38. July 25 1897

Some of the Swenson letters were found in parts.  These seem to be parts of three letters--perhaps not all the same date.
Roselyn  


Jonas Victor Swenson
Randolph, Kansas July 25, 1897

Dear brother Albert and Family,

I have plenty of time so I thought I should write a letter.  We have good health, but I am feeling my age.  You remember that Hanse and Lovisa had two children, Alfred and Hulda, who used to go to Spakarp as did our children Tilda and Alfred.  (Roselyn--I think he means that these children were visiting their grandparents, Sven Jonsson and Greta Pehrsdotter.  When I was at Spakarp, it was nice for me to think of my Grandmother Tilda (Matilda Swenson Skonberg) playing in the yard around Spakarp.)


Hulda is here now.  Her sister is married to a Lutheran clergyman.  They were here and spent the night.  Hulda is not married.  She lives with her sister and the clergyman.  She stayed here a couple of weeks.  She was with us when Mother was bad five years ago.  Hulda took care of her and kept the house.  She got $15 a month when she was here.  When she moved, we gave her $500.  She has just taken out the interest.  It seems that Hulda's sister has problems.  The clergyman ought to have a good life, but it is difficult for them to "keep up".  The family is devout and are kind people.  The others I am not sure about.

Another partial letter--probably at a later date--I am and have my home at my oldest son, Alfred.  The last year the harvest was bad here, both with wheat and grain, nearly everything.  This year we had a good harvest of everything.

Yesterday we went to Cleburne.  Hulda wanted to see Mother's (his wife, Anna Greta's?)  grave.  Many beautiful flowers were on the grave, which were planted on "Kondisingday" (In Sweden this is called Memory Day and is celebrated the first of November.  Families get the graves ready for cold weather and winter).   On that day nearly everybody goes to the graves with flowers.  It is a holiday for everyone.  The postman is free.  Even workers in the towns and in the country.

We went with a family and the people we met on the way--everybody said that they could not remember when the grain harvest was so good.  Perhaps it is not so everywhere.  There was not crop failure everywhere last year.  Just as well as it seems there is never enough for everybody.  It depends on the automobile.  Everybody wants to be big and it costs with taxes, loans, more oil.  But for the horse, the automobile is good.  They do not need to go to town after work.  Working people are expensive.  The farm hand gets $50 a month.

Because I have not heard anything from you, I wonder how it is going.

Another partial letter--I have forgotten where our 92 year old mother was when she died.  She had feeble eyes.  Were they bad to the end?   Have they finished with the distribution in Hamra?

Now I finish the letter.  Here in America everything goes so fast.  I am thinking much of you.  May God help us, so we will be saved and the reunion comes.

From Your Trifling Brother,

Victor Svenson