Carl Hammerberg

Dad's family is from the Sundsvall area in Vasternorrland County and this is where his dad, Carl Eric, was born.

In this photo Hans Eric is in the center with his seven sons. From left to right: Melvin, Knute, Herbert, Hans Eric, Carl (Dad's dad), Richard, Fritchiof (Fritz) and Kuno.

Hans Eric, Dad's grandfather emigrated from Sweden in 1890 with his wife, Helen Charlotte and four children-Hulda, Karl, Herbert, and Knute.

The following excerpts are from Kuno's autobiography, Kuno, One of the Last of the General Practitioners.

"The journey was difficult and eventful. They traveled by boat from Liverpool to Montreal steerage. the steerage section of the boat was the part reserved for only the poorest passengers."

"In Montreal, where they disembarked, my parents and their four young children took a train to Sault Ste. Marie. They had brought food with them from Sweden, but they had run out of in on the boat. They hadn't eaten in days. At one of the train stops, my Dad finally jumped out of the window and bought some eggs and bread for his family. They were not supposed to get off the train. He had to climb back in the window with their dinner.

My parents were looking for a place to live and work. They transferred to the Sault Line and came down through Hermensville and Powers into Menominee County, Michigan, eventually settling in the town of Carney.

For our own home, Dad built a log house with an outside stairway leading to the attic, where my brothers and I slept. Mom and Dad slept downstairs. This was fine in the summers, but in the winter the temperature on the stairs often dropped to twenty degrees below zero. Imagine going outside every night to get to bed and going up the stairs while the northwest wind came blowing across the woods and right up the stairway!

There was not much room in our house for all the people living in it, though. When we ate, the three youngest children usually had to stand up along the wall.There were not enough chairs around the table."

Later, the Hammerbergs were able to establish a wonderful farm home in Carney named Lone Birch Farm. But mama Hammerberg named the house Skrikabo which means "house of screams, yells and noises." When thinking of what to name my blog, my niece Camille (whose birthday is tomorrow, June 10th!) suggested skrikablog. Very clever!