Gallery Samples Stories of our Ancestors | Page 20

The ten Anderssons marched out, heads held high and dignity intact, until they got home and
the boys attempted to give an account to their parents.
It is sad that all the other stories about the children of Carl Gustav and Catherine have been lost
in the mists of time. How wonderful it would be to hear just how they lived and what was
spoken about and what were the things that occupied their minds and lives.
But for now we make do with the small shadows and remnants of their lives, the DNA we all
still retain and the collective unconscious of The Family.
These were our Grandfathers and Grandmothers, they are our ancestral spirits. And we
honour them for their courage and strength and love. Who knows, perhaps they follow us still?

CATHERINE ANDERSSON (SMITH) – DATE UNKNOWN

But while they were all working and playing and av oiding invasions and living, Carl Gustav
wrote to his brother Emmanuel in Sweden. Who knows how long the letter took to get there
but it lay hidden for 99 years before being re-discovered by the present generation.
Here is a rough translation of the letter written in 1889 and discovered amongst other papers
in the attic of the house where Emmanuel’s family were born and lived. The house was being
renovated and the letter was found in a large box with other papers and a copy sent to us by
Emmanuel’s granddaughter Inga.

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