The end of a dream - Richard Kallman

For my grandfather Richard, the dream was to have a farm. Back in Sweden, one of the main "pulls" bringing men to America was the possibility of owning land. Swedish farms were small and families were large. Only the oldest son inherited the family farm. The later sons were out of luck. Their only future was working anothers farm as a field hand, the military or merchant marines, going down into the mines or the long hard dirty hours of factory work.

My grandfather Richard was also forever working on his "inventions". Looked like some type of farm equipment. I remember one he called the "plowmaster". Hate to tell you grandpa but I think that's a combine and Cyrus McCormick beat you to it.

He was finally able to farm but that dream was short lived. Why? Perhaps his health, the depression economy, his children growing up and moving on to their own lives?...nothing worked in his favor. The farm and all it held went up for auction.

Grandpa Richard with Grandma Lydia and their two youngest daughters returned to Chicago. Their youngest son, my Dad? World War II was already raging overseas and in just a few months he would be off to Europe.