Carol and Carl's Sweden Heritage Trip 2024

   Arriving in Sweden at the start of a month-long trip, we reflect on the trajectory that got us here. Of course, our trip is integral to Carol’s heritage discovery process - exploring/discovering/ establishing her Swedish roots. This journey to Carol’s “homeland,” Sweden, is not dissimilar to Carl’s reconnection to his Polish Jewish heritage, featuring two trips to Poland in 2022-23, and continuing in various ways to this day.    Carol grew up two generations removed from her direct Swedish roots. Both her father, Jack, and grandfather Harold Oscar were born in the U.S. Carol’s great grandfather, Johan Oscar, immigrated at the age of seven with his parents in 1866, and Harold grew up in Lindsborg, Kansas, along with his brothers and sisters. With a name like ‘Cedarholm’ it wasn’t hard for Carol to be conscious of her Swedish roots, but regular family visits to her grandfather and to Lindsborg were significant in connecting Carol to her Swedish heritage. At her gran...

   Sometime in May 1866 Lars Johan and Johanna Sofia Samuelsson, together with their three young children, set out on a momentous journey. They left their home and their impoverished existence in Sweden’s rural  Småland  Province hoping for a better life in America. Lars and Johanna are Carol’s great-great grandparents. Their son, Johan Oscar Emil, who was with them, is Carol’s great grandfather. Their journey likely took three weeks or so – from their home to the port city of Gothenburg, then steamship to Hull, England, followed by a train journey to Liverpool, and another steamship to Castle Garden, New York City. From there, they headed west, by 1879 eventually ending up in Kansas. Map by Brett Cedarholm      In a few days, Carol and I will be reversing that journey: four hours by car to Newark Airport and then an eight hour flight to Stockholm. After a few days there, we will drive the three hours to the ancestral home in Rumskulla,  Småland. ...