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Mother Anna's Lifestory!
  
   A genuine Västmanlandstory about the life in end off the  year 1800- and  the beginning on year 1900!   
    I gave birth 1894 in upper Bengtesfall in Sweden. I was the 4th child in that order.
Mother gave birth to 16 children but all survive of course not to adult age. 

My father Karl and mother Adolfina leased a cottage of a man called "man Granner", where we lived until I where on my 7th year. Then, my father bought a forest  lot that only consisted  of many small bushes. There, father built a cottage that over time became one room and kitchen. We moved in January 1901 and  then we were six brothers and sisters that   
lived in one room. 

 On the spring of 1901  our  7th  brother and sister were given birth to, there in the cottage. So, the time went, several small children had time to become oours. Gerda was given birth to 1904, Emmy  1907, two children in 1910 but they both died.
Then it was the end of childbirth in our family, but poor mother how she got wear out with all these children!

Since each the end on give birth to children in this big family, but wretched mum, what she might toil with all these children.

 I lived at home to the year 1910, then it was my turn to leave. I went to farmers and to applied for work as a maid. It did not exist other work for young girls at that time!  But I changed places several times.1911 I got a place in Björkhyttan and stayed there until Maj 1913
In the autumn 1912 came Fredrik there as  farmhand and he was a handsome man, I fancied him and fell in love.

   I got pregnant in February 1913, so in Maj I moved I home to my parents again. Fredrik and I got married in September this year!

Fredrik got work in Stripa so he had to take the cycle between Mossabron and Stripa, therefore moved we to
 Havsta. But in the autumn this year  he stopped working in Stripa and got work as a shoemaker and began to repair shoes.
Then Manne was borned on November 16, our first born son. I will never forget  my longing after anchovy during the time of my first pregnancy. We never got the money to but one single tin, despite that the only costed 35 pennies!
When we lowered our first Christmas together we had only 3 crowns and 50 pennies to act for.  But our Christmas table comprized  a Stockfish so delicate, that we during all later years never experienced a so good
 Stockfish!

But on the New Year Fredrik began on Stripa weir plant construction again, the first pay we got in February.  Then, he broken his hand in the work and  became  unfit for work in several months thereafter. So, he was forced to stop at Stripa and applied to Stråssa where a WEIRPLANT construction was taking place.  Here he was employed a while and we lived in the workers barracks there. 

On   August 1, 1914  we  visited his mother and brothers that now lived beside Örebro. There, Fredrik took anvil electrical in Sörby and were going to begin work there on November 1. 

Yes, since he stopped working in Stråssa mine he must during the interim forced to backspace to Shoemaker work again.  He served 2 crowns in one day,  he got that in order to semi sole a pair shoes. Thus, we hade to draw us forward until October 24.  Then, we moved down to Sörby, we arrived so early that the other agricultural labourer  hadn´t still moved out from the cottage.

We  lived in a Brewing-house in several days, feed only on milk and bread,  but everything goes when one is forced!

Since we got our belongings, it became rather  good. We had now our own flour, and milk we could
take there, but we where without coffee for 14 days!  We had 25 crowns in salary monthly and it had to be enough for everything. Instalment on sewingmachine,  furniture, yes everything!

    On  christmas weekend mother and father comes to visit us. The had my sister Märta with them, she stayed with us and  helped. I was going to have a baby again soon, and Eivor was born on January 14.

     Manne was only 1 year and 2 month old then. Someone must of course look after the little ones
when I worked in the farm and helped with milking, etc. Märta stayed a while but of course she had to go home again and go to school. But it had to work, it must! 
From the farmer, we got a hole lot of potatoes so we could set, in the spring.  It became very much and they were very big. We sold 700 kg potatoes in the autumn!   But we didn´t  got much money for them anyway.   

Now we were ready in order to move again, Fredrik got service in Pålsboda. October 25, 1915, we were going to move there. The agreement was that I should be milking 3 times every day. Then, grandmother Matilda took my Eivor to her care, she could stay there until she became 3 ½ years old. I could  of course not go from those small children, 2
hours three times every day.

Besides  we had hens and a pig and then  I  had to chop wood!  Manne had to therefore stay at my mother Adolfina for 3 months. Some months passed and on June 2, 1916 I gave birth to Tage.
   
    Fortunatly the small ones stayed at my and Fredrik's parents then. The month of June I didn´t have to do the milking, but in July it was time to begin again to work. Until midsummer, after 3 months  Manne came home again, and  Gerda came with him. She stayed and helped to the end of October.

