On the Beach - Sepia Saturday 770

 

"You can't beat a picture that gives you more questions than answers."

(Alan Burnett) 

The prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday made me think of this photo, which I have so far hesitated to publish - not because I don't know who the couple are, but because I do, and therefore still have a hard time imagining them ever willingly having posed for a photo dressed only in swimsuits - and yet they both look fairly comfortable doing so here! 

The couple are my grandmother's older half-sister Hildur, and her husband Olle. They were both born 1892. I am pretty sure that the beach is the one by the lake only a few minutes walk from the house that my grandparents Sally and Gustaf built in 1930. Sally and Gustaf got married in September that year, Hildur and Olle at New Year, and they then moved into the upstairs flat in the same house. (Later on they built a house of their own very close by.) 

I would date this photo to the summer of 1931 - simply because I can even less imagine "Aunt Hildur" agreeing to pose in a swimsuit before they got married... In my own childhood, late 50s/early 60s, I never saw neither Hildur nor my grandmother on the beach, or ever dressed in anything else than skirts that went well below their knees! 

And I've never seen a photo of my grandmother wearing a swimsuit either. The closest to that is the one below, also from the lakeside, with her wearing her long hair down, but dressed in what to me seems to be a long bathrobe. As I know from an old letter that she had her hair cut short in October 1929, I would date this photo to the summer of 1929. She later let her hair grow out again, though - and didn't cut it really short again until she was in her 70s. (Even in my childhood when she let her hair out at night, it was as long as in this photo. She wore it rolled up at the back in the daytime, and in a long braid at night. And I remember her telling me once that my grandfather liked her to keep her hair long.)

But... I think it is probably also Sally you see in the background of of the first beach photo, fully dressed in hat and all. And it strikes me now, that if that photo is from 1931, she would that summer have been rather heavily be pregnant with my dad (born towards the end of August). So probably even less willing to pose in a swimsuit for that reason... 

No doubt it was my grandfather Gustaf behind the camera with both photos, whenever they were taken.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 770

Nils the Bus Driver - Sepia Saturday 681

 

I recently found (or re-found) this photo of my grandmother Sally's younger brother Nils as a bus driver. I recall being told in the past that he worked both as a bus driver and a taxi driver. I don't know the exact year when this photo was taken, but I'd say around 1930 (give or take a few years). From the text on the bus I can see that it ran between the centre of the town of Borås and one of its outskirts (Hestra) - which in those days must have been more of a rural area than it is today.  

Last year in my online searches I found a population census from 1930. It must have been carried out in the month of December that year, as it has my newly-wed (since September 1930) grandparents Gustaf and Sally settled in their new house, Nils and his Carin (married 30 November) at another address, but their older sister Hildur still living at the farm, listed as unmarried (she and her fiancé Olle got married on 30 December that year, and then moved into the upstairs flat in my grandparents' new house). 

Nils was born in 1902, and lived on the family farm until he got married (28 years old). In the 1930 census, his profession is listed as "driver" (not specified whether taxi or bus, so it may have been both), and on the side also working at a driving school, teaching others to drive. The same census also contains the information that back in 1925 his main occupation was farm work. So evidently it was between then and 1930 that he sought a new career. I've also already concluded from Sally's letters that in 1930, he must have had a car (or at least access to one). 

Nils' wife Carin was born in 1903, in the province of Småland. How or where she and Nils first met, I don't think I've ever heard,  but I think she probably moved to Borås to work in one of its many textile factories. According to the church record of their wedding, she was a seamstress. Oddly the 1930 census does not mention her occupation, even though it does state an annual income - it just has her down as "married" and "wife".  I don't know if she gave up her job already in connection with her marriage; but about a year later, their first son was born, and followed by two more sons and one daughter over the next few years - so from then on I guess she was probably busy enough "just" being a housewife. 

Their oldest son (Sten) was born only a couple of months after my dad, towards the end of 1931; and their next son only a year after that. I've been told that in their childhood, Sten periodically stayed with my grandparents and my dad (who was an only child), to ease the situation for his own parents a bit during the years when they had three or four young ones. Sally and Gustaf did not get any more children; but my dad and Sten remained rather close throughout life, and he was also almost like an uncle to my brother and me. He was a journalist, and when I've thought about it in later years, I guess he may have been influenced by my grandfather in that choice of career. He did not have any children of his own, but several nieces and nephews (the children of his younger brothers), and also still kept in touch with me even after my dad died. And when Sten died in 2016, I attended his funeral.

In my dad's and his cousins' childhood, the extended family had a tradition of coming together most years at midsummer at my grandparents' house and garden. Midsummer Eve (back then always on 23 June) also happened to be my grandfather Gustaf's birthday. There are quite a few photos in the old albums to confirm that these family gatherings were a recurring tradition. Most of those also include some people I can't identify - but I think they were Carin's siblings, with spouses and children.  

