Grandma Dahl's father's name was Lars Fors and her mother's name was Anna Jonsdotter. Lars Fors was born on March 9, 1816 in Bjuråker, Helsingland, Gävleborgs län and died in 1892. Anna Jonsdotter was born August 23, 1819 in Lillhardal and died in 1904. They lived in Helsingland all their lives, coming to the Ljusdal area in 1842 and 1845 respectively. They lived near the village of Tjarnelund. He was a good carpenter and built several houses. He was also a soldier and a woodsmen - made charcoal. He was a paid soldier for 25 years and then received a small pension. They were both good singers. All of the family were Lutherans. They had nine children, four of whom died young. Their sons names were Jonas, Lars and Per; two were shoemakers, one was a tailor, carpenter and farmer. Two played the accordian. The boys were all big in size; the girls, of medium build. Lars had 3 children - Karen, Eric and Christine. As far as Grandma Dahl knew, Per never married. Grandma's sister Caroline, and her brother, Jonas Fors, came to America. Caroline is the mother of Lars, John and Eric Bloomquist, Arnold Bloomquist's father. Jonas' children were Betsy (Mattson), Maggie (Anderson), Anna (Peterson), Christine (Johnson) and Lawrence Forse. Their children are my second cousins and several of us get together every summer for a "cousin" get-together. Anna was the first of the relatives to come to America on March 14, 1891. She came to be a maid for a Mr. Gust Peterson at Rush Point and later married him.

Grandma Dahl was born July 15, 1858. She went to school for six years, comparable to our eigth years. Her maiden name was Anna Fors. When she was young, she herded cattle during the summer months. There were cabins in the woods where they stayed. At age 17, she left home to do housework but returned at age 19.

Grandpa and Grandma were married in 1881. Of their 10 children, only 5 lived to adulthood. The one who died in this country, Loritz, was only a few days old. Maggie, Alma and Hannah were born in Sweden. Emma, my mother, and Aunt Emily, in Minnesota. Maggie, born in 1882, died at age 17 of typhoid fever. Hannah, Mrs. Fred Hartz, born 1885, had three children - Edna, Mildred and Irene. Alma, Mrs. George Lindstom, born 1887, also had three - Harold, Evelyn and Doris. Hannah and Alma each had two children who died in infancy. Emily, Mrs. Clarence Lindquist, had two sons - Russell and Kenneth. Our family consisted of me - Bernice - Mauritz, Chester, Richard and Virgil. Hannah died at age 38 of an inflamed spleen; Alma, at age 30 of a brain tumor and Emily, in her 80's.

Grandpa and Grandma came to this country in 1892. They first went to Rush Point, where other relatives lived. While there, grandpa worked in the woods. After 1.5 years, they bought 80 acres of land at West Rock. Their log house from Rush Point was moved to their new farm and that is the house in which my mother was born, as well as my brothers and I. The living room and upstairs of the house as I knew it were added on to the original log house. Grandpa was a farmer here, as in Sweden, but he was also a successful horse trader. After a short time, he sold 40 of the 80 acres and paid off what he owned on the farm. He did some drinking, mostly binge drinking with his card-playing friends, but never at the expense of getting his work done.

At one time another family, while they were building a cabin, lived with them. There were five Sundeens and six Dahls in their two rooms.