Drama Leaves

fredag 23 oktober 2009

California Dreamin or The American Dream

As long as I can remember my mum have told me about the man and his wife who moved to America a long time ago. What's so speciall with that, you may think? But for me, or for her it was speciall.

This man, who I don't really know whos relaive he where, but I suggest that he was a brother to my grandfather (on my mothers side) or a cousine to either my grandmother or my grandfather. He might have been something else but some kind of family band there where.

He and his wife moved to California and didn't (as far as we know) get any children. The man (or both) came back to visit and fell in love with my mum who was just a little girl. He asked, or should I say beged my grandparents to let him take her with him to California. He thought that since my grandparents had nine children they wouldn't mind. As I know he was kind and they liked him a lot. He was rather wealthy (we've heard) and he probably thought that he could give my mum a better life "over there" than my grandparents who lived on a farm here in Sweden. And of course, he and his wife would get that child that they wanted so much.

My grandparents said no to his suggestion. They couldn't even think about leaving one of there children. If they had been poor, which they we'ren't, this story might have ended in a different way.

For several years they sent my mother postcards from different places in the US. Unfortunately there's no letters left, they are all gone. I think that when my grandparents moved from the farm they didn't understand what they thrue away.

Now when both my parents are gone I've had the opportunity to go thru all those postcards. Sorry to say that there's only one photo of the man infront of their house in California. On a Christmas card I managed to figure their adress out and that made me so happy.

Now I've been looking at Google earth and I almost got tears in my eyes when I found out that I could actually see the house where they once lived! I did zoom in and looked through a camera shot and it's the same house as in my picture! Repainted but I'm sure, that's where they lived!

Now I wonder, is there anybody out there who knowes how I'm going to find out if they ever got any children? If there's purhaps anyone alive today in America that's part of my family?

That would bring me so much joy since my mum always wondered what happened to them after that they, somehow, lost contact.

When my parents travelled to the US she told me that she really would have liked to know and purhaps being abel to visit some relatives.

So do you have any tips, please let me know!

7 kommentarer:

  1. That is really an interesting story! I wonder if sending a letter to that address and asking if they are the same people that knew your mother or if they know where those people are now. It would be nice to find out how their life is and let them know about your mother.

    SvaraRadera
  2. What a story, Gittan! I am sure someone from bloggers lives close to that place and can help. Very interesting!!!

    SvaraRadera
  3. Vilken historia! Spännande att läsa. Förstår att du undrar. Tänk vad livet hade sett annorlunda ut om din mamma hade åkt. Då hade jag inte fått tillfälle att lära känna en sån fin människa som du. tyvärr har jag inget bra tips att ge dig, men jag hoppas att det finns andra som kan göra det.
    Ha en skön helg.
    Kram Anna

    SvaraRadera
  4. Hej Gittan, intressant läsning. Min mamma tappade kontakten med sin egen syster under andra världskriget, och 25 år senare hittade dem varandra via Röda korset. Till saken hör att dem var väldigt unga då och kom till olika länder och mostern bytte namn, därför dröjde det så länge. Men sen blev det ju bra.
    Håller tummarna att du hitta släktinga´r i USA.
    Trevlig helg, Petra

    SvaraRadera
  5. Jag har också sökt förgäves efter släktingar som utvandrade till USA. På ancestry.se kan du söka och så även på ellisisland.org
    Bägge siterna har register över passagerare som tog båten över till drömmen. Det finns släktforskare som lägger ut sina släktträd så kanske kan någon i din släkt som vet vem denna person är ha mer info.
    Hoppas att du hittar något!
    Kram
    /Cyrene

    SvaraRadera
  6. Good luck, dear Gittan, on your search for family in the US! Having the address of that house is a good start. I am sorry that I don't know anything about how to go about finding more information. Good luck!
    Kram,
    Frances

    SvaraRadera
  7. Hej!
    Det var spännande att läsa.
    Jag förstår att du undrar. Precis som jag själv undrar vad min farfar gjorde i Sydafrika i fyra år. Han talade inte om så mycket för sina barn. Har hittat gamla brev men de säger inte mycket.
    Tyvärr kan jag inte hjälpa dig. Men din berättelse var så spännande att man väntar på en fortsättning.
    Ha en bra dag!

    SvaraRadera

Till er som skriver ett par rader vill jag bara säga att det gör mig så glad, och jag besvarar oftast dem alla!
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