I'll finish up with Karl and Anna later, but for now I'm turning my attention to Erik, my great-grandfather.
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| Erik Hallman |
Erik was 22 yrs-old in 1877 when he left his parent's home in Söderala. His brother, Albert, age 19, left at the same time, though they went their separate ways. Both young men had completed their shoemaking apprenticeships and were now considered "gesällens" or journeymen, traveling from one master shoemaker to another to improve their skills.
Erik's first move was back to Uppsala where he had spent 10 years of his childhood. He spent about 6 months in Uppsala. From there he went to Stockholm. Stockholm was a much different city than when his father spent time there in the 1840s. A piped water supply had been created in the 1860s, the central railroad station was built in 1871, and the city continued to grow and modernize. Many old buildings and slums were continuing to be torn down and replaced by modern structures as industrialization grew. Erik lived at 5 Jakobsgatan, about 1/2 block from St. Jakobs Church on the edge of Kungsträdgården or "King's Park." In the church record he is listed on the same page as several other skomakare arbetarans (apprentices) and gesällens working for master skomakares. It was here that Erik honed his craft for about eight months.
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| St. Jakobs Church (left) in late 19th century |
When my cousin, Diane, and I realized we would be visiting Stockholm at the same time we knew we had to get together. (Diane is the daughter of my mother's sister, Juanita.) And where better to meet up than in front of 5 Jacobsgatan where our great-grandfather, Erik, lived in 1878? The building in which he would have lived and worked was torn down in the 1890s and replaced by the current structure (per an email exchange with a representative from the bank now located on the ground floor). Unfortunately, it appeared that all of the buildings on the street had been built since Erik's time of residence. However, aside from the addition of a few outdoor cafes, Jakobs Church, which Erik would have attended, as well as the adjacent park appear to be relatively unchanged.
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| Kungsträdgården with Jakobs Church (right) in late 19th century |
Brent and I sat by one of the fountains (pictured above) as we awaited the arrival time of Diane and her husband, Scott. The four of us passed the church and strolled down Jacobsgatan, walking in what I believed to be the footsteps of our great-grandfather, Erik. We stopped in front of what is now 5 Jakobsgatan for photos. We made our way back to the church for more photos. We continued on, through Kungsträdgården, to an American chain restaurant for dinner. We laughed, reminisced, and created all new memories.
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| 5 Jakobsgatan |
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| St. Jakobs Church |
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