#per rosdal

[300yearschallenge]

Dear Charles Elias,

I prayed for your safe passage through this bitter winter every day, and it warms my heart that my prayers were answered.

I am so relieved to hear you found Theodore alive and well, and that you are settling in well to your new life!

I hope you manage to continue settling in well and that you may be able to make some friends in your new home.

You asked how we all have been here.

After the initial shock of your departure settled life has continued mostly unchanged.

Your siblings miss you dearly, and Joseph is as he always has been.

We celebrated Eugene Anifas' birthday recently.

To think he is now no longer a boy, but a young man!

As is tradition we held a large celebration with the entire family invited.

The party was attended by several relatives. My uncles Joseph and Vilhelm attended, as did several of your cousins.

Constantine was, of course, there. And even Rosalie managed to travel over with her two daughters for the occassion. It continues to astonish me the rate at which your many cousins grow. Beau is already a young man himself, and Rosalie's youngest - Greta - is now walking around all on her own!

Although, I will say that your absence from the celebrations was sorely felt by me and your siblings.

As for the man of the hour - Eugene Anifas looks more mature and respectable than ever.

He is as kind and gentle as he has always been, and his foray into adulthood has done little to lessen this. I do so desperately wish we could have seen his twin grow up with him, to know what he may have been, but I must not dwell on such matters.

As the party came to an end a young sheperdess stopped by to give Eugene Anifas a gift in person.

I am, of course, not a gossip, but I do believe I saw the faint stirrings of romance between the two.

Lord knows it is about time at least one of you find someone you fancy! Iliana Dorothea seems to have already dismissed half the village, and every letter Émile Gustaf sends revolves around his work and his studies.

Hopefully you may meet someone who catches your eye soon, so that I may feel some hope that I see one of you marry before I am old and grey.

Do keep writing to your dear old mother so that I may know you are well, and give my regards to Theodore.

With love,

Théodora Park 1783

P.S. I have included your new address in my latest letter to Émile Gustaf in the hopes that he may write to you soon.

[300yearschallenge]

Away from the Park household, Inés was enjoying her life.

Although she missed Ulf, she found joy in caring for her children and doting on her grandchildren.

She was like a second mother to Constantine's two adopted sons, who both loved her very much.

But, sharing the care of a household with her son still took a toll on her.

And one day, at the age of 61, Inés Olafsson laid down for a nap in her bed and passed away.

She was buried next to her husband Ulf, together again after his death in 1776.

Everyone in her family was devastated.

Inés had been a pillar of strength in her family for so long, always there to comfort them and help resolve conflicts.

And now, all of a sudden, they were on their own.

Her three surviving children clung to each other during the funeral, trying to stay strong for each other as they said their goodbyes to their beloved mother.

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Rest in Peace Inés Olafsson

1721 - 1782

Mother to Constantine, Théodora, Teresa & Rosalie Olafsson.

[300yearschallenge]

In 1780 Émile Gustaf came home for a visit for a very special occassion.

He was to celebrate his 18th birthday.

His visit was welcomed with great enthusiasm from his siblings, mother and relatives.

Writing letters to each other was all well and good, but nothing could beat talking in person and getting to hug each other again.

The party was a grand event, where family from all over came to visit.

Everyone wanted to hear Émile's stories of the big city, and he enjoyed the attention very much.

He also got to meet his younger cousins, including young Charlotta who came over with her father Lukas.

Rosalie had to stay home with her new baby - a little girl named Greta.

Out of all his relatives Émile Gustaf was happiest to meet his uncle Constantine again.

If not for Constantine the path Émile was on would have looked very different, and he was very grateful to his uncle for it all.

Eventually it was time for Émile Gustaf to blow out the candles.

He had grown into a handsome young man, who remained as studious and serious as ever.

[300yearschallenge]

Despite his challenging youth and adulthood, Ulf found that old age suited him rather well.

At 54 his joints and back ached more than before, and he could tell the weather from the pain in his old scars - but on the whole he was healthy and happy.

He loved tending to his farm and caring for his little grandchildren, all of whom he adored with all his heart.

It was a shock to the family when one cold autumn day in 1776 Ulf complained that he felt tired and out of breath and was found passed away later that day.

He was found by Constantine out in the yard, seemingly having just laid down and then passed. It took a while for the rest of the family to notice, as Constantine was overcome with grief at the sight of his father.

[300yearschallenge]

Ulf's funeral was held not too long after his passing.

The weather that day shifted between bouts of cold sunlight and even colder rain.

