My family is hoping to identify this young Swedish soldier! Let me know if you recognize this individual, or know who he might be! This photo(1) is from circa 1901 - 1912, likely taken in the Västernorrland region of Sweden. The photographer appears to be Hanna Lundborg of Umeå, Sweden.
Photograph is of a dark haired man in uniform - possibly from the Swedish army as young men were required to give 2 years of service beginning in 1901 until July 1, 2010(2). This was found in the red velvet photo album owned by my my Mom. The album travelled with my great grandparents, Britta Mathilda Goransdotter
(1887-1958) and husband Johan Elof Eriksson (Erickson) (1882-1959), when they immigrated from Fränsta, Västernorrland, Sweden to their homestead near Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1912. Many of the photos in this album have no names, and we were not able to match them to photos of known individuals.
Most of the photos in the album were likely of friends or relatives, as this collection of photos was created as a memento for the young family to take with them when the moved half-way around the world. There was little expectation that Britta or Johan would ever return to Sweden to see their family or friends.
This photograph, and the other unknowns from the red velvet album, are of people who lived and died about 100 years ago. I would love to honour them, but that will be hard to do without knowing who they were!
-----------------(1) Photo from album in possession of my mom, in Saskatchewan, Canada.
(2) "Sweden Ends Compulsory Military Service," http://www.defensenews.com/article/20100701/DEFSECT04/7010303/Sweden-Ends-Compulsory-Military-Service : by Agence France-Presse. Accessed May 16, 2013.
Copyright 2013 Denise G Baker, All Rights Reserved
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