If this post seems familiar to some readers, that will be because it's basically the same as my post for Sepia Saturday 713 ("Going to Work"), about a year ago...
My grandfather Gustaf (born 1904) started out as a shoemaker's apprentice in his early teens, but what he really wanted to do was write. He gradually managed to shift to a career as journalist, by taking a few correspondence courses (cf. SS 675 - "Book-keeping, Stenography and Typewriting") + freelancing for a local newspaper, until eventually he got employed there full time as journalist in 1926. He also usually took his own photos when he was out and about on various jobs.
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| Young Gustaf at his desk in his room at the farm |
While being a shoemaker's apprentice, Gustaf lived with the shoemaker and his family; but later on, he was offered a room at the farm where his childhood friend Nils lived (with his mother, two sisters and one or two older half-brothers). One of Nils' sisters, Sally, was to be his future wife - but from what I've gathered from letters, when Gustaf first moved to the farm to live, there was not yet any romantic relationship between them. My impression is also that Gustaf's room must have been in a separate small cottage rather than in the main farm house with the family.
This photo shows one of Gustaf's colleagues at the newspaper where he worked between 1926-1938. (In 1938 he was recruited to another newspaper in the same town.)
In this photo Gustaf is obviously older, and I think it's probably from his office at the other newspaper, where later on in his career he also advanced to be editor. But I think his main passion was always to write his own articles about local history and people.
Linking to Sepia Saturday 773 - The Desk
An excellent post to match the prompt! I always enjoy hearing about your ancestor's lives! They become so real, with great photos to enhance the details of their lives. And it is a great reminder how people all over the world share stories that are similar to the times.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara. I feel I've reached a stage where I keep repeating a lot; but apart from needing to remind myself of things I've already learned, I also aim to make each post in itself "make sense" for random readers...
DeleteIt sounds like Gustaf was a go-getter. He knew what he wanted & went after it the best way he knew how, being rewarded with a job he obviously loved. We would say he was one of the lucky ones, but he pretty much made his own luck. He must have had a very strong character. :)
ReplyDeleteGail, the more I've tried (in later years) to trace the "timeline" of his life, the more I've formed a similar impression. Alas he died of Parkinson's disease when he was 65 - and I myself just 14. So my own memories of him from when he was still healthy are from when I was only a child myself.
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