Help with 1910 Letter from Purmo

[Kuhlberg Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Kuhlberg]

The Love Note

Livets fröjd och livets lycka "Life´s delight and life´s joy" /

söker jag med dig "I am searching [for] with you" /

Ingen sorg min själ skall trycka "No sorrow will depress my soul" /

blott jag vet du älskar mig "if I only know that you love me" /

all min kärlek dig tillhör "all my love belongs to you" /

Din jag lever "[As] yours I live" /

din jag dör "[as] your I die"

W. S(?) son


This is very touching! The Swedish spelling is normalized to make the text more easily understood. The initial letter that follows after "W." is probably not an "S" but I can´t figure it out...

Göran Kuhlberg

[Kuhlberg Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Kuhlberg]

The last line is better like this: / din jag dör "[as] yours I die"

The partial letter is a trickier task since the writer seems to have been very unfamiliar with writing but I will give it a try!

Göran

[David Bawden Registered Find all posts View Profile Close David Bawden]

The writing style appears to be my grandfathers. The signature is possibly V P son (Victor Petterson). The piece was written to his future bride in Finland and she kept it all these years. On another small scrap of paper like this one he had written his mailing address in Colorado where he had found work with some other Purmo friends.

Thank you again for revealing the common human experiences that bring to life my ancestors. I am moved to tears.

[Karen Norwillo Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Karen Norwillo]

David,
What a treasure. Who said Finns were "cold" and didn't show their emotions?
Karen

[Kuhlberg Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Kuhlberg]

A crude translation of the letter:

Sid 3: … inte om det är just mycket lönt att gifta sig om man skall börja föda dem som det ser ut här men nu blir det min tur till nästa vinter att gå till skogen väl. Will och Hanna de är väl förlovade nu, de var ner från skogen till jul båda två och då var de vid Nylands så då var det två par brudfolk där. Du vet, Selma och Otto de går...
Sid 4: ... tillsammans än. W-B stoppar där för jag har slutat att ha båda (?) här. Vi har byggt om vårt hus så vi har det räntat ut upstairs. Det kostade oss åtta hundra dollar att bygga så jag tror att du knappt kände igen det. Väl får så sluta då för här är inte något nytt jäst (??) att berätta också vet jag [inte] om du får reda på det här jag är så dålig att skriva och ett (??) så sömnig.
Page 3. ... don´t [know] if there is much idea in getting married if you will have to start feeding them as it looks like here but now it will next winter probably be my turn to go to the woods. Will and Hanna, they are engaged to be married, they came down from the wood at Christmas and then they stayed at Nylund´s so there were two couples who will get married. You know, Selma and Otto they…
Page 4. … are still together. W-B stops there because I have ceased having both here. We have rebuilt our house and we have rented the second floor. It cost us 800 $ and I believe you hardly would recognize it. Well that will be it since here are no news to tell about and also I don´t know if you are able to read this, my hand-writing is so bad and I am sleepy as well.

Göran

[David Bawden Registered Find all posts View Profile Close David Bawden]

Thank you again Göran for making sense of this difficult partial letter. One does not know if there are important clues to the past in some of these artifacts unless unlocked. Your work has been most helpful and in the book I am writing. It will be out in December. I note you as the source of translation on several pages as the only payment I can give you for your skills and time. I will be posting it on my Facebook page as well as sending copies back to Finland and a copy to SFHS. It will also be available on CD. If interested I could mail you a copy in that format.

The book deals with my Peterson and Nylund grandparents (from Purmo), their parents. and sibings. It includes known biography, interviews, old family photos, and family trees of those who came to America, came and returned, and those who stayed in Finland. I may write an article for our newsletter if there is interest on the process and product. Your work has allowed us to hear their voice. That is an incredible gift you have given our family. Thank you.

[Kuhlberg Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Kuhlberg]

Hello again David!

It is nice to know that I have been able to help you with the translation of the letters. I am glad to accept a CD copy of the book you are going to publish. Before that, I will see if I can make the translations just a little bit more accurate. Please allow me to spend a few days before I get this part of the work done!

Göran