Tag Archives: Swedish emigrants in New York City early 1900s

Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked March 31, 1906 from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Publisher:  V. O. Hammon Pub. Co., Minneapolis and Chicago. No. 52.

Price:  $6.00

Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minn.

This card was postmarked just over a month before Norway gained independence from Sweden which occurred on June 7, 1905, so it’s quite good timing for the subject matter: the statue of Norwegian violinist and composer, Ole Bull (1810 – 1880).

This is the fourth postcard in chronological date order, in our Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection, and is addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunström. 186 Purdy St., Astoria, L. I., N. Y.”  It’s also the second, so far, from Elise’s sister Augusta. (Maybe Augusta was having “a bad day” in some way, shape or form in her initial perception of the beautiful city of Minneapolis. I’ve been reading Make Your Mind an Ocean by Lama Yeshe. Highly recommended!)

“Minneapolis 31st Mars 1906. Tack för sist! Sitter nu på stationern i Minneapolis och väntar på mitt tåg. resan har gått väl och i dag är det så vackert väder att det är rigtigt härligt, Minneapolis är en ful stad, åtminstone hvad jåg ser däraf. Rära hälsningar till alla ifrån. syster Augusta.”

“Thanks for last! Now sitting at the station in Minneapolis waiting for my train. The trip has gone well and today it is such beautiful weather that it is really lovely. Minneapolis is an ugly city, at least what I see of it. Greetings to everyone from sister Augusta.”

Sources:  Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden (accessed May 12, 2017).

Ole Bull. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Bull (accessed May 12, 2017).

“Minnesota fiddlers:  Ole Bull.”  Minnesota State Fiddlers Association.(http://www.fiddlemn.com/home.html) Accessed May 12, 2017.

Drottningholms Slott med Drottningholmsbron

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Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked March 10, 1905 from New York, N. Y.

Price:  $7.00

In the Stockholm area…Drottningholm’s Castle with Drottningholm’s bridge.

That’s Drottningholm Palace appearing from a distance on our left, private residence of the Swedish royal family. And this is the third postcard from our new Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection.

Addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunstrom, 288 Flushing Ave, Astoria, L. I.”  (Long Island). The sender writes…

“20 W. 56th St. Har ni hört något ifrån C. ännu, jag förstår ej hvarför jag ej får bref, har varit i kyrkan i kväll trots regnet var det mycket folk där, nu am lördag skall vi resa till Lakewood för 8 eller 10 dags ni duga hälsninaar till alla ifrån syster Augusta.”

As per usual, our translation could be slightly off; also we’re discovering that some of the spelling of Swedish words seems to have changed since the early 1900s.

“Have you heard anything from C. yet, I do not understand why I can not get a letter, have been to church tonight, despite the rain there were a lot of people there, now am Saturday we will travel to Lakewood for 8 or 10 days you will be happy, from sister Augusta.”

A clue to the family…This card is addressed to Mrs. O. Thunstrom, who is Elise (Bengtsson) Thunstrom. So Elise has a sister named Augusta, living at (or visiting) 20 W. 56th Street. (We’re hoping to find a way to trace the family back to Sweden.) Stay tuned.

Source:  Drottningholm Palace. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palace (accessed May 6, 2017).

Blomberg Property, Kinnekulle, Sweden

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Undivided Back, used postcard. Postmarked February 13, 1905 from New York, NY. Publisher:  Axel Eliassons Konstforlag, Stockholm, Sweden. No. 3561.

Price:  $10.00

Addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunstrom, 288 Flushing Ave., Astoria, L. I.”

“N. Y., den 12 febr. 1905. 

 Jag kommer till om frelag, för att stanna 10 dagar har nu lofvat [lovat] att stanna här, och det är ej utan att jag är ledsen deröfver [däröver] i alla fall, men det får väl gå för en tid. Hoppas att ni alla mår godt, stora och små. Vidare när jag kommer!  Många hälsningar, August.” 

The adverb deröfver, according to Wiktionary, is an obsolete spelling of däröver. Below, a translation from online sources. We’ll try to get a better one, shortly:

“I’m coming to you on Friday, to stay 10 days now have now promised to stay here, and it’s not without I’m sorry for anyway, but it may be a while. Hope you are all good, big and small. More when I arrive! Many greetings, August.”

Blomberg Säteri

From the above link, Blomberg Manor is beautifully described as being located  “…on the flowering mountain Kinnekulle on Lake Vänern.”  (Google translation coming up very poetic – no doubt from the Swedish!) The first-known original proprietor was from the early Middle Ages, an Olof Skötkonung of Blomberg. As to be imagined, since then the estate has passed through a variety of hands (bishop, priest, statesmen, noblemen, captain) and uses (dairy, lime mortar, grinding mill, sawmill, distillery). Today it is proudly owned by the Jönsson Family, and is an  “ecologically driven farm in regards to agriculture and meat production”  per quick web translations.

Sources:  deröfver. n.d. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/der%C3%B6fver (accessed April 30, 2017).

Blomberg Säteri. (blombergsäteri.se.) Accessed April 30, 2017.