Welcome!
I am excited to be the new owner of Swedish Country Interiors! Here is a
little bit about my heritage!
I come from a rich Swedish tradition, that has had a strong impact on the way I
was raised, and the customs that were a part of my upbringing. Although
all four of my grandparents were 100% Swedish, only one actually immigrated.
My Morfar came to America from Stengardshult, Sweden when he was 19 years old,
along with his brothers and cousins. He settled in Chicago with family,
where he became a carpenter, until 1942 when he joined the army and was sent to
the Pacific Theatre to fight in WWII. Upon returning to Chicago he met my
Mormor at Summerdale Evangelical Free Church, who had also just returned from
the war, serving as an army nurse.
On my paternal side, my grandparents were both second generation Americans,
with my Grandpa growing up in Chicago as well, and my Grandma growing up on a
farm in Central Minnesota. All of my grandparents made several trips back
to Sweden in their lifetime to visit those locations from which their families
came.
Swedish tradition wasn't something that was always welcomed in my family, as
the first generation often wanted to forget their heritage and the trials of
Sweden. They wanted to become truly American, speaking only English and
identifying only with American culture. But it was the following
generations that had rekindled an avid interest in their family heritage,
wanting to know more about their ancestry, and not wanting to lose an
understanding of their unique Swedish traditions.
My interest in all things Swedish has always been present, but was magnified
when I was in college and chose to write my Senior Thesis on Swedish
Immigration Patterns to the United States. From then on I have been
actively researching my Swedish past, and learning about Scandinavian culture,
both in the Homeland, and in America. This is why I am doing what I am, I
want to better understand the culture
from which I come, and then be able to share it with others who are as
interested in the past as I.
Thanks,
Courtney Anderson Clay