Storegården, [Saturday] 1 August 1925
My dear friend
Gustaf,
Thanks for your
letter. When I got it, I was in church – that is, Hildur had been to
the post office on her way to the church, and gave me the letter there.
Of course I didn't read it while I was still in church, but later, on
my way home. That Sunday – it will be 2 weeks ago tomorrow – was
an especially ceremonious day in the church, as our new vicar was
inaugurated then. Bishop Danell, and I think 15 other clergymen were
here. It's the biggest ceremony I've ever seen in the church at
Fristad. The church was packed with people, and some weren't able to
stay inside, partly because it was crowded and partly because of the
heat. You see, it was so terribly hot that day, that it got almost
unbearable at the end.
I have greetings to
you from 'Milady' at St Skedeshemman. I got a letter from her this week, in which she pretended that she wanted us to come and
visit there tomorrow, but she asked us to write and tell her if we
were coming or not, and yesterday I wrote to her that we won't be
coming. She also mentioned that she had been out on a drive, which
ended up in a mound of stones so that they nearly drove themselves to
death.The driver was also drunk.
Speaking of car
accidents, I suppose you've probably read in the paper about the
terrible accident that occurred here one night this week, and which
cost 2 people their lives. That's really awful! And a similar
accident very nearly occurred the next night, just in front of the
chapel. The telephone wire that crosses the road there was hanging so
low that a van full of furniture, driving from Halmstad to Vara, got
caught in it. There were 3 people in the van, but fortunately no one
was injured. Well, you've probably already seen and read all about it
in the newspaper, I suppose.
Rickard Carlsson at
Solhem has also bought a car now – but perhaps you already know
that, too. I suppose he'll at least be driving sober, but accidents
can of course happen anyway. Drivers staying awake should make a
difference, though. That accident by the chapel was only caused by
the wires hanging low, though – they were driving very carefully.
Had they been speeding, they too might have been killed.
Now I think I shall have to stop writing for today. Best wishes from all of us here.
I can also add
greetings from your grandfather – he is well.
And now, to finish
off, also best wishes from your friend 'Bengtamor'
Comments
The postcard of the church at Fristad is an unwritten card from my grandmother Sally's collection.
'Milady' [Swedish: 'Fröken'] at St Skedeshemman: This would be Thea, who has been mentioned or referred to in other letters from 1925 as well. In the previous one, Sally mentioned that for Midsummer 1925, they had two visitors staying with them at the farm - Thea and Thyra. In that letter, Sally referred to both girls as 'our ladies'; which I take to imply that in her opinion, they were both 'putting on airs', as
in considering themselves above the daily chores on a farm etc.
This week, I found yet another photo of Thea in one of Gustaf's albums. She's wearing the same kind of hat as in the two photos included in last week's post (SS 650). N.B., not the same hat, though... Here, she's obviously dressed for cold winter weather - wearing a fur collar, and the hat is probably fur, too.
From Sally's choice of words when writing about them, I suspect that neither Thea nor Thyra was as used to hard work as Sally and her sister Hildur were. I don't think the family at Storegården were poor; but on the other hand, they weren't wealthy either. It's obvious both from letters and from photos, that all the members of the family were involved in everyday chores at the farm. While they might have had some extra help with heavy outdoors work, I have found nothing to imply that they ever had a maid employed in the household.
"Speaking of car accidents..." From this letter, I think I can also safely conclude that I've been right in assuming that they did not have a car at the farm. In one of the albums, there is a photo of a "visiting Ford", though. Evidently an occasion rare enough to get a camera out:
 |
| "Ford modell äldre på besök i Storegården" |
Sally is sitting in the front seat (closest to the camera), and Hildur in the middle in the back seat. I don't recognise any of the others.
I recalled also having seen a photo of "Nils at the wheel" of a similar car. I found it in another album. Comparing the two now, I'd say it's not only the same car, but even the same occasion - as the car is parked in the same spot in both. So Nils is probably only pretending to be driving here.
 |
| "Nils vid ratten" |
Maybe it inspired him, though! - because later on, Nils would be working as a bus driver and taxi driver. That probably wasn't until after he moved away from the farm and got married, though (which he did the same year as his sisters, in 1930).
