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FROM VILDERNESS AND MINING DISTRICTS

A book from 1926 that describes Kilsbergen written by Greta Adrian.

A book worth reading that describes life how it was before, everything from descriptions of a Charcoal-burners life to how the families lived and worked in the districts around The Mines in Närke and Kilsbergens (Kils mountains) forests.

Here you even can discover a description of Gardener Almgren from Hjälmarsberg (Hjälmars mountain) which I am rendering here. But, a novel is a novel, the varacity is upon every one that is reading to judge!

Please read the whole book yourself cause I only give a draft here from it, and some small changes of words to make it understandable for us, children of today.

Of unknown reason Almgren seached himself to the forest. He found such pleasure in the deserted lake in the forest that he decided to settle down on one of these rocky, infertile islands.

With indomitable stubborness and energy he transported earth over to the island and made the barren, rocky island to the most wonderful garden.

He timbered his own cottage, and around it flourished leafes and fruit trees, berries and rosebushes, vegetable patch and flowerbeds. For the woods people it was like a fairytale from "Thousand and One night" with this greenery idyllic spot in the middle of the lake with these surrounding dark beaches as a frame.

In the nice little cottage on this wonderful island, many children grew up. It may seams that mr Almgren was worth to only get joy from his family of children, but one of the sones shaped so badly which was a big sorrow for the father.  The boy had been doing some bad "tricks" and cleared off north to avoy the long arm of the law.

 

After some years he returned to the home district with a dark-skinned, black haired woman and many children. He had no work, and so the woman and the children would not starve they got to live on Almgrens island. People in the district looked askanced at the "intruder", on one hand he was o lazy good-for-nothing, and he was not married to the woman either that people thought was of Laplander-family.

It did not take very long before the man got the nickname Laplander or Lappa-Pelle.

The Laplander was only short periods on Almgrens island, mostly he was out in the forest and poaching animals. He built himself some huts of twigs little there and everywhere in the forests and he be away for weeks or months.

When Laplander found a empty cottage on Kartlaö (Kartla island), he moved in there with his woman and all of the children. Lapp-Pelle was not that kind of a person that worked so the farm had to "manage" by itself. Mostly he still was out in the forests poaching and if he needed wood or timber he did not drag himself to take it without permission in the forest that was a Crown-Land.

When he was warned for his attempt he said that the forest was a gift  from Queen Kristina and there he had the right to hunt and chop wood just as much as anybody else.

When the Laplander did not managed the earth on the farm it did not give any crops, potatoes or anything to eat. Soon Laplander and his woman and children had to go aroung begging for food around the farms.

Eventually the Laplander was "given notice" from the farm, but he dit not move, no he did not! No, he stayed in       the cottage on Kartlaö (Kartla island), as long as he wanted.

No force in the world shoul have stopp him!

To ge the intruder away the cottage was teared down so much that it was impossible to live in. But the Laplander did not surrender!  The woman and the children other people had to care for, he stayed behind and build himself a hut of twigs.

            One night he broke into Beteshult and was caught by the police. While he was in prison in Örebro the people took that time to burn down his hut.

When he one day was released from prison he was to scared to go into the forests again so he searched for work in Nerkeslätten (Nerke plain) where nobody knew him or his past.

He ended his adventurous life as a farm hand, watching cows on Granhammar Vintrosa år 1910.

Mr Laplander was the last to live on Kartlaö (Kartla island) and before associated it to a wilderness emphasize, lonely place with the adventurous Lapp-Pelle! By Laplanders family estate on Almgrens island, is no more than the foundation stones from the little cottage.

Now there is a road built between Dalkarsberg and Beteshult and it goes straight over the island that today no     longer is an island and is today joined together with the mainland.

For the person who is interested,  there is today no trouble visiting the island that has a own sign with the name Almgrens Island on it.

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Resume from the book Goststory  typed of  John Bratt........

I have now read the book about my ancestors and it was a faith like many others.

A small retrospect and résumé. Concluding with little from the book.

But, you that read this, a novel don´t have to reflect on the truth!!!!!!!!

 

As I today know, My Grandfather´s grandfather Carl Erik Almgren born 1818 11 10 in Örebro. Worked as Gardener on  Hjalmarsbergets Farm , located close by Nora.  He married Christina Charlotta PERSDOTTER (1824-) and they lived in a crofter´s holding and worked under the squire on this Farm. But one day Carl Erik had to search for work in Örebro, at which he took his family with him and moved To Almgrens island located in Hovmanstorp (crofter´s holding) south of Dalkarsberg, Örebro.

 (Résumé from the book)

 At the same time lives a Man Johan in Dalkarsberg with his family in a crofter´s holding next to Hovmantorpsjön. (Hovman-crofter´s holding-lake).

He is employed in Dalkarsbergs Mine and since he has shown understanding for farming and had his own homestead he gets the best Farm to cultivate.

The problem is his drinking that make him unfit for work, a couple weeks every year, when he usually disappear out in the forest to live with alcohol for a while.

This man thought of himself as a little bit better than everybody else, he did have the best Farm, and he "owned" a lake with fishing ground and a island.

The squire knew about this believing in ownership but cause everything attended to nicely he could imagine that he was the owner , it was of little importance cause he handle everything so well!

One day came a man, white-haired and broken by sorrow and difficulties in life, and took a place on the island.

Johan discovered this by hammerblowing and smoke that rose from the island.

With his oakboat he row out there to chase away the stranger but met a man that didn´t get scared.

Besides this man was somewhat stronger than Johan so eventually Johan took his boat and row back to mainland.

To the sqiure for the Mine and asked for help to evict this man from Johans island.

However the squire knew who this man was, where he was from, and his tragic fate in life, so the squire let him live there.

The island was the squire´s so eventually Johan had to give up. However with the biggest disliking.

The Old Man kept to himself on this island. He transformed this island from a mound of stones, to a beautiful garden with fruit trees and berrybushes, potatoe plot and crops and became self-supporting on the island.

The Old Man did not want contact with others, but one little boy won his heart and became his friend.

However he never learned what kind of fate this Old Man have had, but the little boy understood that he had been through much sorrow.

The Old Man Alm had a box where he had "his life" and sometimes the Old Man sat and picked with these things with an expression of greatest sorrow in his face.

The years passed, and the little boy grew up to a man but the friendship lasted.

One day the boy row over to the Old Man like so many times before,  but found that the Old Man was not at home.

Nothing in the cottage was changed than before but a omen hit the boy about violent and sudden death.

A invisible force pulled the boy to a shrubbery where he bent away branches and found the Old Man Alm buried.

Nearby was the Old Man´s box, negligently hidden.

Cause the boy had over the years seen Johans averseness against the Old Man Alm and he knew that the interest for the box was very big so Johan was a suspect for being the Old Man´s murderer.

Johan was drinking like never before and his behavior was so bad that the boy knew his feelings was right.

When the boy stand before Johans rifle he only felt a hard spanking against the breast before he passed out.

However the little boy woke up tol life little later from a new shot.

It was Johan that shot himself before the constable came and got him.

 

  hit's

The website was updated 06-01-02

Copyright©2005 Kerstin

Familybook!

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Copyright © 2005 Kerstin