Going Home to Trostebacken: Trips Taken Sixty-Six Years Apart

Grandfather Erick Young was born in Åre, Jamtland, Sweden, in 1881.  He was born Erik Bernhard Svensson, and was given the last name Ljung when he was in the Swedish Army.

  

He may have been known as Erik Svenson Ljung when he came to America....we do know that an Erik Svendsen Ljung made it to Montreal, and that he was bound for Iron River, Michigan.  Erick quickly became known as Erick Young when he settled in Iron River in 1905.

Grandpa Erick married Mathilda (Matilda) Josefina Johansson in Iron Mountain, a town about forty miles from Iron River, in 1911.  She had arrived in the United States in 1907.  She was born in 1889, also in Jamtland, Sweden.  Back in Sweden, Matilda's home, Åstorp, was located within easy walking distance of Erick's home at Trostebacken. There is good evidence that Erick's family knew Matilda's family in Sweden, although we have no evidence that Erick and Matilda had any sort of relationship there.

Erick and Matilda had two children who lived to adulthood, Joseph Bernhard Ellsworth Young, who changed his name to Bernard Joseph Young, and Carl Young, who was known as Carl George, and eventually changed his legal name to George Carl Young.

Matilda died in Iron River in 1940, at age fifty.  Her life did not overlap with the lives of any of her grandchildren. In 1943 Erick married Agnes Theresa Peterson, a first generation American of Swedish descent.  Erick and Agnes had no children.

                                                                           ******

                                     Undated item, probably from the Iron River Reporter

In 1949, Erick and Agnes took an extended trip to Sweden.  They visited Erick's family in Jamtland, and Agnes' relatives in Varmland.  They also stopped to see some of Matilda's family.  Agnes kept a loose-leaf journal, and later compiled a photo album of their trip.  Those items remain with the Young family to this day.

In 2014, the Young family members from the United States connected with their Swedish relatives. George Carl Young's sons Gary and Tom Young, and Bernard Joseph Young's daughter BeaJay Young Panke and her husband Fred Panke accepted an invitation to meet and stay with Grandmother Matilda's Johansson relatives in Sweden during the summer of 2015.  

The following tells and shows a bit about both of the visits to Sweden, the first in 1949, using photos and excerpts from Agnes' journal, and the second in 2015, using photos.  Although there is much more to relate about both trips, this account tells of going back to visit Grandpa Erick's childhood home at Trostebaken, and also to visit the house next door, built later, and belonging to his brother Lars Svensson,

NOTE:  The entries from Agnes Young's journal are italicized below, and lightly edited to add explanations, or to standardize capitalizing letters, and to add or take away punctuation.

                                                                   * * * * * *

Erick and Agnes Young left Iron River Tuesday, 3 May 1949 by automobile.  After visiting relatives, they then took a train to New York City, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean by ship.  Erick and Agnes experienced some travel delays, but finally arrived in Mattmar, Sweden on 29 May. After staying with other members of Erick's family, they arrived at the home of Lars Svensson, Erick's brother.

                                                                    ********

Wednesday, 8 June 1949:  "Olle (Olof, or Ole Svensson) & Brita (Erick Young's older brother and sister-in-law) took us to Lassie I Backen (Lars Svensson, Erick's younger brother), where we are now.....went to Åre for gas and had coffee."

                                                             Lars Svensson's home 1949

                                                            Lars Svensson's home 1949

                                                    Former home of Lars Svensson, 2015

                                                                  Lars Svensson, 1949

                                    Brothers: Erick Svensson Young and Lars Svensson, 1949

                                                                          ******

Thursday, 9 June 1949:  "Lars, Erick & I walked up to Axel Johansson (a brother to Erick's first wife, the late Mathilda Johansson) with some things from Ida & Emma (sisters to Mathilda and Axel), saw Are Skutan again."

                                        Axel Johansson on the left, daughters Ingeborg and
                                        Eivor, and wife Tilda in the back, daughters Kerstin
                                        and Anna-Lisa in front; Åstorp, 1949.

