The Three Matriarchs!

We can't believe that in just one week we will finally be going to Sweden. The idea for this trip sort of began last summer when Mom had asked Kris and me to take her to a class reunion in Clayton, Wisconsin where she had attended elementary school. While we were in this part of the country, we explored the area where her grandfather, Ernst Nelson had settled after emigrating from Sweden at the age of sixteen. One thing led to another and before we were done, we had found the little town where his boat had landed in Taylors Falls, found the village where he met his bride, Mom's grandmother, visited their homestead where they raised a family, and many other key areas of their history. Mom has copies of letters that Ernst wrote home during his emigration and one of the common threads throughout his letters was his desire to return home to Sweden to see his family again. It was so sad to think that he was never able to achieve this goal. So, in a way, we are doing that for him.