My grandparents Gustaf and Sally did not get a car of their own until the mid 1940s (after the war). By then, Sally did appreciate the freedom of being able to go on outings by car to visit friends etc. (With her husband at the wheel. She did not drive herself.) In 1947 she started making notes of various such excursions in a notebook - a habit she kept up for around 25 years. (I've only had a quick "peek" in those notebooks yet, but I'm thinking that they may perhaps come in helpful with identifying some later photos.)
'Bengtamor' - Sally is again signing herself with this nickname, also used in earlier letters written to Gustaf in 1925. The meaning is 'Mother Bengta' (mor means mother). Why the name 'Bengta', I have no idea; but I've suggested before that the nickname might be related to a tendency of hers to act 'motherly' towards him. (Gustaf was a few years younger than Sally, and childhood friend of her younger brother.)
Thinking about it again, and related to Sally referring to Thea as 'Fröken', I could perhaps add that it was common in those days to call a farmer's wife (or widow) Mor [+ her first name], or Mor i (at) [the name of the farm]. Notes in the photo albums imply that Sally's own mother was often referred to as "Mor Selma" or "Mor i Storegården". Mor as a 'title' implied respect, but was at the same time also a marker of social class. From what I've picked up from literature, Mor would not be used (except by family) to or about a 'lady'. Upper or middle class women would instead be addressed as Fru or Fröken (Mrs vs. Miss); or a title derived from their husband's status or profession.
- - -
Linking to Sepia Saturday 651
As for matching the Sepia prompt this week, I'll have to just lean on the caption 'Granny'... And oh, maybe the hat...! (Thinking of Thea, and her hats.) It strikes me that I rarely (if ever) saw my grandmother Sally in a hat. If she was wearing anything on her head, it would be a scarf, tied either at the back, or on top of her head (never under the chin).
This is the the last of the letters that I have in this series - written by Sally to Gustaf in 1925, while he was away at military service. I have some more letters of later date, though, and I hope to continue with those next year, after the holidays. (In the meantime, I might have a look at some old Christmas and New Year cards.)
SVENSKA
Storegården den
1-8-25
Bäste vän Gustaf!
Tack skall du ha för
brevet.
När jag fick ditt
senaste brev var jag i kyrkan, dvs att Hildur varit på posten när
hon gick till kyrkan o så lämnade hon mig brevet i kyrkan. Jag
läste ju ej brevet medan jag var kvar där, men sedan på vägen
hem. Den söndagen, det blir 2 veckor sedan i morgon, var det
högtidligt i kyrkan må du tro. Vår kyrkoherde installerades i sitt
ämbete då. Biskop Danell jämte, jag tror det var 15 andra präster
voro här. Det var den största högtidlighet jag någonsin sett i
Fristads kyrka förut. Kyrkan var alldeles full med folk, och många
kunde ej stanna inne, dels för utrymme o dels för värmens skull.
Det var nämnligen kolossal värme, det blev nästan outhärdligt
till slut.
Kan hälsa dig från
Fröken i St Skedeshemman. Hade en dag i veckan brev från henne, däri
hon låtsade att hon ville vi skulle komma dit i morgon, men hon bad
att vi skulle skriva o tala om om vi skulle komma eller ej, och i går
skrev jag till henne att vi ej komma. Hon talade om att hon varit ute
o bilat o kört upp i ett stenröse, så de höll på att köra ihjäl
sig. Chauffören var ju full också.
På tal om
bilolyckor så har du väl sett i tidningen den hemska bilolyckan som
inträffade här en natt i denna veckan och krävde 2 människoliv.
Det var ju någonting förskräckligt. Och ett tillbud till ännu en
liknande olycka hände natten efter mitt för missonshuset.
Telefonledningen som går tvärs över vägen där satt ju så lågt,
att ett flyttlass, som kördes på lastbil från Halmstad till Vara,
hängde upp sig där. Där voro 3 personer i bilen, men ingen blev
skadad, som väl var. Ja, du har väl sett o läst det i tidningen
alltsammans förmodar jag.
Rickard Carlsson på
Solhem har också köpt bil nu, ja det kanske du också redan vet.
