May I present...
...Marita Tidlund Lindman, Kerstin's oldest grandchild who recently turned 75. She is a very colorful woman who became a part of our family when I contacted her in the fall of 2008. Here she is together with her husband Sune, who is very secure, seemingly perfect and very knowledgeable about the Lindman family (despite the fact that he is not himself a part of it). Together they have two small dogs and a cat named Sosse, which gives an indication of the owners' political affiliation.
In an interesting way...
...family history turns things upside down. Let me explain how. In our everyday lives we are very concerned about not making things wrong. If we make a mistake at work it's embarrasing. If we make mistakes in the relationship to our family it's even worse. To be told that you had been a bad parent would be awful, awful.
But, try for a socond to forget the now and see things in a family historical perspective. Who would be the most fun person to have as a great grandfather: an always nice and calm man or someone who could be violent? Who would be the most interesting great grandmother: someone who was always easy and diplomatic, or someone who was sometimes difficult and complicated?
Who would be the most exciting person to have as a relative: someone who lived a quite ordinary life, did everything right in his/her profession, had a well-functioning marriage, played golf and died peacefully at 80? OR someone who was happy in periods, depressed in periods, drank to much, lost his/her job, died at 50 - and maybe left some beautiful, revealing poems in his/her top drawer? I think that is a good perspective to have in mind.
But, try for a socond to forget the now and see things in a family historical perspective. Who would be the most fun person to have as a great grandfather: an always nice and calm man or someone who could be violent? Who would be the most interesting great grandmother: someone who was always easy and diplomatic, or someone who was sometimes difficult and complicated?
Who would be the most exciting person to have as a relative: someone who lived a quite ordinary life, did everything right in his/her profession, had a well-functioning marriage, played golf and died peacefully at 80? OR someone who was happy in periods, depressed in periods, drank to much, lost his/her job, died at 50 - and maybe left some beautiful, revealing poems in his/her top drawer? I think that is a good perspective to have in mind.
The advanced, sensitive Kerstin
Kerstin, the youngest of the Lindman sisters, was a sensitive person; kind and but also weak. She started dating boys early during her adolosence which resulted in two teenage pregnancies. In 1914, at age 19, she gave birth to a baby boy, whose name should be Torsten and whom she left for the Ljungdahl family in Eksjö to bring up. After doing that she left Sweden for America, lived with Greta and her family for a year or two as she started her training to become a nurse. To be continued.
The distinctive, studious Karin
Karin, whom I should say was the most distinctive of the Lindman sisters, went through the higher private seminary for female teachers in Lund. There she studied pedagogy (in which she had the famous philosopher Hans Larsson as a teacher), English and the history of literature. In 1915 she got her first teaching position at Anderslöv's higher folk school, located nearby Trelleborg in Skåne.
The sporty, adventurous Greta
Greta, the second eldest of the remaining sisters, was more easy going: sporty, sociable, not very heavy-hearted; at least that is my picture of her. During the years in Lund, she studied to become a medical gymnast. In 1912, after taking her degree, she went to Cuba to work there for a year. On the boat she met the young, friendly Danish-American businessman Christian Smith Andersen. They married and settled down in Chicago, Illinois, USA, where they had their first son Robert (Bob) in 1914.
The anxious, dutyful Anna
From 1907 to 1913 (while her mother and sisters lived in Lund) my great grandmother Anna stayed at Rosenlund, Jönköping, where she worked as a secretary of her uncle Gustaf. During this period she went through severe depression, which made her remembering those years as some of the darkest in her life. In 1911 her first cousin Helge proposed to her; they married in 1913, the year before my grandmother Brita was born.
1903: A family reduced
Greta, 11, Karin, 10, Anna, 14, Lydia, 43 and Kerstin, 8 years old; the family living in Bankeryd with the daughters going to school in Jönköping. Ellen is longer with them; in the beginning of the year she became sick with TB (with tubercles distorting her brain) which killed her in a few months. Ellen was my great grandmother's favourite sister. Some time during this year I will write something about this girl, from whom we still have notes and diaries.
Jönköpings-Posten, February 1, 1897
For Lydia and her daughters, things changed dramatically after Salomon's death. They had to leave Österängen and move into town, as Gustaf Lindman (Salomon's brother) became their guardian, taking care of the heritage from Salomon. By the time, GL helped Lydia getting a job at the fire insurance company in Jönköping.