He was buried near the rest of his family, near his brother Karl and only a few steps away from his parents and Signhild.

The funeral was attended by as many Olafssons that could come.

Constantine and Théodora brought all of their children to say goodbye to their grandfather, except for Émile Gustaf who was in Stockholm.

Rosalie and Lukas left their baby daughter to be watched by a family friend so they could travel over for the funeral and spend a few days with her family.

And, of course, Ulf's surviving siblings attended as well. Out of so many there was now only Viola, Josef and Vilhelm left, and they all felt the absence of their oldest brother immensely.

Last of all attendants, but not least, was Inés.

Poor, widowed Inés remained surprisingly calm during the length of the funeral, only standing silently and looking at her husband's tombstone.

Despite the ups and downs of their marriage she had loved him fiercely, and the last years had given them a happy and peaceful marriage.

Although she did not wail or cry with anguish, she felt the loss of her husband deeply and bitterly.

As she watched the cold, damp stone that now marked where he lay, she could only tell herself one thing:

She would be there for all her family twice as much, for his sake.

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Rest in Peace Ulf Olafsson

1722 - 1776

Father to Théodora, Constantine, Teresa and Rosalie.

[300yearschallenge]

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3

"There's a lot of bruising and swelling," Émile said, "But nothing seems to be broken."

"That's a relief," Constantine said, "I don't know what would have happened had you not been there."

"So," Per said, "He'll be okay?"

"He'll be okay."

"Lord knows why you boys were so far outside the village," Constantine said, "When I was your age I never strayed that far."

"We're lucky Émile was so quick to act," Eugene said, trying to deflect their uncle's chiding.

"Speaking of," Eugene said, "How come you knew just what to do? I could hardly think straight."

"Oh," Émile stammered, "Uh... I..."

"I have a friend whose father is a barber-surgeon," he lied, "So I picked up on a few things through that, I guess."

"Uh-huh," Eugene and Constantine said in unison.

"If you say so," Eugene said.

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3

[300yearschallenge]

In the spring of 1776 Théo was over for a visit at her parents' house with Iliana, and while the children were playing outside in the yard a new topic came up.

"Théo," 'Tine said, "You will never guess what I read in the news the other day. You know the British colonies in America? They've started a revolution against Britain!"

Inés gave a warm smile, "There he goes again," she said, "This is the third time 'Tine has brought it up today already."

"Because it is so exciting!" 'Tine said, not put off by his mother's jest. "Is it not a fight for liberty? This is what the past several decades worth of philosophy has been striving for!"

"Imagine what this new age of liberty might bring!" 'Tine said. "Despots far and wide will tremble in fear!"

"I don't think we need to worry about despots anytime soon, 'Tine," Théo grinned, "But I admire you enthusiasm."

"Unless we're talking about the child sized ones," she said, and they all laughed at the joke before the conversation moved on.

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Historical Info

This historical info is not about the American Revolution.

Or well, I guess it sort of is, but only in regards to Sweden's reaction to the American Revolution. If you desire a more thorough investigation into the American Revolution then there's plenty of sources out there ^w^

Anyhow - Sweden!

The 1700s land squarely within the Enlightenment period. It was a time where philosophers and great thinkers valued freedom, knowledge, science and reason among many other things.

As such people in Sweden were generally positive about the Revolution when it happened. This source* states that

"The Swedes, it should be said, during their "Era of Freedom", between the death of Charles XII in 1718 and Gustav III's coup d'état in 1772, had become accustomed to very much the same kind of political vocabulary as was now in use across the Atlantic"

Of course there will always be nay-sayers to anything, and there were people in Sweden who were not a fan of the revolution. But on the whole attitudes were fairly positive.

In fact Gustav III was initially supportive of the revolution himself, stating that "America, like a new Rome, might someday 'put Europe under tribute'"

However, ironically, as Gustav III himself slowly turned towards restricting the people's freedoms he began to dislike the American Revolution. But Gustav III's turn toward despotism is a story for another day.

*it's JSTOR but you can make a free account in order to read a set amount of articles each month, so it is possible to access!

[300yearschallenge]

In the spring of 1775 an accident orphaned Beau & Per Rosdal - the sons of Théo's cousin Helga Rosdal.

Despite already being a single father, 'Tine decided to take the two boys in and to care for them as his own.

When Théo asked why, he said: "I might as well give little Teresa some siblings, seeing as how I will never remarry."

No one wished to argue against his decision after his recent loss, and so the two boys were given a new home on the Olafsson farm.