A Retired Financial Advisor, Carol Elizabeth Skog, grew up in CT. of Swedish heritage (3 grandparents Swedish, 1 grandmother Bavarian) studied one year at Västkustens Ungdomsskola, in Ljungskile, Sweden thru the Scandinavian Seminar program. The only foreign student with her Swedish schoolmates, Carol rapidly immersed herself into the language, customs, traditions, and foods of her family’s origin. She gained heart warm bonds with both her parent’s relatives, visiting, living with and sharing cultural events and traditional celebrations together.
Ms. Skog’s own life journey—raised in Swedish customs and traditions in the USA, peaked her interest in her family’s heritage culture. Her papa’s shared experiences visiting, living and attending school in Sweden growing up, developed a stronger desire for Carol to one day enjoy the same experiences, visiting, living in and attending school in Sweden. She began writing to Swedish cousins at nine years of age, developing her genealogical quest.
Fulfilling a life’s desire, Carol enjoyed living and studying in Sweden, as well as numerous visits enjoying relatives. Over the years she continued her genealogical search, obtaining information from relatives, as well as various archives when living and traveling in Sweden. She also visited areas where both parents families lived and was invited into some family homes from the late 1800′s.
Ms. Skog attained a degree as a Scandinavian Studies Major and a Creative Writing minor at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. She involved herself in Swedish cultural organizations. True to Swedish enjoyment of nature, Carol was fond of hiking in Washington state’s mountains and wilderness areas, where she lived when raising her three daughters. She introduced her daughter’s to baking Swedish cardamon yeast braided coffee breads, involvement in Saint Lucia celebrations, attendance of Julotta (early morning Swedish Christmas service) and dancing ’round the Maypole at Midsummer celebrations together.
Ms. Skog lived the divided heart experience, which gave Carol a passionate understanding and knowledge of her strong ancestral bonds. She researched genealogy information back to the 1500′ s for both parent’s families. Carol and her parents were invited to Swedish Count & Countess Bonde’s Manor house, Bordsjö where the Count shared info about her mother’s relatives. Her many Swedish family, social, cultural, historical and genealogical fulfilling experiences led her penning, a most heartfelt genre blended Swedish genealogical fairytale, a serendipitous magical Enchantment Ädventyr.
Scandinavian Folk Trö (Beliefs) were shared orally amongst adults, with children sometimes listening. Originally Hans Christian Anderson wrote social commentaries for adults that were later simplified into Fairy-tales for the Nursery. My genre blended genealogical fairytale is appropriate from youth to all age adults up to age 100 plus.
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Genealogy/ Family Discoveries: Interest in my Genealogy has been a life long venture, as my experience began at age nine and is ongoing. 🙂 Most amazed, since writing “Enchantment Ädventyr”, a Swedish relative suggested in late 2013, I join, MyHeritage.com Since then, I discovered more fascinating info concerning my Swedish heritage from both parents. Very surprised, and most pleased, I currently am tracing directly back to the early 1200s in Sweden on my mama’s side. I traced directly to the early 1400’s on my papa’s side, thus far. Satisfying a lifetime wish, I reconnected with many of my maternal grandmother’s father’s Bavarian relatives, through MyHeritage.com. In May 2015, I traveled to Bavaria meeting relatives, visiting their properties from the mid 1700’s and mid 1800’s they owned, 2 of which – cousins still live in. Heart warming, deep personal identity connection family experiences. Intriguing, thorough MyHeritage.com searches, I discovered a few of my Swedish relatives in the 1400, 1500, 1600’s originated from Bavaria and other Germanic Provinces, migrating to Sweden. Personally, studying my Genealogy, has been a fascinating journey through generations of my lineage, their life events, personal circumstances, their participation in social and cultural history, various types of occupations, even some historical figures. All these family discoveries add dimension of whom I am, where I came from and even imbue certain moral, spiritual, philosophical strengths, foundational stability, strength and determination, knowing I also can endue though various of life’s circumstances toward honorable, positive resolves.
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I will be adding Posts in the “New” Blogs categories of: Folklore/ Fairytale/ Beliefs, Genealogy/ Family Discoveries, Holiday Customary Foods, Swedish Traditions/ Celebrate Customs, and Travels/ Scandinavia and Bavaria
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Bind bandet kärleksbandet
Sveriges barn till fosterlandet
Bind the bands of the love bands
Sweden’s children to the fatherland
********************************************************************************************************** Ms. Skog is currently penning a Victorian era Historical Novel, opening scene New York City, 1890. Double tragedy already befell the Bavarian family, shared and enlivened through the oldest daughter Marie’s experiences. Was a third tragedy, soon to occur? The historical tale of the young foreign family’s unexpected grave predicament, intertwines International links, the status of women, introduces the biggest social plight in NYC as the abandonment of women and children, and experiences extreme class divisions and social conditions. Famous people flow through the plot, involved in personal, historical, social and cultural events shared with the foreign family. Marie and her mother, portray perseverance, tenacity and resilience when heart rendering circumstances abruptly obliterated their known privileged world into sheer gut wrenching survival. Desperation, decisions, unexpected directions ventures the family for a period to Hoboken, New Jersey, an enclave of German and Irish immigrants, for a few years. A quite serendipitous occurrence takes them to Rock Island/ Moline Illinois, a settlement of German and Swedish immigrants. The plot echoes some gravely haunting circumstances, but Marie and her mother’s determination and sheer wit create twists to their fate toward positive resolutions. Tumultuous challenges tests the character’s values and virtues. Dramatic climatic events lead Marie’s firm resolute defiance of her choices as a young adult, into triumphant hope-filled actions of love and faith. Ending scene, a life or death situation during a blizzard in December 1899.
Contact Carol at nordicscripts@gmail.com
