The
Jonsson, Olsson and Bäckman are the oldest names on our father's
genealogical tree. Sarah Olsdotter Beckman
(b. 1845) left Sweden in 1873 from Kristiansand in Norway.
Jon Beckman emigrated
to
US in 1882. It's likely that Jon
was the last owner of the family farm - Bäck in Tveta parish,
Värmland.
The
stories about the Bäck farm and their earliest settlers were told
to Maria Pehrsson (Anders' and Olofs grandmother) by Marias grandmother
(Marja Jansdotter).
In some papers Marja Jansdotter is referred to as
"Maj(r)a Olsdotter". The reason might be that both Marjas
mother and her daughters last name was Olsdotter. But Ma(r)ja's
fathers first name was "Jan".
("Olsdotter" or "Olsdaughter" is a
combination of "Olle" (the fathers name) and
"dotter").
In
old times there were many wolfs in the western Sweden and folks in
that area could tell strange stories about the meeting with them. In
most of the stories there was a "moral sense", e.g. in
Why
one didn’t want to shoot wolves.
(from the Family Chronical).
In
the Chronical names of our relatives and "house-servants"
are occurring frequently, e.g. "mother Annicka", Olle,
Maja, Jon, Anders. One of the stories describes how Kerstin's baby was
disovered in;