                                         Sisters Ingeborg, Eivor and Kerstin sitting, Kerstin's
                                         daughter Marie Fogelquist in doorway, Åstorp, 2015.
                                         Sister Anna-Lisa was unable to attend this gathering.
                                         This porch is the same one as shown in the photo
                                         next above.

                                                                           ******

Thursday, 9 June 1949:  "In evening, we went to Katrina Nilson (Nilsson), Ida's sister in Edsåsen (also Mathilda Johansson Young's sister)." 

                                   

                                                          Ulrika Katarina Nilsson, 1949

                                                                           *******

Friday, 10 June, 1949:  "Staying in today....tonight we went to see (left blank) in Brattland, had coffee there also, met (left blank), (will) say hello to Margaret Olson from her."

                                                        Lars Svensson's kitchen, 1949

                                                    Lars Svensson's Living Room

                                                                          ******

Saturday, 11 June 1949:  "Packed lunch, went to Haljesgen (Helgesjön) and to Lilje torpet, also went to Anna Okerstson for coffee and waffles, then back to Lilje torpet....Erick and Lars went fishing, when they came back we cooked coffee & had lunch, then back home....called Ole up & Jöns Olson."

                                                                    Helgesjön, 1949

                                                       Åreskutan from Helgesjön, 1949

                                                                    Helgesjön, 2015
                                     
                                                                          ******

Saturday, 11 June 1949:  "...had coffee & waffles at Nordvall's."

                                                  Erick's childhood home at Trostebacken,
                                                    owned by the Nordvall family in 1949.

                                                  Erick's childhood home at Trostebacken,
                                                    owned by the Nordvall family in 1949

                                   Erick's childhood home, still in the Nordvall family, 2015.

                                                                       ******

Sunday, 12 June, 1949:  "Went to Duved to see church & to see graves of Erick's parents"

                                                                 Duved Church, 1949

                                            Duved Church, 2015, Tom Young, lower right.

                                       Grave of Ingrid Magnusson (mother of Erick Young),
                                                             Duved Churchyard, 1949

                                                   Grave of Ingrid Magnusson (mother of
                                                  Erick Young), Duved Churchyard, 2015

                                         Grave of Sven Magnusson (father of Erick Young),
                                         Duved Churchyard, 1949.
           
           

                                            After not being able to find the grave of Sven
                                           Magnusson in 2015, I returned to Duved Church
                                           in 2016 and located it.  Farfar's far was found!
                                           (Photo added 20 March 2017)

Sunday, 12 June 1949:  "(went) by bus back to Jön Olson where we spent the afternoon... they drove us back to Lars, Katerina N. was here when we came back"

                                                   Jöns Olson family, 1949

                                                                           ********

Monday, 13 June 1949:  "Erick is helping Lars fix flagpole.  Very windy."

                                                                           ********

Tuesday, 14 June 1949:  "Went to Åre by bus & then to Tännforsen, then back to Åre..."

                                                                  Tännforsen, 1949

                                                                   Tännforsen, 1949

                                                                     Tännforsen, 2015

                                          Tännforsen, 2015, L to R:  Carina Fogelquist,
                                          Rasmus Karlsson, Emelina and Ubbe Fogelquist
                                       
                                                                        ******

Tuesday, June 14, 1949:  ".....went up on Morviks hummeln.....

                                                          Erick on Mörvik hummeln, 1949

                                                      Agnes on Mörvik hummeln, 1949

                                                                          ******

Tuesday, 14 June 1949:  "....went to see John Engstrom & his wife,  he is building a new house, went and had coffee, then took the bus home"

                                                Mrs & Mr John Engström and Erick, 1949

                                                           John Engström home, 1949

                                                                       ***********

Wednesday, June 15 1949:  "Nice day to-day, had breakfast, then went to store & Post Office, then back home and took some pictures...in evening went to Håsgården & back to Erick's cousin Lovisa where we had coffee, then home"

                                                                 Lovisa Jönsson, 1949

                                                                         *********

Thursday, 16 June 1949:  "In afternoon we went to see Anna Stadig & on way home we stopped to see Ingeborg & Anders Ersa, then home."

