Ancestors in hats galore!
The year is 1909. From the left (not counting grand-uncle Sven in the pram): my great grandmother Judit (not even 18 in this pic, she got preggers at 15 with my great grandfather who was her piano teacher and twice her age), my great-great grandfather, my great grandfather Sigfried (the aforementioned piano teacher) with eldest daughter Greta in his arms. The prim old lady at the table is my great-great grandmother and the young lady behind her is her daughter (whose name I can't remember) and the young man is my great grand uncle Gunnar (who is wearing a 'studentmössa'; a hat that signifies that he has a school degree and is ready for university). The lady seated in front of him is Judit's mother, so she's also my great-great grandmother.
My mother adored my great grandmother Judit. She had both warmth, humour and a backbone of steel. She and her husband had 14 children, and if he hadn't died of a heart attack, they'd probably have had more. She raised them alone, put them all through school and most through college or university (God knows how, but somehow she managed). She never really got over the loss of her husband, though - she missed him to the last day she lived. "That Sigfried – what a man!" she would say and sigh. According to my mother she still did when she was well over 90!
Mum wanted to name me after her but my father absolutely refused because he thought 'Judit' was ghastly.
The year is 1909. From the left (not counting grand-uncle Sven in the pram): my great grandmother Judit (not even 18 in this pic, she got preggers at 15 with my great grandfather who was her piano teacher and twice her age), my great-great grandfather, my great grandfather Sigfried (the aforementioned piano teacher) with eldest daughter Greta in his arms. The prim old lady at the table is my great-great grandmother and the young lady behind her is her daughter (whose name I can't remember) and the young man is my great grand uncle Gunnar (who is wearing a 'studentmössa'; a hat that signifies that he has a school degree and is ready for university). The lady seated in front of him is Judit's mother, so she's also my great-great grandmother.
My mother adored my great grandmother Judit. She had both warmth, humour and a backbone of steel. She and her husband had 14 children, and if he hadn't died of a heart attack, they'd probably have had more. She raised them alone, put them all through school and most through college or university (God knows how, but somehow she managed). She never really got over the loss of her husband, though - she missed him to the last day she lived. "That Sigfried – what a man!" she would say and sigh. According to my mother she still did when she was well over 90!
Mum wanted to name me after her but my father absolutely refused because he thought 'Judit' was ghastly.
