Spjut Axel och Spjut Swen höll kontakten. Axel satt mången gång vid köksbordet med sina tummade amerikabrev. Swen beskrev säkert, hur han format och bränt tegel till sin nya stuga och Axel förundrades nog över det nya landet, som var så torrt och trädlöst, att man måste ta till dylikt byggnadsmaterial.
Breven är borta men frimärkena finns kvar. De klipptes ut från kuverten, lades i blöt och torkades. Det första barnbarnet fick en liten frimärkssamling.
Endast två brev blev sparade till eftervärlden. Det ena skrevs av Swen själv och man kan betrakta det som ett avskedsbrev; Han kände sig gammal och förstod, att de inte skulle mötas mer i detta liv. Man anar, att Axel i sitt sista brev berättat, att äldsta dottern Eva gift sig och Swen hade svarat och skickat pengar till henne som gratulation, troligen en dollarsedel.
I brevet låg också ett svart/vitt foto på familjen:
Swen iförd hög hatt med brätte. Hustrun Matilda Erika med grannaste sjalen om axlarna. Sonen Karl med vit skjorta och hängslen samt döttrarna Olive och Lovetta, båda unga och vackra, Olive dessutom med hela sin familj, maken Bill och barnen Joy, Mary och Richard. I brevet låg också ett foto på Eva, som tagit sin lärarexamen. Det måste ha varit ett stolt ögonblick för Swen, när han kunde lägga ner det i sverigebrevet.
För att ingen skulle missta sig om, vem som var Swen, hade han markerat ett stort kryss med bläck över hatten.
När Swen gått bort, skrev änkan ett brev till sin svåger, som hon aldrig träffat. Hon var själv gammal och bodde just då hos sin son Karl i Salt Lake City. Hon skickade bilder på både dottern Eva och barnbarnen, David och Davine, urklippta skolkort. Det var det sista brevet till Sverige skulle man förmoda.
AMERICA LETTERS
Spjut Axel and Spjut Swen kept contact. Axel sat many times at the kitchen table with his well fingered America letters. Swen indeed wrote – and told how he had formed and fired bricks for his own new cottage, and Axel surely wondered about the new land which was so dry and treeless that a person must use such unusual building material.
The letters are gone but the stamps remain. They were clipped from the envelope and placed on a blotter and dried. The first grandchild received a little stamp collection.
Only two letters were kept. The one is written by Swen himself and a person can look on it as a farewell letter. He felt himself old and understood that they should never meet again in this life. One can suppose that Axel in his last letter told that his oldest daughter Eva had married and Swen had answered and sent money to her in congratulations, probably a dollar bill.
The letter also contained a black and white photograph of the family: Swen wearing a high hat with a brim. His wife, Erika Mathilda, with a great shawl around her shoulders. His son Karl with a white shirt and suspenders, along with daughters Olive and Lovetta, both young and pretty. Olive also had her family with - husband Bill and children Joy, Mary and Richard. The letter also included a photograph of Eva who had completed her teacher’s examinations. That must have been a proud moment for Swen. He had marked a large cross over his hat.
When Swen died, his widow sent a letter to her brother in law whom she had never met. She was herself old, and lived with her son Karl in Salt Lake City. She sent pictures of Eva with grandchildren David and Davine – clipped school pictures. It is assumed that this was the last letter to Sweden.
The letters are translated as follows:
“You say in your letter to me that I should come and visit while we have time left to live I do not believe that it can be done I have not much desire to travel I feel best here in my surroundings. I do not believe that I can come and see the land where I was born because old age will begin soon to take its toll – but so shall we meet on the other side of the veil where no sorrow or trouble is found may we all do that which our God approves and attain our heavenly fathers righteousness.
We have a daughter who is not married and is a school teacher otherwise our daughters are married and are well satisfied with their situations.
I send a little good greeting in the form of a money order and you may let your married daughter receive a portion of it and with that which remains you may do as you have done previously
And now I close for this time with a good greeting to you all
God bless you all
Swen O Anderson
p.s.
We desire to send Eva a present I mean a wedding present but the postage is so unreasonably high, it costs as much as the gift but we will wish them joy and happiness in marriage and trust that she has found a good and pleasant man, they look happy.
Sincerely Sister- in- law Ericka
Pleasant Grove the 16th October 1935
Good brother Axel and associates peace be with you After a long time may I answer your last letter which is dated the 28th of July in this year. I must say that I am a poor writer but nevertheless I wish to do my duty it has been another warm summer this year where the Celsius has been up to 40 degrees and another thermometer called Fahrenheit has registered over 103 degrees but it is as it shall be if we didn’t have warm weather in the summer we wouldn’t receive anything for our physical sustenance yes we have had it good enough since we came to this blessedness and I am very thankful that I received the opportunity and purpose to come here to this land in my younger days they have now finished with printing Utah news which has always been friendly and upright in its news and even over the spiritual sphere it has been great in encouragement and spiritual development and so forth.
And now I thank you for the fine portrait which you sent me. Yes it was a surprise to see that your daughter Eva is married and I hope that she has got her a good and upright companion and helpmate through this life which is so rich and full of different experiences may the Lord bless all of you and I wish that you may all be protected through God’s all wise hand and guidance. God bless you all
Your Brother and friend
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