   
     Now, Fredrik got a place on Vesstlingbyholm and for me it was milking. And because Tage only was 4 months old,
 Fredrik had to learn how to do the milking. On New Year, Märta came to us, then I began milking again. Märta could not stay farther than until April 24 and then I were pregnant again, it was Vera.

   Now we moved to Ragvaldsberg in Gusselby,I thought it was good. Here it was new equipments and nice!
But Fredrik did not stay there more than 2 months.  Now, he began to pick scrap iron upward Kloten.

August 8, 1917 Vera was born. I was home alone the whole weeks with the 3 small children. Sometimes Fredrik came of course and visited. But we did not get to live in the house on Ragvaldsbergs domain anymore, though I enjoyed so much being there. We had to move home to my parents despite that the they were so many there already, we stayed to      spring 1918.

For Fredrik, it became the end of Scrapgathering in the autumn so I got no money anymore! Now Fredrik went away on lumberwork in Gävle and it was poorer than anything else. He only stayed a few months! I lived at home with my small children, I had lodging and wood to heat the cottage with and in the store in Kvarnaberget sometimes I could buy on tick some groceries.   

In the middle of January Fredrik came home again, but he did not have even a penny with him! Now he began to chop ved for Rickard Persson that had sawmills in Gusselby, but since we were in debt to him for 30 crowns since the first year we were married we had to pay that first. We lived then at Sigge-woman, they rented a big house and Sigge had as work, with  his horse drive lumber for Rickard Persson.
   
Then Fredrik ended working there and travelled to Haggruvan (a mine) in Järnboås. Fredrik's brothers also lived there and were employed. April 24 we were going to move there. I were to so glad, at last we can move to something
better! Everything was going to be so good now! It was the year 1818 and poor in every way!  We boutht 2 litre skim with milk every week and we were 5 people.    
 
I was pregnant again, Tore and he was born October 9, 1918.  Fredrik and his brothers were assured work in Sänket
(a mine), but it did not work out that way! Fredrik must stay on the ground and had to work by the day! Very poorly paid!   When 3 months passed he got fired from this work!
   
Now he had to begin in Lindesby Foundry, and therefore we were given notice from the room in the house, but
we lived there nevertheless! When we now did not move so he got fired from the Foundry too!  But now he begin on The Railway, for 1 ½ month he stayed there. Then he applied for work back at Gusselby, Lindesberg's parish!  When we moved to Sörängen we had 5 small children, all under 5 years of age.

Tore was 1 month old and Vera was 1 year and 3 months. She was badly sick, we left half seven in the morning
and did not came there before three o'clock in the afternoon because the connections were so bad.  We had no money to buy out our furniture with but we borrowed from my father. He had to step between very often!

When we then came there the furniture had not arrieved. We had some bedclothes with us cause we lived on the
floor the last night in Järnboås. When we arrieved to Sörängen we got a big room and Fredrik went to retrieve straw to put into the bed, then we lay on the floor for more than one week.

Yes now Fredrik was going to chop wood in the forest there at Ragvaldsbergs farm. But it became bad, he could never to chop some, not even to our own wood stove! He did not feel good! When three months had passed Fredrik had to go to Örebro and operate for hernia.
   
Then I began milking on Ragvaldbergs farm and I got 1 litre freshmilk each the day for my smallest child. I also got some skimmed milk each day. So we managed until August when I finally got Fredrik to check for work in Stråssa. We moved to Stråssa in August 1919, we got a room and kitchen here and it was really tolerably well. All had been good if Fredrik had not celebrated so awful.

He took sometime off from work and went to Örebro after his ranson alcohol.
The other old men at the mine, they did not afford to leave work and pay for a trip, but Fredrik thought he
had could afford it! Then he go put and booze in several days.
   
The autumn 1920 we had to move. Now to Knallfallet and it was the best time ever! There Stina was born on 29 November. Now, we had 6 children and Manne had began school in Stråssa.

But it did not last very long, it became poor with work. They only got work for 3 days every week.  March 29, 1923 it closed down! No more work there ever again. Now became all the workers must go away in every directions, some of them got welfare, others went to Kiruna, some to Grängesberg and several other directions.  My Fredrik got welfare and it became starvation.
   
