Name Day greeting cards from 6 June 1912, addressed to Gustaf at Storegården in Fristad (the family farm in Sweden, to which he had returned in 1911, after 8-9 years in America).
Gustaf is now nearly 34 years old (his birthday was in July).
Some of the senders are unknown to me (Hilda, Anna, E. Obk, A.B.)
From Gerda (sent from Floby 3 June 1912).
Like Gustaf, Gerda also returned to Sweden from America in 1911.
Dear brother, I have now decided to go home on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. I'll be on the train at noon. I'm going to Falköping tomorrow, Erik is graduating then. Best wishes to all of you from all of us. / Sister Gerda / Floby, 3 June 1912.
Gerda is writing from Floby, which means she was with their older sister Emma and family. Erik was Emma's and Brynolf's son. (I don't have his date of birth.) When Gerda says she'll be going 'home', she is obviously referring to the farm in Fristad, where Gustaf is now living with their older brother Carl, their father's widow Selma and her three children: Hildur (Selma's daughter from her first marriage, born 1892), Sally (my grandmother, born 1900) and Nils (the youngest, born 1902). (Samuel, the father, had died in 1907, while Gustaf and Gerda were living in America.)
One reason for Gerda to go and visit the family at the farm that week may have been Gustaf's 'name day', which was/is 6th June. There have been several Swedish kings called Gustaf. Gustaf I of Sweden was elected king of Sweden on 6th June, 1523. It was celebrated as a sort of informal national day long before it got official status as national flag day in 1916. Not until 1983 did it get the official status of national day - and it took even longer before it was made a public holiday (2005).
Anyway - it is obvious from Gustaf's postcard album, that name days were widely celebrated in Sweden in the early 20th century. In 1912 (when he had been back in Sweden about a year), he received quite a pile of name day cards from family and friends. (Following below.)
Från Gerda (Gustaf's syster, som också återvände till Sverige från Amerika 1911)
(Poststämplat i Floby, 3 juni 1912 - som var en måndag)
Käre bror! Nu har jag bestämt mig för att resa hem på onsdag istället för på tisdag. Kommer då på middagståget. Jag tänker resa till Falköping imorgon. Erik har examen då. Kära hälsningar till Er alla från oss alla. / Syster Gerda / Floby 3 juni .12.
Gerda skriver från Floby, vilket betyder att hon var hos äldsta systern Emma med familj. Erik var Emmas och Brynolfs son (jag saknar hans födelsedatum). När Gerda skriver att hon ska resa hem, så menar hon uppenbarligen till Storegården i Fristad, där Gustaf nu bodde tillsammans med deras bror Carl, deras fars änka Selma, och hennes tre barn: Hildur (Selmas dotter från hennes första äktenskap), Sally (min farmor, född 1900) och Nils (den yngste). (Fadern, Samuel, dog 1907, medan Gustaf och Gerda bodde i Amerika.)
En orsak för Gerda att resa hem och hälsa på familjen just den här veckan i juni kan ha varit Gustafs namnsdag den 6 juni. Detta datum firades också som något av en informell nationaldag även innan den utsågs till Svenska flaggans dag år 1916. Status som officiell nationaldag fick dagen inte innan 1983 - och först 2005 blev den även nationell helgdag.
Hur som helst visar Gustafs vykortsalbum på att namnsdagar uppmärksammades minst lika mycket som födelsedagar i börjand av 1900-talet. År 1912, när han varit tillbaka i Sverige ungefär ett år, mottog han en hel liten hög med namnsdagshälsningar från familj och vänner.
From: Elin & Oscar (Gustaf's brother and sister-in-law) / Norrköping, 5.6.1912
Hjärtlig lyckönskan på namnsdagen och många hälsningar till Eder samtl[iga]. / Elin
Instämmer i föreg.! / Oscar
Our warmest congratulations on your name day, and greetings to all of you. / Elin
Agreeing with the previous speaker! / Oscar
Congratulations and many greetings from Anna
Sent from Norrköping, 5.6.1912
Hälsning på namnsdagen! / E Obk.
Greetings on your name day! / E Obk.
På Namns-dagen den 6/6. 1912 av H.L. (Hildur Lundgren?)
On your Name Day 6/6 1912 from H.L.
(As there is no sign of this card having been sent by post, I think H.L. is probably his step-sister Hildur Lundgren, also living at the farm.)
På Namns-dagen den 6/6 1912 from A.B.
On your Name Day 6/6 1912 - A.B.
Sent from Malung 5.6 1912
Congratulations on your Name Day 6/6 1912 / Sister Ester - I hope you are all well at home. Give my love to Gerda if she has come. I will write a letter soon. I wish I were back home in Fristad now and were able to be out in the forest a bit, here we cannot be out at all. Best wishes to you all.
Malung is a small town in the province of Dalarna in Sweden. I wonder what Ester was doing up there? As far as I know, she lived in the province of Västergötland; at this time in her life probably in Mullsjö near Jönköping. So her stay in Malung must have been temporary. But if it was a holiday, it sounds a bit odd that she wasn't able to go out at all!
Linking to: Sepia Saturday 594
Norrkoping! My great grandmother, Johanna Magdalena Hedman, came from Norrkoping, Sweden, so the name really caught my eye! What does 'koping' mean - something like town or village? I notice many Swedish community names ending in 'koping'.
ReplyDeleteLaN, yes, 'köping' is an old name for a (smaller) market town which did not have the full status of 'stad'(city). I don't know whether at this point in time (1912) Oscar and Elin lived in Norrköping or were just visiting there. Nor do I know who the other two women are who sent cards to Gustaf from there.
DeleteFascinating and we have a holiday for another reason (no time off though) on June 6...remembering an event in WW II.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I had to look that up of course, and find that it's the date of "D-day" (6 June 1944), counted as sort of "the beginning of the end" of WWII, I think. I've heard of that of course, but don't think I ever paid attention to the date before.
DeleteA wonderful collection of cards - my favourite the charming one of the two children bearing baskets of flowers. Is "name day" the same as our "birthday" or does it commemorate the day of the baby's christening?
ReplyDelete