In this photo from 1937 we have Nils on the left, probably holding his youngest son Olof. (The daughter Marianne was not born yet.) I suppose it must be Carin to the right of them, even if I can't say I quite recognise her here. Of the three boys standing in front it's my dad (Bertil) to the right, probably Sten in the middle and his younger brother Bernt to the left. Behind my dad is their grandmother Selma; on her left her daughter Hildur; and behind Hildur to the left her husband Olle. Behind Selma to the right is my grandmother Sally. The rest of the faces unknown to me. My grandfather Gustaf is not in the picture - I assume he was behind the camera.

This one is from 1939. Here my grandfather Gustaf is in the picture, on the far right, next to Nils. Hildur in front of them, and her husband Olle on the far left. In front of him my dad - wearing glasses now. Probably Sten next to him and Bernt behind (one step up?) - not all easy to tell them apart at that age, though! The woman standing with a baby on her arm is Carin, with daughter Marianne. Sally's face in the middle of the back row; and Selma in the row below, wearing glasses. 

Collage of three more similar photos from 1940, 1941 and 1942, just to show that the summer reunion  tradition continued. (In the top one my dad is half hidden behind one of the other boys.)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 681

SVENSKA

Det första fotot är av min farmor Sallys yngre bror Nils som busschaufför, ca 1930. Bussen  gick mellan Borås centrum och området Hestra (som på den tiden måste ha varit ganska lantligt). 

Den svenska folkräkningen från 1930 måste i den här delen av landet måste ha utförts i december månad, ty av densamma framgår att Gustaf och Sally (som gifte sig i september) nu var bosatta på Nysäter, medan Nils och Carin (som gifte sig 30 november) var registrerade på adress Öreberg, men Hildur fortfarande bor kvar på Storegården. (Hon och Olle gifte sig 30 december 1930, och flyttade då in på övervåningen i mina farföräldrars hus.) 

Nils var född 1902 och bodde på Storegården tills han gifte sig vid 28 års ålder. I folkräkningen 1930 anges hans yrke som chaufför, med bisyssla “bilskola”. (Jag tror att han förutom buss även körde taxi.) Samma folkräkning innehåller också uppgiften att han 1925 var "jordbruksarbetare".

Nils hustru Carin var född 1903 i Lenhovda i Kronobergs län. Var och hur hon och Nils träffades vet jag inte, men antagligen flyttade hon till Borås för att arbeta på någon av textilfabrikerna. I vigselregistret anges att hon var sömmerska. I folkräkningen 1930 står hon bara som "gift", och “mor/fru”. Om hon fortsatte att arbeta under första året som gift vet jag inte. Deras förste son föddes i slutet av 1931 och sedan fick de ytterligare tre barn (totalt tre söner och en dotter) ganska tätt, så snart lär hon i alla fall ha haft fullt upp som hemmafru.

Äldste sonen Sten föddes bara ett par månader efter min pappa (Bertil). De två kom att stå varandra ganska nära under hela livet. Efter vad jag hört berättas, så bodde Sten periodvis hos mina farföräldrar i barndomen, som avlastning för Carin och Nils. (Min pappa var enda barnet.) Sten blev till yrket journalist, och jag tänker att han kanske påverkades i sitt yrkesval av Gustaf (min farfar).

I min pappas och hans kusiners barndom var det tradition att familjerna/släkten samlades hos mina farföräldrar vid midsommar. (Midsommarafton, som på den tiden alltid firades den 23 juni, var också min farfars födelsedag.) Ett antal gruppfoton bekräftar denna tradition. Med på dessa är också en del personer som jag inte kan identifiera – antagligen Carins syskon med familjer.

Introducing Baby Bertil - Sepia Saturday 673

Eleven months into my grandparents' marriage (cf. previous post), towards the end of August 1931, my father made his entrance... 

 

As far as I know, the first photo of him that exists is this one from Christmas 1931, i.e. when he was about 4 months old - sitting on his mother's lap, by the Christmas tree.

This photo of him with his mother Sally and grandma Selma must be from when he was around 1 year old (i.e. late summer 1932).

And I suppose this one, with both his parents, is from a year later still. Here I think he looks much like I did myself at that age (25 years later) - haircut, "frock", stockings, shoes and all!! 

Here he's been given a more boyish look at last, wearing knickerbocker kind of trousers, and a cap on his head... Hugging a teddy bear rather than a bat; but this is as close as I'll get to matching this week's Sepia Saturday theme! 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 673

The Wilander Family - Sepia Saturday 639

In last week's Sepia post I gave some examples of photos from my great-aunt Gerda's album that I've had difficulties identifying. There are a lot more of those; both in her album and in albums that belonged to my grandmother Sally. Recently, I came upon another important 'identification clue' in one of Sally's albums, though: 

'The Wilander family in Floby'

It struck me that I had seen the same photo (but anonymous) in Gerda's album:

And also a very similar one, obviously from the same occasion:

The elderly couple at the far end of the table must be Gerda's and Sally's oldest sister Emma (born 1866) and her husband Brynolf Wilander (born 1865). The younger man should then be their son Erik, born 1901 (one year younger than my grandmother Sally); and the woman at his side his wife, Vera. (I only have her name pencilled in on a family tree drawn by my father.) And in that case, I the little boy must be their son Bengt, born 1933. Leading up to the assumption that this photo is probably from the summer of 1935. The two women on the right are probably Erik's older sisters, Ella and Edit. Below, I've enlarged the faces from the first photo, as I'm hoping that might help me to identify them in other photos as well. (All the original photos are really tiny, so it's not until I get them enlarged on the computer that I usually have a fair chance to even guess...)