Yes perhaps it could have become tolerable if he had stayed on same place, but he only stayed for 2 – 3 months.
Then he came home again and stayed at home for 2 to 3 weeks before he could travel somewhere else. Then I had to wait three weeks before I got some money, maybe I got 5 crowns or only a letter where he wrote "I have no money to send to you".  It was something to give 6 small children to eat themself satisfied on. 

I wrote a letter once that he could stay where he where, beucause then he could have been with a railway
construction in Dalsland.  But he did not wait to my letter to reach him, cause the letter was returned to me unopened.
I got in despair! But some days latter might I letters again, since continued the alike again,sometimes a letter with
    money, sometimes not a sole crown.. Years 1925 in the spring came he to Kiruna.

On summer, in August the 28 might I get twins, the each Hadar and a girl, but the girl each death.
    Then in the summer went the of course good, but in the end on September comes Fredrik home from Kiruna.
    Now became the need help again, he might go downward  southern Sweden on jobs.
   
Fredrik each home 14 days to Christma, he got 50 sek in advance to Christma and the travel home costed 35 sek so I got 14 sek and so might we 20 sek in Christmas present of the office. So, we willed of course have food and ved. Ugh which times! Comfortable that these times are over now!
   
In January 1926 became Hadar having a propensity to, he only 5 months. He had to operate tonsils, what I might toil, sows might I go with him to Lindesberg and the operated him.
    All my children that went in the school might of course eat food on school. The as each during the school age, I got a pint milk about the day to. and potato might we retrieves on the office. 
    Yes, the was then he traveled to that the railway construction, then willed of course the children finished eat on "mojen" since Fredrik no longer each on need help. But then set the municipality about so my children might eat there nevertheless. The that governed on Stråssa knew surely how the each. In April, he came home from Äskekärr and each now home
a month approximately. Since might he come to the balls on work.  Then, he could go home each Sunday!
The each precise that in the youth's our, when he went and proposed. In the summer became I with Frans. Willed the never take up?
   
The wide balls each he left to the spring, March 24, 1927, when Frans became born. Then, Fredrik came to the cramp, but in August might he follow with to Kiruna again.

In January 1928 became the strike so then comes he home again. The strike lasted right to August, and then traveled he back again to the work in Kiruna. So was Hans given birth to his October 23, 1928 since became the a detains on get new children a while.

In the spring 1929 bought we a small place in Slåttermossen, Gusselby.

The each better than moving with the big childrenfamili to Kiruna. The house was of course poor but we thought all that the was good for we were for ourselves. We enjoyed to sow good all of us!
Our neighbour Ramgren as we bought the cottage of helped us to a cow so we got own milk and butter.
We had an own pig and we could set own potato, sows the future saw so light out. But the did not become so long for 1930 to Christma came Fredrik home again, unemployed and so begun he old common again! Now each boys big but the existed no work that few. The was for a part to succeed few some the day agencies at the farmers, and a part might little woodwork then and then so we drew ourselves forward in all cases.   
   
Years 1933, August 18 was given birth to Älva and she became the last child.

Years 1934 might we such a there improvement loan so we rebuilt the cottage. But we became of course obliged so a lot of money, 1800 sek on that time were horrible a lot of, sows enough had we to be drawn with.
So, Fredrik stung from us, to Borås and where out in 4 months and I might alone clear all bills of exchange.
Tore sa when he went, lets he to go, you have of course ourselves! How the now each so certain went the!
   
My big children got of course little work here and where, and the time the went and the begun becomes
little better with work.    
Vera married, since Eivor and soon also Stina. My small boys  grew to, Manne married 1944 and Tage also.
Tore married 1946, Frans's years 1948 and his 1949. Älva and Hadar 1950.
   
All our children were now to Married and we where the actual I and Fredrik!  We moved to city Lindesberg
years 1946 then each Fredrik old! Yes, I believed that we willed few the so good when all children each gifta,
Then, he became having a propensity to so the became still poorer.  We got little coins of all children,
sows we coped with us to he got pension. The became nevertheless better when I became 60 years, I got wife additions. Then each Fredrik 67 years, but about man only sheep be fresh and strong, that I where before, then goes
the probably good nevertheless!

 
    Yes, now has I wrote down what I remember of my life. But I haven´t written everything, the most difficult things is left out.  The best is that all our children have brought up themself and are sober and conscientious. 
   
    I don´t need to be ashamed for them!
   
Anna Almgren     born Hellkvist

 

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