Han är väl åtminstone nykter, men olyckan kan ju vara framme i
alla fall förstås. Dock blir det ju skillnad när chaufförerna är
vakna. Det här missödet vid missionshuset berodde uteslutande på
att trådarna satt för lågt, de körde mycket försiktigt. Hade de
kört fort hade de nog också kört ihjäl sig.
Nu får jag visst
sluta för idag. Hälsningar från samtl här.
Kan hälsa dig från
[din morfar]. Han är kry.
Sist är du nu
hjärtligt hälsad av vännen Bengtamor
KOMMENTARER
"Fröken i St Skedeshemman" syftar på Thea, som omnämnts i ett par tidigare brev, bl.a. det närmast föregående, där Sally skrev om två "damer" (Thea och Thyra) som de haft på besök på Storegården till midsommar. Att Sally upprepat benämner dem antingen "damer" eller "fröken" ger mig intrycket att de enligt hennes uppfattning var lite högfärdiga, och antagligen inte så vana vid praktiskt arbete som Sally och Hildur var. Familjen på Storegården var väl inte direkt fattig, men inte heller rik. Ingenting tyder i alla fall på att de hade någon piga anställd att hjälpa till i hushållet på gården, eller med mjölkning etc; och Selma, Hildur och Sally tog uppenbarligen också del i jordbruksarbete som att sätta/skörda potatis, skörda hö etc.
Sedan förra veckan har jag också hittat ännu ett fotografi på Thea, där hon återigen är klädd i samma typ av hatt som på de andra fotona - dock inte samma hatt. På detta foto är hon vinterklädd, och bär även pälskrage.
"På tal om bilolyckor..." Det här brevet stöder också min uppfattning sedan tidigare, att familjen på Storegården inte hade bil. Det finns dock ett par foton i albumen av en besökande bil, som vid närmare granskning båda ser ut att vara från samma tillfälle (bilen parkerad på exakt samma ställe). Gruppfotot har undertexten Ford m/ä [modell äldre] på besök i Storegården. På det andra fotot (i ett annat album) sitter Nils ensam i bilen, med kommentaren Nils vid ratten. Men vid detta tillfälle poserade han nog bara. Senare i livet skulle dock Nils komma att arbeta som yrkeschaufför, och körde både buss och taxi.
Mina farföräldrar Gustaf och Sally skaffade inte bil förrän efter kriget, ca 1947. Vid det laget hade Sally uppenbarligen blivit mer positivt inställd till fordonet. Hon började 1947 att föra anteckningar om deras bilutflykter. Den första anteckningsboken följdes av fler, och hon fortsatte med detta i ca 25 år - även in på 70-talet, efter Gustafs död. Än så länge har jag bara bläddrat lite i dessa anteckningsböcker, men tänker att de kanske kan bli till hjälp att datera en del senare foton.
"Bengtamor" - I förra brevet verkade Sally ha övergivit smeknamen (och tecknade sig bara "din vän Sally"), men här har hon återgått till att skriva under med "Bengtamor". Jag har tidigare föreslagit att kanske Gustaf gett henne detta smeknamn på grund av att hon hade en tendens att bete sig "moderligt". Utifrån sammanhanget i det här brevet slår det mig också att medan det fortfarande vid den här tiden nog var vanligt att tilltala en bondhustru (eller -änka) med "Mor", så låg det också en klasskillnad i den titeln. Sallys egen mor Selma omnämns ibland som "Mor Selma" eller "Mor i Storegården", och då var "Mor" en titel som indikerade respekt. Men en "finare dam" skulle ju inte ha tilltalats "Mor" utan antingen någon variant på makens titel (grevinna, doktorinna etc) - eller fru resp. fröken.
Apropå veckans inspirationsblid från Sepia Saturday 651 så kan jag inte minnas att jag någonsin såg min farmor Sally iförd hatt. Hade hon något på huvudet så var det en scarf, knuten antingen i nacken, eller ovanpå huvudet - aldrig under hakan.
Detta är det sista brevet jag har i den här "serien" av brev, skrivna av Sally till Gustaf år 1925, medan han gjorde militärtjänstgöring på Kviberg i Göteborg. Jag har dock ytterligare några brev av senare datum, och hoppas återkomma till dessa nästa år, efter helgerna. (Under mellantiden kan hända att jag tar en titt på några gamla jul- och nyårskort igen...)
