Swedish Historical Books | Bayne Genealogical Research

Historical Books (Swedish writers)

a writer, playwright and public debater. With his Emigrant epic, he wrote his way straight into the Swedish people's soul.

The Emigrants -
Sweden in the 1840s. Life is hard for many. The poor farmers in Småland try to get as much as possible out of their meager soil, but when it becomes overgrown and a harsh winter, famine is near. In Ljuder parish, Karl Oskar, Kristina, Robert, Arvid, Ulrika and many others dream of a better life, without hunger and the oppression of the authorities. Karl Oskar and his brother Robert turn out to have the same idea: to emigrate to America. The long and arduous journey across the Atlantic begins, towards a brighter future.

Unto a Good Land -
At midsummer 1850, the brig "Charlotta" arrives at the port of New York and the emigrants from Sweden have finally reached their goal: America. And the new country welcomes them with open arms. Karl Oskar, Kristina and their children immediately begin the long journey to Minnesota, where they will build their new home. As company, they have their traveling companions from Ljuder parish and they also become a support and a great security.

The Settlers -
For the second time, Karl Oskar and Kristina will build a home, but this time it is in a new country and on a new continent. Three years have passed since they came to Ki-Chi-Saga in Minnesota and together they fight with the farm and build a new community with the neighbors. But brother Robert wants more and sets off with Arvid to search for gold in California. It will be a journey that ends in a completely different way than Robert has imagined.

The Last Letter Home -
In "The last letter to Sweden" we meet for the last time Karl Oskar, Kristina and the other emigrants from Ljuder parish. The American Civil War has just broken out and the general unrest is reaching all the way to Minnesota. The memory of Sweden is strong and the thoughts of all those they traveled from are constantly there. Karl Oskar and Kristina are getting old and they can look back on a hard but also happy life together. A life that in many ways has become better for them and their family.

City of my Dreams - (1860 - 1880) One summer evening in the year of steam, 1860, Henning Nilsson arrives, on foot, in Stockholm, the city of his dreams. But Stockholm is a small and poor town, and Henning and Lotten, the girl he marries, has to work hard to create a life for themselves.

Children of their City (1880 - 1900) Söder (the southern area of Stockholm) in
the south of Stockholm lives Lotten Nilsson, widow of the dock worker Henning, and her children. They are children of a city that during the last years of the 19th century underwent a violent development. But the road to a better life for all is still long.

Remember the City (1900 - 1925) A new century, a new society, a new city: during the first years of the 20th century, Stockholm becomes a big city - old is demolished and new is built. Crises and major strikes, but also great progress, affect everyday life also for the working family on Fjällgatan in Söder.

In a City transformed (1925 - 1945) Stockholm 1925-1945: twenty years that contain a great transformation in the city and the lives of the people. The indomitable Emelie is the family's fixed point during years of crisis and in the shadow of World War II, but around her the relatives go their own ways.

City in the World (1945 - 1968) For 100 years, Stockholm has been transformed into today's big city, a city in the world. In the 1860s, Henning and Lotten fought against the need in the city of their dreams. Now their many descendants live in a rich city in a rich country.