Emma & Brynolf

Vera & Erik

Ella & Edit 

The young woman taking Erik's place in the second photo looks like she's wearing an apron. My theory for now is that she's a maid employed by Emma & Brynolf. (In the census of 1910 they had a maid living with them who was born 1883. As this is 25 years later, probably not the same one here.)

Brynolf was a merchant, and owned a country store in a village named Floby. In my grandmother's albums there are two photos of their house there. Comparing them, I take it that the family lived in the same house as the shop. 

The Wilanders' house in Floby

 

"The coffee corner" at the Wilanders' house in Floby

The photos of the house/store are probably from the late1940s, as my grandparents did not have a car until after the war (and I'm pretty sure it was my grandfather who took both these photos.)  The woman is probably my grandmother Sally. The man I suppose must be Brynolf. (I don't have the year of death for neither Emma nor Brynolf, though.) 

In Gerda's album, I also found the photos below of the younger generation(s) Wilander. Whether I managed to get them in the right order, I'm not sure - Gerda obviously never bothered about that, as all of her photos seem to have been put in quite haphazardly (neither in chronological nor any other kind of 'logical' order...). (There may be even more that I have not yet identified.)

(PS. Strikes me now that it's not the same pram in the two photos. I suppose the first one may be of the mother with the first or second child rather than the third.)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 639

SVENSKA

I förra veckans Sepia Saturday-inlägg hade jag några exempel på foton från Gerdas album med för mig okända personer. Det finns många fler sådana, både i hennes album och i min farmor Sallys. Nyligen hittade jag ännu ett 'nyckelfoto' i ett av Sallys album – försett med anteckningen ”Wilanders i Floby”. Det slog mig att jag sett samma foto (men anonymt) i Gerdas album. Vid närmare kontroll fann jag att det där t.o.m fanns två nästan identiska foton från samma tillfälle – men inklistarade långt ifrån varandra i albumet. 

Jag utgår från att det äldre paret vid bordets bortre ände är Gerdas och Sallys äldsta syster Emma (född 1866) och hennes make Brynolf Wilander (född 1865). Den yngre mannen bör då vara deras son Erik (född 1901 – ett år yngre än Sally); och kvinnan vid hans sida, hans hustru Vera. (Jag har hennes namn bara från ett släktträd skissat av min pappa.) Den lille pojken måste väl då vara deras son Bengt (född 1933). Vilket leder till slutsatsen att fotot bör vara från sommaren 1935. Kvinnorna till höger gissar jag måste vara Eriks äldre systrar, Ella och Edit. 

Jag förstorade ansiktena från det första fotot parvis, då de möjligen kan vara till hjälp att identifiera fler foton. (Nästan alla originalbilder i albumet är väldigt små i formatet, vilket inte underlättar.)

Den unga kvinnan som bytt plats med Erik på det andra fotot ser ut att vara iklädd förkläde. Jag gissar därför att hon är anställd som hembiträde eller dylikt hos Emma och Brynolf. I folkräkningen 1910 har de en piga i hushållet som var född 1883 (Anni Teresia Fritz). Då detta foto är taget 25 år senare är det troligen inte samma person (hon på fotot ser ganska ung ut); men hade de en piga 1910 så hade de troligen också någon anställd på 30-talet.

Brynolf var 'handlande' och ägde en lanthandel i Floby. I ett av Sallys album finns två foton av Wilanders hus, ett av framsidan och ett av baksidan. Från dessa drar jag slutsatsen att de bodde i samma hus som affären. Det som visar framsidan ser ut att ha skyltfönster och en skylt över dörren, men enligt Sallys anteckning är det ”Wilanders hus i Floby”. Fotot av baksidan har anteckningen ”'Kaffehörnan' vid Wilanders i Floby”.

Jag gissar att båda dessa foton är från sent 1940-tal, eftersom mina farföräldrar inte skaffade bil förrän efter kriget (och jag är rätt säker på att det är min farfar Gustaf som tagit bilderna). Kvinnan på bilden från 'kaffehörnan' tror jag är min farmor Sally. Mannen antar jag är Brynolf. (Jag saknar dock uppgift om dödsår för både Emma och Brynolf.) 

I Gerdas album finns också ett antal foton av den yngre generationen Wilander (Erik med familj). Jag har tagit med några av de lättast igenkännbara här. Om jag lyckats få dem i rätt tidsordning är jag dock inte helt säkert på. När Gerda satte in fotona i sitt album (om det nu var hon själv som gjorde det) så tycks hon inte ha brytt sig om att försöka hålla sig till vare sig kronologisk eller annan ”ordning”. Jag har namn och födelseår för två av barnen (Bengt, 1933 och Ulla, 1939), men inte för det tredje.