil War both the Union and Confederacy also bought these guns for use in combat.
For the complete story of the origin of Great Grandpa Albin's gun follow this link ↓

→ NRA Museums: The Belgian Single Action Pinfire Revolver


A big Thank You to the NRA for sharing this information,
and my brother Richard of course!








**click on photos to enlarge for easier viewing**