                                        Anna Stadig, Erick Young and Tilda Svensson, 1949

                                                              ******

Friday, 17 June 1949:  "Stayed home, Erick & Lars raised flag pole....very windy."

                                                                        ******

Saturday, 18 June 1949:  "Stayed home, Jon came over."

                                                                        ******

Sunday, 19 June 1949:  "Went to Unders Akers Kyrka, went to see where Erick went to school (confirmation), stopped at Märta Nilson for coffee, met (her?) daughter Edna from Stockholm, then back home for supper & then went to train & to Mattmar.

                                                                        ******

At this point, Erick and Agnes returned to Mattmar to stay again with Erick and Lars' brother Olof (Ole) Svensson and his wife Brita for a few days.

Erick and Agnes Young returned for one more visit to Trostebacken to visit Lars Svensson and his family. That was a day trip.

The members of the Young family visiting in 2015 also made a day trip to Trostebacken.

                                                                        ******

Sunday, 26 June 1949:  "Had breakfast, took train to Unders Åker, Sven & Stina (Svensson, Sven is a son of Lars Svensson) met us and we drove to Valbo to Lapp service, took pictures & had coffee......"

                                                                      Valbo, 1949

                                      Valbo, 2015 (Photo provided by BeaJay Young Panke)

                                              Stina Svensson, Erick Svensson Young, Sven
                                              Svensson, 1949

                                       Stina Svensson, Agnes Young, Sven Svensson, 1949

                                                               Valbo Church, 2015

                                                                           ******

Sunday, 26 June 1949:  "......came back to Lars for dinner, they played & sang, had coffee....." 

                                                           Lars and Tilda Svensson, at
                                                                    their home,1949

                                            Stina, Ingrid, Astrid and Sven Svensson, Photo
                                                    taken at Lars Svensson's home 1949.

Rear:  Arvid and Marta Frid:  Front:  Lena and

 Sven-Erik Frid.  Marta Frid's father was Lars

Svensson.  Photo taken at Lars Svensson's home,

1949

                                         Rear:  Erick Svensson Young, Lars Svensson, Tilda
                                         Svensson, Marta Frid, Arvid Frid, Stina Svensson
                                         and Sven Svensson.  Front:  Sven-Erik Frid, Lena
                                         Frid, Astrid Svensson, Ingrid Svensson and ?. Photo
                                         taken at the Lars Svensson home, 1949.

                                          Fred Panke, BeaJay Young Panke, Gary Young
                                          and Tom Young, photo taken at the former Lars
                                          Svensson home, 2015.

                                          A gathering of family and friends at Trostebacken,
                                                                               2015

                                                                            ******

Sunday, 26 June 1949:  "......then we came back to Mattmar (back to Olof and Brita Svensson's home)......"

                                                                           ******

Erick and Agnes stayed a few more days with his brother Olof and Olof's wife Brita, before going on to meet members of Agnes' family in Varmland.  They eventually made their way to Oslo, Norway, where they flew back to the United States, and boarded a train to return back home.

Erick and Agnes never returned to Sweden after their trip in 1949.  Erick died in 1959, Agnes died in 1980.


NOTE:  A big thanks goes out to our wonderful Johansson relatives, the Fogelquist family, in Sweden.  We stayed with them, ate with them, and Marie Fogelquist drove us around to meet other family members, and to visit historical sites.  Through it all, Marie kept smiling!

Also, I would like to thank Lennart Sundstad, for all his help in arranging our visit with other Svensson family descendants, and the Stenbergs and Gurli Leander for welcoming us to see the former Sven Magnusson and Lars Svensson homes and grounds.

Now, we American Swedes hope to entice some of our Swedish family to come visit us in the United States.


Gary Carl Young, 23 September 2015.